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New York’s Tom Thibodeau wins 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year Award

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New York's Tom Thibodeau wins 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year Award

 

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2020-21 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA (www.NBA.com) announced yesterday.

This is the second NBA Coach of the Year Award for Thibodeau, who earned the honor in the 2010-11 season with the Chicago Bulls in his first season as an NBA head coach. Now honored in his first season as the Knicks’ head coach, Thibodeau has become the first person to be named NBA Coach of the Year in his first season as head coach with two different franchises. (Cotton Fitzsimmons won the award in his first season as the Kansas City Kings’ head coach, 1978-79, and again in the first season of his second tenure as the Phoenix Suns’ head coach, 1988-89).

Thibodeau received 43 first-place votes and earned 351 total points to edge Phoenix head coach Monty Williams, who finished in second place with 340 points (45 first-place votes). The 11-point difference between the first- and second-place finishers marks the smallest margin since the current NBA Coach of the Year voting format was introduced in the 2002-03 season.

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder finished in third place with 161 points (10 first-place votes). Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

With Thibodeau as head coach, New York finished tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference (41-31) and made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Knicks won 16 of their final 20 games to complete a turnaround from last season’s overall record of 21-45.

Thibodeau led New York to an 11-4 record in April for its winningest month since March 2014 (11-5). He was selected as the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for May after guiding the Knicks to a 6-3 record in the final month of the regular season.

The Knicks showed dramatic improvement on defense with Thibodeau at the helm, leading the NBA in points allowed (104.7) and opponents’ field goal percentage (44.0) and ranking fourth in defensive rating (107.8). Last season, New York finished 17th or lower in all three categories.

Under Thibodeau, Julius Randle was named an NBA All-Star for the first time and won the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award. In addition, Derrick Rose was a finalist for the 2020-21 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, 2021 NBA Rising Stars selection RJ Barrett ranked as the fourth-leading scorer among second-year NBA players (17.6 ppg), and rookie Immanuel Quickley averaged 11.4 points after being selected by New York with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Thibodeau is the 10th head coach to win the NBA Coach of the Year Award more than once and the eighth to do it with multiple franchises. In addition, he is the third head coach to be selected as NBA Coach of the Year with the Knicks, joining Red Holzman (1969-70) and Pat Riley (1992-93).

New York hired Thibodeau as its head coach on July 30, 2020. He has a career regular-season record of 393-277 (.587) in nine seasons as an NBA head coach, guiding teams to the playoffs seven times. Before joining the Knicks, he served as head coach of the Bulls for five seasons (2010-15) and the Minnesota Timberwolves over three seasons (2016-19).

The NBA Coach of the Year Award trophy is named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Red Auerbach. The legendary head coach guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships, including eight in a row from 1959-66.

Compliance Updates

Spinomenal is now a registered provider in Peru

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Spinomenal, the leading iGaming content provider, has expanded its Latin American presence by registering as a service provider in Peru. The approval from Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) allows Spinomenal to provide its casino titles to the country’s locally licensed operators.

With Peru’s recent introduction of new gaming regulations, the iGaming environment is set for an exciting transformation. Spinomenal is thrilled to be part of this dynamic evolution, offering our state-of-the-art gaming solutions to energise and enhance the gaming experience within Peru’s thriving iGaming community.

Peruvian players will now be able to enjoy Spinomenal’s popular portfolio of games and some of the gems available are Majestic King and Demi Gods V.

Spinomenal CO-CEO, Lior Shvartz commented: “Latin America continues to be a key region for us and we’re proud to now be able to offer our titles within the regulated Peruvian market. Games have been hand-picked for Peruvians based on localised knowledge of player preferences gained by our experience in the market prior to the new regulation.”

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Latin America

Belatra amplifies LatAm presence with Apostala partnership

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Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, has amplified its Latin American presence after signing a content deal with distinguished online gaming and sports betting platform, Apostala.

Based out of Paraguay, Apostala will now have seamless access to a rich assortment of Belatra Games’ captivating and innovative titles, offering local players access to an unparalleled spectrum of gaming delights. Some of the popular titles joining Apostala are Mummyland Treasures, Big Wild Buffalo, Dragon’s Bonanza, Golden øks and the most recent release, Chef’s Sticky Fruits.

Belatra Games’ success is rooted in its commitment to delivering premium entertainment to players across the globe. This alliance with Apostala underscores Belatra’s dedication to fostering strategic partnerships that generate long-term growth and elevate the gaming landscape for players worldwide.

Andres Troelsen, Belatra Games’ Commercial Director for Latin America, said: “Our collaboration with Apostala marks a pivotal moment for Belatra Games as we extend our influence throughout Latin America. Our partnership represents a shared commitment to redefine the gaming experience for players in Paraguay and beyond. Together, we aspire to craft a gaming platform that not only entertains but also inspires and delights players at every turn.”

Apostala Director, Fernando Ribeiro, added: “It’s been a pleasure working alongside the entire Belatra team, we are growing together and we have great plans for the future.”

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partnerships

The GLI Group (GLI®) Acquires SeNet International Corporation, Bringing Expanded Information Technology Security Capabilities to U.S. Clients

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The GLI Group (GLI®) has acquired SeNet International Corporation (“SeNet”), bringing expanded cybersecurity and other IT capabilities to clients of the GLI Group, Bulletproof a GLI Company, and SeNet. The companies serve a wide range of clients in the casino gaming space and across the business spectrum.

Founded in 1998, SeNet is an information security services company serving government and commercial clients, including the gaming industry, throughout the United States.

As part of the acquisition, the GLI Group will operate SeNet in conjunction with Bulletproof Solutions, ULC (“Bulletproof”), an information security company headquartered in Fredericton, Canada and wholly owned by the GLI Group. SeNet will operate as the U.S. information-security platform for Bulletproof, which will benefit existing SeNet clients by offering the broader information security services of Bulletproof, and Bulletproof’s current U.S. client base by delivering services through local information security professionals.

As the U.S. platform for Bulletproof, SeNet will leverage the combined capabilities of both companies to deliver enhanced information security services to clients. The investment further demonstrates the GLI Group’s commitment to providing world-class information security services to clients.

The GLI Group announced that, as part of the acquisition, all SeNet employees will continue to operate as a part of SeNet. That includes SeNet co-founder and CEO Ilan Katz and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Gus Fritschie in leadership roles, and SeNet co-founder and President Toly Kozushin as a senior consultant.

The GLI Group’s James Maida, president and CEO of Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), said, “We are very pleased to continue our relationship with the entire SeNet team and look forward to them assisting us in providing world-class security services both inside and outside the gaming industries in the United States and elsewhere around the world.”

“SeNet was founded with a core objective to provide best-in-class information security services and continues to demonstrate consistent growth. What influenced me the most about the GLI Group is their unwavering focus on clients and strong track record of both growing and integrating new companies,” stated Toly Kozushin.

SeNet’s Ilan Katz added, “We are very excited to add to the GLI Group’s information security capabilities and help them grow in the U.S. While this acquisition closes a very successful chapter for the founders, it also introduces significantly greater growth prospects for our employees and clients.”

“Since joining SeNet approximately 15 years ago, I have personally observed the world-class capabilities of the GLI Group, and I am looking forward to joining the GLI Group team. Together with Bulletproof, we will have the combined capabilities to solve all security challenges for our clients,” remarked SeNet’s Gus Fritschie.

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