Gauselmann Celebrates 2019 Growth EMEA
South Africa - SKS365 partners with Kiron Planetwin365’s Virtual Sports portfolio continues to grow thanks to a strategic agreement with Kiron Interactive. The partnership will equip Planetwin365 platform with Kiron’s full virtuals portfolio, including its collection of racing games, virtual football and sports games. The supplier’s multi-channel offering will be available across Planetwin365’s network, both retail and online/mobile, providing a wide variety of games to suit a range of player preferences and devices.
“We are talking about a brand that has paved the way for virtual sports entertainment in Italy, which joins another brand that has not stopped enriching and implementing the offer in terms of differentiation, innovation and quality, especially in the last two years,” commented Troy Cox, Chief Commercial Officier, SKS365.
N.Ireland - BoyleSports buys six betting shops BoyleSports has bought ‘almost everything’ from Northern Irish bookmaker Gregory Hughes, owner of the HughesBet betting chain. The company takes ownership of six of the seven HughesBet retail outlets, all of which will be rebranded as BoyleSports.
BoyleSports CEO, Conor Gray, stated: “Since BoyleSports founder and chairman John Boyle opened his first shop at Markethill, Armagh in 1982, it has been our ambition to develop a meaningful retail presence in N. Ireland. The purchase of the HughesBet chain of shops demonstrates our long- term commitment to the Northern Ireland market.”
The deal comes on the back of a deal earlier in 2020 to take over the entire Northern Irish retail estate of William Hill, having acquired a chain of 33 shops, and taking the total number of retail outlets of BoyleSports in Northern Ireland to 45.
Belarus - Online green lit amidst unrest President Aleksander Lukashenko has given his approval to a new law opening the country up to online gambling. The law, put forward in July by Sergei Nalivaiko, the minister for taxation, legalises and regulates online gambling, and will allow companies to use Belarus as a base for online casinos. Access to international sites which do not base their servers in Belarus will be blocked.
Online casino licences will be granted to operators that deposit funds to a designated account, which will be used to cover any winnings or tax payments should the venture fail. Tax authorities will also have remote access to the site and all casinos be connected to a monitoring system. Mr Nalivaiko said that he expects to raise over €5m from online gambling taxes in the first year. His original draft law also included a proposal to set up a state-run online casino. It remains unclear if that will go ahead.
The country’s move to legalise online gambling follows a raft of recent legislation which signalled a shift in the country’s outlook. Laws covering cryptocurrencies and the digital economy have helped propel the country to the forefront of tech innovation in emerging Europe, while Belarus extended the period visitors from most countries can stay visa free to 30 days, providing a boost for its tourist industry.
P16 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
All group companies achieved a combined turnover of €3.42bn. Without internal sales, after 2018, with €2.41bn, fully consolidated sales of €2.58bn
Prior to the outbreak, the Gauselmann Group’s capital base increased by 10.7 per cent or by €108m to €1.116bn, with an equity ratio of 66.4 per cent
GERMANY GAMING OPERATIONS
Despite lockdown leading to an economic slowdown in Germany, the Gauselmann Group managed to achieve an increase in sales in 2019. Te family-run company from Espelkamp closed the 2019 financial year with an increase in sales of 6.7 per cent despite difficult economic and political conditions. All group companies achieved a combined turnover of €3.42bn. Without internal sales, after 2018, with €2.41bn, fully consolidated sales of €2.58bn were achieved in 2019.
Company founder and CEO Paul Gauselmann described: “It is a great result, which is primarily due to the enthusiasm and motivation of the employees - and for that I would like to thank them very much.”
In 2019, a trend manifested itself that had already become apparent in previous years with the international business becoming increasingly important for the Gauselmann Group. Te game maker generated more than 60 per cent of sales outside of its home country.
“Sales abroad rose continuously before Corona. Tis has reduced our dependence on our core
Albania's government to create casino zone in capital of Tirana
Albania
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama has given the nod for a complete U-turn on casino gaming by paving the way for the return of more than one casino in the capital city of Tirana.
In 2013 Albania had 40 casinos which was reduced to 20 by 2018. By January 1 2019 casino gaming was limited to just one company licensed to operate a casino; Apex-al/Adria Entertainment which operates a gaming floor in the five-star Regency hotel in Tirana. All forms of gambling were banned at this stage apart from the solitary casino and the National lottery.
However, new legislation was signed off by Deputy Prime
market of Germany, where the legal framework has unfortunately deteriorated for years,” explained Mr. Gauselmann.
“Constantly new restrictions ensure that there is massive migration of the gaming guests to unlimited or even mostly illegal offers, for example on the Internet or in back rooms, where youth and player protection no longer apply. Tis enables us to fulfil the legally formulated mandate.”
Prior to the outbreak, the Gauselmann Group’s capital base increased by 10.7 per cent or by €108m to €1.116bn,by an equity ratio of 66.4 per cent. Te high equity ratio was a visible sign of the sustainable corporate strategy, which is based on continuous investments and long- term business success.
“Tis was particularly beneficial to us during the lockdown phase. Tis enabled us, despite the closure of our 800 arcades, the many hundreds of sports betting shops, German casino locations and the casinos on cruise ships, to focus on the full preservation of the almost 14,000 jobs in the company,” Mr. Gauselmann explained.
Minister Erion Brace on September 2 that will see the development of a gambling zone, which will be set up in the capital, encompassing a small area from 'Skanderbeg Square, the square behind the Palace of Culture, the Youth Park, the area near the Clock and the area behind where the National Teatre once stood, including the Toptani Centre.' Any company that wants to open a casino must have experience in gambling, be a public company and have capital of at least $1.2bn.
Prime Minister Edi Rama banned all electronic casinos from December 2018, quickly extending the law to ban sports betting and betting on horses and grey hounds. Te ban was adapted to include online gaming in January 2019 although recent reports suggest that 47 of the 100 most popular online gambling sites were still accessible from an Albanian IP address.
Spain
Alira, the platform created by Tecnalis, has expanded its content catalogue by offering a new vertical, virtual sports. Tecnalis continues to consolidate its position in the Spanish- speaking market and the collaboration will give new partner GoldenRace visibility in countries such as Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, as well as in Spain. Alejandro Serrano Zaera, COO of Tecnalis, stated: “Tis partnership is a big step forward for Tecnalis. Offering virtual sports is something we consider vital for the future and this integration allows our clients to enjoy the best supplier of virtual sports in the industry.” Martin Wachter, GoldenRace, added: “It is great to have this deal with Tecnalis and be able to offer our product to a new group of players in Latin America, where we are market leader with our virtual football, and Spain, where we have strongly entered the market.”
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