Wire EMEA Entain Completes Takeover of Unikrn
Entain has completed its acquisition of esports provider Unikrn, paving the way for the launch of Entain esports products for customers in 2022.
UK –Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland, is to establish a gambling regulator with the publication of new legislation that also bans credit card betting, credit facilities for players, free bets and VIP accounts. The legislation further aims to create a social impact fund to pay for education, research and treatment of problem gambling, in addition to the creation of an exclusion register.
The new body, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, can only be formed once new legislation has been passed by the Oireachtas, creating a new gambling bill in Ireland. Once established, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will have the power to withdraw licences and impose fines of up to €20m or 10 per cent of a gambling provider's turnover, whichever is greater.
Ireland's Gaming and Lotteries Act is due for a significant overhaul, but has been plagued with delays and inactivity. Bills proposed in 2013, 2016 and 2019 have all failed to be passed by the legislature, though amendments were made in December 2020, restricting lottery prizes, requiring licences for the operation of gaming machines and limiting stakes and prizes to maximums of €5 and €500 respectively.
MALTA – Realistic Games has strengthened its commercial department with the appointment of Jaana Repo. Jaana arrives from NetEnt where she held the role of Key Account Manager and boasts
over eight years’ experience in the igaming industry with a host of companies such as IGT and Gamesys Group.
UK – The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned casino operator A&S Leisure Group over an ad promising ‘unlimited gambling in all of our Napoleons Casinos’ on its website.
A&S, the operator of casinos in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, Sheffield and Manchester, had changed its terminology from ‘unlimited gambling’ to unrestricted gambling’ although the ASA deemed that the translation to the player would be the same.
UK –Flutter Entertainment’s new £15m UK technology and innovation hub in Leeds is now officially open to colleagues from across its UK and Ireland and International divisions.
Designed by MEPC, the state-of-the-art workspace is home to 1700 colleagues and comprises 136,000 sq. ft of flexible space across eight floors at 4 Wellington Place in Leeds Dock – a community for the media, technology, and creative industries.
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Entain has completed its acquisition of the assets of Unikrn, a provider of esports betting and skill-based wagering. Te deal paves the way for Entain to launch esports products for customers in 2022. Entain has bought the technology, products, platform, and brand from Unikrn which, together with its 50-strong international team, will spearhead its launch on a global scale. Justin Dellario, who recently joined Entain from Twitch as Managing Director of Esports, is heading into this new market as part of a greater drive into interactive entertainment.
Unikrn is known for a suite of products and services, including U-Mode, which stands out in the market for enabling gamers to bet on their own ranked matches in some of the world’s most competitive video game titles, and Streamer Bet, their AI-powered real-time updating odds for betting on Twitch streams.
“Entain is all about creating exciting and innovative products for our customers. With Unikrn, we’ll now be able to offer competitive gamers and esports fans alike rewarding experiences surrounding the games and events they love,” Justin Dellario said.
BGC launches ‘Take Time To Think’ safer gambling campaign
UK
Standards body the Betting and Gaming Council has launched a new campaign aimed at encouraging customers to use the wide range of safer gambling tools offered by its members.
In further evidence of the BGC’s commitment to raising standards, the ‘Take Time To Tink’ campaign will replace ‘When Te Fun Stops, Stop’ as the regulated industry’s key safer gambling message.
It follows extensive customer research, as well as engagement with academics, Government stakeholders and operators on the most effective way of encouraging responsible betting.
Esports is now established as a mainstream sport, with over 450 million gamers aged 18-35. Entain believes that many of these have strong potential to become new customers in other areas of its business, recently noting that video gamers are more than four times more likely to participate in sports-betting and iGaming than others in the same demographic.
Entain will extend its safer gaming initiatives and player protections to new customers across skills-based wagering in sports, and interactive entertainment products. Trough its not-for- profit Entain Foundation, the group has also forged partnerships with external organisations to provide education and support to players at potential risk of gaming disorder. Tese include the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association, which represents professional players across esports, Kindbridge and Rise Above the Disorder.
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but is estimated the Entain purchased Unikrn for approximately US$50m. Unikrn co- founder Karl Flores has joined the Entain team while co-founder Rahul Sood has exited the company.
Belgium
While ‘When Te Fun Stops, Stop’ was successful in helping to address problem gambling, the BGC believes ‘Take Time To Tink’ will be even more effective by encouraging customers to pause and consider the safer gambling tools operators provide – such as deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion - to help them moderate their play and stay in control.
Te BGC has worked with broadcasters and online platforms to deliver the multi- million pound campaign, which has been funded by BGC members William Hill, Entain, bet365, Gamesys, Flutter, Betvictor, Betway, Kindred, Playtech, Betfred, PlayOjo, Betsson and Microgaming.
It will be launched with a series of TV adverts showing customers pausing mid-play before considering whether to use safer gambling tools.
Ahead of a meeting in the Council of the EU where the Digital Services Act (DSA) was discussed, the European Lotteries association has urged the EU Member States’ representatives to exclude the explicit mention of online gambling and betting services in the context of freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services within the EU.
Te applicable national laws should be in compliance with Union law, in particular including the Charter and the Treaty provisions on the freedom of establishment and to provide services within the Union in particular with regard to online gambling and betting services. Te specific reference to ‘in particular with regard to online gambling and betting services’ implies that national regulations on illegal content in the gambling sector are often not in compliance with the EU law.
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