Suppliers on the move, an illegal gambling den paying out in Pokémon cards busted

An organized illegal gambling ring leveraging a peculiar way of paying out prizes was recently taken down by law enforcement in Bexar County, Texas. Details about the case were provided by Sheriff Javier Salazar, who oversaw the bust that resulted in the seizure of hundreds of gambling devices (500-600).

The operation specifically relied on payouts through sports and Pokémon cards, both of which carry significant real-world value, in an attempt to circumvent the state’s gambling laws.

"We know what they’re doing. They’re trying to skirt the law. It doesn’t make it any less illegal, and at present, it appears that those people are all going to be going to jail," Sheriff Salazar noted. Read more here.

Fanatics has decided to shut down prediction markets in Utah, as the state has been pushing actively against the vertical, including targeting individual companies with criminal charges.

The company has confirmed that it is exiting the state to comply with local regulatory mandates, and possibly due to the scrutiny faced by platforms such as Kalshi. Utah has repeatedly insisted that prediction markets, and sports event contracts in particular, operate in violation of state gambling laws.

Business and finance

Booming Games has appointed a new Chief Financial Officer in the face of seasoned industry veteran Darja Roos. Roos previously worked with Yolo Group in the same position, and is now arriving at the supplier at a time of rapid growth and several high-profile changes across the C-suite.

"Darja brings exactly the blend of iGaming, governance and international finance experience we need at this stage of our growth. Alongside Eric and the Finance team, she’ll play a key role in building on our existing foundations and supporting our continued growth. We’re delighted to welcome her to the leadership team," noted Booming Games Chief of Staff Ramona Petrina.

Meanwhile, Gaming Innovation Group’s (GiG) Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Phil Richards, announced he has stepped down from his senior-level role at the company on Monday, November 2.

Richards joined in July 2024 and has helped steer the company through some challenging moments, including the completion of its Initial Public Offering and the acquisition of a majority stake in 888Africa, a regional heavyweight.

R. Franco Digital has introduced a brand-new slot game, which features three distinct fantasy-inspired characters along with customizable attributes that have a direct impact on the gameplay.

Players are allowed to adjust the attributes, level up, and clash with monsters over a grid that plays out like a map from a make-believe world. Find out more about the game here.

Wazdan has expanded its presence in Europe and the Nordics, with the supplier officially teaming up with Veikkaus, the Finnish state monopoly, ahead of the market’s official liberalization, which will see private operators vie for a slice of the online casino and sports betting pie.

In the meantime, creative collective Maxxi Labs has announced a brand new slot game ahead of Thanksgiving - Turkeys Gone Wild.

Responsible gambling

The NCAA has announced that it is joining the Bad Actor Program, an initiative that is dedicated to protecting student-athletes who experience an increasing amount of abuse online due to irate gamblers who vent their frustration and resort to threats of violence and worse.

The association will seek to strengthen the integrity of sports as well as protect people inside NCAAF and NCAAB competitions from betting-related abuse by identifying such instances and flagging them with the relevant authorities, among other safeguards.

New Jersey state senator John F. McKeon has published an Op-ed piece on New Jersey dot com in which he spoke about the current status quo when it comes to gambling. The senator chiefly acknowledged that there have been aspects of the thriving gambling industry that remain unaddressed, and is calling for that to change.

Sen. McKeon spoke about the good that has come out of regulating gambling in the Garden State, and acknowledged the role the industry played in driving economic welfare.

However, he also noted that the state should also focus on leading in the way treatment and RG safeguards are administered and not just in the proliferation of gambling per se.

The voice of the industry

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8.io, has sat down for this exclusive interview with Casino Guru News at SBC Summit Lisbon, talking about the company’s presence in the sector, along with the impact of aggregating iGaming content in today’s industry. Catch up with the full interview here.

Casino Guru News also published an Opinion Piece by NeverEnding CTO Olexandr Zaburannyi, who spoke at length about how his company launches fully-fleshed lightweight games that are easy to integrate and reach their intended player base without technical disruption.

Zaburannyi clarifies on how the company is able to build games that are twice smaller than the market average, but look just as good, and including cutting-edge and innovative mechanics. Read up on the full interview here.

Image credit: Unsplash.com