Wire EMEA
Land-based Casinos Hardest Hit Sector
Europe’s land-based casinos lost an average of over 37 per cent of normal operating days throughout 2020 due to mandated COVID-19 closures.
European land-based employee numbers expected to fall from 70,000+ pre-Covid 19 to 50,000 in the post-pandemic period.
EUROPE CASINO OPERATIONS
ARMENIA – Following the success of the first two installments of East & West Virtual iGaming Expo, BetConstruct has announced the third installment launches on June 1. Traditionally, exhibitors are leaders in online software provision; East & West: New Wave is tailored to give more room and attention to rookies. Start-ups are more than welcome to join the virtual expo, explore the scene and find new audiences.
IRELAND – FSB has been selected by Irish retail betting operator, BetXS, to deliver its self-service betting terminals (SSBTs) to its stores located across the country.
Colm Finlay, Director at BetXS, said: “We go to great lengths to offer our customers the best possible experience and to do that we need to work with the best people. Quite simply, FSB’s product offering takes retail betting onto another level. Having the likes of remote terminal balance management and real-time liability views are a complete game changer for me in my day to day operations and I’m certain these products will be hugely popular with our customers."
UK – SIS (Sports Information Services) has secured a deal with Sky Betting and Gaming to deliver racing content to the online operator.
Sky Bet customers will have the opportunity to access live streams of exclusive horse and greyhound racing through SIS’s Watch and Bet model, which enables bettors to view racing content without the need to place a bet prior to the event. SIS’s Live Racing content will allow Sky Bet to expand their racing offer through a mix of live international horse racing from the likes of Latin America, Mauritius, the UAE and across Europe, as well as UK and Irish greyhound racing.
AUSTRIA – Content from Greentube is to be added to Pariplay’s aggregator platform Fusion following a multi-jurisdictional distribution agreement between the two suppliers. Greentube’s games portfolio will be made available to Pariplay’s operator network. The agreement covers multiple regulated markets and will see the reach of Greentube’s content significantly extended.
Christine Lewis, CCO at Pariplay, said: “Greentube’s content needs no introduction. Their slot catalogue has a wide appeal and makes a valuable addition to any operator’s casino lobby.”
Michael Bauer, CFO/CGO at Greentube, said: “Pariplay is a leading aggregator, offering premium content to a vast number of industry operators, so joining forces with them made complete sense for us, and we are excited for what comes next.”
P12 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on the European gambling industry, with the land- based casino sector taking the brunt of the impact. European casinos were closed for an average of 136 days in 2020, and the vast majority of operators have been unable to welcome guests in 2021.
Te latest ECA members' poll reveals that 70 per cent of casinos in Europe remain closed. Exceptions such as Luxembourg, Spain and Monaco have reopened in 2021 under Covid- specific restrictions, while the worst affected casinos, such as in Sweden, have been closed for an entire year. According to the ECA poll, land- based casinos lost an average of over 37 per cent of normal operating days throughout 2020 due to mandated COVID-19 closures and 70 per cent of all European casinos remain closed.
European land-based operators have seen revenues fall by over 50 per cent in the last year and the majority of ECA members do not have a clear schedule for the official reopening of their businesses in 2021. Te most shocking figure is that pre-pandemic, ECA members' 900 European casinos employed 70,000+ staff. Post-
pandemic employment is estimated to fall to 50,000.
"Tis is the deepest trough the European land- based casino industry has ever experienced. Te financial impact of the pandemic on the land- based casino sector has been extreme, and these numbers show the economic realities of COVID- 19 on the European land-based casino sector," stated ECA Chairman Per Jaldung. "Some casinos have closed permanently, and many casino employees have lost their jobs. We are under no illusion that the industry can return to ‘business as usual’ any time soon. We are, as a matter of fact, very far from business as usual.”
Restricted opening hours, maximum occupancy and amenity limitations, social distancing protocols, restricted gaming offers, protective measures including plexiglass, masks and on- site testing are just some of the hurdles that the land-based casino business is currently facing. Country to country variations in the restrictions and mandates have also been compounded by regional variations within national borders. Tese restrictions are the next challenge for a sector that the pandemic has hit the hardest.
France GAMING1 transforms JOA online into JOABET
JOA online has now become JOABET in a full-scale rebrand matching the recent enhancement of its sportsbook offering. As part of its partnership with GAMING1, JOABET’s repositioning coincides with its integration of engagement-driving features such as odds Boosters and network Tournaments.
Te rebrand reflects the high-tech updates made to the platform powering JOABET’s operations, as well as its ambitions to establish itself as France’s leading online sportsbook provider.
Te move also follows JOABET’s streamlining of its first deposit offering to drive acquisition, giving a cash refund of up to a maximum of €100 to players who lose the first bet they place on the operator’s site.
GAMING1 has proven key to JOABET’s operations since partnering together three years
ago. Commenting on the rebrand, Damien Dufort, Vice President at JOABET, said: “We’re hugely excited by this rebrand, and all the exciting benefits it’s set to bring from a marketing, technical and communications perspective.
“Te decision was made back in January, and I have no doubt that the team’s hard work will continue to bear fruit in the period to come. We’re also grateful to our partners at GAMING1 for their support.”
Sylvain Boniver, COO at GAMING1, added: “We are very proud of the crucial role played by GAMING1 in helping our valued partners at JOABET get this rebrand off the ground. Te technical assistance provided by our team helped to deliver fantastic new features such as the odds Booster and network Tournaments. We have no doubt that JOABET will continue to go from strength to strength in the coming period – and we can’t wait to stand beside them as they do.”
Holland
Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) has so far received 28 applications for a licence to be able to offer online games of chance in the Netherlands. On April 1, the Remote Gambling Act (Koa), the law that legalises online gambling under strict conditions, came into effect.
Te market for online games of chance will open on October 1, 2021. Te companies that meet all the conditions will receive a licence. Among other things, it is assessed whether an applicant has an adequate policy to prevent gambling addiction, is a healthy company that handles player balances responsibly and has a connection to the Central Register of Exclusion of Gambling (Cruks).
Te applications that have now been submitted are eligible for a permit to operate from 1 October.
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