Happy Apples

About Happy Apples

In cases of identity fraud, operators were advised to close accounts upon establishing fraud and to reserve balances when bank account ownership cannot be confirmed.

Regarding account takeovers, the guide emphasised technical mitigations such as two-factor authentication for withdrawals and changes to banking details.

For poker collusion and bot use, recommended contractual provisions allow operators to redistribute illegitimate winnings to affected players. The guide noted that courts have validated such actions when supported by robust data.

How to play Happy Apples

Many top gaming stocks have underperformed relative to the broader market in recent years, and most of the M&A activity has been facilitated by private equity and other institutions that can more readily capitalise on depressed valuations. There had been hope that rates would start to fall and help alleviate those pressures.

“Publicly traded valuations are a reflection of the current interest rate environment,” Chad Beynon, lead gaming analyst for Macquarie, told iGB. “Whether it’s a long-term financial model on a growth company, you’re going to discount that back at a higher rate, or if it’s just a standard four-wall business, the cash flows in a higher interest rate environment are worth less.”

According to data from Yahoo Finance, the resort and casino sector is -41% over the last five years, and the overall gambling sector, which includes major sportsbooks and online operators, is +7%; the benchmark S&P 500 index, by comparison, is +71% during that span.

What is Happy Apples?

It said all interviewees had cooperated fully and some of them had “virtually little or no familiarity with the allegations contained in the report, as their job responsibilities fall outside the scope of these matters”.

Kugler told Spectrum “it was never his intention to provide incriminating information”. He said he had felt duped by Black Cube, and noted the person he had met with had disappeared after the report was released. He believed they had used a fake identity.

“Kugler’s position is that Evolution does not supply games to Iran. He stated that “I know we have players in Dubai”, Spectrum notes, in response to Black Cube’s claims.