Isaacs steps up to bat
Former Games Global Non-Executive Director and industry veteran Gavin Isaacs has been appointed to the role of CEO at Entain, which he will step into on 2 September 2024.
His previous roles include Chair of SBTech, during which he played a key role during the company’s acquisition by DraftKings, as well as President & CEO of Scientific Games (now Light & Wonder). He has also worked with Aristocrat, Bally’s and several others. Due to his M&A experience, some have speculated that his appointment may be a sign of a potential buy-out of the operator.
Entain Chair Barry Gibson welcomed Isaacs to the company, calling him “the right person to take Entain into its next chapter.”
So, this is what the kids are up to these days
A teenager from Walsall, England has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the ransomware attack that affected MGM Resorts in Las Vegas in September of last year. The teen was part of a wider global cybercrime group, though authorities have not specified which group – particularly, if it was the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group that had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group was able to conduct the hack by calling the MGM Help Desk and, using data found on LinkedIn of an MGM employee, was able to access the necessary info to conduct the attack.
The 17-year-old suspect has been released on bail.
Biden out, DraftKings in
DraftKings plans to launch its online sportsbook in Washington DC, following the necessary licensure and regulatory approvals.
Once live, sports fans in the area will have access to a range of betting markets and DraftKings features, including same-game parlays and in-game betting among others. Launching in Washington DC would mark DraftKings 29th North American jurisdiction where the app is live.
President of DraftKings North America Matt Kalish said: “It has been incredible to see legalised sports betting grow rapidly over the past six years, and with plans to launch our online sportsbook in DC, DraftKings looks forward to expanding its presence in more than half the country.”
Kambi counts the cash
Kambi reported revenue of €45.7m ($49.4m) in Q2 2024, up 6.5% year-on-year. Operating profit (EBIT) rose significantly, up 67.6% to €6.2m, while EBITA came to €7.5m, up 50%. Earnings per share were also up sizeably, with a value of €0.16, up 86.7%.
During the quarter, the supplier engaged in several business ventures, including an exclusive partnership with the Choctaw Nation on Oklahoma, a sportsbook services launch for LiveScore in the UK and Svenska Spel, and several others.
In the first half of the year, revenue came to €88.9m, up 2.3% year-on-year, while EBIT clocked in at €10.6m, up 29.3%.
Sorry, computer says no
The Microsoft outage that affected businesses and airports late last week affected three gaming operators in Macau, according to local reports.
While the effect on the operators was relatively minor, allowing daily operations to continue, the operators’ offices and computers were impacted.
Other businesses in the region faced far harsher impacts from the outage, with the Judiciary Police (JP) reporting eight critical infrastructures to be facing challenges from the outage, including one cash remittance company.
Businesses both in and outside of the gaming sector around the world were impacted by the outage, caused by a faulty security update.
