The fast-growing Asian sports betting operator and powerhouse, Fun88, expanded its roster of brand ambassadors by joining forces with Tony Parker, the famous Hall of Famer and recognizable NBA superstar. The latest partnership, announced Friday, sees the basketball pro become an official brand ambassador for Fun88 in Asia.

Under the terms of the fresh collaboration, Parker will appear in different activations, as well as promotions. Moreover, he plays an important role by enabling Fun88 to connect with more basketball fans across the Asian region, including in markets such as the Philippines, Thailand and China, among other countries.

Parker became the third Hall of Fame brand ambassador for Fun88 after the company clinched similar collaborations with stars such as Steve Nash and the late Kobe Bryant. Undoubtedly, the latest collaboration would help the fast-growing brand engage with more basketball fans across Asia, considering Parker’s strong presence on social media. Currently, the basketball superstar has a staggering 1 million fans on the Chinese platform Weibo, as well as 3 million Facebook followers and 2 million fans on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“I’m thrilled to be following Steve and Kobe’s lead as Fun88’s latest basketball frontman, as we look forward to an exciting renewal of the NBA campaign.“

Tony Parker, brand ambassador for Fun88

Commenting on the topic, Parker said that he is thrilled to join Fun88 as a brand ambassador after the company previously joined forces with Kobe and Steve. “They have built a brand here which directly aligns with my playing values of speed and strength, underpinned by a desire to operate as a team and confound the critics,” he added.

The Betting Brand Is Thrilled to Team Up with the Basketball Star

Fun88’s new brand ambassador said that he is looking forward to delivering unique and engaging insights, as well as premium content for bettors and sports fans across Asian markets. “From China to Thailand, these fans are making it rain! Hopefully, we can find some innovative offers and deeper connections for players to better engage with the sports they love,” explained Parker in conclusion.

“We’re naturally delighted to have secured further net gains for Fun88’s unrivalled ambassadorial roster by signing Tony,“

explained a representative for Fun88

A representative of Fun88 revealed that the company is thrilled to enter into this partnership with the famous NBA star. The representative spoke about Parker’s unquestionable popularity across the globe, predicting that basketball and sports fans are going to like the insights and activations he participates in. Finally, Fun88’s representative predicted that the company will be able to engage with new audiences supported by Parker.

Outside of the basketball vertical, Fun88 has established partnerships with Newcastle United FC, as well as Tottenham Hotspur, two Premier League clubs. The company also has other soccer and cricket-facing deals.

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According to data from premium iGaming technology provider, SOFTSWISS, alongside information resulting from its Casino Platform data analysis, the Asian continent is currently in the lead in terms of VIP gambling. 

At the same time, Europe continues to be the highest-ranking continent when it comes to financial performance and the generation of revenue. 

Let’s take a closer look at the contemporary player profiles created by SOFTSWISS’ experts across Asia, Europe, and the Lat-Am area as disclosed by data from the Casino Platform’s client projects covering the period between September 2022 and August 2023. 

Asia Has the Highest Average Bet Size and Most Mobile Players

The advent of technology and ongoing progress in Asia has helped the continent reach the largest average bet size of the three regions. Data from the Casino Platform shows the average bet size in Asia is 2.5 times higher than European bets and four times higher than LatAm’s numbers.

Asia also boasts the highest number of mobile bettors, with no less than 71.6% of players preferring this method. Only 6.2% of women engage in gambling on the continent. Slots rule the market and account for more than 80% of all games. 

LatAm Players Wager the Lowest Bets

While the LatAm gambling market is currently emerging as a promising iGaming hub, when compared to Europe and Asia, players here continue to place the lowest bets of all three regions covered by the survey.

Mobile gambling is favored by a little over 69% of active players, a figure that slightly goes over the equivalent figure on the European continent. Female players stand for 17.4% of all active players. 

According to SOFTSWISS Casino Platform’s head, Darya Avtukhovich, LatAm bettors also show an “unwavering love for sports betting”, with special emphasis on soccer. In terms of classic games, they prefer slots and roulette. The latter stands for 21.8% of all types of games preferred by LatAm players, a figure that is two to four times higher than the ones recorded in Asia and Europe.

Europe Has 18 Times More Active Players Than Asia 

The Old Continent is home to eight times more active players when compared to Latin America while also boasting 18 times more active players than Asia.

More than 68% of Europe’s active players prefer the mobile betting option. The average bet size is almost twice as high as that in LatAm. The continent is in the lead in terms of female players with 18.11%, explained by the high level of engagement of women in the economy across the continent. 

Slots are, again, on top of Europeans’ preferences, followed by card games and roulette. 

At the end of last month, SOFTSWISS Sportsbook announced an expansion of its client network via a new Milestone partnership. Earlier this year, in July, the company presented a report explaining the benefits of introducing artificial intelligence tools in the iGaming sector.

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an international organization consisting of 10 states in Southeast Asia, received the support of China for a new initiative that seeks to address transnational organized crime groups involved in illegal gambling and scams. The initiative, organized in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), seeks to sever the activity of such criminal groups that have been growing their presence recently.

In particular, the initiative will fight against criminal activities in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Myanmar, among other countries in the region. Ultimately, the plan seeks to prevent criminal groups from growing their presence, identify them and at the same time protect the victims that may be involved.

The strategic plan encourages effective collaboration between law enforcement and criminal justice officials for investigations related to, but not limited to illegal gambling, scams, human trafficking and migrant smuggling. A recent report released by UNODC revealed that forced labor and trafficking are only a few of the aspects of transnational organized crime groups operating across Southeast Asia.

The report reveals that transnational crime groups are often involved in large-scale money laundering, cybercrimes, as well as cross-border illegal gambling, among other related criminal activities. Additionally, such groups have also been involved in extortion and in some cases torture. UNODC’s report uncovered that transnational organized crime groups sometimes even present themselves as legitimate businesses and may have established relationships with influential officials and companies.

Robust Approach Is Required to Fight Transnational Crime Groups

While the total profits of organized crime groups in the Philippines are difficult to estimate, the scam industry alone may be generating between $7.5 billion and $12.5 billion, according to the report. This figure represents nearly half of the gross domestic product of the country. Additionally, the whitepaper revealed that ill-gained funds move through different businesses in the region, including casinos.

“Profits of organized crime groups in the region have reached unprecedented levels, and illicit money is increasingly moving through the regional casino industry and other large cash flow businesses, including through a surge in the use of cryptocurrencies,“

reads the recent report by the UNODC

Jeremy Douglas, UNODC’s regional representative, spoke about the increasing threat of trafficking of people who are forced to participate in scams and illegal gambling operations run by criminal organizations. He called for cooperation that can help reduce the crime rate in the region, particularly around the Mekong. Douglas explained that criminal organizations “are converging in the region where they see vulnerabilities.”

Rebecca Miller, UNODC’s regional advisor on human trafficking and migrant smuggling, added that the dismantling of transnational criminal groups requires a robust approach. According to her, the new plan seeks to implement a comprehensive and strategic approach to fight transnational crime.

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M88 Mansion, an internationally-recognized online gaming entertainment platform in Asia, has announced an extension of its partnership with LaLiga, Spain’s top-flight soccer division. As a result, the two parties will continue to work together through the 2023/24 season.

M88 Mansion has served as LaLiga’s official regional betting partner in Asia since 2020. The current expansion will mark the fourth year of partnership between the gaming platform and the soccer league. The deal will notably allow M88 Mansion to continue to promote European sports in Asia.

In previous years, M88 Mansion and LaLiga worked on a variety of fan-oriented activations and initiatives. These include LaLiga Ambassadors, LaLiga Experience and Watch Parties. In addition to that, M88 Mansion worked on a unique LaLiga Room that engaged fans of the sport.

The collaboration between the gambling company and LaLiga has proven to resonate with Asian fans, allowing them to feel closer to the competition. According to M88 Mansion, no money can buy such “unparalleled experiences.”

M88 Mansion concluded that it is prepared to engage fans with new ambassadors and content. Speaking of this, in December, the company welcomed Ivan Rakitić as one of its latest LaLiga brand ambassadors.

LaLiga Reveals a New Identity

M88 Mansion noted that the deal comes amid a rebranding that will see a new and refreshed LALIGA with a new logo and a new slogan. Instead of the rainbow circle, the new logo is wholly red and features two stylized Ls. The refreshed logo also features the league’s name in all caps.

The new slogan of the league, meanwhile, is “THE POWER OF OUR FÚTBOL.”

M88 Mansion promised that fans will be able to enjoy tons of new LALIGA content throughout the season.

As the curtain rises on the LALIGA EA SPORTS 2023/24 season, M88 Mansion is all set to enchant fans with a fresh roster of the league’s Ambassadors and an array of exclusive content, spotlighting fan-favorite players and much more.

M88 Mansion statement

In other news, M88 Mansion continues to grow its portfolio with new online gambling products. To keep its fans engaged, the Asian operator secured games from ParlayBay, expanding its overall portfolio. In January, the gambling company also secured live streaming games from Livespins, an innovative social casino product that allows fans to bet behind their favorite streamers or brand ambassadors.

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Globally-recognized soccer club AS Monaco announced a new international partnership. Earlier this week, the famous soccer club revealed it joined forces with the leading sports entertainment platform in Asia, 6686 Sport. Under the terms of the latest agreement, the company was designated as the club’s official regional partner for Asia. Per the fresh agreement, 6686 will retain that role for the next three seasons.

Ultimately, the agreement is expected to expand the footprint of AS Monaco as well as 6686 Sport within the region. Currently, the famous soccer club has more than 3 million followers on Douyin and Sina Weibo, popular social media platforms in China. This makes AS Monaco the second most-followed Ligue 1 Uber Eats team via the aforementioned Chinese social media platforms.

Besides helping the club engage with new audiences and fans, the latest agreement is expected to help the betting brand as well. Thanks to the agreement with AS Monaco, 6686 Sport will benefit from brand visibility via LED panels for the club’s home games broadcasted in Asia. This will grant the brand a unique advantage in the market thanks to exclusive exposure.

6686 Sport’s collaboration with AS Monaco complements the brand’s goals for further expansion on a global scale through innovation and technology. Moreover, the new agreement will help deliver exclusive content from AS Monaco’s players for 6686 Sport’s clients.

The Collaboration Marks an Exciting Moment for the Duo

Danny Chen, 6686 Sport’s brand manager, said that the company is thrilled to forge the new agreement with AS Monaco. He highlighted that duo is united by the love for soccer and said that the agreement will fuse innovation and expertise. “As both organizations share the objectives of expanding through innovation and digital development, the partnership is expected to deliver an unparalleled betting experience that exceeds expectations,” added Chen. Finally, he spoke about the company’s commitment to delivering a diversified, reliable and safe platform that fits the needs of sports fans and delivers unique entertainment.

“We are delighted to announce our thrilling partnership between 6686 Sport and AS Monaco.“

Danny Chen, brand manager at 6686 Sport

Ben Lambrecht, AS Monaco’s CEO, shared the excitement of 6686’s brand manager, explaining that the club is pleased to team up with the famous betting brand. He said that 6686 Sport and AS Monaco share a passion for innovation and predicted that the partnership will help the club reach new soccer fans. Finally, Lambrecht said that the deal with 6686 will help AS Monaco get closer to its Asian fan base.

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Light & Wonder will continue to focus on Asian markets in pursuit of its strategic objective of becoming the number one gaming equipment supplier globally, according to the company’s senior vice president and international managing director for EMEA & APAC, Simon Johnson.

Johnson pointed out that the strategic goal to become the world’s number one supplier of gaming equipment and technology was at the center of the company’s Board policy. Johnson spoke to Inside Asian Gaming at this week’s Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) Special Edition: Singapore.

Former Aristocrat Execs Key to Asian Growth

Referring to Light & Wonder chairman Jamie Odell and executive vice chair Toni Korsanos, Johnson outlined that the pair had a clear vision of that goal from the beginning, “a track record of having done it once before and a very clear determination to do it again,” and make Light & Wonder “the biggest and the best.”

Former Aristocrat chief executive officer Odell joined Scientific Games as a special advisor to the chairman and the CEO in 2019, while former senior advisor to the Board and CEO of Aristocrat Korsanos joined a year later to serve as SG’s executive vice chair. Scientific Games rebranded to Light & Wonder in March 2022.

Johnson also said that management identified Asia as the market where Light & Wonder is “closest to that number one spot,” even considering that in some aspects performance-wise, the business was “already there,” yet determined to show that it was not just about words but “a true statement of intent.”

Speaking of vice president and managing director, EMEA &APAC, Ken Jolly, and his team, Johnson hailed the “fantastic job” they have done in “driving that growth and really pushing hard to get the maximum results,” while the focus of the business shifted entirely to being “a content platform” after the divestment of its lottery and sports betting businesses.

Targeting Near- and Long-Term Growth

Targeting significant growth in the next two to three years while also ensuring growth sustainability in the long-term, Light & Wonder has “the time and the focus to really invest” in its business in Asia, Johnson outlined, looking forward to upcoming “really exciting developments” about the company’s Asian roadmap.

“We’re very focused on driving this momentum of sequential growth and improving the stability of that performance,” he said, adamant that “building sustainable performance improvement over the long-term is at the heart of what this is.”

Johnson concluded by noting that the evolution of the business and competition may change the “prism of exactly what [being] number one means” but that one should “never lose sight” of its meaning in terms of “improvement in shareholder value and improvement in performance,” so that the cycle of performance driving confidence and confidence driving performance is closed.

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A new analysis of laws and regulatory regimes applicable to online gambling across the world found that Australia is lacking behind many of its European and Asian counterparts, urging the government to take action and stop the industry from grooming children for a life of gambling.

Gambling Advertising in the Crosshairs

Conducted by the Alliance for Gambling Reform and released today as part of the charity’s Online Gambling Policy, the analysis and its disturbing findings come up during an ongoing parliamentary review of online gambling in Australia, with the committee due to make recommendations this month.

Commenting on the analysis, the chief executive officer of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Carol Bennett, said that the analysis shows “why online gambling is the fastest-growing form of gambling in Australia,” incurring more than AU$7 billion ($4.62 billion) in losses to Australians each year.

“While Australia dithers on banning sports gambling ads an hour before and after a game, many countries across Europe and Asia have simply banned all gambling advertisements in traditional media and online,” Bennett said.

The analysis found that Australia’s online gambling regime was significantly behind some of the major European countries, including Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK.

Italy and Spain banned all gambling advertisements on TV, radio and the Internet, Spain and the Netherlands went even further by putting greater restrictions on ads, while in the UK, restrictions to logos on sports jerseys and in-stadia ads were proposed with the White Paper.

Unable to Prevent Gambling Harm

Pointing out that the rapid evolvement of online gambling with technology has left behind researchers, policymakers, regulators and governments and made them unable to prevent the exponential growth of gambling harm, Bennett fiercely criticized the governments for their lack of investments in independent harm reduction bodies out of fear of having their “light touch gambling policy and regulation” challenged.

Bennett also pointed to Asia, where countries like South Korea and Cambodia have completely banned online gambling and others allow gambling only in casinos, as examples of stricter gambling regimes than Australia’s.

“Most dangerously this is allowing a convergence between gambling and gaming that is targeted at young people,” she said, pointing out that “gambling-like features are now embedded in gaming and most have no age restrictions,” singling out Aristocrat as “grooming young people through unrestricted apps that mimic the look and sound of poker machines.”

Act Quickly to Rectify the Situation

The analysis pointed to research that shows that 34% of people who gamble online experience gambling harm as compared to only 15.6% of those gambling on poker machines, concluding that online gambling is a far more dangerous form of gambling than gambling in casinos.

The Alliance is urging the government to act immediately and restrict children’s and young people’s exposure to online gambling, ban all gambling ads and all forms of online gambling promotion, advertising and inducements, with increased enforcement against companies breaching these restrictions.

The call conflicts with a recent report by Responsible Wagering Australia which claimed that further restrictions on the legal market’s ability to advertise itself will benefit offshore operators.

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Light & Wonder is aiming high in Asia with its participation in Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia. The event runs from May 30 to June 1 this year at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

While precise details will not be publically available until revealed at the show for some of the company’s advancements in the Asian market, the former Scientific Games has teased some info on its comprehensive cross-platform loyalty program with an array of customizable features for operators to retain and attract customers.

Differentiating Solutions from Industry Leaders

The new Systems enhancement will complement the current products in use and give operators a distinctly differentiated solution for integration into platforms already in use across the loyalty space.

Regarding the behemoth game provider and developer’s debut of new games meant to capture and keep players in one of the world’s most rapidly developing markets, each pick seems capable of carrying its weight to help L & W reach the goal of Number One in Asia.

Starting with the electronic table game (ETG), RouletteX, players stand a chance to win much more on a roulette game than they normally would. By choosing their own volatility (risk v reward) players can reap up to 500x their bet on a single number. The game is played on Light & Wonder’s Quartz Standalone and Hybrid platform.

Dragon Tail Baccarat is now available for play on the Quarts Stand-alone system. The new title offers free games and side bats along with a touch screen that displays a variety of interactive features for the player to choose from. Operators on the other hand will have access to statistics, trend displays that can be custom-configured, game history, a bet scheduler, and a timer option as options to offer players.

Not to risk being mired in excellent floor games before even mentioning slots and progressive slots we’d be remiss not to bring up the company’s 2022 Global Gaming Awards Asia’s “Casino Product of the Year,” the MDX card shuffler. It is deserving of its own showcase and will receive it at the show along with some of the live dealer games served by it.

The time-proven Blazing 7s Blackjack Progressive will be featured and find its way to Asian casino floors this year with side bets based on 7-pip cards. Players who choose to play the 7s will win if their first card is a 7 – win even more if their second is a seven and go rolling in the bank if the dealer’s first card is a 7 too.

“Our Asian customers are excited to energize their casino floors and discover the tremendous value created for their players who want more modern, immersive game content with solutions and services to enhance the guest experience,” said Simon Johnson, Light & Wonder Senior Vice President and Managing Director, International Gaming.

“Light & Wonder is taking the lead in performance and ship share across key Asian markets, an indicator that our ambition to be number one in the Asian market is well on its way to be actualized. To respond to this forward momentum and the demand for next-generation content, our team of award-winning game designers and studios have created a robust pipeline of next-level experiences, content, technology and systems that will reach across multiple platforms and markets.”

Slots for Asia Extend Popular Franchises

Popular game families and franchise strings from Light & Wonder that will see new editions and additions for Asia include Dragon Unleashed, DUŌ FÚ DUŌ CÁI GRAND, Dancing Drums Explosion, and Coin Combo.

Coin Combo adds VIP to its name as well as titles such as Carnival Cow and Hyper Horse with progressive jackpots. Both of the franchise extensions were purpose-built specifically for the Asian market and will be available on the KASCADA Portrait 43” cabinet.

A Dual Screen version of the Kascada will debut at the show for the very first time. Edge lighting and a signature reflector compliment the 43″ cabinet to give it a striking presence on any casino floor. Look for the market-unique cabinets to feature two high-resolution 27” monitors and a floating 27” topper for dynamic game content.

Ingotcha and Dragons are two new titles joining the DUŌ FÚ DUŌ CÁI Grand family of games with jackpot-rich features. Player-favorite features remain in popular games but innovations improve playability and broaden the audience.

Red Fleet and Treasured Happiness are two titles joining Dragon Unleashed in that franchise and the new games carry the originals deep into big win territory with free games and respins adding to the familiar features. The franchise is now arguably one of the most exciting game series to be found on any casino floor and has been added to the Kascada Duel Screen cabinet for side-by-side theatrical game presence – especially during the Dragon Reel feature.

Source: Light & Wonder aiming for number one in Asia at Singapore show, G3 Newswire, May 24, 2023

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The news comes after the business-to-solution provider of premium iGaming products announced that it would add NOWPayments to its roster of supported crypto payment methods earlier in the week. The newly inked deal with V8Poker, the popular content provider on the Asian continent, will help NuxGame continue to provide top-grade content to its clients. 

NuxGame to Harness V8Poker’s Innovative Solutions

Commenting on the new decision, NuxGame’s chief executive officer Daniel Heywood expressed their excitement for being able to access the Asian gaming market which he described as a “dynamic and diverse market.” He also spoke about the rising growth opportunities that he called “boundless” in the context of the new partnership with their highly experienced and innovative partner. 

The latter specializes in offering state-of-the-art, localized card and table titles for customers on the lookout for an enhanced gaming experience and adding more variety.

According to the landmark content agreement, the 2018-launched iGaming platform provider will take advantage of V8Poker’s unique game formats and top game picture quality, alongside their application programming interface (API) that is distributed without limits to generate visual impacts never seen before. 

Since V8Poker’s titles are customized to cater to the needs of a wide plethora of users at the same time, NuxGame along with its partners in Asia will benefit from a lot of scaling opportunities for their operations. This is essential in the constantly growing Asian markets where offering eye-catching content that can stick its head above the crowd and draw all the attention is mandatory to differentiate oneself. 

Operators here are, therefore, busy finding new ways to stimulate players’ interests and convince them to return to their platforms and access even more content. This in itself has represented one of the main reasons why NuxGame decided to ink the new content deal with V8Poker. 

V8Poker’s Intelligently Engineered Games, Part of the Deal  

As a result of the new deal, the company that offers sport engine, retail, legal services, turnkey, and website API solutions is hoping to offer its partners from Asia the most entertaining games possible.

V8Poker’s generous list of games features excellent designs and spectacular mechanics created with the help of intelligent engineering. These games are expected to offer NuxGame’s Asia-oriented partners customized gaming experiences suitable for Asian players’ expectations. Among V8Poker’s most sought-after games that are likely to turn into crowd favorites we can mention Sic Bo, Blackjack, Texas Hold’em Poker, and Fan-Tan.

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