EMEA
Northern Ireland Consults on Gambling Te Department for Communities in Northern Ireland has launched a public
consultation on the new gambling laws to find out ‘whether changes are needed’
A consultation paper has been drafted to seek public opinion on the current gambling law in Northern Ireland
NORTHERN IRELAND LEGISLATION
MALTA – After a thorough vetting process, the Malta Gaming Authority has given approval to
Winners.bet to begin operations under a betting license in January 2020.
Winners.bet will provide the esports community with a reliable, informative, and safe way to bet on their favorite games. Behind this new and advanced esports betting platform is BetConstruct, who will be enabling live streams for most events while providing the latest statistics and scores to make it possible for
Winners.bet’s players to make informed betting decisions. “Every decision we make will revolve around the esports community. Whether it be user experience, design, or product, we are making sure it appeals to the esports audience as a whole. We are committed to listening to our users, collecting feedback, and being proactive about it,” said James Zerafa,
Winners.bet’s Head of Trading.
"Going hand in hand with our partner,
Winners.bet through the journey of acquiring MGA licence was an exciting experience with a rewarding outcome for our endless efforts. We believe that our comprehensive B2B product portfolio will ensure the best client satisfaction to the customers of
Winners.bet." said Karine Kocharyan, Head of Licensing and Certification at BetConstruct.
NORTHERN IRELAND – Irish bookmaker BoyleSports has acquired 35 William Hill betting shops, mostly located across Northern Ireland, for an undisclosed amount as the independent operator has been looking to expand its estate.
It is believed that BoyleSports has paid between £10 million and £15 million for William Hill’s 33 betting shops across Northern Ireland as well as two shops on the Isle of Man. This has been BoyleSports’ largest acquisition to date and makes the company the biggest operator of betting shops on the island of Ireland.
BoyleSports currently operates 259 shops in the Republic of Ireland and six shops in Northern Ireland. The recent acquisition will significantly strengthen the independent bookmaker’s foothold in Northern Ireland where tough licensing conditions make it difficult to open betting shops up from scratch.
BoyleSports, which hails from Dundalk, Ireland, has been on the acquisition trail for the past several years. Last year, it purchased the 18-shop Bruce Betting chain as well as five Mulholland Bookmakers shops in Galway to expand its presence in its motherland. It also acquired independent chain Wilf Gilbert’s 13 betting shops in the English Midlands to mark its debut in the UK retail betting market.
P30 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Te Department for Communities (DfC) in Northern Ireland has launched a public consultation on new gambling laws to find out 'whether changes are now necessary to ensure Northern Ireland has a more flexible and modern licensing framework capable of responding to the many societal and technical changes which have occurred in the industry.'
A consultation paper has been drafted to seek public opinion on the current gambling law in Northern Ireland, and to seek views on whether changes are now necessary to ensure Northern Ireland has a more flexible and modern licensing framework capable of responding to the many societal and technical changes which have occurred in the industry.
Te consultation period will last until February 21, 2020, and covers a range of issues, from the categorisation of gaming machines, the regulation of remote gambling, rules on gambling advertising and the law on promotional prize competitions and draws.
Gambling legislation expert James Griffiths said: “With the existing legislation dating back to 1985, it really fails to address the social and
Scientific Games unveil syndicated jackpot product
Sweden
Scientific Games has unveiled a syndicated jackpot product for the online casino market which has gone live for an exclusive period with Betsson.
Under Scientific Games’ OpenGaming brand, the Mega Drop Quest syndicated jackpot product allows for groups of people to ‘win together’ and create more chances of winning big prizes within a slot game. Players are able to join others to collectively win a percentage of a larger jackpot, allowing for more accessibility and introducing a community gaming component.
Betsson was the first Scientific Games iGaming partner to launch with the innovation, which was available across the
technological realities of gambling in 2020. Reform is long overdue, and this renewed consultation exercise is an important first step in reframing Northern Ireland’s laws covering a diverse range of areas such as gambling, gaming, lotteries, prize competitions and advertising."
“I know that the gambling industry is an important employer in Northern Ireland and that gambling is an activity which is enjoyed responsibly by a large number of people. However, it is very important to recognise that for some people, gambling has the potential to cause considerable harm. Any future changes to the law must balance the interests of the gambling industry with the need for regulation to protect vulnerable people,” Tracy Meharg, permanent secretary of DfC, said.
“Tere is no doubt that the current legislation is outdated and has not kept pace with industry and technological changes. Tis consultation will allow everyone with an interest in gambling to share their views on the current legislation and will put the department in a position to offer the best advice to an incoming minister on the future regulatory framework,” commented Ms. Meharg.
Open Gaming System network in January 2020.
Dylan Slaney, SVP Casino for SG Digital, commented: “It is important that we as suppliers embrace syndicates and help build solutions that simplify community games to make them accessible and enjoyable for all players. Tis has been one of the greatest challenges our team has undertaken, and we feel that we have risen to the occasion, creating a value proposition that goes well beyond a ‘big win’. We are proud to have delivered a product that supports the community vision of our platform and are thrilled to partner with Betsson for this first release to market."
Te first game available under the Mega Drop Quest brand is Nessie’s Mega Drop Quest. Te game includes syndicated jackpots, a multiplier bonus wheel, added wilds and free games.
Isle of Man
Yggdrasil has been granted a B2B software licence by the Isle of Man Supervision Commission, securing its long-term presence across a multitude of existing markets. Te new IoM certification brings the total number of software licences obtained by Yggdrasil to eight across four major gaming jurisdictions including the UK, Malta, Gibraltar and Romania. Yggdrasil is committed to fulfilling the licensing requirements and objectives of its licensing jurisdictions and always strives to spearhead industry best practices. Fredrik Elmqvist, CEO, Yggdrasil, said: “Ever since we began the business, we have been highly regulated and highly compliant in every major gaming jurisdiction. We’re delighted to add the Isle of Man to this prestigious regulatory roster, our eighth B2B licence, and I’m sure many more will follow in the years to come.”
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