“Unibet #1 operator in the Netherlands”
In its Q3 interim report, Kindred claims that its Unibet brand has “regained its position as number one operator in the Netherlands.”
Revenue grew 80% y-o-y, the interim report further claimed:
“Gross winnings revenue in the Dutch market saw 80 per cent growth in local currency in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the third quarter of 2022. Casino revenues are developing particularly well with Gross winnings revenue more than doubling in this quarter compared to the previous year. Despite the summer break for football, quarterly actives saw growth of 7 per cent in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the second quarter of 2023, which translated to sequential growth in customer deposit values.”
Total Q3 revenue across all markets was €245.7m, up 2% compared to the same period in the previous year.
Kindred further announced that it will exit North America by the end of Q2 2024 and will also cut over 300 jobs.
Netherlands Gambling Authority to investigate duty of care in land-based casino arcades
The Netherlands Gambling Authority announced that in the month of December it will visit and check land-based casino arcades throughout the country to monitor compliance levels, with a particular focus on the implementation of duty-of-care regulations.
French illegal gambling could be worth €1.5bn
France’s illegal gambling market could be worth up to €1.5bn, which is more than 10% of the total amount wagered across the country each year, according to a study released by French gambling regulator ANJ.
In response, ANJ announced an action plan to combat illegal gambling.
Meanwhile, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) called on the French government to lift its ban on online casino games, which, despite the regulation of other games of chance, remain prohibited in the country.
Maarten Haijer, EGBA Secretary General, commented: “The scale of France’s online black market is alarming, and we believe it is one of the EU’s largest online gambling black markets, alongside Germany and Italy. The country’s prohibition of online casino is clearly a big part of the problem.”
GREF Launches Anti-Money Laundering Working Group
The Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF) has launched a new working group to facilitate and enhance the exchange of information among its members on anti-money laundering matters.
The new working group will be chaired by Rachel Bezzina from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and Christophe Vidal from the French National Gambling Authority (ANJ).
Upcoming events
The following event(s) may be of interest to the GiH community.
Registrations for ICE and ICE VOX 2024 are now open! Join 45,000 industry peers and attend the industry’s largest B2B event between February 6-8 in London.
IGB Affiliate 2024 takes place February 6-9 alongside ICE London and aims to connect affiliates with iGaming operator affiliate programs and tech vendors.
Kindred's annual Sustainable Gambling Conference will be held March 20, 2024, at the Kia Oval in London.
The 2024 Casino Operations Summit, which focuses on land-based casino operations, will take place April 23-25 in Amsterdam.
BetCity fined €3m over AML violations
The Netherlands Gambling Authority has issued a €3m fine to BetCity over anti-money laundering failures.
According to the Gambling Authority, BetCity on multiple occasions failed to adequately investigate the origin of customer funds following significant losses. Examples include players losing €110,000 in a single month, €25,000 in one month, and €85,000 in six months without adequate and timely investigation.
The Dutch regulator first approached BetCity over these issues in September of last year, but the identified shortcomings continued between December 2022 and May 2023, causing the Dutch regulator to issue a fine.
In related news, the Dutch regulator ordered US-based web hosting provider Cloudflare to stop servicing two affiliate websites that specifically targeted the Dutch market with illegal online gambling offerings.
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