Month: June 2021

DCMS held a consultation between 29 January and 26 March this year, on proposals for changes to Gambling Commission fees which were put forward in order to allow the regulator to more effectively address regulatory challenges.

In its consultation document, DCMS argued that the Commission faced three major challenges. These are increased technological developments, the fact the operators the Commission regulates are typically very large global businesses, and the threat of black market unlicensed operators.

The consultation proposed an uplift in licensing fees, including an increase of 55% to annual remote operating license fees from 1 October 2021.

All new licence applications will face an increased cost of 60% under the proposal, while further steps to simplify the fees system such as a removal of the annual fee discount for combined land-based and online licences, were also proposed.

Non-remote operating licences are due to increase by 15%, however the implementation of this increase will be delayed until 1 April 2022 due to losses suffered by the land-based industry as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The consultation response states that the government intends to proceed with implementing all of the proposals as outlined in the original consultation document, with two minor amendments to fee regulations to be made.

The response describes these amendments as a provision to be made for no variation fee to be charged in certain circumstances in order to ensure fees regulations are consistent with UK GDPR, and an increase in the Single Machine Permit fee from £25 to £40.

The changes to licence fees will be implemented by secondary legislation, and the first changes will come into effect on 1 October this year. These changes will be the increase to annual fees for remote operating licences, increases to all licence application and variation fees, and the removal of annual fee discounts for combined and multiple licences.

Increases to annual fees for non-remote operating licences will subsequently be introduced from 1 April 2022.

The Gambling Commission published its response to the findings today, stating that “we welcome this DCMS consultation response as it ensures much needed changes to our fee income that will enable us to continue to regulate effectively.”

Sweden’s online gaming association, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), said the aim of the site is to gather facts and statistics about the licensed gaming market in Sweden in an accessible way, in order to encourage a more fact-based debate on the subject.

The portal has been launched in association with BOS, and is backed by operators Betsson Group, LeoVegas, William Hill and Kindred Group.

BOS said that knowledge of the Swedish gaming market is generally low, and that there are often “misconceptions” about how it is regulated, what its licensing requirements are and how the market develops.

Fakta om spel therefore aims to provide independent information on the market, including what its operators’ duty of care entails, recent statistics on taxes and marketing, and published research and reports, it said.

It is important that we have an open and free debate about the gaming market,” said Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary general of BOS.

“The idea is that the site will be expanded over time and we would like to see more operators support Fakta om spel. We know that increased knowledge contributes to a healthier, safer and fairer gaming market by highlighting the benefits of a licensed market, but also pointing out the important challenges that the industry, authorities, politicians and suppliers need to focus on together.”

The site currently offers an overview of the Swedish market and its history, vertical-specific information on online casino, sports betting, poker and lottery, statistics relating to the market and its financial performance, and third-party reports and research on different aspects of the sector.

The online launch of Folliati’s casino and sports betting products will be powered by EveryMatrix. EveryMatrix will supply the group with a casino integration platform, a fully managed sportsbook and a player management platform.

EveryMatrix’s president for the Americas, Erik Nyman, said: “I am beyond thrilled to announce Foliatti, one of the largest brick-and-mortar casino corporations in Mexico, as our first turnkey customer in this country. Not only will our product suite set up the Foliatti brand for success in the Mexican market, but it will also give us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the full capabilities of our platform.”

Foliatti operates 10 of the largest land-based casino locations in Mexico.

Foliatti Group director Andres Madrigal added: “We’ve been searching for a supplier who can set the foundation for our success in the Mexican online gaming market, and we are confident we have found it in EveryMatrix. As a leading turnkey provider in today’s global market, they have proven solid service expertize, impressive product capacities and the flexibility we need to start and grow our online venture.”

Folliati’s launch follows a deal agreed in April that saw Betsson launch in the country through a deal with land-based operator Big Bola.

Fiore joins the operator having spent almost five years working in the responsible gambling sector, including a spell with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

During her time with the Massachusetts regulator, Fiore oversaw the state’s GameSense responsible gaming program that serves over 300,000 patrons annually across three land-based casinos

Prior to this, Fiore spent time with Envirosell, a research and consulting business that specializes in studying retail and service environments. Here, she served in a number of roles focused around quantitative and qualitative consumer insights projects, data analysis, and strategic oversight.

“I am delighted to have joined PointsBet and welcome the opportunity to continuously find ways to innovate within the responsible gambling space,” Fiore said.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The framework, endorsed by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), is designed to increase awareness and confidence in patients and doctors alike that those experiencing gambling harm are getting the best possible treatment.

The framework’s primary objectives include providing professional and tiered competencies to treat the affected, arming these practitioners with the required knowledge and skills, and providing educational and training programmes.

GambleAware’s prevention director Dr. Jane Rigbye said: “To successfully prevent and help
those who experience gambling harm, there needs to be a joined-up approach across the wider
primary care network.

“As commissioners, we have a role to play to ensure all health care professionals have a clear understanding of gambling harms and where they can direct their patients to help or support if they need it, which is via the National Gambling Treatment Service.
“This new Competency Framework has been designed to achieve just that and we welcome the
support from the Royal College of General Practitioners to develop it.”

GambleAware produced its framework in consultation with organisations such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Gambling Health Alliance and the Primary Care Gambling Service.

It follows the charity’s interactive maps initiative launched in May to help identify demand for gambling harm treatment.

RCGP joint honorary secretary Dr Victoria Tzortziou-Brown OBE added:

“Gambling can cause significant harm both to the gambler and to others, and often the problems
are hidden from sight. This competency framework, which has been developed with the College’s
input will help move gambling problems from the shadows and allow patients to get the help
they need.”

Last year, the Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) launched its own training programme on gambling addictions for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners.

Running in partnership with Metric Gaming, the sportsbook will form part of SuperNopea, the operator’s established online casino brand in the country.

The launch coincides with the start of the Uefa 2020 European Championship national team football tournament, in which Finland’s men’s team will compete for the first time.

“It couldn’t be better timing to launch a sportsbook in Finland; the Finnish men’s national team is playing the European Championship for the first time in history,” Spiffbet’s head of casino operations Maria Boelius said.

“The interest in sports is at its peak in Finland, and the Olympic Games are just around the corner! Our new sports offer will provide our Finnish customers with a smooth, fast, and entertaining gaming experience.”

The launch comes after Spiffbet last week announced that it was to rebrand its in-house game development and distribution of third-party games as Rhino Gaming. Content was previously marketed under the brand name Spiffbet Casino.

Spiffbet last month also confirmed its Cashmio, BusterBanks and Zenspin brands had been approved by the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) to launch in the country.

In March, Spiffbet also completed the acquisition of Manisol Gaming, which operates Scandibet and TurboVegas.

As COO, Alexander will help build the foundations of the brand’s online casino product and also play a central role in growing the start-up’s team.

Alexander joins PlayStar after three-and-a-half years leading the casino unit at Bet365, a role in which he oversaw the brand’s expansion into new global markets and managed a team responsible for more than 10 international gaming licenses.

Prior to this, he spent nine-and-a-half years as head of casino platform at Mansion.

“PlayStar’s approach of combining cutting-edge technology with an exceptional team is a proven formula for success and I am excited to be contributing to what will be an incredible journey,” Alexander said.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The company reported €257.4m in GGR from the Austrian market, down 16.7% from the previous year, however the share generated by Austrian Lotteries, at €255.0m, was up 23.6%.

Sazka said this was due to a strong performance in lotteries and igaming in the market, but there was almost zero contribution from the Austrian and international casinos, de to novel coronavirus (Covid-19)-related closures..

The Czech market brought in €95.7m in GGR, up 24.3%, while Greece and Cyprus generated €174.2m, down 46.9%, which the company said reflects the closure of its retail activities in these markets during much of the quarter.

Sazka’s contracts with customers in Italy brought in a further €134.3m in revenue, up from €102.8m in the previous year. This was not included in GGR, however.

After paying gaming taxes, the business recorded net gaming revenue for the period of €283.0m, up 6.1% from Q1 2020, and brought in a further €27.2m from non-gaming activities, down 2.9%, while recording €82.0m in other operating income, up significantly from €12.1m.

Expenses relating to materials, consumables and services came in at €89.2m, up 34.3% year-on-year, while personnel expenses were the next biggest cost at €78.2m, up 212.8%.

Agents’ commissions cost the business a further €51.4m, down 40.9%, while marketing services and other operating expenses came in at €41.2m and €18.6m, respectively.

This left Sazka with operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €132.6m, up 20.3% from €110.2m in Q1 2020.

After adjustments for inorganic business development costs of €4.6m, adjustments in the Greece and Cyprus segment due to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) of €6.9m and other adjustments of €300,000, the business recorded adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €144.4m, up 4.3%.

Depreciation and amortisation cost the business €51.7m, compared to €28.8m in the previous year, while the impairment of non-financial assets cost a further €3.8m, and the company suffered other losses of €500,000. This left a profit from operating activities of €76.6m, down slightly from €77.4m.

Sazka generated interest income of €1.4m, but lost €28.7m in interest expenses, while paying a further €1.2m in other finance expenses for a total finance cost of €28.5m.

This left a profit before income tax of €48.1m, up 10.8%. After paying income tax of €12.9m, 32.1% lower than the figure paid in Q1 2020, the business was left with a profit after tax of €35.2m, up 44.3% on Q1 2020’s profit after tax of €24.4m.

Sazka said the growth in its revenues and profits was driven by the consolidation of Casinos Austria AG, following Sazka’s acquisition of a controlling stake in the business from June 2020, and also by the consolidation of Stoiximan from November 2020.

“Overall, I am very pleased with SAZKA Group’s continuing strong performance in Q1 2021,” said Sazka Group’s chief executive, Robert Chvatal.

“I look forward to a great year as our strong trading momentum persists, our impacted businesses in Greece and Austria return to normal conditions, and we continue to make progress on our strategic objectives.”

The report found that during 2020, children watched 2.8 gambling ads per week on average compared to 2.2 per week in 2008. This is down from the peak figure of 4.4 ads per week reached in 2013.

However, children saw 16.3% of the gambling ads that adults were exposed to – down from 38.6% in 2008 – meaning that on average children saw less than one gambling ad for every five seen by an adult. This means that the increase in overall ads seen by children since 2008 was likely mostly due to an increase in gambling advertising overall.

Overall gambling ads made up 2.7% of all the adverts shown to children on TV, up from 2.2% in 2018, as the amount of overall ads seen by children declined rapidly.

Lottery and scratchcard ads were the most frequent ads shown to children, making up an average of 1.0 of the 2.8 ads per week. Bingo ads were the second most popular with 0.9 advertisements, casino ads comprised 0.6 appearances per week, and sports betting contributed 0.3 ads.

The ASA also reported a drop in underage gambling ad exposure in Q3 last year, and in doing so praised the gambling industry for its efforts to cut down on advertising that might appeal to children.

Under the deal, Aspire Global will provide its platform, sportsbook, games, game aggregator and managed services to support the roll out of Stake.com in the UK.

Stake.com plans to launch its new online casino and betting website the UK, following the roll-out of its site in a number of international markets.

“When we planned our expansion to the regulated UK market, we searched for a partner who can provide the entire igaming offering and is renowned for its technology, expertise and products,” Stake.com chief executive Mladen Vuckovic said.

“Aspire Global met our high standards and will offer our players a unique experience across multiple verticals. We look forward to continue our expansion together with Aspire Global.”

Aspire Global chief executive Tsachi Maimon added: “This partnership is yet another proof of the strength and attractiveness in our complete igaming offering. We look forward to support Stake.com in further strengthening their position as a fast-growing, innovative igaming company in the large UK market.”

The new partnership comes after Stake.com in March became the first ever official betting partner in Latin America and Asia for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

At the time, Stake said the deal would introduce a broader betting experience to consumers in Latin America – excluding Brazil – and Asia, and include exclusive promotions and greater social functionality.

MMA fighters Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou are both ambassadors to Stake.com.