Don’t Miss the Holland Party at ICE 2020!
As customary, Eurocoin Gaming will organize yet another one of its famous Holland Parties at the upcoming ICE 2020 trade show in London.
The Holland Party 2020 will take place on Wednesday, February 5 at the TOP 1 Forever Restaurant, starting at 18:00.
For more information on the event and instructions on how to get tickets, please take a look here.
LeoVegas Withdraws Royal Panda Brand from UK Market
Online gambling operator LeoVegas has withdrawn its Royal Panda brand from the UK, the latest operator to apparently decide the market’s increased regulatory burden is too great.
In October 2017, LeoVegas acquired Royal Panda for a purchase price of €60m with a possible earn-out payment of an additional €60m, aiming to strengthen its position in the competitive UK market.
While licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, Royal Panda was originally founded by two entrepreneurs from the Netherlands.
UK Gambling Commission Announces Credit Card Gambling Ban
The UK Gambling Commission has announced a ban on gambling operators allowing consumers in Great Britain to use credit cards to gamble. The ban will come into effect on April 14.
“Research shows that 22% of online gamblers using credit cards are problem gamblers, with even more suffering some form of gambling harm,” Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission chief executive, said.
“We realize that this change will inconvenience those consumers who use credit cards responsibly but we are satisfied that reducing the risk of harm to other consumers means that action must be taken,” McArthur added.
Upcoming Events
The following events may be of interest to members of the GiH community.
The world’s largest gambling exhibition, ICE 2020, will take place 4 – 6 February in London.
The Hospitality Summit, which takes place on 4 – 6 February, 2020 in London, is a brand new conference dedicated to hospitality tailored for gaming.
GamblingCompliance Global Regulatory Awards 2020, which celebrate excellence in compliance and responsible gambling initiatives, will be awarded on 22 April, 2020 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Central London.
The World Gaming Executive Summit will return to Barcelona from 30 June – 2 July, 2020. Key themes on the agenda include AI, the future of land-based gaming, CSR, sustainable marketing, regulation updates, fantasy sports, and emerging marketing opportunities.
Dutch Regulatory Changes Negatively Impact Kindred Group’s Q4 Profits
In a trading update, Kindred Group warned that its Q4 revenues were lower than expected due to weak sports betting margins and increased regulation. Following the announcement, the operator’s share price fell by more than 20% in early trading.
Gross winnings revenue and EBITDA have continued to be negatively impacted by regulatory changes in Sweden and the Netherlands, the operator stated, although performance in Sweden “improved significantly” compared to prior quarters.
In August of last year, Kindred Group was issued a penalty of €470,000 by the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) for accepting bets from Dutch customers.
Figures released by the Dutch regulator suggest that Kindred’s payment service provider (PSP) processed over 150,000 monthly iDEAL transactions in 2018 between the operator and customers in the Netherlands.
Kindred’s announcement indicates that the Netherlands Gambling Authority’s enforcement actions against unlicensed online operators, as well as the threat of being excluded from the future regulated Dutch market, are having a real effect.
Other News
The team behind the Netherlands’s largest online betting community, voetbalwedden.net, has published a Dutch-language guide for the aspiring punter in paperback format, titled Wedden op voetbal, geluk of wijsheid? (“Betting on football: luck or skill?”)
Dutch poker player Jorryt van Hoof has won the 2020 Aussie Millions A$25,000 Pot Limit Omaha Challenge, taking home A$467,280 (ca. €280,000).
JVH Gaming is looking to hire a Quality & Compliance Manager.
Blackrock Media, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Blackrock Entertainment, has paid a €2.3m financial penalty to the Malta Gaming Authority for operating a gaming service without the necessary authorization.
The Spanish government is getting ready to introduce far-reaching gambling advertising restrictions. Experts explain what the industry can expect.
The Ministry of the Interior in the German state of Hesse has revealed that it has received eleven applications for sports betting licenses, with a further seven operators making binding commitments to make submissions.
Securing approval of its first Budget Law (passed on 24 December 2019), Italy’s new coalition government anticipates collecting a further €1.1 billion in taxes paid by gambling incumbents.
Despite the country’s gambling ad ban, Italian online sports betting operators reported €1.59 billion in revenues in 2019, a 7.4% increase compared to the previous year.
The Swedish gambling authority Spelinspektionen has revealed a new draft regulation to prevent match-fixing which could prohibit operators from offering certain markets on individual performance.
GVC Holdings has proposed moving its management, control and tax residence from Isle of Man to the UK to allow for “easier administration” of the London-listed operator.
The UK Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) says its members have offered to end their streaming rights to FA Cup games amid controversy following the latest round of fixtures.
Germany-facing betting operators including my bet and Tipico, which hold interim sports betting licenses, have reinstated PayPal as a payments option.
A joint venture between real estate investment trusts MGM Growth Properties and an affiliate of the Blackstone Group said Tuesday it will take ownership of two Las Vegas Strip resorts – MGM Grand Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay – in a transaction valued at $4.6 billion.