Evolution Gaming (NYSE: EVO)

 

Evolution Gaming is a powerhouse in the live casino business. With a large addressable market driven by industry tailwinds and operational excellence coupled with management’s product innovation DNA, the company is poised to continue growing for years to come.

The company specializes in live dealer table games and virtual casino games that are streamed directly from studios across Europe and North America. Evolution operates as a business-to-business supplier, licensing its software and tables to online casinos like DraftKings (DKNG 2.67%) or Penn National Gaming (PENN -0.41%). For every $100 in wagers at an Evolution-licensed casino, the company gets $10 back from the casino, with no need to fund customer payouts.

In a highly competitive market, Evolution’s reputation for high standards of security, fairness, and reliability is widely recognized by both operators and players. The company holds licenses from several regulated jurisdictions and has a strong track record of rapidly rolling out its products into new markets.

Currently, Evolution offers over 700+ live tables and game shows, running 24/7 from multiple studios in Europe and North America. Moreover, the company’s new Evolution First Person RNG virtual casino experience brings immersive fun to your desktop or mobile device.

With the company’s Evolution gaming extensive range of game types and betting options, Evolution has established itself as a benchmark in the industry. This is demonstrated by a huge number of Evolution-branded games being offered at leading online casinos. The most popular table games include blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. The company’s games are also fully optimized for mobile devices, providing a comfortable and enjoyable playing experience.

The team at EVO believes in a “players first” philosophy and strives to create innovative and entertaining games. This is reflected in the company’s culture and the fact that it invests heavily in player experience. The company also pays great attention to data analytics and continuous improvement. This allows it to improve the quality of its games and develop innovative solutions.

EVO is always on the lookout for talented individuals, both in its studios and the development department. In fact, the company has a dedicated talent program that helps employees develop their professional skills and personal growth through training and mentoring programs. It also provides opportunities to move between departments and pursue new challenges.

In an interview with the iGaming Podcast, CPO Todd Haushalter spoke about the importance of keeping the product division creative and introducing new concepts. He cites Amazon’s “innovate or die” mantra and says that the team at Evolution always thinks about what players want. He adds that CEO Martin Carlesund gives his team the freedom to innovate. This, combined with a strong focus on data and customer insights, has made EVO one of the most successful live casino companies in the world.

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The French Connection Blu-Ray Review

When Twentieth Century-Fox released this gritty police thriller in 1971, it made a big splash both commercially and critically. Based on the real story of two New York City detectives who busted a major heroin smuggling operation, The French Connection spawned the cliche of the tough, street-wise cop, and launched both the careers of stars Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider.

Its reputation for toughness and realism has only grown over the years, and it's still a great movie. Unlike most of its cop film predecessors, which offered a bleak view of police work and corruption, The French Connection is more effective at creating a feeling of immediacy and urgency. That's partly because it cuts out a lot of the usual foreshadowing and repetition of exposition that you're used to seeing in most cop movies. The script is more akin to a documentary in its approach to the material, and it requires audience members to pay close attention to the material.

The movie's street realism also owes something to Gillo Pontocorvo's The Battle of Algiers and Costa-Gavras' Z, which both used documentary realism as a way to assert their authenticity. The film also benefits from a pair of excellent technical advisors, who provide input on the realistic camerawork and editing. The French Connection's cat-and-mouse sequences are impressive for the amazing choreography of movement and camerawork involved in them. The chase sequence where Popeye and Buddy elude their suspect by running around a seedy backlot tour while the criminals pretend to window shop is particularly notable.

Lastly, the movie's ambiguous ending makes it one of the best and most interesting cop movies ever. This gives the film a more complex and honest feel than many other police stories, which tend to offer up happy endings and gloss over the fact that the crook is usually going to get away. Ultimately, the film also points out the wastefulness of the War on Drugs, which hadn't even been declared when The French Connection was made.

The Blu-ray version of the film is packed with extras, including an audio commentary by Friedkin and a video interview with the officers who inspired the movie. There's also an extensive documentary on the making of the film, which includes interviews with Hackman and Scheider, as well as photos and excerpts from the book that the movie was based upon. Owen Roizman's cinematography looks better than ever, and the new lossless transfer also makes the film look more vibrant and detailed. Don Ellis's

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