Wire EMEA
Report calls for Stricter Advertising Stance A report on gambling regulation has recommended the Government adopt a
stricter approach to advertising than that proposed in last year’s White Paper.
However, MPs acknowledged that gambling sponsorship and advertising for horse and greyhound racing requires a ‘distinct approach’ given their close and historic ties.
UK SPORTS BETTING
Denmark - Tabloid paper purchases Swush Danish operator Danske Spil is selling its 60 per cent share in Swush, a fantasy sports platform, to Danish tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet. Anders Borup Sørensen, Managing Editor of Ekstra Bladet, said the acquisition was ‘yet another crucial milestone in Ekstra Bladet’s ambition to be a digital leader in the sports field’.
Ekstra Bladet’s Commercial Director, Signe Skarequist, said he was also delighted with the acquisition of
holdet.dk, which has close to 200,000 users, making it the market leader.
Armenia - EGT Digital partners with Vbet EGT Digital has penned a partnership with Armenian betting site
www.vbet.am whose customers can now acess Bell Link, High Cash, Clover Chance and Single Progressive Jackpot, containing more than 90 top-performing slot titles.
“We are very happy that Vbet are now among our partners,” said Tsvetomira Drumeva, Head of Sales at EGT Digital. “The good results of our joint work are already a fact and I am confident that this is only the beginning of a stable long-term collaboration.”
Russia - Ukraine war impacts Tigre de Cristal Summit Ascent has confirmed it is exiting its shareholding in the Tigre de Cristal integrated resort in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. It said it was leaving Russia due to ‘uncertainties arising from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and related sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, which are adversely affecting the operations and prospect of G1 Entertainment.’
Since the announcement a series of Directors have left their roles at Summit and its majority owner LET Group Holdings, handing in their resignations in protest to the decision. In total five directors have left, including executive director and CEO David Chua, ‘due to their disapproval to a transaction which forms the subject matter of inside information announcement of the company referred to in the trading halt announcement of the Company dated 10 January 2024, pending to be published by the company.’ Ms. Mok Ming Wai has been nominated by Tricor to assume the role of the company secretary of the company
The other departing directors are Chiu King Yan, Lam Kwan Sing, Lau Yau Cheung and Li Chak Hun. The move to exit Russia comes as the Primorsky Krai Development Corporation (KPNK) confirmed it attracted 600,000 tourists to its Primorye Entertainment Zone in 2023, marking a 30 per cent increase. It currently hosts two casinos – Tigre de Cristal and Shambala - with a third project by Asia-Invest Group under construction.
P20 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
MPs have said the Premier League and other sports governing bodies should commit to cutting the volume of gambling adverts in stadiums following a report that urges the Government to do more to minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising.
Te report on gambling regulation from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee concludes that the Government should take a more precautionary approach to advertising than that proposed in the gambling White Paper and that there is scope for further regulation. While welcoming the forthcoming voluntary withdrawal of gambling sponsorship from the front of Premier League players’ shirts, the cross-party Committee warns that this will not significantly reduce the volume of betting adverts visible during a game.
Te report cites a recent study that found that front-of-shirt gambling branding consisted of just seven per cent of all that was visible during the ten broadcast matches surveyed, with a further study revealing that nearly 7,000
gambling messages could be seen during six matches surveyed on the opening weekend of the season.
MPs have therefore recommend that the new gambling sponsorship code of conduct the Government proposes to develop with sports governing bodies should include provision both to reduce gambling adverts in stadia and require that a higher proportion of advertising is dedicated to safer gambling messaging.
Tere is also support for the Government’s approach of establishing extra online protections for young adults, through a lower stake limit and thresholds for triggering financial risk checks, and for the introduction of a statutory levy to be paid by gambling operators to fund problem gambling research, prevention and treatment. Te Government must set out a detailed timetable for the delivery of the White Paper’s proposals, with the Committee concerned that there was no mention of gambling legislation in the King’s Speech.
UK Entain cites ‘legacy issue’ for operating illegally
Entain has left over 140 grey markets in efforts to address what it coins a ‘legacy issue’ of operating in markets without betting regulation and overhaul its compliance. Te swift exiting of markets followed a £615m penalty for a deferred prosecution agreement concerning historic operations in Turkey.
Entain confirmed it has now 'exited approximately 140 markets where there was no ‘clear path to regulation’. Te list includes several non- entities in the betting world such as Antarctica, Vatican City, Pitcairn Islands, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, and the United States Minor Outlying Islands.
Te operational changes, first announced in November 2020, saw Entain leave more than 100 markets on December 17 2020, followed by bigger, unregulated markets such as Argentina, Russia and Ukraine in 2021.
Entain's Barry Gibson said: “Tis legacy issue pertains to a business divested by a past management team six years prior. Te company has undergone significant changes since then, and the DPA process has underscored the profound evolution from the GVC of the past to today’s Entain. We closed 140 markets where revenues ranged from significant to de-minimis at the time of exit, but where customers could bet with us. We remain focused on advancing our operations exclusively within regulated markets and are acknowledged as a leading, responsible entity with unparalleled corporate governance across our business.”
An analyst at Shore Capital aptly surmised: “I struggle to see why it’s a great achievement to move out of markets you either weren’t ever really in or shouldn’t have been in the first place.”
Malta
Playson has boosted its reach after taking its content live with platform aggregator Hub88. Hub88’s extensive operator network now has access to Playson’s games library, including latest releases Crystal Land 2, Jelly Valley and Sherwood Coins: Hold and Win.
Founded in 2020, Hub88 has quickly established itself as a prominent platform provider over the past three years, now offering over 8,000 titles from more than 120 suppliers. With a high-powered back office, Hub88 offers a flexible solution to connect operators with studios across the globe.
Blanka Homor, Sales Director at Playson, said: “Tis integration with Hub88 will ensure Playson’s games get further recognition across some of the most established iGaming markets in the world. Our portfolio of titles continues to grow to unprecedented levels towards our goal of being a leading games provider.”
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