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Together, with land-based operator, Casino de Victoria, the gambling company has been granted a licence for both the Province and the City of Buenos Aires. This comes after multiple operators, including Codere Online, BPlay, GiG went live in the jurisdiction December.
Whilst the land-based gambling market is very mature in Argentina, online gambling is still relatively new.
Betsson has partnered with Casino de Victoria, a land-based operator in Argentina and a subsidiary of Grupo Mautone. Betsson says its ambition is to become a market leader in the growing online market by combining its digital know-how and technical platform with Casino de Victoria’s local market expertise.
“The launch in Argentina signifies yet another milestone in LatAm and further strengthens Betsson’s market presence in the region,” Betsson chief executive Pontus Lindwall said. “The licence for the Province of Buenos Aires, together with the license for the City of Buenos Aires, cement our position in the region.
“LatAm is a strategically important region where we are performing well and we have great ambitions for the future in Argentina,” Lindwall added.
The Buenos Aires launch comes as Betsson looks to strengthen its position in other LatAm markets. Last week it was announced as the official sponsor of Chilean football team Colo Colo, and the operator has previously acquired a host of local brands, most recently Inkabet. This follows deals for stakes in technology business JDP Tech and Brazilian betting operator Suaposta.
In the previous iteration of Hungary’s gaming laws, written in 2014, land-based casino operators were allowed to apply for online casino and poker licenses, while online sports betting was restricted to the state-run Szerencsejáték Zrt betting monopoly.
Under the new proposals, operators within the European Economic Area will be free to launch online gaming offerings in the country with the permission of Hungary’s gaming regulator. There is so far no limit on the number of permits that can be issued.
Any operators who have offered igaming in Europe without a licence during the ten years before their application will be prohibited from operating in Hungary.
The legislation also allows the use of credit cards for online deposits, provided it is linked with an authorised payment service provider.
Any operator looking to obtain a licence must also have share capital of at least HUF1bn (£2.4m/€2.8m). Licence fees will cost HUF600m (€1.7m/£1.4m), paid to the Hungarian State Treasury. Operators are also obliged to provide a minimum guarantee of HUF250m, while the tax rate for operators is yet to be determined.
Changes to the legislation are designed to ensure a higher standard of player protection. Recognising that a more competitive gaming market could encourage excessive gambling, the bill stipulates that a player protection plan be drawn up by the operator “in accordance with the principle of responsible gaming and the protection of players”.
Text within the legislation explains: “In a liberalised online betting market, several private companies are competing with each other, so there is a danger of encouraging excessive gambling instead of maximising the principle of responsible gaming.
“Therefore, the draft aims to liberalize remote gambling by emphasizing the protection of players and introducing guarantee regulatory elements that protect the interests of players.”
The bill is subject to a standstill period following its notification to the European Commission, which runs until 4 May.
The Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) ruled in 2017 that Hungary’s online gaming rules were unlawfully excluding European operators from the licencing process.
This followed Kindred Group’s Unibet brand bringing the case to court, alleging that international operators were unable to meet Hungary’s conditions for online licensing.
Overall revenue from gambling was recorded at €128.0m. Online gaming almost doubled year-on-year from 2020, making up €109.0m of the total revenue- a 91.8% rise.
Online casino games made up €87.8m of the total igaming revenue, more than doubling its revenue from 2020. Totalisers, wherein bets are added up in a pari-mutuel system, made up €19.4m, a rise of 47.7% year-on-year. Online card games generated €1.7m, up 98.0%.
Currently, 13 operators are licensed to offer igaming in Latvia.
Signe Birne, head of the Lotteries and Gambling Supervision Inspectorate, commented on how the Covid-19 crisis has reshaped the gaming market.
“Last year, the amount of revenue decreased significantly and the share of gambling types in the total turnover of the industry changed, due to restrictions imposed by Covid-19,” said Birne.
”Gambling machine revenue was €17.2m in 2021, which is only 18% of its revenue from 2020. Revenue from interactive gambling is €109.0m, almost double the 2020 results.”
Throughout 2021 the Inspectorate implemented controls to protect the online gaming market as more customers played, enforcing anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing measures
The Inspectorate also blocked a number of illegal sites from customers in Latvia. A total of 735 domains were blocked in 2021, a 34% rise on 2020.
For land-based gaming, gambling machines made up €17.1m of the overall revenue, a fall of 82.0% from 2020. Gaming table games, such as roulette and card games, generated €1.5m, a decrease of 70.5%.
Bingo halls incurred a loss of €2,000 compared to €121,000 generated the year before. Betting terminal revenue totalled at €245,000, down 84.3%.
Land-based facilities, such as gaming halls and casinos, were closed in Latvia from November 9 2020 to June 15 2021 as a part of the country’s measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Before the lockdown 305 gaming halls were in operation across the country. By October 2020, this number had fallen to 208.
The Latvian government also temporarily banned online gaming earlier in the pandemic, in 2020.
In terms of GGR Latvia’s third quarter was the most successful, generating €42.2m. The fourth quarter made €40.7m, while the second quarter accumulated €29.4m. The first quarter of the year was the least successful, with GGR of €26.4m.
Players in New York can download the official WynnBet app to their mobile device or place bets via the WynnBet website.
Customers will also have access to Wynn Rewards, the company-wide rewards program that allows player to exchange points for experiences and benefits at Wynn Resorts’ properties across the US.
WynnBet secured market access in New York in partnership with the Oneida and St. Regis Mohawk compacted tribes, and as part of a Kambi-led consortium also featuring Caesars Sportsbook, PointsBet, Resorts World and Rush Street Interactive.
“New York represents a significant population of our Wynn Rewards membership, and we are confident in our ability to compete in this market by providing the first-class service and gaming experiences synonymous with the Wynn Resorts brand,” Wynn Interactive president Ian Williams said.
New York is the eighth state in which WynnBet has gone live, following launches in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia. Plans are also in place to go live in both Iowa and Louisiana in the near future.
WynnBet is also the seventh licensed operator to launch in New York since the state’s market opened on 8 January. Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel, DraftKings and Rush Street Interactive all began operations on opening day, while BetMGM went live on 17 January, with PointsBet following on 25 January.
The most recent set of figures published by the New York State Gaming Commission showed consumers wagered a record breaking $1.63bn on online sports betting during the first 23 days of legal wagering in the state.
The provider of financial technology, gaming content and player loyalty solutions said Ecash’s products and technologies represent a strategic extension of its current suite of financial technology solutions.
Everi added that the acquisition will provide it with a complementary portfolio of new customer locations throughout Australia, the US and other geographies.
To read the full article, visit iGB North America.
The new service, Whisper, allows individuals to report illegal gambling organisations or games on offer in Greece.
On the Whisper website, users can choose to anonymously report illegal betting websites, unlicensed affiliates and illegal revenue.
They can also report revenue that they suspect could be from illegal gambling operations.
Additionally, material can be submitted to support a complaint.
In response to the website’s launch, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) implored the public to make use of it to protect player safeguarding measures and preserve legal gambling in the country.
Last year a number of suppliers secured licences from the HGC, after the process to obtain a licence opened in October 2020.
These include BGaming, ESA Gaming and Softswiss.
One year earlier, in October 2019, Greece’s parliament passed a number of amendments to its gambling law, opening up the country’s igaming market to private operators. These amendments paved the way for the two types of supplier licences to become available- one to offer online betting, and one to offer online games of chance.
The new sportsbook 2,086 square foot sportsbook contains three live betting windows and twelve IGT PlaySports self-service betting kiosks. NFL legends Steve Largent and Jim Zorn were present at the grand opening, placing the first bets at the venue.
FanDuel first partnered with the Suquamish Tribe in September 2021, granting the operator access to the Washington market.
“We are excited to have formed a partnership with FanDuel, America’s number one sportsbook, and be their exclusive partner in Washington State,” said Rion Ramirez, CEO of Port Madison Enterprises, the business arm of the Suquamish Tribe. “The joint effort between the Suquamish Tribal Gaming Commission, the Washington State Gambling Commission, FanDuel and a number of our casino employees made this all possible and we are thrilled that our sportsbook is now open.”
Sports betting was legalised in Washington in September last year, after the US Department of the Interior approved nine tribal sports betting compacts.
DraftKings has subsequently partnered with the Tulalip Tribes, while BetMGM aligned itself with the Puyallup Tribe.
FanDuel’s vice president of retail Keith Wall added: “This has been a special project for us because it has allowed us to expand our retail footprint to the west coast.
“The Suquamish Tribe has been an amazing partner throughout the process and Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort is an amazing property that everyone needs to visit for the stunning views, world class entertainment and now legal sports betting.”
Washington becomes the 14th state within which FanDuel has launched, following the likes of Arizona, New York, New Jersey and Michigan.
The latest issue of IMGL’s quarterly magazine, assembled by editor in chief Dr Simon Planzer and head of publications, Phil Savage, leads with two pieces focused on the intersection of tax rates with the industry and the policy goals of governments.
In the first of these on p25, Ed Birkin from iGB’s principal data partner, H2 Gambling Capital, looks at how legislators can strike that balance between optimising tax takes and ensuring a high channelisation of players within locally regulated markets, where players are properly protected.
While on p32, Victoria A Neal analyses the shortfalls in projected receipts in US states that apply tax after promo values have been deducted, and makes the case for levying tax on the payouts from these.
Elsewhere, contributors drawn from IMGL’s network of more than 350 leading international gaming lawyers explore developments in Ukraine, casino-style apps in Apple’s app store, the EU’s digital ID proposal, consumer protection in Europe and integrity in private sports events.
Phil Savage also catches up with one of the co-chairs of the planning committee for IMGL’s spring conference in Seattle, Kevin Quigley, to find out what delegates can expect from the event’s focus on gaming tech.
Enjoy the issue!
