Carnival Cruise Line and Bally’s Corporation will allow Bally’s Rewards members to claim exclusive cruise benefits when they board Carnival ships that will only be available to them.

Bally’s Rewards on Casino Cruises

The partnership launched on Thursday, and it covers three tiers of the Bally’s Rewards program specifically Legend, SuperStar, and Star, as it seeks to create a unique onboard experience that ties back into the casino partner, and thus builds strong synergies and opportunities for both businesses.

The new perks will include complimentary cruises, various discounts, and special events that will be hosted exclusively for Bally’s Rewards members for the time being, although how big these events would be remains to be seen.

Commenting on this opportunity, Carnival Corporation’s SVP of global casino operations, Marty Goldman, said that the company was fully committed to its proprietary Carnival Players Club, which together with Bally’s partnership, would reach new heights.

“We have plenty of fun to go around across our fleet, so we’re excited to bring Bally’s on board with us and look forward to growing this unique partnership,” Goldman added.

The partnership was naturally hailed by Bally’s SVP of gaming Mike Donovan who said that the collaboration essentially ties together two industry leaders, allowing them to offer customers Bally’s gaming experience and the unmatched hospitality and entertainment treatment they will find at Carnival Cruise Line.

This collaboration brings together two industry leaders, combining the excitement of Bally’s gaming experience with the unparalleled entertainment and hospitality of Carnival Cruise Line. Together, we will create unforgettable experiences for our guests, both on land and at sea.

Bally’s SVP of gaming Mike Donovan

In the meantime, players looking to accumulate points and inch up the loyalty pecking order may do so across 17 nationwide casino resorts that will help you stack up your points at any of the properties so long as you are a member.

Casino Gaming on the High Seas

More cruise companies are also toying with the idea of adding gaming floors as part of their offers, with cruise casinos making a return and attracting casual travelers as well as dedicated gamblers who have stepped onboard to spend their time on the high seas specifically playing games of chance.

Princess Cruises announced in December that the company is rolling out its largest casino to date onboard one of its vessels. More news about casino floors setting up shop on cruise ships is forthcoming.

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An Australian man has taken his own life after accumulating debts in a cruise ship’s casino, Daily Mail reported. Safer gambling experts believe that Dixon’s suicide could have been prevented if the ship provider had provided adequate duty of care.

Shane Dixon, 50, jumped to his death as the ship approached Sydney. A father of three children, the man racked up a debt of AUD 4,000 in the shipboard casino. His family believes that the stress caused by the debt has led him to take his own life.

In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Scott Dixon, Shane’s brother, said that the deceased man must have panicked.

His brain was probably going 100 miles an hour. He probably thought, “s***, I’ve done it again, I can’t afford it and I can’t ask mum for more money.“

Scott Dixon

Scott and the two men’s mother were aboard the Pacific Adventure together. The ship is owned and operated by P&O Australia, which was hosting an Elvis-themed cruise. Everything had been going well before Shane entered the shipboard casino.

Scott explained that his brother had been struggling financially for a while. The man had also been dealing with a broken marriage and the passing of their father and third brother. Scott believes that the casino might have incentivized Shane to play, taking advantage of his vulnerabilities.

The Casino Failed to Protect the Player

Australia’s Alliance for Gambling Reform weighed in on the matter. Carol Bennett, CEO of the organization, believes that Pacific Adventure has failed to provide Shane with sufficient duty of care. Bennett said that the fact that Pacific Adventure allowed something like that to happen is “really concerning.”

The rules that might apply on land no longer seem to apply and yet you would expect this cruise line would have some kind of duty of care to ensure that people are not plied with inducements, promotions and advertisements that are pushing them to gamble to extremely harmful levels.

Carol Bennett, CEO, Alliance for Gambling Reform

Since cruise ships operate casinos in international waters, they can bypass regional regulations and requirements. To make matters worse, some such ships’ gambling can be charged to their room bill, making it easier to overspend.

Bennett said that cruise ships should adopt at least some basic harm prevention measures, such as loss limits. If they don’t then governments would really need to address the matter, Bennett added.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO added that problem gambling is a huge issue in Australia and is affecting millions of families.  

VIP Member Says P&O Cruises’ Casinos Are Predatory

An anonymous high-roller who is a member of P&O Cruises’ VIP casino program, tipped Daily Mail off that the cruise company uses “predatory” strategies to promote its gambling products. While the player said that he always plans his spending carefully, he added that many players, especially vulnerable ones, will not.

They are essentially offshore casinos that come and pick people up from shore and take them out to international waters to gamble. If you don’t have the means to pay and you have an issue, there is no one to stop you so you can rack up a large amount of debt.

P&O high-roller

A P&O spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that the company prefers to refrain from commenting on this tragic event while a coroner’s investigation is carried out. The representative, however, reassured the news outlet that her company’s casinos have Responsible Conduct of Gaming Policies in place across all ships and take them very seriously. The spokesperson concluded that her team would cooperate with the investigation.

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Curaçao’s Minister of Finance, Javier Silvania, defended the decision to provide Rhino Entertainment Group with the region’s first direct license amid LOK-related concerns. Some critiqued the licensing of the company as it precedes the formalization of the territory’s new gambling laws.

For reference, Curaçao is currently discussing the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK), a measure that seeks to improve the gambling industry’s standards through direct licensing and better regulation.

While proponents of the measure have highlighted its benefits, opponents are skeptical of certain points. The Dutch government is also conducting an investigation to see if the LOK complies with an earlier deal.

Because of criticism from parliament members, the Curaçao Bar Association and the Advisory Council behind the legislation, the measure is currently being amended. Silvania himself confirmed that the objections of parliament members have been taken into mind and that the LOK will be adjusted where needed.

As a result, Curaçao MP Steven Croes questioned whether the government should have issued the first direct license before the passage of the new law. He also asked for a copy of the license but couldn’t obtain it because of the sensitive information it contained.

Silvania Says the New License Falls Under the LBH

Despite the criticisms, Silvania stood firm by the ministry’s decision to grant the license, pointing out that it falls under the 1993 Offshore Gambling Ordinance (LBH). The Minister of Finance added that the latter law remains fully applicable unless it is repealed by the national ordinance.

Silvania said that the LOK would provide Curaçao with direct control over the issuing of licenses, allowing the territory to exercise direct supervision. This would allow the Gambling Control Board to carry out the necessary checks and prevent gambling-related fraud.

The LOK, Silvania argues, would increase confidence in Curaçao’s gambling industry by reducing the risks of criminal practices.

For reference, Curaçao previously issued licenses to six master license holders, who would then issue sub-licenses to other companies. However, sub-licensees were impossible to properly regulate. Furthermore, the previous law itself is short, not sufficiently clear and outdated, highlighting the need for a new licensing framework.

Despite that, the future of the LOK remains murky.

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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Malta’s gaming regulatory body, has resolutely protected the much-discussed legislation, Bill 55, which Maltese president George Vella signed into law in June this year, after it received criticism that “the amendment is not compatible with European law.”

The legislation isn’t against European law

In its defense arguments, the MGA stated that “Bill 55, also known as Article 56A of Malta’s Gaming Act, does not go against European law, but protects Malta-licensed operators from legal liability resulting from their gambling activities, when the activity is covered under their MGA license.” 

However, the MGA’s statement comes after the Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Germany’s gambling regulatory body, noted that the bill, now law, goes against the Recast Brussels Regulation, a 2013 European law governing jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of legal judgement between EU member states. To show that this isn’t the case, the MGA emphasized a section in a 2013 European law which states that “a member state may refuse to recognize a legal judgement if does not match with the principles of its legal system.” Furthermore, the Malta Gaming Authority added that “the lawmakers’ intention when writing the law was not to build any new exceptions to the regulation, but it was to enshrine into law the long-standing public policy of Malta in relation to the gaming sector.”

Additionally, to show that it backs up the law, it also said: “The scope of Bill 55 is highly restrictive. The law does not stop every legal action taken against a Malta-licensed gambling operator, highlighting the law sets out specific conditions for it to do so.” However, it emphasized that “an operator could only be protected from a suit when its gambling activities are legal according to the country’s Gaming Act and the lawsuit would need to conflict with or undermine the legality of the Malta gaming framework for Bill 55 to take effect.”

Litigation about the legality of Malta’s gaming laws

Speaking about the legality of its gambling laws, the MGA also claimed that “its gambling laws are covered under the rules governing the European free-movement of services.” In this regard, it said: “The Maltese gaming framework, in turn, is in full conformity with EU law and is based on the freedoms afforded to an entity established within the internal market.”

But, when talking about this particular issue, European governments and regulators highlighted “the 2017 Commission decision to close infringement procedures and complaints in the gambling sector.” According to them, this decision means that “gambling services cannot be considered a service that can be broadcast European-wide under an MGA license.”

The European Commission to scrutinize Bill 55

The aforementioned Bill 55 has already received criticism from few parties for breaching European law. Therefore, in July of this year, the European Commission revealed that it would scrutinize the said bill in order to make sure that there were no breaches of EU law, which is why it requested additional information from the Maltese authorities.

However, as soon as the mentioned check is completed, there is a chance that the case will come before the European Court of Justice, because it has always been the ultimate decision-maker in litigations between domestic and European law.

Source: “MGA defends controversial Bill 55 after criticism”, iGaming Business IGB, August 25, 2023

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The Swedish provider of technology for the gaming industry might be next in line for a takeover, according to the freshest Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) research included in their most recent EKG Line report. 

Kambi Group Not Idly Waiting for a Potential Suitor 

According to EKG, Kambi’s repayment of the $8.3 million Kindred Group convertible bond has done an excellent job at successfully removing an overhang to a possible future acquisition. 

At the same time, the same experts noted that the independent sportsbook that has partnered with visionary operators around the globe is not patiently waiting for a potential buyer to come knocking. On the contrary, their share repurchase program might be a clear indicator of the exact opposite. 

In 2022, Kambi removed a poison pill provision that had been fending off all unsolicited offers for acquisition by selling stock to various investors at prices below the market value. 

Now that the respective provision has vanished, the Business-to-Business provider of sports betting services has turned into a much easier target for potential buyers.

Plus, the much-anticipated mergers and acquisitions that are expected to occur in the sports betting industry in 2023 and beyond wagering will be targeting technology providers as sellers, thus building the case for Kambi to be next in line for an important takeover.

Potential Buyers for the Group: Apollo Global Partners, Bally’s & MGM

Among the main interested parties with the potential to make a run at the Group, we can mention a number of reputable operators in the gaming industry, along with private equity firms. Names like Apollo Global Partners and Bally’s are on top of the list. 

The latter has already inked a fresh technology partnership with the Swedish group earlier in the week. The agreement features a series of provisions that would enable Bally’s to acquire Kambi’s source code in the foreseeable future.

Apollo Global Partners is searching for means to monetize the Yahoo Sports asset using sports wagering. Kambi might be just what they are looking for, especially thanks to their already existing connections via Apollo-owned Great Canadian and Wagr. Apollo also features a front-end technology partnership with Shape Games which is also under Kambi’s ownership. 

According to the same EKG report, MGM Resorts International is another big name that might consider taking over Kambi. Even though the chances that the NYSE-listed casino company to purchase the Sweden-based group are slim, MGM has expressed its desire to obtain ownership over Kambi’s iGaming and sports betting technology. 

The fact that Kambi is already part of MGM’s LeoVegas platform could increase the chances of turning into a potential target for MGM. However, the fact that the decision might also lead to the loss of business-to-business clients, believes EKG, might be a deal breaker. 

At the start of May, MGM Resorts’ LeoVegas announced it acquired Push Gaming as a means of speeding up its global growth. 

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