News

Finland’s Veikkaus OY Seeks New Sports Betting Chief Following Departure of Sami Kauhanen

Published

3 years ago

June 24, 2020

Finland’s Veikkaus OY Seeks New Sports Betting Chief Following Departure of Sami Kauhanen

The national gambling monopoly in Finland, which goes by the name of Veikkaus OY, is seeking out a new sports betting chief following the departure of Vice President of Wagering Sami Kauhanen. After his long-term stint in that position, Kauhanen opted to leave the organisation so as to lead the Finnish horse racing scene.

It was earlier on in June that Suomen Hippos, which operates as the country’s horse racing and stud breeding association, announced the appointment of Kauhanen as inbound President and CEO. This appointment will become effective as of September 1, 2020, and the association listed his credentials that make him the optimal candidate for the position. Having been a key stakeholder in Veikkaus OY’s wagering enlargement throughout 2017, Kauhanen saw the organisation absorb the assets of the former state-owned racing operator Fintoto.

Kauhanen remained in the senior executive role with Veikkaus for 10 years, and has led all sorts of sports betting related divisions, as well as helped to launch a variety of products for Finland’s gambling scene. Additionally, Hippos highlighted the fact that Kauhanen has professional horse racing instructor experience, which has seen him secure 2,700 track starts in his career.

Hippos Gains a Treasure While Veikkaus Seeks Out Another

It’s true to say that Kauhanen has a passion for horse racing and all things equestrian, which he said has “been an integral part of my life”. And while a couple of months still remain until his appointment with Hippos begins, he looks forward to getting involved in “this great field and sport again”. Kauhanen spoke of the future offering “many challenges”, but also a lot of opportunities alongside.

Following Veikkaus’s takeover of Fintoto and Ray (which relates to slot gaming and arcades), government agencies will be undertaking a review of the organisation. A selection of trusted betting sites in Finland are already operational, although there still remains a monopoly on gambling within Finland in general. Of course, Kauhanen won’t be around in his former position for the government review, as he will be taking leadership of the Finnish horse racing sector.

Speaking of the overall gambling industry, Kauhanen said that with the new situation in place since the merger of gaming companies, the industry “has had to get used to” it all. Adaptation has been necessary, but he said that he’s sure “that in the future the strong will of the racing people will help find a common goal, which we are willing to do our best for”.

It remans to be seen who will take over his former role as sports betting chief for Veikkaus. The organisation has had a lot to deal with lately, announcing earlier on in June that there will be a reduction in the overall slot machine capacity by more than was initially planned. It also made the announcement that its retail network will re-open this month, with online slots returning from July onwards. The reduction in the number of active slots falls in line with the governmental organisation’s new social responsibility strategy.

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FAVBET partners with BETER Live in major boost to its live casino offering

Published

1 day ago

September 25, 2023

George Miller

FAVBET partners with BETER Live in major boost to its live casino offering

BETER Live’s suite of premium games is now available to all of FAVBET’s users in Ukraine, Croatia, and Romania

Ukraine’s leading iGaming operator FAVBET and BETER Live, the live casino division of the betting content and data provider BETER, has announced a long-term partnership to expand FAVBET’s live casino experience.

From now on, BETER Live will provide FAVBET with a portfolio of authentic and interactive live casino titles in markets across its 3 markets of operation. This includes more than 20+ games and variations covering Roulette, Blackjack, Gravity Blackjack, Gravity Roulette and Ukrainian Roulette.

Game presenters have been trained to the highest possible standards and also know how to provide an engaging player experience, chatting with players throughout their time at the table.

FAVBET has recently launched a UA Roulette table, powered by BETER Live, which has been tailored to meet the specific preferences of Ukrainian players. The new localised game has already found a response among players, showing a near 40% higher conversion rate and 4x more organic traffic compared to the provider’s regular roulette.

“Being a trailblazer in the Ukrainian online casino scene, FAVBET is constantly looking for new and exciting ways to engage our players while offering them the best possible experience. We are happy to have added BETER Live’s games to our portfolio and be able to provide a fully localised experience to our players and stand out from competition. We now look forward to working closely with BETER Live to continue to enhance our live casino offering and have many great products and updates in the pipeline,” commented FAVBET.

Anna Vikmane, Director of BETER Live, said: “We are delighted to share the news of another successful partnership between BETER Live and a leading operator, FAVBET. It is one of the most recognised brands in the Ukrainian market and one that players trust. Localisation is key to FAVBET’s success, and we have been able to work with the operator to ensure our content delivers a localised player experience. Shortly after we launched our first games and FAVBET could see they were a big hit with its customers, we rolled out Ukrainian Roulette — the operator’s first step towards a dedicated offering for the market.”

About FAVBET:

FAVBET is an international iGaming company founded in 1999 in Ukraine. Operating under international and regional licences in Ukraine, Croatia, Romania and Malta, it is currently offering top-notch sportsbook and online casino experience for more than 3 million registered users.

About BETER Live:

BETER Live is a B2B full cycle provider that delivers next-gen services of live casino games. BETER Live is the part of betting content and data provider BETER, whose product verticals cover fast sports, esports and live casino solutions.

Affiliate Announcements

Better Collective acquires Danish sports media Tipsbladet.dk

Published

1 week ago

September 19, 2023

George Miller

Better Collective acquires Danish sports media Tipsbladet.dk

Digital sports media group Better Collective strengthens its position in Denmark through the strategic acquisition of Tipsbladet.dk, one of the leading soccer media in the country producing prime content for Danish sports fans.

For 75 years Tipsbladet has been a trusted sports media in Denmark covering sports news from across the world. Over time, the media has developed from publishing a printed magazine to now developing and distributing prime soccer content across digital channels. From October 2nd 2023, Tipsbladet.dk becomes part of the digital sports media group, Better Collective, headquartered in Denmark. Better Collective acquires Tipsbladet.dk for 6.5 mEUR.

Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder & CEO of Better Collective, says: “I am very proud that we have acquired Tipsbladet that for 75 years has been a go-to sports media for many Danes that want to engage with prime soccer content. The acquisition fits perfectly with our vision to become the leading digital sports media group and our strategy to acquire strong media brands with a loyal audience. I look very much forward to welcoming the dedicated editorial team at Tipsbladet to the Better Collective group and I am convinced that together we can further elevate the content that for years has excited so many Danish sports fans. ”

Founded in 1948, Tipsbladet is the oldest soccer magazine across the Nordics. Since 2000, the digital edition, www.tipsbladet.dk has developed into one of the leading digital sources for soccer related content such as news, articles, match previews, betting tips, videos and analysis with a monthly audience of around 6.8 million visits and more than 110 thousand followers across Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Henrik Stegger Nielsen, former owner of Tipsbladet, says: “Since 2007, when I acquired Tipsbladet, I have worked hard to make it a healthy and sustainable business. I have succeeded, and I could hardly imagine a better buyer for Tipsbladet than Better Collective. I know that they will both take good care of Tipsbladet and, with their ambitions and competencies, develop it even further,”

Henrik Stegger Nielsen joins Better Collective together with all current employees at Tipsbladet.

Allan Olsen, Editor in Chief at Tipsbladet, says: “For Tipsbladet and its employees, this is a fantastic event. Even though we have experienced lots of growth and great numbers on the bottom line in an otherwise pressured media world, there is no doubt that Better Collective can help push Tipsbladet’s growth even further. We will continue to deliver strong football stories, but with Better Collective behind us, we can really make the content live on many more platforms and reach a wider audience.”

Highlighted synergies

Acquiring leading national sports media with a strong brand is an important pillar in Better Collective’s global strategy. Acquiring Tipsbladet.dk enables the Group to increase its presence in Denmark to further leverage its position as a key partner for advertisers in the market.
The editorial team at Tipsbladet creates a strong foundation to grow media products on all relevant platforms.
Better Collective will leverage its leading tech and search engine optimization (SEO) expertise in order to grow the audience.
Better Collective will invest in the development and growth of Tipsbladet.dk.

Esben Skou Vinther, VP of Europe at Better Collective, says: ”As a trusted sports media, Tipsbladet and its employees have built a unique position in the Danish sports market and is a media that will supplement our Danish media portfolio in a great way. We intend to invest in the development of Tipsbladet.dk to further strengthen the content across digital channels. In doing so, Tipsbladet will become an even more attractive advertisement partner for businesses that aim to activate their brand in a relevant and engaging sports context”.

Transaction details
The total purchase price will be 6.5 mEUR on a cash and debt free basis paid in three installments and will be financed with cash. Better Collective estimates that the post synergy 2024 EBITDA multiple will be below 5x. The 2023 financial targets remain unchanged following the acquisition.

Affiliate Announcements

Super Affiliate, betting.bet, Celebrates Brand-defining Re-launch

Published

2 months ago

July 28, 2023

George Miller

Online super affiliate betting.bet has enhanced its flagship brand by unveiling an improved design complemented by new functionalities.

The new website, created by the brand’s proprietors Kontempry Ltd, will aid the brand’s global expansion efforts as it moves from being a UK-centric brand to a “truly global” business.

The design was unveiled last week as part of the company’s re-launch event. Users can now utilise betting.bet to search for the most recent offers from licenced operators worldwide, including brands in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and so on. This has been made possible through the procurement of gambling licences in multiple jurisdictions and the formation of numerous strategic affiliate alliances.

With live odds feeds, bet calculators, a vast selection of offers, and support functions, betting.bet is now a resource that all punters can utilise. What’s more, betting.bet has forged working relationships with some of the world’s most recognisable brands, resulting in enhanced offers for platform users.

Steve Jones, a spokesperson for the brand, comments:

“We are pleased to offer our consumers a more dynamic service with significant enhancements to offer management, usability, brand diversity, and service reviews. Inevitably, this will enable our users to make more informed decisions when signing up with our esteemed partners. This new design also honours the numerous high-profile sponsorship agreements we’ve signed recently.

I would like to thank the team for their extraordinary commitment to the release of the most recent version of betting.bet. This will enable us to engage with new partners and exponentially expand our player offerings.”

Abigail Moses, the Head of Marketing for betting.bet and the broader Kontempry Ltd. group, explains:

“We are thrilled to introduce the all-new betting.bet to our rapidly expanding community of users and partners. As the brand transitioned from a UK-facing utility to a global comparison portal, a more global-focused design became necessary. It is always challenging to design and market a product that will resonate with audiences in multiple locations. The new version of our website precisely reflects who we are as a disruptive growth company, supporting our global expansion and bolstering our European presence.”