“BetCity has market share of over 20% in the Netherlands”
Entain, which announced the acquisition of Netherlands-licensed operator BetCity in June 2022, has claimed that the Dutch operator has managed to establish a market share in the Dutch regulated iGaming market of over 20%. The acquisition was fully completed in January 2023.
Entain revealed the extent of BetCity's success as part of the presentation of its FY 2022 figures.
However, the forced withdrawal from the Dutch market in October 2021, as well as regulatory changes in the UK, contributed to a 1% decrease in its 2022 online group revenue.
Overall, Entain reported a 12% increase in total revenue in 2022.
Scorito to borrow €2m through bond issue
Scorito, a provider of free-to-play football pool games, is aiming to borrow €2m through a bond issue to finance its expansion into the regulated Dutch iGaming market.
Scorito aims to launch a first-of-its kind pay-to-play football pool game in the Netherlands after securing a Dutch remote license in 2023 or 2024.
Scorito's bond issue appears to be aimed at general consumers and offers bonds priced from €500.
KVA to develop online course “Addiction prevention for affiliates”
KVA, an organization that issues compliance-based quality marks to Netherlands-focused affiliates, has announced the development of an online course “Addiction prevention for affiliates.”
The course will be developed in cooperation with responsible gaming outfit Centrum voor Verantwoord Spelen and is expected to be ready by the end of the second quarter.
Belgium to ban gambling advertising from July 1, 2023
The Belgian government has announced that gambling advertising will be banned in the country from 1 July this year.
The date was made official following its publication in the Belgium’s Official Gazette.
The ban covers all forms of advertising from gambling operators, both land-based and online, with the only exception being the country’s National Lottery.
Upcoming events
The following event(s) may be of interest to the GiH community.
Dutch game supplier Eurocoin Gaming will hold open house on March 28-29 in Waalwijk. Trade association VAN Kansspelen will hold its spring General Members’ Meeting on March 29 at the same location.
The 2023 Gaming in Spain Conference, which will take place in Madrid, has been rescheduled from March 28 to May 18, 2023. Confirmed speakers include both the current and former leadership of Spain's national regulator DGOJ. Registration is now open!
Bet365 hit with €400,000 fine over young adult advertising
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has hit Bet365 with a €400,000 fine for failing to exclude young adults from receiving promotional email messages.
Dutch law stipulates that licensed operators cannot send any form of advertising to young adults between the ages of 18 and 23, even if they are registered with the operator.
The violations occurred between October 2021, and February 2022.
Earlier, Nederlandse Loterij and Jacks.nl were hit with identical fines for similar rule violations. All fined operators claimed that Dutch regulations only prohibit the specific targeting of young adults, rather than amount to a blanket prohibition on sending marketing messages to younger players.
In related news, the Dutch regulator also ordered Malta-based operator Gammix to pay a €4.4m conditional penalty payment after it failed to comply with an order to cease its operations in the country.
Other news
The Dutch State Lottery has won the “Gouden Loeki” advertising award for the fourth time in five years.
After a European tender, Solvinity, a Netherlands-based supplier of IT services, was selected to provide the Netherlands Gambling Authority with private cloud infrastructure services, as well as application hosting, security services, data and workplace management.
Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs has published a Public Tender aimed at procuring a system for the gambling regulator to implement a cross-operator deposit limit in the country.
Playtech has purchased a minority equity ownership stake in Hard Rock Digital (HRD) as part of a global supply deal between the two businesses.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is reportedly engaged in controversial discussions with state gambling regulators in Michigan and Colorado to acquire permission to offer bets on scripted events.