Wide-ranging Bill introduced to Parliament
Te Remote Gambling Bill has been introduced in Parliament after more than two years of drafting and consultations with industry experts.
Te Bill aims to regulate the issuing of licences to be controlled by the relevant provincial authorities, not the centralised national gambling board.
SOUTH AFRICA LEGISLATION
France - FDJ enjoys good start to 2024 French gambling operator La Française des Jeux has enjoyed a ‘good start to the year’ with revenue up seven per cent to €710m in the first quarter. Gaming revenue in France increased by 3.1 per cent to €645m, driven by the strong increase in the turnover of ParionsSport En Ligne, which exceeded 25 per cent. Beyond its intrinsic dynamics, it also benefits from the attractiveness of poker with a high level of cross-selling.
Revenue from other activities (International and Payment & Services) amounted to €65m, compared to €37m in Q1 2023, an increase attributable to the integration of PLI, which performed well, notably driven by EuroDreams. The momentum of online games remains very strong, with revenue up more than 30 per cent to €100m, or nearly 15 per cent of the Group’s gaming revenues. Excluding ZEturf and PLI, online gaming revenue growth was over 20 per cent, driven by both competing online betting and gaming and the online lottery, which benefited from EuroDreams’ high digitisation rate.
Stéphane Pallez, Chairman and CEO of the FDJ Group, said: “FDJ has made a good start to the year, in line with its 2024 objectives. All of our activities are growing, thanks to our network of more than 29,000 points of sale and the continued strong momentum of digital games, which now account for 15 per cent of the Group’s gaming revenues.”
UK - Aspinall’s warns of uncertain future British casino operator Aspinall’s has warned that there is ‘materially uncertainty’ over its future due to the risk that its Australian owner Crown Resorts could lose some of its Australian gaming licences. Aspinall’s said: “The outcomes of the regulator’s decisions and the financial implications of the group give rise to the existence of a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to continue as a going concern and therefore that it may be unable to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal order of business.”
Crown, which in turn is owned by Blackstone, generated a loss of $199m last year, compared to a $1bn a year earlier, due to remediation, financial fines and the cost of adhering to new compliance measures. Whilst Crown Melbourne has retained its Victorian Casino licence following a comprehensive transformation of its business, its licences in New South Wales and Western Australia are still under review following major scandals in Australia centred on a lack of compliance and AML breaches
Aspinall’s flagship venue in Mayfair club saw its revenue grow to £12.2m for the year to June 2023, and has managed to cut its losses by two thirds to £2m as foreign players slowly return.
P16 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Te Democratic Alliance (DA), has officially had its Remote Gambling Bill, 2024, introduced in Parliament after more than two years of drafting and consultations with industry experts. Tis initiative comes in response to what it says is a ‘significant oversight by the ANC in failing to provide adequate protection and regulation within the online gambling industry.’
Te bill would see the National Gambling Board issue four types of licences; a remote gambling operator licence, a manufacturer licence, a supplier of maintenance provider licence and an employment licence.
No information was put forward on the cost of each licence or the tax structure.
Te Bill aims to regulate the issuing of licences to be controlled by the relevant provincial authorities, not the centralised national gambling board which the DA says “operates as a shadow of itself;” provide for procedures relating to objections from issuing of licences; regulating advertising of interactive/online gambling entities; provide for the protection of minors and vulnerable persons; and ensure that there is compliance with FICA.
Te DA said: “In 2008, the National Gambling Amendment Act, which regulated online gambling, was assented to by the President. However, after nearly 16 years, it has still not been brought into operation, meaning that a legal gap continues to exist in the industry.
“It is highly concerning given the massive strides and advances online usage has increased and grown since then. By not regulating this gambling activity, the erosion of the rule of law and criminal activity is being encouraged, while the public is not effectively protected as they are when using land-based gaming operations. At the same time, a lack of regulation is resulting in revenue worth billions of Rands and jobs being lost to other gambling jurisdictions.”
Te DA added: “Te ANC government has shown, over these 16 years, that it has no intention of protecting players and the industry from criminal elements. Te DA has therefore taken it upon itself to ensure adequate protection by means of introducing this private member’s bill. Te Bill has taken over two years of work to bring to fruition and finds the perfect balance between protection, regulation, and administration.”
Europe Bragg pens distribution deal with Light & Wonder
Bragg Gaming Group has signed an international online casino content distribution agreement with Light & Wonder. Te agreement will see high- performing games from Bragg’s proprietary studios, Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic, Wild Streak Gaming and Spin Games added to Light & Wonder’s online ecosystem.
Exclusive content from the supplier’s Powered by Bragg partners will also be integrated, providing Light & Wonder with a wide selection of highly localised and unique titles. Te deal will encompass numerous European regulated markets as well as USA and Canada, significantly growing the reach of Bragg’s content to new audiences and strengthening the supplier’s casino offering with new titles.
Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg Gaming Group, commented:“Light & Wonder is a
world-leading platform and games provider, and this distribution deal will be hugely beneficial for us, as our content will be in front of new audiences through its large operator network boosting exposure of our games. We have focused on strengthening our content portfolio over the last year and this partnership is a testament to the popularity and appeal of our games which have been proven successful in markets globally.”
Steve Mayes, Senior Director Digital Partnerships at Light & Wonder, added: “We are thrilled to be working closely with Bragg, and are looking forward to offering their content across our network. Tis deal is a great showcase for the power of our aggregation platform and global scale. We already have a number of key operators lined up to launch Bragg games and excited to further expand our portfolio of games partners.”
UK
Aston Villa and Kaizen Gaming have announced a new long-term partnership that will see Betano become the club’s new principal and front-of-shirt partner.
Hot on the heels of Betano’s UK market debut in partnership with BVGroup, the two-year agreement will see the Betano logo feature on the front of Aston Villa’s men team’s jerseys starting from the 2024-25 season.
Aston Villa said: “We are delighted to welcome Betano as Aston Villa’s new principal partner. Teir dedication to innovation, customer satisfaction and responsible gaming aligns perfectly with the values we hold dear as a club. Aston Villa and Betano share a commitment to excellence, and we look forward to achieving great success together on and off the pitch.”
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