As a year in which many experienced a return to normalcy draws to a close and more brief glimpses of what lies ahead are taken.

Evolution, Megaways and Apple 

In April, various regions worldwide began to anticipate further relaxation of long-imposed COVID-19 restrictions. England, in particular, saw one component of the industry reopen as betting shops were granted permission to resume operations.

Mergers and acquisitions remained a significant part of the gaming landscape; as Atari detailed its blockchain ambitions, Apple faced a class-action lawsuit over a casino-based app. SG Digital sought to break the Megaways mold. The importance of developing and sustaining a solid network is a well-known concept across multiple sectors and certainly not lost on the gaming community.

However, among the plethora of tactics and professional lessons on accomplishing this goal, there remains the matter of how well-versed you are in networking. With this in mind, CasinoBeats takes a look beneath the hood, so to speak, and has enlisted the assistance of the 100 Club.

Glen Bullen, CCO of Digital Asset Management, was the first to step up to the plate, walking us through a serendipitous entrée into the sector, embracing obstacles and technological improvements.

The month of April began with the announcement that Evolution was trying to expand its igaming presence by agreeing to acquire Big Time Gaming for a total price of up to €450 million. This happened after it was discovered that Apple had faced a class-action lawsuit in the United States alleging that the tech giant had violated twenty-five states’ anti-gambling legislation.

Plaintiffs Joshua McDonald and Michael Helsel filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, alleging that the organization profited from illegal gambling games produced by DoubleU Games Co.

In Europe, BOS, the Swedish trade group for online gambling, has spoken out against the country’s interim gaming sector limitations being extended until November 14, 2021.

The rules, which took effect in July 2020 and have been roundly criticized by many in the business, were initially scheduled to expire by the end of the year. A previous extension, which ran until June 30, 2021, was deemed concerning and irrational. Caesars finalized its long-awaited £2.9 billion acquisition of William Hill before announcing plans to sell the group’s non-US operations, including the UK and international internet divisions and retail betting shops, in a £2.2 billion contest won by 888.

Additionally, the Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom detailed five core strategic objectives that it says will guide ongoing work in the coming years: protecting children and vulnerable people from gambling harm; a fairer market and more informed consumers; keeping crime out of gambling; optimizing National Lottery returns to good causes, and improving gambling regulation.

Kindred reported a decrease in the percentage of revenue generated by harmful gambling to 3.9 percent in Q1, Atari announced a company restructuring and the establishment of two new divisions focused on sustained growth in the gaming and blockchain ecosystems.

As Perfect Potions Megaways expanded globally, SG Digital intended to break the mold of typical titles that incorporate the popular mechanic and currently adorn numerous game lobbies.

Quotes from the Press Release

“We’ve liked how several European firms, such as Fantasma Games, which recently joined the OpenGaming network, have reimagined Megaways,” said Rob Procter, the group’s content specialist director.

“The developer tinkered with the mechanic in novel ways, which inspired us to think creatively about what we could accomplish.”

Furthermore, Michael Bauer, Greentube’s CFO and CGO, stated that 2021 would signal the start of a ‘new era’ for the supplier, outlining a corporate restructure into three primary verticals.