Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: bans issued to Irish footballer and Bosnian tennis official for breaching betting rules, Omnigame picks up Danish licence and Yolo makes new senior appointments.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has issued a six-month ban to Finn Harps FC player Ryan Rainey after he was found to have breached betting rules.
Breaches are connected to a number of League of Ireland and Men’s FAI Cup games that took place between 2021 and 2024. The FAI said Rainey also placed a “significant” number of bets on football worldwide in 2024.
After a disciplinary hearing, an Independent Disciplinary Committee ruled Rainey should face a ban. This has since been confirmed by the League of Ireland, in which his team, Finn Harps FC, plays.
Rainey, who previously played for English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, told the Irish Independent over the weekend that he is suffering with a gambling addiction.
ITIA sanctions tennis official for betting breach
In related news, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has suspended official Damjan Dejanovic for four years. The ITIA found him guilty of six breaches of its Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).
Dejanovic, a national-level official from Bosnia and Herzegovina, admitted to wagering on professional tennis matches. However, he denied charges of manipulating scoring data and conspiring to commit corruption offences in relation to two matches he officiated.
Anti-corruption hearing officer Diana Tesic ruled he was liable for all six alleged breaches. These took place between 2022 and 2023.
Dejanovic, who has officiated at ITF $15K events, is now to be suspended until 7 January 2028. He has also been ordered to pay a fine of €5,000 (£4,140/$5,281).
Omnigame secures Danish B2B licence
Elsewhere, game studio and operator Omnigame has secured a B2B licence in Denmark. The new licence enables it to provide content in the country until 2029.
New legislation is set to come into force in January 2025, with suppliers required to gain new approval from regulator Spillemyndigheden. Omnigame is one of the first recipients of the new permits.
Omnigame powers the Pip.dk brand in Denmark exclusively with its own in-house developed games portfolio.
“Denmark is our home market, and we want to keep all opportunities open to maintain a dominant position on our home turf,” Omnigame co-CEO Peter Weinreich said. “The licence will help facilitate our continued growth in Denmark which is a crucial part of our future plans as we are gearing up for international expansion early next year.”
Aristocrat Interactive and IGT pen Kentucky Lottery deal
Meanwhile, in the US, Aristocrat Interactive has signed a five-year contract with IGT Global Solutions Corporation (IGT) to supply content to the Kentucky Lottery.
Under the new deal, Aristocrat Interactive will deliver a range of content from its NeoGames Studio. This will be carried out through an integration with IGT.
NeoGames Studio has been creating e-instant games for clients around the world for more than 20 years.
“This is a further illustration of our commitment to providing innovative, engaging games that meet the needs of lottery customers and to help the ilottery programmes meet their goals, generating revenues for good causes,” Aristocrat Interactive Ilottery managing director Chris Shaban said.
Yolo Entertainment confirms new senior appointments
And finally this week, Yolo Entertainment, the operator behind Bitcasino and Sportsbet.io, has announced four new senior appointments.
Sanda Vask becomes chief operating officer after almost six years with Yolo. She was most recently its head of legal.
Meanwhile, Anthony Cabrera is joining as the new director of Bitcasino, with Amy Howard to become director retention. Finally, Alexander McLoughlin, formerly of Bally’s Interactive and Gamesys, will take on the role of director of core markets.
“Together, they bring a wealth of experience, vision and leadership that will strengthen Yolo Entertainment as we focus on delivering year on year growth in 2025,” Yolo CEO Matthew D’Emanuele said.
