Gaming Archives

October 24, 2022

Online slots boost German gambling tax revenue to €596.1m in Q3

German gambling tax revenue came to €596.1m in the third quarter of 2022, a year-on-year increase driven mostly by growth of online slots.

The total German gambling tax take was up by 15.5% year-on-year.

Of this total, €123.2m came from online slots. This was up drastically from Q3 of 2021, when operators paid only €32.7m in taxes during the first quarter under Germany’s new Fourth State Treaty on Gambling.

As part of the new regime, online slot operators must pay 5.3% of stakes in taxes, which has been a major source of controversy.

Only a small number of operators were licensed to offer online slots in Germany in Q3, but a transition period is in place which means that operators will not face enforcement action as long as they keep to the rules of the State Treaty and pay gambling taxes.

Online poker tax income was €8.0m, slightly more than double the total from a year earlier. Like slots, online poker is also subject to a 5.3% tax on stakes, and – with no licensees yet – the en..

October 21, 2022

Belgium’s €200 loss limit comes into force

Belgium’s new €200 weekly loss limit has officially come into effect, three months after a royal decree on the subject was published.

The lower limit was announced in July by a royal decree, having been put forward by minister of justice Vincent Van Quickenborne.

Previously, net deposits were limited to €500 per week, after an April 2020 decree.

The limit will continue to apply on a per-site basis, after attempts to introduce a “global” limit – to apply across all operators – fell through.

Players may request to have their limit raised, but only if they are not registered as defaulters with the Central Individual Credit Register of the National Bank.

“It is always possible for players to request a lower personal limit from the operators,” the Belgian Gaming Commission said. “To keep gambling fun, it is recommended to spend no more than 5% of income on gambling.”

Belgium is also hoping to implement a complete ban on all non-lottery gambling ads, a measure that has been the source ..

October 20, 2022

Gibraltar to replace one-size-fits-all licence fees with tiered system

Gibraltar is set to implement a new, tiered system for gambling licence fees, meaning that larger operators will pay more and smaller ones less, as part of a package of reforms for the point-of-supply market.

The British Overseas Territory launched a consultation on new licence fees, following its earlier proposal for a new Gambling Act.

Previously, operators of remote betting, remote gaming, other remote products, land-based gaming and retail betting each had to pay a £100,000 licence fee every year. B2B suppliers, meanwhile, were required to pay an £85,000 annual fee.

However, in its consultation, the government said that “licensing fees for startup operators and small operators who are building for growth can be a disproportionate cost in the early stages of the life cycle of the business”.

As a result, it opted for a new, tiered system for remote betting and gaming licences, based on annual gross gambling yield (GGY).

As operators need to apply for a separate licence for each..

October 19, 2022

GB problem gambling trends in focus

This infographic highlights interesting results and recent trends from the Gambling Commission’s quarterly telephone survey on gambling participation. The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) mini-screen is conducted as part of the survey and the results provide insight into the risks to gamblers in Great Britain.

October 13, 2022

Nygaard-Andersen: Interest rates won’t stop Entain from acquiring

Entain chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen has said high interest rates will not stop the business from making new acquisitions, and may even “open up new doors”.

Nygaard-Andersen spoke on an earnings call after Entain published a third-quarter earnings update. Revenue was up 2% year-on-year for the group, thanks to both record customer numbers and a favourable impact from currency movements.

When asked whether the new macroeconomic environment and high interest rates would make acquisitions difficult due to the costs of borrowing money, Nygaard-Andersen said that this was not necessarily the case.

“We of course remain vigilant and very prudent,” she said. “But the health of the business remains good. We still have a strong pipeline on M&A and we have opportunities that we will continue to pursue.”

The results came after a busy period of acquiring for the business, with Nygaard-Anderson noting the business agreed nine acquisitions in the past 18 months, including those of Unikrn..

October 10, 2022

World Series of Politics: Brazil, Indiana and Ontario

Just in time for G2E, iGB brings you episode five of the World Series of Politics, this week featuring Brazilian elections, Indiana online casino and Ontario's offshore issue.

We kick off by looking at Brazil, where the competing presidential candidates go into a run-off at the end of October.

This is likely to impact gambling across multiple channels. Not only sports betting may be on the line, but a reshuffling of the country’s lottery sector and even integrated resorts are being held back.

Indiana online casino is also up for discussion in this week’s episode, as US states look for new ways of finding revenue. Could this lead to a wave of igaming legislation in the remainder of 2022 and into early 2023, especially after commentators were disappointed by a lack of action in 2021?

It’s a question of tax, Brendan says. If they set the rate too high, states risk stifling the market before it can get going.

Remember, The World of Series of Politics is available on Apple Podcas..

October 6, 2022

888 launches in Africa, entering four new markets

Online gambling operator 888 has announced the launch of its 888bet brand in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia through the 888Africa joint venture.

888Africa was established in March to operate 888 brands in online betting and gaming markets across select regulated countries across Africa. 888 initially invested in a minority stake in the venture, with the option to increase this to take control and ultimately own up to 100% of 888Africa.

The roll-out of 888bet in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia marks the first launches in Africa since 888Africa was founded six months ago.

Players in each of the countries will have access to online sports betting, while consumers in Zambia will also be able to play online casino games through 888casino.

888 said it is also planning launches in other African markets in the future, subject to local licensing.

“We are delighted to hit our target and launch into four regulated markets within six months of founding the business,” 888Africa..

September 30, 2022

Dutch market an early success, but true battles are ahead

iGB op-ed: Daniel O’Boyle says that the first year following the Dutch market launch has been an overwhelming success in channelisation terms, but tinkering with the formula could put all of that at risk.

In terms of the actual act of getting sites online and ready to take customers’ bets, the launch of the Dutch online market was a bit of a mess.

A technical hitch with self-exclusion scheme Cruks meant that sites were not permitted to launch on 1 October as expected, going live a day later instead. This, of course, followed a number of other delays for a variety of reasons.

But if we’re talking about the general performance in the months after opening up, the Dutch market looks to have been a success.

The country exceeded its three-year channelisation target within year one. Figures released today by regulator de Kansspelautoriteit – one day before the first anniversary of that launch – reveal that 85% of Dutch players are gambling within the licensed market.

Much of the reason f..

September 20, 2022

Dutch regulator issues 21st online licence

Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued its 21st online gambling licence, to a business known as Smart Gaming BV.

As yet, little information has been provided about Smart Gaming, which is registered in the Dutch town of Aalsmeer.

The KSA said that it will list the domain name that the business will use as soon as this is known, but Smart Gaming has not yet submitted the domain it intends to use.

The business is the 21st operator to receive a licence to operate in the Dutch online gambling market. It follows the ComeOn Group, which announced that it would launch its flagship ComeOn brand in the Netherlands after receiving a licence last week.

Also last week, the KSA launched a gambling harm prevention research programme, developed by Hague-based health organisation ZonMw. It said that the aim of the scheme will be to gather new knowledge on the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction and gambling-related harms, so it can be formed into new treatment measures.
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September 14, 2022

LiveScore Bet signs up to Dutch industry body NOGA

Online gaming operator LiveScore Bet will join Dutch trade body the Netherlands Online Gambling Association (NOGA).

LiveScore was among the first 10 operators to receive an online gambling licence in the Netherlands, following the passage of the Remote Gambling Act, which legalised online gaming in the country. The Anzo Group-owned business is licensed to offer both sports betting and online casino to Dutch consumers.

NOGA managing director Peter-Paul de Goeij pointed to LiveScore Bet’s consumer protections in a statement: “We are pleased that LiveScore Bet, as one of the early licensees in the Netherlands, has opted to join NOGA.

“LiveScore Bet is a very reputable operator in our industry, putting a safe and secure betting experience at the heart of their operation. We look forward to working with them, and in so doing contribute positively to the policy objective of optimal consumer protection,” he said.

LiveScore Bet group director of regulatory compliance Monika Naydenova-Grue..

September 7, 2022

Swifty Global launches new sports betting and igaming site

Financial and sports betting technology solutions provider Swifty Global has announced the soft launch of its new Swifty Gaming sports betting and online casino website.

Swifty Gaming will allow customers to place pre-event and in-play bets on all major sports events, as well as access more than 200 casino games.

The provider said it expects to onboard a number of premium clients following the launch, adding that the Swifty Gaming site will help generate tens of millions in additional revenue during its first year of operation.

The launch comes after Swifty recently secured new gambling licences in both the UK and Curacao, allowing it to roll out a sports predictions app in the UK and a global digital wallet offering artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency and blockchain transactions.

In addition, Swifty in June announced it had agreed a deal to acquire UK online gambling operator Goldchip Limited. Goldchip has a portfolio of nearly 750 high net worth VIP clients including a num..

September 2, 2022

Simon Hammon’s lessons from a lifetime in slots: The present

Simon Hammon, recently named chief executive of Relax Gaming, insists he’s not a typical “product guy”. But the games released under his watch, like Starburst during his time at NetEnt, have had a massive impact on the industry. In the second part of a three-part interview, Hammon offers advice for businesses in the crowded slots space of today.

Simon Hammon’s success at NetEnt ultimately took him to Relax Gaming. In part one of this series, Hammon outlined how the move might have looked to some like a “step down”.

But since joining, the business has been growing strongly. For the second quarter of 2022, revenue was up 20% quarter-on-quarter to £5.2m, with six new titles rolled out and the Dream Drop jackpot feature going live.

Its partner base expanded to 15 new operators in that same period, while 132 studios were integrated into its RGS, while its reach extended to Italy and Spain, with a licence for Ontario setting it up for entry to North America.

That business-minded view has..

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Tag: Gaming