Beveridge joins an impressive company in legal and regulatory section of awards list.

Andrew Beveridge, chief executive of eCOGRA, is among the nine executives named in the legal and regulatory section of the latest Hot 50 list published annually by the business publication Gaming Intelligence.

The list honours "the most talented, innovative and inspired people working in online gambling" and was this year compiled by a judging panel that comprised Warwick Bartlett of Global Betting & Gaming Consultants; Andrew Bulloss, head of betting and gaming practice at Odgers Berndtson; Mark Davies, chief executive at Camberton reputation management; Morgan Stanley executive director Vaughan Lewis; EGBA general secretary Sigrid Ligné; Gaming Intelligence managing editor Bobby Mamudi and financial analyst Dawid Myslinski.

Mamudi said the objective of the Hot 50 list was to recognise the achievements of industry executives who are shaping the future from a wide range of international CEOs, regulators, technology wizards, lawyers and marketers.

The list includes industry legends such as Denise and John Coates of Bet365 and Isai Scheinberg of PokerStars, and the legal and regulatory section names:

• Juan Carlos Alfonso, deputy director general, National Gaming Commission Spain
• Martin Cruddace, chief legal and regulatory officer, Betfair
• Clive Hawkswood, CEO of the Remote Gambling Association
• Jeff Ifrah, a US lawyer who has been deeply involved in the Full Tilt Poker issues in America
• Francesco Rodano head of remote gaming at Italian regulator AAMS
• Birgitte Sand, director of the new Danish Gambling Authority
• Paul Telford, general counsel for PokerStars, and
• Jenny Williams, chief executive of the UK Gambling Commission.

The individual citation for Beveridge reads:

"As CEO of eCOGRA since 2003, Andrew Beveridge has had a considerable influence on responsible gaming. But it is his handling of the process that developed the CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) Agreement for Responsible Remote Gambling that wins him a place in the Hot 50. The process began facing pretty fierce opposition but in his role as chairman, Beveridge assuaged doubts and balanced hundreds of different viewpoints to produce an agreement that has been widely accepted by the industry. It is now being used as a template for good practice to win over sceptical and protectionist governments."

Commenting on his inclusion on the list, Beveridge said he felt honoured to be in such respected company as the industry matures and moves increasingly toward national regulation in many countries, with the benefits to players that this brings.

Earnings report 2011 – Quarterly report October – December 2011

2011 WAS A YEAR OF NEW INITIATIVES FOR CONTINUED SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

FOURTH QUARTER 2011

• Revenues for the fourth quarter increased by 21.6 % to SEK 121.1 (99.6) million
• Operating profit amounted to SEK 42.2 (33.8) million
• Operating margin was 34.9 (33.9) %
• Profit after tax amounted to SEK 36.6 (29.0) million
• Earnings per share amounted to SEK 0.93 (0.73) before and after dilution
• Two new license agreements were signed, and two new customers’ casinos were launched

FULL YEAR 2011

• Revenues for the full year increased by 16.1 % to SEK 427.6 (368.3) million
• Operating profit amounted to SEK 129.7 (136.4) million
• Operating margin was 30.3 (37.0) %, 31.9 % excluding costs amounting to SEK 6.7 million related to former senior executives
• Profit after tax amounted to SEK 115.6 (120.5) million
• Earnings per share amounted to SEK 2.92 (3.05) before and after dilution
• Seven new license agreements were signed, including G.Matica and Sky Betting & Gaming. Eleven new customers’ casinos were launched
• Proposed transfer to shareholders is SEK 2.00 (2.00) per share

IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER

Revenue growth for the fourth quarter was 21.6 percent compared to the fourth quarter 2010. The strengthened Swedish currency has held back revenue growth in SEK. In local currency, revenues increased by 23.1 compared to the fourth quarter 2010.

The number of game transactions amounted to 2.6 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of 19.6 percent compared to the previous quarter and 48.9 percent compared to the same period in 2010.

During the fourth quarter agreements were signed for delivery of the casino portfolio to several large operators on the newly regulated online market in Denmark. On January 1 2012 Denmark opened up as a regulated market. Operators signed include Betsson, Unibet, Bet24, Sportingbet (including Scandicbookmaker and Danbook). Companies who intend to operate on the local market must fulfill the gaming authority’s compliance requirements during the fourth quarter 2012.

During 2011, Net Entertainment has adjusted and developed the Company’s system and games to be compliant with mobile units. In December the first mobile games were launched on the market. The initial launch includes mobile games supporting IOS terminals, i.e. Iphone, Ipad and Ipod, with three of the Company’s most successful casino games, Gonzo’s Quest, Jack Hammer and Blackjack. Net Entertainment’s mobile offering will be launched under the name NetEnt Touch™ and will include some of the best games from both the existing portfolio and new game releases. The launch of new mobile games will follow a phased roll-out approach to several partners during 2012.

Net Entertainments strategy is to be the leader within online casino. It is a continuous process to improve and expand the product portfolio and the Company constantly analyzes new opportunities. As a result from this, the Company has decided to launch its own Live Casino product with a planned release to the market around year-end 2012. This product segment is a complement to the Company’s existing games portfolio and is estimated to contribute positively to the Company’s growth in the future.

During the fourth quarter Per Eriksson was appointed CEO of Net Entertainment with a start date on March 1, 2012. Per is presently serving as CEO and President of Dustin Group AB. Prior to that, Per has had a long career within Dell, where he left as Head of Dell EMC (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

Intralot Interactive was launched in Italy where Net Entertainment is now live with five out of eight operators.

COMMENTS FROM BJÖRN KRANTZ, ACTING PRESIDENT AND CEO

Year 2011 was a year of new markets and product initiatives to secure continued solid growth for Net Entertainment moving forward. Revenues increased by 21.6 percent during the fourth quarter which is a result of organic growth. Net Entertainment has been successful in strengthening the position as a leading supplier of games and systems within online casino and our focus on customer closeness and product and technology leadership will continue to differentiate us. During 2011 our market share in Europe increased to 22.4 percent compared to 19.3 percent in year 2010 1.

Net Entertainment has a clear focus on online casino and to complement the existing product portfolio and strengthen the Company’s offering it was decided during the fourth quarter to launch our own Live Casino product with a planned release around year-end 2012. Live Casino is a relatively new form of gaming which has proven to be successful and is also expected to show good growth in the coming years.

We are committed to and take part in the ongoing regulation of our industry in Europe. Whether Net Entertainment enters a regulated market or not, is evaluated from case to case with regards to the financial, organizational and the strategic impact on the Company as a whole. Net Entertainment was among the first to enter Italy which regulated the market in July 2011 and Denmark which was regulated in January 2012.

We have now commercially launched five out of eight operators in Italy. The roll-out of remaining customers will take place as soon as practically possible. In addition, it is our ambition to launch slots as soon as the Italian authority allows it.

As a response to the growing mobile market the first mobile games were completed and launch took place according to plan during December 2011. Ongoing launches of new mobile games will take place during 2012 and we will monitor the development closely. The launch of new customers will take place continuously during 2012.

Several successful games have been lunched during 2011. Frankenstein was developed as part of our collaboration with Universal Studios and during the fourth quarter the development of Scarface was initiated which is one of the most well known brands ever in the movie industry. Two new platinum games were launched during the year, Robin Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk with graphics and a gaming experience which truly proves why Net Entertainment is the leading premium supplier of online games on the market today.

We will continue to invest in our business and organization to secure the opportunities identified by the Company, and to ensure short and long term competitiveness. We are taking another step towards becoming a full scale provider within online casino and it is very exciting to be able to offer our partners a broader product portfolio which strengthens both business and customer value in our strategic delivery responsibility as a supplier. I am convinced that Net Entertainment is well positioned for 2012 and I look forward to another exciting year.

(1), The market share is based on the gross gaming yield with Net Entertainment’s customers in relation to the European online casino market, estimated by H2 Gaming Capital in December 2011.

Gaming software developer, Playtech, has just announced its acquisition of Ash Gaming. Playtech is already providing software solutions to a massive part of the online gaming industry and is one of the top suppliers of online gaming software. They have acquired Ash Gaming for a total of £23 million with the first £15.5 million being paid straight away and a further £7.5 million being paid over the next three years. The online gaming giant has been making acquisitions of online gaming companies throughout the industry and their latest deal takes the total to 11 acquisitions including 4 in 2011.

Playtech said that the acquisition "Enhances Playtech’s wholly-owned content library and value chain economics; complements Playtech’s technology leadership with additional premier content capability." The Playtech CEO Mor Weizer added that, "We see this as complementing our strategic actions by ensuring class leading content alongside our leadership in technology. Together this makes a powerful combination and by owning significant games content we will maximize both revenue and earnings across the value chain. In newly regulated markets both in Europe and other territories such as Canada, Ash Gaming’s content is set to gain considerable traction."

With Ash Gaming now a part of the Playtech empire it is expected that the online gaming firm will be able to increase the quality of the online gaming options that they provide to front end online casinos. Playtech is already well known for providing superior products to the online casino industry. Ash Gaming was founded in 2002 and specialises in innovation within the online gaming sphere.

This is good news for players at William Hill, which is powered by Playtech, as this means that their games are going to soon be seeing the innovations that Ash Gaming has become famous for. Players can expect to find that their favourite games are going to be even more fun to play in the near future.

Changes implemented to reflect current ownership

Following the management buyout of eCOGRA earlier in the year, it has been decided to restructure and streamline the Board to reflect the Company’s current ownership.

As a result of the restructuring Non-Executive Directors Michael Hirst OBE, Bill Galston OBE and Frank Catania will be leaving the Board as of the 31st December 2011.

The new Board will be comprised of Chief Executive Officer Andrew Beveridge and Tex Rees, who have been part of the organisation’s management team since 2003.

Andrew Beveridge said, “I am very grateful to Michael, Bill and Frank for their enormous contribution in helping to establish eCOGRA as a pre-eminent independent remote gambling standards body and testing agency and steering the Company to its new found status.

“I look forward to the next chapter of our growth as we set out to use our exceptional and unrivalled experience in providing services to jurisdictions, whilst maintaining our unique eCOGRA seal assuring player protection on approved sites”.

The iGB Affiliate award votes have been counted and the organisers are happy to say that over 4,000 industry affiliates and executives made their choice. A fantastic response, ensuring a truly representative vote, the shortlist includes those who received the most or equal votes in any of the following categories: Best Affiliate (all verticals), Best Affiliate Program (all verticals), Best New Comer (Affiliate & Program), Best Affiliate manager (all verticals), Best iGaming Affiliate Network, The Louis Fabiano Award for the Best iGaming Community and Best Payment System for Affiliates.

“A well deserved congratulations to everyone in the shortlist” said Alex Pratt, Head of iGaming Business “To get to this stage is an amazing result and means you’ve had to beat most of your competitors to one of these top spots. Win or lose, each company on this list should be proud to have gotten to this stage. The final decision is now in the hands of our judges, so all that is left to say is good luck to our finalists.”

All the finalists will be examined by a judging panel who will evaluate each short listed nomination in order to select the final winner. The judging process is a rigorous and thorough procedure – each nomination will be considered upon their initial nomination entry (their answer to “Why You Should Win”) and evaluated against the judging criteria. Each judging panel will consist of independent experts to ensure that the integrity of the Awards is upheld, all entries get full consideration and that the right winners are chosen. Specific experts have been invited according to the judging criteria of each Award to give their expert opinion on chosen areas, for example landing page professionals, SEO gurus, branding experts etc… More information on Judging criteria and a list of judges can be found here: www.iGBAffiliateAwards.com.

The iGB Affiliate Awards will be celebrated on the evening of the 26th of January, on the eve of the London Affiliate Conference. Over 50% of the seats have now been booked, so organisers expect a full house to come and celebrate these rising stars in the online gambling affiliate industry. With a three course meal, professional entertainment and a carnival theme, this will be a festive affair.

To view the shortlist click here:
http://files.igamingbusiness.co.uk/PDFs/Final_Shortlists_2012.pdf