Betsson Group, one of the super-entities in the European online gaming space has inked a deal with the undersung powerhouse, Swintt. The deal will see Glitnor Group spawned Swintt provide titles to Betsson operating partners in diverse regions such as Latvia, Sweden, Germany, and Malta where Swintt has its headquarters.

Swintt was formed in 2018 and launched in early 2019 in Malta. In recent months, the firm has experienced phenomenal growth in key European markets. The Betsson deal adds velocity and heft to the trajectory begun by longtime industry veteran and founding CEO, David Flynn. According to the World Casino Directory: “CEO, David Flynn has been involved in software and gaming since the 1990s with titles such as VP, Director (Ongame), Head of Operations (Microgaming), CEO, COO, CCO, and EVP of Business Development at NYX and NYX AB, as well as JackpotJoy during the Gamesys Vera&John era.”

SwinttGames and SwinttPremium Titles plus Boutique Partner Content

Swintt carries two main packages of games and hit the ground running with about 70 titles prior to building on its portfolio and current market reach. SwinttGames and SwinttPremium represent collections of titles in the classic configuration as well as the more popular online video slots with mechanics and bonus features like scatters and free spins. In addition to the in-house creations augmenting the studio’s offering, third-party developer titles are also included in the deal. These are usually from boutique studios and are delivered via the SwinttStudios platform.

While any provider striking a deal with a megalith such as Betsson is newsworthy and sure to create certain knock-on effects for the developer, the addition of the Italian and Lithuanian distribution of Swintt games is sure to provide a catalyst for future expansion as well as to bolster the company’s already sure footing in each market it has entered. The addition of those two markets helps make the deal with Scandanavia’s Betsson one of Swintt’s most important and far-reaching deals to date.

Titles such as Aloha Spirit XtraLockTM, the Book of Shai, and the imminent release of Electric Elements are sure to find players gravitating to the brand, especially those who count it as a favorite as well as those just discovering it. Another release that is coming soon is Duolitos Garden – a slot with four progressive jackpots.

Plugging in the Swintt catalog also includes partner studio games such as Stacking Bison by Fine Edge Gaming and Thor’s Strike from Samurai Studio. The studio is one of the only Japanese slot studios with global reach and is part of NatsumeAtari. Swintt and Samurai joined forces in late 2022.

Top Executives Comment on the Deal

The current Chief Executive Officer at Swintt, David Mann, said: “Over the past few months, Swintt has been involved in a number of partnerships with high-profile online casinos, but our new agreement with Betsson might be one of the biggest ones as we continue to expand brand throughout Europe and beyond.

“By working closely with Betsson, we’ll be able to ensure customers in a number of important markets get to experience the huge variety of titles that we have available from our SwinttGames and SwinttPremium line-ups, as well as exciting third-party games courtesy of the SwinttStudios platform.”

Betsson Group Head of Gaming Operations, Sarah Micallef said: “From its fairly humble beginnings some 60 years ago, Betsson has established itself as one of the premier online gaming operators in Scandinavia and most of Europe – and a key component of this has been ensuring we partner with only the very best software providers.

“Over the past few years, Swintt has proved through its innovative range of releases that its certainly worthy of being considered up there with the industry’s top studios and we’re very much looking forward to making their games available to our customers in a wide number of markets this year.”

Source: Swintt solidifies European presence with Betsson deal, Swintt News, May 2, 2023

The post Swintt – Betsson Tie Up Captures Italy and Lithuania – Solidifies Europe appeared first on Casino News Daily.

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#BookTok has had over 1 million posts and 6 billion views on TikTok within the last 90 days, demonstrating just how big the community of book lovers on the platform is. There are also over 20,000 Google searches per month for terms like ‘BookTok’ and ‘BookTok recommendations’ in the US and Canada alone.

This study digs a little deeper into the popularity of BookTok and highlights the impact that it is having on readership across The United States and Canada. We surveyed 10,000 TikTok users and asked them a handful of simple questions, including whether or not they are reading more because of the BookTok trend. Those that said yes were also asked to put a percentage on just how much more they are reading.

Keep reading for a more in-depth breakdown and explanation of the findings in this report and more regional data.

The ‘Revival of Reading’

Despite its flaws and bad press, it’s hard to ignore that TikTok has positively influenced reading and book sales through its #BookTok community. A 2022 Forbes article reported a 9% increase in book sales and highlighted TikTok and its influencers as being a driving force behind what’s been dubbed the revival of reading.

Our study revealed that 48% of TikTok users in The United States are actively reading more books because of their exposure to BookTok. This number was slightly higher with Canadians at 53%. What is maybe most surprising of all is exactly what this looks like in numbers, as reading ‘more’ can mean something very different from person to person. Americans reported a 60% increase in their reading activity, with Canadians reporting 58%. This means that a person reading an average of 12 books per year prior to BookTok is now reading 19.

#BookTok Influence By Region

For a more granular look into the influence of BookTok across the US and Canada, we also tracked survey responses by location. This has allowed us to pinpoint which regions have seen the largest increase in readership as a direct result of BookTok.

Throughout this blog post, we’ll give you all the details of what’s left of the casino complex. Just to give you a small insight, it also included a hotel, a restaurant, and even an amusement park. It sounds like a dream that vanished among the dense vegetation of Collserola mountain, right? Keep reading to know more.

What’s Left of the Casino de l’Arrabassada?

The old casino, hotel, and restaurant at Casino de l’Arrabassada are only ruins now. However, visitors can still see some of the remains, including the viewpoint, slopes, tunnels of the Scenic Railway, and an artificial lake. The transformer booth features a 5-meter-high cloth wall covered with bricks, topped with a sculpture of a female face wrapped in palm leaves.

Then, there’s the garden fence, which boasts Neo-Arabic decorations. The casino and hotel were owned by the Society “La Rabassada”, and they imported attractions from other parks and offered boat rentals on the lake. The 10.68-hectare land where the casino de la Rabassada of Barcelona is located is now maintained as a forest reserve by its owners.

Other than history and popular landmarks, if you’re into gambling, you could find the best online casinos in Spain interesting. These operators are all licensed, safe, and offer a bunch of games, payment methods, and enticing bonuses. All the best online casinos from Spain also offer mobile versions of their platforms, allowing players to enjoy their favorite games on-the-go.

Hotel and Casino Barcelona Rabassada

The hotel and casino Barcelona Rabassada was established in 1899 and adorned with decorations crafted by the workshop of Edmond Lechavallier, a French painter. The hotel was expanded in 1911 to include a casino and entertainment area, which were designed by the architect Andreu Audet. This project was quite extravagant and had a budget of 2.5 million pesetas (€15,025).

The inauguration ceremony on July 15, 1911, was attended by over 300 guests. The opulent casino became an emblem of luxury. It was fully equipped with various amenities such as an amusement park, a large restaurant with Parisian chefs, an orchestra, a hotel with luxurious rooms, recreation areas, a public oratory, and magnificent gardens filled with exotic plants.

The casino also offered bingo, raffles and lottery. Nonetheless, it was nothing compared to the popular el Gordo Spanish lottery, which has been around since the 18th century, but attractive enough for many members who participated. Roulette gambling also attracted many players, and it remains one of the most iconic and exciting games to be found here.

Amusement Park

The Gran Hotel Casino de la Rabassada boasted an incredible amusement area that drew inspiration from popular parks in London, New York, and Paris. This influence is evident in the names of some of its attractions, such as the Scenic Railway, Cake Walk Building, Palais du Rire, and Feu de Boules.

The Scenic Railway roller coaster, designed by LaMarcus A. Thompson, the inventor of the roller coaster, ran through long underground tunnels for much of its journey. Today, three of these tunnels remain, two of which measure four meters wide by five meters high and serve as exits. The third tunnel, however, was walled up and has no way out.

Over time, the tunnels were repurposed for storing wagons, and later used as warehouses. Located a little over fifty meters from these tunnels, in the direction of Barcelona, there’s a lake that was purportedly located beneath the roller coaster. The lake located beneath the Scenic Railway roller coaster was said to have been built specifically for the ride.

The roller coaster passed over the lake, and riders would be thrilled as they gazed down at the water below. The lake added to the overall charm and excitement of the amusement area, making it a popular destination for locals and tourists. Nowadays, the lake still exists, and it is a reminder of the park’s golden age.

The Casino’s Closure

The Casino de la Rabassada saw its downfall in 1912 when the governor prohibited gambling, leading to the company’s bankruptcy within a year. However, the site still served as a hotel, restaurant, and amusement park. It gained some traction during the 1929 International Exposition, but General Primo de Rivera banned gambling again in the same year.

This resulted in the gradual closure of all activities until the restaurant was ultimately shut down in 1930. Afterward, the building fell into disrepair, and during the Spanish civil war, it was used as a shelter against bombings and later as a barracks. In 1940, the facilities were demolished, and today, only remnants can be seen, which are the following:

Another remarkably popular casino in disuse is the Romanian Constanta Casino, built in the late 19th century. Its history and architecture are equally impressive. Although its story resembles that of the Casino de l’Arrabassada, the Constanta Casino has been well-maintained and appropriately preserved, making it a remarkable landmark that has stood the test of time.

More Interesting Information

The farm and the Casino de l’Arrabassada are owned by two Catalan families who inherited the property. Interested individuals can reach out to the Collserola natural park administration to get in touch with them. Visiting the old Casino de la Rabassada requires prior authorisation, as stated on the official sign located next to the main entrance.

In the past, gamblers used to arrive at the casino via funicular or with the hotel company’s cars from Barcelona’s centre. To create an easy means of communication between the city and the casino, the Arrabassada tram line was inaugurated on July 19, 1911. Nonetheless, the line faced multiple suspensions of service and slow periods due to the casino’s uncertain fate.

In 1938, the line was used by Barcelonians fleeing the bombings and the staff of the barracks that the casino had been converted into. After its closure, the material and installations were kept inactive and intact until 1956, when it was permanently suppressed. And that’s all we had to say about the incredible history of casino Barcelona Rabassada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before this blog post about Casino de la Rabassada comes to an end, we have included a few frequently asked questions for you to clarify any doubts you may have. Keep in mind that they will jump to the paragraph of your interest. We hope that you find them useful. See them below:

NIL and sports betting affecting the NCAA

The growth of name, image, likeness (NIL) and sports betting has plunged the NCAA into deep waters that it doesn’t seem prepared to traverse.

turn college sports into a bidding war

NIL was implemented to afford student-athletes more opportunities to receive financial compensation and enjoy greater sovereignty than they were previously. What it has done, instead, is turn college sports into a bidding war and flood the transfer portal with many athletes that ultimately never escape it.

Add the confusion and unrelenting pressure of sports betting into the mix and the NCAA is in quite a precarious position. But just how did it find itself here?

Great power, great responsibility

NIL started back in the late 2000s when ex-UCLA men’s basketball player Ed O’Bannon sued over the NCAA’s refusal to compensate college athletes for revenues they produced in video games, broadcasts, and other areas. Prior to that, the NCAA was accused of being a money-hungry organization working against student-athletes.

The court ultimately sided with O’Bannon, which led to the creation of NIL laws in July 2021.

Rather than become the modest compensatory system that many believed it would be, NIL, spawned a money-hungry craze by student-athletes eager to recoup the maximum available to them for their presence and performance at various institutions.

In 2022, top men’s college basketball transfer portal target Nijel Pack signed a two-year, $800,000 deal with LifeWallet as part of his transfer from Kansas State to the University of Miami. LifeWallet’s founder, Noberto Menéndez, is unsurprisingly a Miami graduate and one of the most generous NIL donors in college sports.

the greatest NIL value of current college athletes at $3.4m

On3, a website that covers college sports and NIL, lists reigning Heisman trophy winner and USC quarterback Caleb Williams as having a NIL value of $2.6m. Livvy Dunne, an LSU gymnast, has the greatest NIL value of current college athletes at $3.4m.

Naturally, that kind of money has made college sports and the athletes that participate in them volatile in their decision making.

More than a fifth of FBS (football) starters in the 2021 season were transfers. On top of that, ESPN said that more than 6,000 college football players have entered the transfer portal since the start of the 2022 season. Unfortunately, close to half of those players will never find a new home.

So, while the modern pool of players now has the financial opportunity that previous generations did not, it has come with a much greater risk.

Combating outside influence

Where the waters get even muddier is in the NCAA’s approach to handling sports betting.

Sports betting is firmly “in” in America. The gambling industry recorded net revenue of $60.4bn in 2022, and a huge chunk of that came from sports betting proceeds. 37 states have legalized the growing form of entertainment, and states such as New York regularly draw over a billion dollars in monthly betting handle.

The NCAA has done its best to crack down on the interference of sports betting in college sports by strictly outlawing it in all forms for active players, staff, and team personnel. Those same members also cannot provide any sensitive information to outsiders that may be used to profit from sports wagering.

However, the NCAA allowed sportsbooks to team up with colleges, leading to Caesars sponsoring LSU and Michigan State and PointsBet installing an affiliate program at the University of Colorado. It wasn’t until the American Gaming Association (AGA) released a new set of standards that such partnerships were abandoned.

significant spike in online criticism

Angry gamblers have also become more vocal in criticism of players. University of Dayton men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant said earlier this year his players received a significant spike in online criticism after Ohio legalized sports betting at the turn of the year.

College sports are also naturally a massive draw. The AGA estimated $15.5bn would be wagered on March Madness 2023 alone.

There is a very real threat of sports betting disrupting the regular NCAA schedule. Earlier this week, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University announced investigations into team personnel over possible infractions of the rules.

The pressure is now on the NCAA to stop the hemorrhaging of integrity that has quickly burst before it’s too late. Otherwise, college sports will be changed forever.

The post OPINION: NCAA Losing Control Over Student-Athletes With NIL and Sports Betting appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.

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