The gambling association in the Netherlands, Van Kansspelen, announced Wednesday the appointment of Henry Meijdam as its chairman following the trade body’s general meeting for members in Waalwijk.

‘Put Van Kansspelen Further on the Map’

Van Kansspelen members elected Meijdam to succeed Aad Kobus as chairman of the association starting on April 1. Kobus held the role of Van Kasspelen chairman on an interim basis for some time.

Commenting on his successor, Kobus outlined that Van Kasspelen members found an experienced director in the like of Meijdam to serve as the association’s chairman and help the organization navigate the “various challenges in and around politics and entrepreneurship.”

With Henry’s experience and profile, we want to put VAN Kansspelen further on the map and optimally represent the sector.

Aad Kobus, chair, Van Kansspelen

Elected with a large majority of the vote, Meijdam was excited to have the opportunity to leverage his extensive experience gained from roles as a director across various organizations for the benefit of Van Kansspelen.

His professional career includes positions as a deputy of the province of North Holland, mayor of Zaanstad and Lelystad, advisory, commissioner and director roles at organizations and companies, as well as interest groups of provinces such as the Interprovincial Consultation where he was the director for five years.

“The slot machine industry is buzzing and the members are proud of their profession,” Meijdam commented, “happy to take up the challenge together with the members to propagate this professional pride and to put the sector even more on the map.”

Collaboration with Members Is Key

He then outlined his intention to work in collaboration with the members of the association and committed to perceiving Van Kansspelen’s agenda and interests. Meijdan also expressed his wish to get to know the members and the association’s various stakeholders in the coming months.

He finished his comments by highlighting that as many people in the Netherlands enjoy what Van Kansspelen members as gaming operators have to offer them, the association should “serve them in a modern way where fun and responsible gaming go hand-in-hand.”

Van Kasspelen has been the number one regulated games of chance authority in the Netherlands for almost 50 years, guaranteeing a secure and enjoyable gaming offering in the country while advocating the health of the sector responsible gaming-wise by ensuring prevention and adequate gaming staff training.

Businesses which provide games of chance in a responsible manner such as gaming machine operators, lotteries, physical casinos and online gaming brands, are welcome to the association as long as they follow the membership code.

Sports betting media group Better Collective announced today it has entered into a content and commercial media partnership with a prominent digital media publisher in Nigeria, PUNCH Nigeria Limited.

A Continent of Sports Betting Enthusiasts

The new content partnership Better Collective signed with PUNCH represents the group’s first step in Africa where the population of sports betting enthusiasts is continually growing, and presenting new growth opportunities for the group.

Commenting on the important development, Jesper Søgaard, co-founder and chief executive officer of Better Collective, said how proud everyone at the group feels to partner with “a well-established news media like PUNCH.”

Not only will we be partnering with Nigeria’s market leader but this partnership also allows us to establish a presence on the African continent.

Jesper Søgaard, co-founder & CEO, Better Collective

As Nigeria’s leading news media group, PUNCH publishes and distributes media content via websites, videos, podcasts and social media channels, and the partnership allows Better Collective to run a sports betting section on PUNCH’s digital platform and Punchng.com, the country’s number one website.

Managing director and editor-in-chief of PUNCH, Adeyeye Joseph, also commented on the agreement, expressing his excitement at the opportunity to partner with a sports media business such as Better Collective.

“We are excited to work with a passionate technology-driven partner like Better Collective,” he said, hoping that the collaboration “will help PUNCH to serve Nigeria’s growing sports betting community with high-quality content while also helping [the] company to further its audience and revenue goals.”

Running a Sports Betting Section on PUNCH

Throughout the contract, Better Collective will leverage its innovative technology and expertise in content creation to run a commercial sports betting section with high-quality English content for PUNCH readers.

Better Collective’s section on PUNCH is expected to help the Nigerian media’s readers to make informed decisions and navigate the different aspects of the rapidly growing world of digital sports entertainment.

Seeking to inform, educate and entertain via the content it creates, PUNCH, one of the oldest and most respected news sources in the country, aligns with the values and mission of Better Collective to educate sports fans and make the sports entertainment industry more engaging and fun.

The agreement with PUNCH is the first agreement of the sports betting media group in Africa. While serving primarily the Nigerian market, PUNCH’s presence extends to other parts of Africa and audiences in Europe, North America and Asia.

Last month, Better Collective released its interim Q4 2022 report posting growth in revenue and EBITDA of 63% and 115%, respectively, year-over-year.

The fast-growing developer of popular iGaming content, Apparat Gaming, announced a new partnership with the award-winning iGaming platform and sportsbook solutions provider, Gaming Innovation Group (GiG). Announced Thursday, the freshly-inked deal sees Apparat deliver its unique slots with a German accent for GiG’s partner operators.

Under the terms of the new deal, leading slots from the game developer will be added to GiG’s platform. This will help the iGaming developer engage with new customers and expand the reach of its popular games. Such titles include The Warlock’s Book, Total Eclipse, Pharaoh Princess, King of the Vikings, Heimdall’s Horn, Black Book of Pirates and Jack Potter & The Book of Dynasties, among other popular games.

Besides existing games, the new partnership involves upcoming releases from Apparat. Via the new deal, GiG’s partners will benefit from upcoming slots and recent releases such as Easter seasonal Eggciting Fruits Hold & Spin and The Griffin. The duo did not rule out the addition of at least one new game per month.

Undoubtedly, the new deal marks an important step for Apparat Gaming. The company, founded in August 2020, has been quickly growing within the iGaming vertical, delivering unique games that feature quality graphics and mathematical models. Now, thanks to the deal with GiG, Apparat’s products will receive a further boost on a global scale and reach new clients.

The Deal Brings Excitement to GiG, Apparat

Marcel Elfersy, GiG’s chief commercial officer, shared his excitement about the new deal saying that the company is delighted to expand its offering by adding content from Apparat. He pointed out that the developer’s games stand out with quality and deliver engaging experiences. Finally, Elfersy noted that GiG remains committed to expanding its presence around the globe and delivering quality localized content that helps its partners grow.

“We’re pleased to welcome Apparat to the extensive list of quality games providers on our iGaming platform.“

Marcel Elfersy, chief commercial officer at GiG

Martin Frindt, Apparat Gaming’s chief product officer, added that the company is excited to join forces with GiG. Additionally, he pointed out that Apparat is delighted to see its content expand its reach to new international markets.

“It’s great to see that GiG understands our strengths, and is willing to add our slots to its portfolio to increase our international reach and visibility.“

Martin Frindt, chief product officer at Apparat Gaming

According to Frindt, the company offers games that are unique. “They combine our German accent with a deep knowledge of providing high-quality entertainment to players,” he explained. Finally, Frindt predicted that the deal will bring benefits for the two companies.

A recently-published Schedule 14A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reveals financial data about DraftKings’ co-founder and CEO, Jason Robins’, expenses. The financial document points out that DraftKings spent nearly $2 million on airplane and security costs for Robins throughout 2022. Moreover, the CEO and co-founder also had some $131,607 expenses attributable to the Super Bowl.

Additional details from the SEC filing reveal that DraftKings’ security spending on Robins last year was close to a million, or $968,990. Another $975,191 was spent on airplane costs. This brings the total to $1,944,181 spent on security and airfares for Robins and his family.

The $131,607 in Super Bowl allocated to Robins was spent on purchasing gameday tickets, as well as special events. Additional expenditures included travel and accommodations for Robins and his family during the Super Bowl week.

DraftKings’ Leadership Sees Equity-Based Pay of Approximately $40 Million

Robins, Mathew Kalish, DraftKings’ president of North America, and Paul Liberman, the company’s president, global technology and product, all received $1 in annual salaries in 2022. However, the trio’s equity-based pay for the fiscal 2022 was approximately $40 million each, based on the company’s filing with SEC.

In detail, Robins’ stock awards for 2022 were $43.7 million, while Kalish and Liberman saw $40 million in stock awards each. The non-equity incentive plan compensation of Robins for the fiscal 2022 year was $1.4 million, while Kalish and Liberman had $776,156 each. Separately, for the fiscal 2022 year, Robins’ “other compensations” were listed as $2.3 million. Kalish saw $104,169 in other compensations while Liberman reported $155,751 in 2022.

Recently, Robins took to Twitter, revealing his plans for the future of DraftKings and what the company’s growth would look like. He explained that despite some ups and downs, DraftKings plans to grow further while at the same time optimizing its processes and cutting down on costs.

You can think of the Newcastle vs. Manchester United game as a battle for the top 4 finish in the Premier League. The Red Devils are 3^rd in the standings, but they got just two points more than the 5^th-placed Newcastle. Tottenham is in-between, but the Spurs have troubles of their own – they’ve just sacked Antonio Conte as their manager.

Knowing all this, the clash on Sunday could prove crucial for the teams involved, meaning that their players will be 100% motivated. Plus, their coaches have had more than two weeks to prepare for the game, which means we could see some new tactics being employed by Newcastle and Manchester United.

Newcastle vs. Manchester United Odds

When, Where, and How to Watch?

• Place: St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England
• Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023
• Time: 11:30 AM ET
• How to Watch: Telemundo

The Magpies Putting Hopes in Their Defensive Wall

Newcastle is 12-11-3 (47 points) this season in the Premier League, with a score differential of 39-19. The Magpies haven’t scored too many goals, but their defense is the best in the league. They’re conceding just 0.73 goals per game on average.

Their defensive stats are even better when it comes to home games. At St. James’ Park, they’ve conceded just 9 goals in 13 games played this season, which accounts for 0.69 goals per game.

Defense isn’t something that should concern them too much ahead of the game with the Red Devils. The offense, however, could be a problem. The thing is that scoring goals is their Achilles’ heel in 2023, and things might become even worse if their scoring leader Miguel Almiron doesn’t recover from an injury soon.

The man who’s scored 11 goals for Newcastle in the 2022-23 EPL is almost certainly going to miss Sunday’s game. Unfortunately for the Magpies, he’s not the only one. Ryan Fraser is also out, the same as Anthony Gordon.

Manchester United Going to Tyneside to Grab All 3 Points

This is a must-win game for the Red Devils, not because they need points, but because they need a morale boost. The thing is that their impressive form came to an end on March 5, when Liverpool obliterated them 7-0.

After the humbling defeat, they played another EPL game, but failed again. This time, they drew 0-0 with bottom-placed Southampton. Those two were embarrassing results for Erik Ten Haag and his men, but they haven’t caused too much of a problem for Man United in the Prem. The Red Devils are still flying high in the top English flight.

But they mustn’t slip again! In fact, they need a win to boost their confidence as they still have a lot of hard work to do this season. We’re not just talking about their EPL campaign, but also about the FA Cup (where they’ve reached the semifinal stage), and the Europa League (in which they’ve made it to the ¼-finals).

Newcastle vs. Manchester United Prediction

The Red Devils shouldn’t feel threatened by Newcastle’s offense. Instead, the key to winning Sunday’s game for them is to find a way to the Magpies’ net. Luckily, they’ve got players who can do such a thing. Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Antony, and all the others definitely have what it takes to find the net at least once.

Pick: Manchester United to win

A month ago, Los Angeles lawyer Sara King made headlines after using a $10 million business investment to live in luxury. Now, amid an ongoing lawsuit, King claims that her husband, the Iranian royal Kamran Pahlavi, forced her to waste the money, The Daily Beast reported.

Thanks to her relationship with Pahlavi, King was introduced to the Swiss banker Laurent Reiss. Reiss, though his LDR International company, provided King’s personal business, King Family Lending (KFL), with a $10.2 million investment.

KFL allowed customers to receive quick cash for collateral such as cars, jewelry and luxurious items.

However, King did not use the money to fund third-party loans, as originally agreed with Reiss. Instead, LDR International alleges, the woman used the money to move into the Wynn Las Vegas resort and live and gamble there for half a year.

As a result, LDR International launched a lawsuit against King. The prosecution claims that King had a gambling problem and would bet ludicrous amounts of money on slots in Vegas. Amid the ongoing lawsuit, King came forward with a new claim, saying that it was, in fact, Pehlavi who forced her to do all of this.

Pehlavi is the grandson of the Shah’s twin, Princess Ashraf. According to King and her defense, the Iranian royalty understood that his wife was good at slots and made her play. The woman’s attorneys allege that she loved her husband so much that she didn’t question him and kept on playing.
According to the defense, Pahlavi hoped that King, who allegedly called herself “the slots whisperer,” would earn money to cover a debt to LDR International.

“She Ruined My Life and Now This?”

Pahlavi was outraged by King’s claims. In an interview with The Daily Beast, he slammed his wife’s allegations and said that she was an addict. Pahlavi noted that forcing someone to gamble is a ludicrous idea and noted that he find it difficult to get his wife off the machines.

What kind of a person would push his wife to gamble with his best friend’s money? How does that make any sense?

Kamran Pahlavi

Pahlavi noted that King continued to play even when he wasn’t around.

The Iranian royal says that he has now moved to Morocco to escape from King. He has filed for divorce and hopes to cut his ties with his problem gambler wife.

“She betrayed me. Lied to me. Stole from me. Embarrassed me. Humiliated me. That’s not bad for a reason to break up,” Pahlavi told The Daily Beast in an earlier interview.

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, a famous soccer professional playing as a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, streamed himself losing a million playing online poker. The athlete’s unfortunate loss was broadcast live on Twitch.

Neymar has been streaming on the Amazon-owned platform in addition to playing on the field. He is working under an agreement with the iGaming operator Blaze, serving as its ambassador.

The latest stream saw the PSG striker wager a huge amount playing online poker. According to him, all of the money he lost came from his own pocket. While there is no way to confirm that, Neymar’s reaction to losing the money was full of emotion.

Upon losing his bet, the soccer professional acted as if he was about to cry. His friends – like any good friends would – mocked him for his loss. While Neymar was struggling to come to terms with losing a million dollars, his friends played a distorted version of My Heart Will Go On, Titanic’s theme song.

Neymar eventually calmed down and began laughing at his own misfortune, even mocking himself for losing the money by playing an air flute.

Many doubt that Neymar actually pulled the money out of his pocket. A more plausible explanation would be that it was actually given to him by his gambling sponsor.

Usually, streamers in Twitch’s Slots category would have a sponsor who, viewers believe, fuel their accounts with money. This allows content creators to continue streaming and promoting their sponsors’ brands.

Regardless of whether this is really the case, high-rollers are always entertaining to watch because their viewers like seeing high numbers. Few people can truly afford to wager big amounts on poker or another gambling vertical, which is why they are often excited to see celebrities placing their dream bets.

Neymar was known for his love of gambling even before his deal with Blaze. The soccer pro has played poker for years now and has even participated in a variety of major poker events.

Neymar continues to be sidelined in PSG because of an injury he sustained in February. Despite undergoing successful surgery in early March, the player is still recovering. This downtime provides the athlete with plenty of time to continue his adventures in Twitch’s Slots category.

In other news, Twitch recently banned Sliker, whose main account allegedly got hacked. The content creator made headlines after taking thousands of dollars from his colleagues and viewers to gamble.