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Greenwood Gaming, Parx Casino Bring Baseless Lawsuit Against Pace-O-Matic and Pennsylvania Small Businesses & Fraternal Clubs Operating Legal Skill Games

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Pennsylvania Skill Congratulates State’s Gambling Industry on Exceptional November Revenues

 

Pace-O-Matic (POM), a gaming company that does significant business throughout Pennsylvania, today released the following statement in response to a baseless lawsuit brought by Greenwood Gaming and Parx Casino against POM and thousands of small businesses and fraternal clubs operating skill games across the state.
“The lawsuit against legal skill games launched by Parx Casino and Greenwood Gaming is meritless and attacks thousands of Pennsylvania businesses who operate skill games and rely on their revenue. This lawsuit ignores the law and legal precedent. We feel confident, as we always have, in the legal status of our skill games.

“Parx Casino is attempting to shield its efforts, through various consultants, and use the levers of government to harm legal skill games, and in particular POM’s Pennsylvania Skill games.
“Unfortunately, yet not surprisingly, many of the arguments made in this complaint are verbatim to attacks and opinions drafted by the law firm, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC (Eckert), which has worked for Parx Casino. This is puzzling because a federal judge has ruled that Eckert “acted in bad faith” in shielding and misrepresenting their relationship with POM and Parx Casino. (See lawsuit summary below.)
“Eckert had been hired by POM but then deceived POM by taking millions of dollars in legal fees to represent the skill gaming company, while at the same time, representing Parx Casino which opposes POM’s operations in the Commonwealth. When confronted with the conflict of interest, Eckert first denied their actions, then swore to a federal district court that they would not engage in a future conflict. They then continued to work surreptitiously against POM and the small businesses and fraternal clubs operating skill games while continuing to represent Parx Casino.
“POM continues to actively work with legislators in Harrisburg to further regulate and tax the skill game industry.”

Background on POM’s Federal Lawsuit Against Eckert:
On, July, 11, 2022, POM filed a major fraud claim against Eckert, which is a major law firm with more than 300 lawyers across a network of 15 offices, including Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, VA.
POM’s lawsuit contends that Eckert “took up arms” against POM on behalf of the Philadelphia-based Parx Casino; that Eckert “actively participated in and covertly manipulated litigation” in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court adverse to POM’s interests; and that Eckert participated in a campaign intended to “destroy POM’s business by attempting to convince elected and appointed public officials that POM’s games are gambling devices that should be seized and outlawed.” In particular, Eckert used its influence to improperly target the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

When confronted by POM’s allegation that Eckert was double-dealing and had breached its professional duties of loyalty and confidentiality, Eckert denied the claim, while seeking to shield the law firm’s emails with Parx Casino which would, if made public, reveal that numerous lawyers at Eckert, led by Mark Stewart, co-chair of Eckert’s gaming practice group, were indeed simultaneously taking money from and representing Parx Casino.
Parx Casino calls itself “the #1 casino in Pennsylvania” and is owned and operated by Greenwood Racing Inc.

Eckert, working on behalf of Parx Casino and its consultants, sought to block POM from doing business in Pennsylvania.

The suit also alleges that Eckert “violated their most basic fiduciary duties and concealed and misrepresented material facts to POM’s great detriment. As a result, POM is entitled to appropriate damages.

In November 2021, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Saporito, Jr. found that Eckert acted in “bad faith” by seeking to withhold emails that demonstrated Eckert was representing both sides.

Eckert, Saporito ruled, “actively and clandestinely managed and participated in the representation of Parx in the Commonwealth Court litigation against its other client, POM. Moreover, based on our in camera review of the purportedly privileged documents, it did so with full knowledge that the conflict asserted by POM precluded its active and continuing representation of Parx in the Commonwealth Court litigation.”
Saporito continued, “in light of the clear and obviously intentional subterfuge demonstrated in the purportedly privileged documents, we have no difficulty concluding that these documents evidence an intent by Stewart and Eckert to play fast and loose with the courts.”

Eckert appealed Saporito’s ruling, which required Eckert to turn over to POM many internal emails. On July 5, 2022, Federal Judge Jennifer P. Wilson ruled for POM, declaring, “in making inconsistent representations to the court, Eckert has attempted to obstruct the discovery process as to the central issue in this case: whether Eckert breached its fiduciary duty to POM by representing Parx, a party with adverse interests, at the same time that it represented POM.”

Pace-O-Matic is a leading developer of legally compliant games of skill in the United States. Its games are played in thousands of small restaurants and bars, along with many social halls such as American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts. Our games generated millions of dollars in revenue for businesses and clubs in Pennsylvania last year and its games can be found in thousands of businesses, mostly small mom-and-pop shops, along with many fraternal and veterans’ organizations.

Compliance Updates

Wisconsin Division of Gaming Awards Genius Sports Sports Betting Contractor License

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Wisconsin Division of Gaming Awards Genius Sports Sports Betting Contractor License

 

Genius Sports Limited, the official data, technology and commercial partner that powers the ecosystem connecting sports, betting and media, announced that it has been certified by the State of Wisconsin Division of Gaming as a gaming-related contractor with immediate effect.

With the addition of Wisconsin, Genius Sports now holds 50 licenses or equivalent, or is otherwise permitted to operate, in North America across the U.S. states, territories, tribes and Canada powering award-winning official data, streaming, and marketing solutions for leading sportsbooks and lotteries.

“We are honored that the State of Wisconsin Division of Gaming has authorized Genius Sports to provide state-licensed sportsbooks with access to our groundbreaking NFL products and media solutions. As the majority of U.S. states legalize sports betting, Genius Sports welcomes the opportunity to work with states like Wisconsin, on providing sports fans with our exclusive official NFL sports data-powered solutions for betting,” Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, said.

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Compliance Updates

GLI® First Lab to Achieve Accreditation by the Secretaria De Prêmios e Apostas to Certify Betting Systems, Live Game Studios, and Online Games to be used by Fixed-odds Lottery Operators for Brazil

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GLI® First Lab to Achieve Accreditation by the Secretaria De Prêmios e Apostas to Certify Betting Systems, Live Game Studios, and Online Games to be used by Fixed-odds Lottery Operators for Brazil

 

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) has become the first laboratory to achieve accreditation to certify for betting systems, live game studios, and online games to be used by fixed-odds lottery operators by the Secretaria De Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) in Brazil.

The accreditation means GLI is authorized to test and certify equipment, programs, instruments, and devices that comprise betting systems, live game studios, and online games to be used by fixed-odds lottery operators for the recently enacted national regulatory regime of Brazil.

“We commend the outstanding work that SPA has done in creating a regulatory framework by adapting global best practices to their jurisdiction need and thank them for the transparency and professionalism of this laboratory accreditation process,” said Karen Sierra-Hughes, GLI Vice President for Latin America, Caribbean, and Spain. “We are grateful for the trust put in our work by Brazilian operators and suppliers in the past years in their self-regulatory efforts to voluntarily adhere to compliance processes, which puts them in the position to transition effortlessly to the rise of regulations that are in development today. We have witnessed the efforts that the government and the industry had made throughout all these years to regulate different forms of gaming and lottery, and we feel fortunate to have been part of it while sharing our global expertise and putting the local focus needed in providing support customized to the Brazil culture and particularities of this unique market. We are looking forward to being part of this very exciting time in Brazil and now finally also as an official accredited laboratory for this great country.”

GLI has been working with regulators, lotteries, and industry stakeholders across the Latin American and Caribbean region for more than 26 years in their efforts towards regulation, sustainable growth, and eradicating illegal gaming. In Brazil, GLI has been side by side with government entities and all industry stakeholders for nearly 20 years, participating in public hearings in the Senate, Chamber of Deputies, and State government level, and in recent years, adding strategic local representation to strengthen their local support.

This milestone is the latest for GLI in Latin America. Last month, GLI became the first lab to achieve accreditation to test online gaming, wagering, and retail sports betting in Peru. Last year in Brazil, GLI was the first lab authorized to test and certify for the Lottery of Parana LOTTOPAR, and GLI will become accredited in all states where laboratory accreditation will be required in Brazil.

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Compliance Updates

Play’n GO awarded Pennsylvania license 

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Play’n GO awarded Pennsylvania license 

 

Play’n GO has continued on its upward trajectory in North America by landing its latest US iGaming licenses and will soon supply its award-winning content portfolio to operators and players in Pennsylvania and Delaware

These licenses are the fifth and sixth obtained by the Swedish gaming giants in the USA, following New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Connecticut.

Play’n GO have taken a dual-pronged approach to its strategy in North America, with these US licenses being complimented by the company’s success north of the border in Canada, where Play’n GO was one of the first suppliers to be licensed to supply slot games in the province of Ontario.

Although early in its American journey, Play’n GO games such as Piggy Blitz, make regular appearances in the top 15 most popular titles in all of North America*.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer for Play’n GO, said: “Play’n GO content is the most conducive to player retention across the industry. With player acquisition costs sky high in the US, we’re pleased to be able to offer operators in Pennsylvania access to our content which will keep players coming back for more.

“We are determined to be the number one casino gaming supplier in every regulated market in the world, and given that we are thriving in more than 25 jurisdictions around the world where we have a license, we fully expect a similar success story in Pennsylvania in the coming years.”

Play’n GO is set to release more than 50 online slot titles in 2024 and is active in more than 25 regulated jurisdictions worldwide, including Ontario, New Jersey, Michigan and West Virginia in North America.

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