Canada
Century Mile Racetrack and Casino opening announcement
Century Casinos, Inc. (Nasdaq Capital Market®: CNTY) announced today that Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in South Edmonton, Alberta, Canada will be opening its casino, restaurant, sports bar and off-track betting lounge on April 1, 2019. The horse racing season is scheduled to start with Thoroughbred racing on the one-mile racetrack for the first time on April 28th. A grand opening gala is planned for the evening of April 27th.
Century Mile Racetrack and Casino is the Company’s latest development, located on Edmonton International Airport land and close to the city of Leduc, south of Edmonton. The location is ideally positioned exiting off the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, which is the main corridor between Calgary and Edmonton and one of the most heavily used highways in Western Canada. It is close to the airport, a shopping mall, retail outlets, hotels, a golf course and an abundance of other businesses. The Company is investing approximately $46.6 million USD, based on the exchange rate in effect as of February 26, 2019, in the development.
Century Mile features a casino and grandstand building with a total of 89,700 square feet on several floors. Amenities on the first floor include a casino, which will initially have 550 slot machines and electronic table games, 38 stadium style games, 14 video lottery terminals, a restaurant, a horse betting area, a bar and a lounge. On the second floor there will be tiered indoor and outdoor grandstand seating, three private suites and viewing areas, all overseeing the racetrack, a bar, a horse betting area, a buffet and a grill. On the third floor an open patio will provide stunning views over the racetrack and paddock.
On the 100 acres of land the Company also built barns with a capacity of 800 stalls including all amenities needed by horsemen and trainers, as well as 1,700-plus car parking stalls. The one-mile racetrack features many desirable characteristics, most notably the 1,280-foot homestretch, making it one of the longest in North America. Horses will race distances from 4.5 furlongs to 1 ½ miles. There will also be the opportunity to run the popular distance of 7 furlongs, a distance also available at the Company’s Century Downs racetrack in North Calgary. Century Downs, which opened April 1, 2015, is 160 miles south of Century Mile. Both racetracks will feature Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Quarterhorse racing throughout the year, according to coordinated racing calendars.
Century Mile assumed the operation of the pari-mutuel off-track and Internet horse betting in Northern Alberta starting January 1, 2019, adding 20 off-track betting parlors to the 13 already operated by Century Bets! in Southern Alberta.
The main racing events at Century Mile throughout 2019 will be the Oaks and Derby Preview on Canada Day, July 1, the prestigious Packwood Grand event on August 17, the $150,000 Grade 3 Canadian Derby on August 18, followed by the $130,000 Western Canadian Pacing Derby, the $130,000 Don Byrne Memorial on September 15 and wrapping up with the $350,000 Alberta Superfinals on November 2.
About Century Casinos, Inc.:
Century Casinos, Inc. is an international casino entertainment company that operates worldwide. The Company owns and operates Century Casino & Hotels in Cripple Creek and Central City, Colorado, and in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and the Century Casino in Calgary and St. Albert, Alberta, Canada and in Bath, England. Through its Austrian subsidiary, Century Resorts Management GmbH (“CRM”), formerly Century Casinos Europe GmbH, the Company holds a 66.6% ownership interest in Casinos Poland Ltd., the owner of eight casino licenses throughout Poland, seven of which are operating. The Company, through CRM, also holds 75% ownership interests in both Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, which operates in the north metropolitan area of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Century Bets! Inc., which operates the pari-mutuel off-track horse betting network in southern Alberta, Canada; and a 51% ownership interest in Golden Hospitality Ltd., a company that manages a hotel and international entertainment and gaming club in Vietnam. The Company operates 10 ship-based casinos under agreements with three cruise ship owners. The Company, through CRM, also owns a 7.5% interest in, and provides consulting services to, Mendoza Central Entretenimientos S.A., a company that provides gaming-related services to Casino de Mendoza in Mendoza, Argentina. The Company is also developing Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Company continues to pursue other international projects in various stages of development.
Century Casinos’ common stock trades on The Nasdaq Capital Market® under the symbol CNTY. For more information about Century Casinos, visit our website at www.cnty.com.
This release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of Century Casinos based on information currently available to management. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future results of operations, operating efficiencies, synergies and operational performance, the prospects for and timing and costs of new projects, projects in development and other opportunities, including the Century Mile, Bermuda and Vietnam projects, debt repayment, investments in joint ventures, outcomes of legal proceedings, changes in our tax provisions or exposure to additional income tax liabilities, and plans for our casinos and our Company. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, among others, the risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” under Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and in subsequent periodic and current SEC filings we may make. Century Casinos disclaims any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by it or on its behalf.
SOURCE Century Casinos, Inc.
Canada
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
Canada
IBIA and PFA Canada anti-match-fixing education program concludes in Alberta
CPL first to benefit from CA$300,000 education fund commitment by IBIA’s regulated sports betting operators
Canadian Premier League (CPL) soccer teams have successfully completed a sports betting integrity player education program. Designed by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) using its 3R’s training model, the program has utilised a combination of dedicated in-person training and online resources, with sessions delivered by the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada) through its Protecting the Integrity of the Game workshops.
In total, nearly 200 players have been trained by the IBIA/PFA Canada partnership at all eight CPL teams through the program, which started in Ontario and finished in Alberta, also covering teams in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Colombia. It concludes the first part of a two-year player education agreement between IBIA and PFA Canada.
Marco Carducci, Cavalry FC & President of PFA Canada, said: “The IBIA sports betting integrity training, in partnership with PFA Canada, was an incredibly beneficial experience for our players. Effective and easy-to-understand, it made clear what professional athletes need to know about sports betting integrity and how to report attempted corruption. We are grateful for IBIA’s support to help safeguard the integrity of the game and to protect and educate our players.”
In addition to highlighting the potential threats from sports betting related match-fixing, the program educated players on rules and sanctions, the scale and accuracy of technology enabled sports integrity monitoring, and how to report criminals and corrupters using the red button app.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA said: “We take our responsibility to protect regulated sports betting markets, sports and athletes seriously. Decades of experience has shown that a combination of efficient regulation, education and collaboration are essential to safeguarding the sports integrity ecosystem. We are delighted that the PFA Canada education program has been so successful and look forward to year two of the project.”
Dan Kruk, Executive Director, PFA Canada, said: “Through our work with IBIA, nearly 200 Canadian Premier League players attended PFA Canada’s Protecting the Integrity of the Game workshop this season. As a result, stakeholders can be confident our members know their obligations regarding gambling and match-fixing in their sport, how to recognize an approach to fix a match, and crucially, their duty to report any person attempting to manipulate a match.”
The program is the first to be delivered from a CA$300,000 three-year fund – invested by IBIA and its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel – from which Canadian sports and athletes can receive free face-to-face integrity education designed to protect Canadian sports from the potential threat of match manipulation and corruption.
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