Wire EMEA
Operators Call for Change in Poland
Since Poland’s gambling law established sports betting licences in 2017, only two operators have made the grade - now the industry is calling for change.
State-owned Totalisator Sportowy has called for the introduction of a GGR-based tax structure set at 40 per cent.
POLAND SPORTS BETTING
Germany - New Merkur ship casino The Gauselmann Group has partnered with TUI Cruises to offer an onboard combination of classic and slot games. The modern ship casinos are provided under the MERKUR CASINO MARE brand. Casinos have operating successfully on board the Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 cruise ships since 2018 and 2019 respectively and a third MERKUR CASINO MARE was launched on the Mein Schiff 3 TUI cruiser in October.
“Our high-quality ship casinos with their diverse games offerings are extremely popular with the public on the high seas,” reports Kathy Schröder, Head of Casino Operations at MERKUR CASINO MARE. “The stylish entertainment in a great atmosphere is also an integral part of a holiday on board a cruise ship.”
IOM - Continent 8 recruits Aidan Rees-Williams and Lee Bridge have joined Continent 8 as Sales Account Director and Account Relationship Supervisor, respectively.
Rees-Williams, based in England, will be responsible for ensuring that the company’s existing customers receive the best possible service and support, while
Bridge, based in the Isle of Man office, will be responsible for building and leading a new customer success team and maintaining strong working relationships.
IOM - CEO exits Microgaming John Coleman is stepping down from his role as CEO of Microgaming on December 31. Coleman, who will be replaced by current Microgaming COO, Andrew
Clucas, was appointed CEO of Microgaming in June 2018, having served as CFO for nearly 14 years.
Italy - SYNOT partners with Microgame SYNOT Games has announced a new deal to cooperate with Italian service provider Microgame, cementing its position in Italy. The partnership delivers a selection of top-performers like Respin Joker, Fruit Awards and our latest releases such as Pixel Reels and Diamondz.
“This deal will deliver our content closer to existing players but also attract new audiences in the Italian market. It’s a great achievement to see that more players will now be able to enjoy our ever-expanding range of fun and exciting games,” said Birdzhan Hyuseinova, Head of Account Management at SYNOT Games.
P10 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Malta-based GM Gaming, operating under the Betway brand, has been approved to operate in the Polish sports betting market by the country’s Minister of Finance. Tis makes Betway the second, after Betclic, offshore operator to secure a gambling licence in accordance to the law established in 2017.
Local operators continue to dominate the sports betting space in Poland, with 24 operators (23 online) holding permits to organise sports betting in the country. Grey market activity in Poland has decreased significantly and keeps shrinking according to the latest report by Gaming in Poland.
Figures show a decrease in player activity in the grey market from 80 per cent in 2016, to 25 per cent in 2020. GGR from licensed online sports books rose to €325m in 2020 and is estimated to reach €450m this year, rising to €900m by 2026.
One sticking point that continues to cause concern is the current turnover tax rate for licensed operators of 12 per cent. Pressure is
Slots loss limit reduces incidents of problem gaming in Finland
Finland
Slot machine loss limits have reduced problem gambling significantly in Finland. More and more customers of Finnish operator Veikkaus now authenticate themselves whilst gambling. Te degree of authentication has risen during 2021, currently reaching up to 80 per cent. By the end of 2023, all Veikkaus games will be subject to compulsory authentication.
Authentication brings with it several tools for the self- control of gambling, preventing potential problem gambling. For example, all slots gambling is already subject to compulsory authentication. Susanna Saikkonen, VP, Sustainability, said: “Our extensive sustainability measures have aimed at reducing the problem of
being applied by operators lobbying for changes to the tax regime. Several reports have recently been published indicating that a GGR based tax would increase revenues to the state budget.
According to these studies, this would create a Polish gambling market that is more attractive to operators, while ensuring a safer environment for customers by eliminating unlicensed entities operating beyond the supervision and control of the state.
Te argument put forth is that if greater numbers of offshore operators are attracted to operate within Poland’s regulated market, the volume of grey market play will fall as a consequence, and the driver for this change is tax.
State-owned Totalisator Sportowy, which runs the government monopoly under the online casino brand
www.totalcasino.pl, has called for changes to allow it to advertise its casino products, add online poker to its slots and table games offering, and called for the introduction of a GGR based tax of 40 per cent.
gambling in particular. Our most recent indicators suggest that we are definitely going to the right direction. In other words, slots gaming is clearly at a turning point.”
As recently as 2019, the share of slots in Veikkaus’ total gross gaming revenue was 40 per cent, for a total of €683m. For 2022, the estimated share will remain at less than 20 per cent, which means €200-€220m. Te number of customers playing slots monthly has fallen. Teir number is currently 250,000, while surveys indicated a couple of years ago that they numbered over 300,000.
Ms Saikkonen explained: “One of the factors behind this development is a significant drop in the number of slot machines. While there were 18,500 of them in 2019, they are now fewer than 10,000. Other factors reducing slots gaming include the introduction of compulsory authentication and loss limits.”
Czech Republic
ORYX Gaming will launch its platform and content in the Czech Republic through a full turnkey deal with MERKUR, strengthening its presence in the region. Under the deal, ORYX will provide a turnkey solution covering a range of products and services including its Player Account Management (PAM) iGaming Platform as well as operational services including payments, KYC, fraud and data management. Also included is the supplier’s FUZE player engagement tools, including tournaments, missions and quests, all shown to boost operator KPIs and increase player lifetime value.
Te full MERKUR Czech launch powered by the ORYX platform is expected to go live mid-Q2 2022. MERKUR is well- established in the land-based vertical and the provision of ORYX’s platform will allow for an alignment of its land-based operations with its current activity in the online sector.
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