Brown exits GiG, DAZN Bet live in Germany, Sweden calls for higher tax

Much happened in the week with the UK Gambling Commission going after MrQ and reaching a financial settlement, New South Wales in Australia shifting funds to responsible gambling, Sweden considering tax hikes to improve channelization, and Richard Brown stepping down from the post of CEO at Gaming Innovation Group.

The week began with perhaps one of its biggest events – the exit of Richard Brown, a seasoned industry veteran, who is leaving Gaming Innovation Group, and heading to a new position in Glitnor Group he is due to start next year. GiG has been overhauling its operations, deciding to split into two divisions as part of a strategic review designed to improve business growth and reach. Brown was originally not expected to leave until the end of the year, but the move has come earlier.

DAZN Bet, the sportsbook owned by DAZN and Pragmatic Solutions, has grabbed headlines earlier this week with the company launching in Germany and putting a stop to speculation. DAZN Bet is finally available in one of Europe’s busiest and most coveted markets, which reregulated its gambling laws recently and has been welcoming of new and established gambling brands that are willing to comply with local rules.

Sweden has outlined a new gambling taxation proposal as part of its annual budget. The government wants to pursue a slightly higher tax rate of 22% based on gambling companies’ gross gaming revenue.

This rate should arguably lead to better channelization into the regulated gambling market, the government claims, which has been criticized by Gustaf Hoffstedt, BOS Secretary General. Hoffstedt argued that the government was misunderstanding the issue and said that even at present tax rates, channelization was at a "critical low." A tax hike would not have the opposite effect, Hoffstedt pursued.

Of Laws and Responsible Gambling

New South Wales has said that it would be allocating more money to responsible gambling over the next years. A penalty of AU$100m applied to Star Casino in the state will now be divvied up and forwarded towards various initiatives, projects, and organizations established to ensure that the state has a better and stronger response to problem gambling.

All the while, Australia has been continuing its crusade against illegal gambling with the Australian Communications and Media Authority blocking five more unlicensed operators in the country. The list of blocked gambling sites now exceeds 835 brands that have been handed a manual ISP ban over their refusal to voluntarily withdraw from the market and stop targeting Australian citizens.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are hoping to snuff out cigar smoke on casino floors over the coming months, as the debate rages on. A bill to see smoking finally outlawed at indoor gaming areas in casinos is gathering steam, but there still seems to be a fair bit of opposition and second-guessing as to whether it should be backed in full.

MrQ, a respected operator in the United Kingdom, has reached a financial settlement with the country’s regulator, the UK Gambling Commission. The settlement amounts to £690,947 and the money will be attributed to good causes. The regulator cited both mitigating and aggravating factors in deciding the amount of the money.

Suppliers on the Move

The week has definitely been a good one for companies seeking to strike meaningful partnerships in the online gaming sector. There have been a number of prominent partnerships over the week.

Hacksaw Gaming, an innovative in iGaming space, has launched with Inbet in Bulgaria, bringing its products onto the Eastern European market for the very first time. Meanwhile, Playtech has teamed up with betPARX in Maryland to strengthen the later sportsbook operations in the state.

Pragmatic Play for its part increased its presence in the Latin American market with Starkbet, a local operator. Some companies, such as Coolbet, have been working on strengthening their commitment to responsible gambling as well. The casino platform introduced BetBlocker for its Spanish-speaking customers, an advanced solution designed to help players who are struggling with controlling their habits to get a hold.

The Voice of the Industry

This week we had the opportunity to catch up with some very interesting industry representatives who had plenty of insight to offer. At the beginning of the week, we spoke with Oddin.gg’s Co-founder and Managing Director Marek Suchar with whom we discussed the role of esports in the betting ecosystem.

Suchar brought a lot of insight into the operations of betting companies and how they perceive esports today. The interest in the vertical has been growing at a steady pace and both operators and consumers are actively seeking it out, remarks Suchar, who argues that the initial fight for esports relevancy is over.

We similarly spoke with Hacksaw Gaming CEO Marcus Cordes who discussed his company’s commitment to build presence in regulated markets across the world. Cordes talked about Hacksaw’s process and how the company was able to know that it is truly moving forward with every new release.

Not least, we wrapped up the week speaking to Gilad Naim, Soft2Bet CCO, who spoke of the potential of gamification, and how the industry has been changing over the past years, taking into consideration current trends and what the future may hold. Naim’s dive into the gambling industry explores the landscape that companies would need to navigate to stay competitive, and his piece is worth reading in its entirety.

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