Asia – Page 23

Ex-Fnatic India Lead Nimish Raut Joins NODWIN Gaming

August 28, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Nimish Raut consults as the head of Global esports Partnerships and Business Development

South Asia’s leading esports company NODWIN Gaming has appointed Nimish Raut as the Head of Global esports Partnerships and Business Development. In his role, Nimish will oversee global partnerships, business development and media rights for all NODWIN properties across the world and will report to Akshat Rathee, the Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming and will be based out of Singapore.

Nimish Raut comes in with over 15 years of experience in sports and esports experience with companies like Star Sports where he led Strategy for new sports and was previously the head of sports marketing at Red Bull India. He kickstarted his esports passion at Redbull and then joined Riot Games (Southeast Asia) for League of Legends. Over the last few years, Nimish has been actively involved in propelling the growth of esports in India as the India lead at Fnatic (one of the world’s leading esports teams).

Akshat Rathee, MD & Co-Founder, NODWIN Gaming said, “It’s exciting to have Nimish on board given his vast experience with key players in the industry. He has a high-spirited persona about him. I have known him for over a decade and he shares my passion for transforming esports and we have strong faith in his capabilities to build valuable partnerships for NODWIN.”

“I’m personally excited to be a part of a driving force that is NODWIN Gaming. The value that NODWIN brings to the developing world esports market is massive and I’m in line with their vision and plan of action. I am very excited of joining forces with Akshat again and bringing substantial value to the esports ecosystem”, said Nimish Raut, Global esports Partnerships & Business Development Consultant, NODWIN Gaming.

Nimish is personally driven in bringing direct interest and investment from traditional sports and entertainment industries toward the world of esports. Nimish has already secured groundbreaking partnerships for NODWIN Gaming with brands such as Gillette, OnePlus, HP, Red Bull and looks to continue the great form.

Hong Kong Customs Arrests 5 for Cross-border Money Laundering

August 28, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Customs officers in Hong Kong have smashed a suspected money laundering ring and arrested five men involved in the transportation of HK$170 million (US$21.8 million) across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB).

According to a statement released by the Hong Kong Government on Wednesday, five men aged between 40 and 43 were arrested between 19 and 23 August for conspiring to “deal with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” and for contravening the Cross-boundary Movement of Physical Currency and Bearer Negotiable Instruments Ordinance. Three of the men are said to be cross-boundary drivers and two “money changers.”

A report by the South China Morning Post also states that some of the funds were likely laundered through Macau casinos.

The suspected money laundering syndicate was first detected in May, the government said, with the drivers completing a total of 17 runs across the HZMB in the months since and carrying up to HK$27 million (US$3.5 million) at a time.

Two of the drivers were arrested last week as they returned to Hong Kong via the HZMB with a combined HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) found in their vehicles.

Authorities said they are currently being assisted by counterparts in both Macau and Zhuhai and that more arrests could be made in the coming weeks. The source of the original funds also remains under investigation but is believed to be the proceeds of crime.

“It is the first time Hong Kong customs has broken up a money-laundering racket that was involved in bulk cash-smuggling operations and the use of cross-border drivers,” said Senior Superintendent Mark Woo Wai-kwan according to the SCMP’s report.

EvenBet Gaming Enhances its Position in Asian Market with SBOBET integration

August 27, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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EvenBet Gaming has enhanced its position in the Asian gaming market after integrating SBOBET sportsbook into its gaming platform.

The agreement, EvenBet says, will provide its operators with access to a range of new sports betting markets as well as an opportunity to “maximise revenue”.

Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO of EvenBet Gaming, said: “We are excited to have integrated SBOBET sportsbook and boost the opportunity to benefit from a product with an excellent reputation and great experience in development.

“With the hasty growth trend of users who now prefer to diversify their gaming experience, partnership with SBO will take the service to the next level.

“The intersection of audiences for sports betting and poker is traditionally large. We look forward to strengthening EvenBet Gaming position within Asian markets with a high-class sports betting offer.”

Currently, the SBO sportsbook offers markets on football, futsal, Gaelic football, water sports, winter sports, badminton, esports, lacrosse and Squash.

While EvenBet already has an integrated sportsbook aimed at particular markets, it believes that the SBO offering is “a strategic solution to offer more attractive experience for operators and players in Asia”.

GrooveGaming finds the fire in Dragon Gaming

August 24, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Leading aggregator GrooveGaming has just tied up another partnership, this time with Dragon Gaming, adding a significant new chunk of content that is particularly relevant to the Far East, but also spans a raft of HTML5 games that appeal to a global audience. Dragon Gaming’s lively, adventurous, and easy-to-play HTML5 slot titles have quickly grabbed the attention of leading online casinos too, in both western and eastern markets.

Based in Manila, Dragon Gaming use the latest technology, sound and creative to make games that players really enjoy, based on a heritage of 17 years experimentation and testing, and, as a result, the Dragon Gaming team has developed a deep understanding of how to create games for local and global audiences.

Dragon Gaming games are available in more than 25 languages and over 25 currencies, including Cryptocurrencies with intriguing titles such as The Wild Show, Aztec Warrior, The Bank Heist, Rise of the Titans, Fortune Frog and Basketball Legends, amongst others. Dragon Gaming’s high-quality games focus is paying off as Buffalo Bounty was just voted No1: Buffalo themed game by Online United States Casino.

The ambitious team at GrooveGaming are dedicated to rapidly provide operators with access to new content based on their proprietary plug-and-play format which is combined with best-in-class technology and an ability to deliver customised solutions.

Aggregator and platform GrooveGaming offers thousands of games in addition to the Dragon Gaming portfolio from more than 70 carefully selected games studios who can be integrated for quick and easy plug-and-play access by operators. GrooveGaming works with tier-1 operators and beyond to professionalise technology solutions that deliver high performance and sustainable revenue.

Dragon Gaming Marketing Manager Jess Beker said: “Our strength lies in pushing boundaries as an iGaming supplier, so reaching an exciting new operator audience with GrooveGaming’s excellent operator cluster is right up our street. We are growing at a phenomenal rate and expect that to be boosted further by plugging into GrooveGaming.”

Yahale Meltzer, COO at GrooveGaming said: “We are attracting more and more exciting game developers to our aggregator, and this latest signing with Dragon Gaming breathes new fire into our belly! This certainly demonstrates that our strategy to work very closely with our operator cluster is the right way to go and is bringing a lot of very interesting new content providers to our doorstep.”

INDIA PLAYS RETURNS WITH MORE FUN GAME TITLES TO BE PLAYED BY THE MOST LOVED GAMERS

August 23, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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The second edition of India Plays comes jam-packed with top gaming influencers from all around India

South Asia’s leading esports company NODWIN Gaming today announced the 2021 iteration of India Plays, a streamer driven event with India’s top gamers, content creators and influencers. India Plays will run for over a period of 4 matchdays in 4 weeks where the streamers will be seen having a fun time at 4 different game titles, starting with Ludo on week 1. The event will take place on 30 August, & 6,13,20 Sept. NODWIN Gaming official channels on YouTube and Facebook will broadcast the event. There will be more than 24 influencers from all around India onboard who will also stream the event on their respective channels.

With its inception in 2020, India Plays brought the fun back into the laidback made-for-all game titles. At the time of the first wave of the pandemic, it was necessary to get our minds off everything stressful and nestle up in our cosy gaming chairs with a one-tap game to ease the strain. We brought India’s best YouTubers, gamers and influencers to compete in the platform battle royale game, Fall Guys.

In a move to bring in more fun and excitement this time around, we have included 4 game titles that are extremely laidback. Anyone between the age of 7-80 can sit and enjoy these games with friends and family on a Sunday evening over a cup of tea.

“India Plays is an all-inclusive IP with no hard rules like that of traditional esports tournaments. The offbeat nature of it gives us the liberty to experiment with all sorts of games and tournament ideas. This time around, we’ve got more games, new streamers and a whole lot of entertainment”, said Sidharth Kedia, CEO, NODWIN Gaming.

To know the complete list of streamers and tournament format, keep a tab on NODWIN Gaming social handles where we will be announcing all the important details.

Analysts Say Genting Malaysia Likely to Reopen in November

August 20, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Analysts from Maybank Investment Bank are expecting a delay in the reopening of Resorts World Genting in Malaysia to November this year, following a surge in Covid-19 cases.

The analysts had initially predicted that its casinos would reopen at the end of August, but its new forecast is based on when the country expects to achieve herd immunity.

Genting Skyworld, however, is expected to open in December to coincide with the school holidays. Genting’s casinos in Malaysia have been closed since the end of May.

Earlier this week, Malaysia’s outgoing Prime Minister announced that the country will open up more sectors from Monday for individuals who are fully vaccinated as it aims to rebuild its economy.

The government said the country administers around 400,000 vaccinates a day and is on track to attain herd immunity in October.

Looking ahead, Maybank analysts said it forecasts Genting Malaysia profit of MYR24.2m in 2022 and MYR26.2m in 2023.

PAGCOR greenlightsJade SportsBet to break new ground with online sports betting across the Philippines

August 18, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Leading Asian service provider, Jade Entertainment, has secured milestone approval from the Philippines’ gaming regulator, PAGCOR, to launch its online gaming platform to sportsbook players nationwide. As a result Jade SportsBet, already certified and regulated by PAGCOR, is primed to leverage rapidly-expanding digital opportunities across the Philippines.

As the tide towards digitized entertainment surges in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, Jade’s GLI-compliant remote gaming services will continue to set the pace across the Philippines. Now bolstered by this online license from PAGCOR, which still represents the gold standard for Asian-market regulation, Jade is building a flexible and enduring bridge between online and land-based channels.

RPM Gaming, the rising star for online and retail betting across emerging markets, has provided the tailored software and the operational consultancy to Jade, delivering state-of-the-art sports betting trading solutions for Jade’s customers – from Okada Manila’s reopened flagship casino to a host of other established retail outlets.

Thanks to a unique combination of pricing models, coupled with a curated selection of odds from the industry’s best data feed suppliers, Philippines players can now enjoy access to the most sophisticated and reactive prices on the sports they love (both pre-game and in-play) with basketball, tennis, football and boxing (highlighted by this weekend’s super welterweight fight, featuring Filipino star Manny Pacquiao) proving particularly popular.

In short, JadeSportsBet, in collaboration with its retail partners, is now ready to accept player registration to its Remote Gaming Platform.

Joe Pisano, CEO of Jade Entertainment, said: “We’re naturally delighted that PAGCOR has regulated to allow sports betting to go online in the Philippines, and that their flexible foresight in adapting to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic has resulted in this landmark license for Jade SportsBet and our progressive portfolio of local retail partnerships.

“Obviously, our strategic intention is to roll out more of these agile online collaborations, as we continue to provide land-based operations with a lifeline in the digital world. Although the migration from land-based to digital was already apparent before the coronavirus outbreak, Jade’s intersectional expertise, groundbreaking technology and trading teams have really put us in the driver’s seat for giving customers the sports betting experience they’ve been craving throughout recent lockdowns.

“We’ve already seen Jade SportsBet immediately rebound with record volumes at Okada Manila ahead of this weekend’s hotly-anticipated Pacquiao fight. And as you can imagine, for the vast majority, there’s only one fighter whom our local customers want to support!

“The Philippines remains the most mature gaming market in Asia with a very diverse range of products, so we’re thrilled to be innovating to promote a sustainable and socially-responsible sports betting ecosystem.”

Gaming platform Zupee closes Series B at over $500 Million valuation

August 17, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Zupee, a leading innovator in India’s online skill-based gaming industry, has announced that it has raised $30 million at a pre-money valuation of $500 million in Series B funding round. This round of funding has been co-led by Silicon Valley based WestCap Group and Tomales Bay Capital, with participation from Matrix Partners India & Orios Venture Partners.

This round comes within 6 months after its Series A round at a $100 million valuation, which is more than 5x increase in the company’s valuation. With total funds raised now at $49 million, Zupee is backed by some of the best in the industry – WestCap Group, Matrix Partners India, Smile Group and Orios Partners. The company has an existing user base of over 10 million users. This new round of funding will be used to enable scaling efforts through expanded product portfolio, deepening market reach and hiring global talent.

Founded in 2018 by graduates of India’s leading institution IIT Kanpur, Dilsher Singh and Siddhant Saurabh, and incubated with funding from Smile Group, Zupee innovates by reengineering time-tested games and enabling them to enhance skill, joy and hope. The company’s portfolio has innovative gaming formats of multiple popular board games. The flagship gaming app hosts live trivia quiz tournaments and has seen over 250 million gameplays.

Dilsher Singh, Founder and CEO, Zupee said, “Games inherently celebrate the journey and nurture self-expression. That’s what I am committed to building with Zupee – an organization which enables people anywhere in the world to enhance their intrinsic happiness through games. We innovate to ensure our games provide an intersection between skill and entertainment, enabling our users to earn while they play. We thank our investors for believing in our purpose and enabling us to progress on our journey to transforming it to reality. Our journey has just begun; 10 million happy users in India, billions more globally we want to touch through our innovative games.”

“WestCap remains a key strategic investor and operating advisor to Zupee and we are increasing our interest again as part of this most recent funding round,” commented Laurence A. Tosi, Founder and Managing Partner of WestCap and early investor in Zupee. “Dilsher and his world class team have innovated some of the most compelling and widely used mobile games of skill in India. The enduring appeal of the Zupee games brings engagement, enjoyment and empowerment to the widest audience of any gaming platform in the market. This funding will enable the Zupee team to invest further in innovation, expand its suite of games and aggressively pursue international expansion. Zupee has exponentially accelerated its growth over the last 12 months, making them one of the largest and fastest growing game companies globally.”

According to industry reports, the global online gaming industry is estimated to grow from $98 billion in 2020 to $272 billion in 2030. In 2020, the industry saw over 53 billion mobile gaming downloads worldwide, of which 17% came from India. By the end of this year itself, there will be 2.9 billion players worldwide.

Oshidori International to Withdraw from Nagasaki IR Bid

August 11, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Oshidori International, Mohegan Gaming’s partner for the Nagasaki integrated resort (IR) bid, plans to pull out of the race due to the prefecture’s supposedly unreasonable demands.

“The restrictions imposed by Nagasaki Prefecture are unreasonable, and at present it is not possible to conduct business in a rational and effective manner,” Oshidori International said in a statement.

“Oshidori has encountered several incidents that make it question whether there have been serious ethical irregularities in the RFP process and it is only interested in participating in a process that has the highest integrity, and that is professional, transparent and based on merit.”

However, the Nagasaki Government stated it hasn’t received any official notice of withdrawal and plans to carry out the selection process as scheduled.

After starting with seven interested parties, Nagasaki’s RFP process currently has only three possible partners: Oshidori, Niki Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group and Casinos Austria International Japan.

Macau legislators Urge Govt to Provide More Information About Changes on Casino Licence Criteria

August 10, 2021 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Amid growing speculation that Macau will extend its current gaming concessions, a subcommittee of the Macau Legislative Assembly has issued a report with recommendations for the government.

The report suggests authorities should give more information about changes to the licence criteria and the extension of current gaming concessions. Members also suggested authorities should not rush to renew licences, arguing that this might result in “lower-quality” bids for the city’s gaming rights.

Macau’s current casino licences will expire in June 2022 but could be extended for up to five years under the city’s gaming laws.

In July, Macau’s secretary for economy and finance said a public consultation on gaming law will be held in the second half of this year. Now, the committee of legislators urged the government to announce an exact date “to avoid causing constant doubts in society”.

Last November, authorities insisted that the public tender to renew casino licences would not be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and that new legislation would be ready in time for when licences expire in 2022.

However, that will depend on the length of the public consultation and the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections. Several industry experts believe the process will be delayed until after the elections so that new legislators will be in charge of amending Macau’s gaming law.

Tag: Asia

Ex-Fnatic India Lead Nimish Raut Joins NODWIN Gaming

Hong Kong Customs Arrests 5 for Cross-border Money Laundering

EvenBet Gaming Enhances its Position in Asian Market with SBOBET integration

GrooveGaming finds the fire in Dragon Gaming

INDIA PLAYS RETURNS WITH MORE FUN GAME TITLES TO BE PLAYED BY THE MOST LOVED GAMERS

Analysts Say Genting Malaysia Likely to Reopen in November

PAGCOR greenlightsJade SportsBet to break new ground with online sports betting across the Philippines

Gaming platform Zupee closes Series B at over $500 Million valuation

Oshidori International to Withdraw from Nagasaki IR Bid

Macau legislators Urge Govt to Provide More Information About Changes on Casino Licence Criteria

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