EEG Reports

The European Union attacks Google’s ongoing dominance and incriminates the search giant of search results

Published

10 years ago

April 16, 2015

The European Union’s chief of the competition committee has created a statement of objections against Google, alleging that the search giant has been abusing its dominance in the Internet searches.

Margrethe Vestager, the Competition Commissioner debriefed the media on the weekly Commission’s meeting where issues of antitrust are usually discussed.

Google now has ten weeks to respond.

Besides outlining the EU’s belief that, the search giant has been illegally rigging its search results in providing search results that are related and close to Google brands, Margarethe Vestager also announced that the European Union is opening an inquiry into whether Google uses its Android mobile platform to gain an unfair advantage against the direct competition.

The Commission also accuses Google of improper dominance. The search giant own 90% of market shares on the research market in Europe. Vestager stated the: “Dominance as such is improper”.

In 2014, Google had a 66 billion USD turnover (one-third of it made in Europe), and the fine could go up to 10% of this sum, if Google is found guilty.

The main objection, is that Google is breaking antitrust rules by diverting traffic from rivals to favour its own service, especially in its shopping comparison services. The charge could be extended to other areas, and not only to searches, declared Margarethe Vestager.

Serving Google with a statement of objections is the opening most vigorous antitrust case of the internet era. It could prove as epic as the decade-long battle with Microsoft that ultimately cost the company billions in fines.

The commission’s move comes after a five-year investigation that Google came close to settling without charges last year. The draft deal collapsed after vehement objections were raised by ministers in France and Germany, and by some of the continent’s most powerful telecoms and media groups.

The commission probe will examine whether Google imposes uncompetitive terms on handset makers that ultimately favour its own lucrative apps such as YouTube. Google rejects any allegations of wrongdoing and says Android is an open platform distributed free.

Could this be an epic trial between the EU and Google, or it’s just another attempt of the European Union to carry out some sort of performance to demonstrate its power over the internet in Europe.

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

With an experience of over 8 years in the online gambling industry, as an affiliate, later affiliate manager and consultant, I consider myself a veteran of the industry and can guarantee that you will be served with the most accurate information.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Bulgaria

Casino Technology announces Valentina Dobre as new Regional Director for Romania

Published

7 years ago

August 4, 2017

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

Gaming equipment manufacturer Casino Technology has announced a new appointment for Romania to further strengthen the company’s management.

Following its steady plan for continuous market growth, the company named Valentina Dobre as Regional Director for Romania as of 1st of August 2017.

The company claims with Mrs Dobre’s profound expertise, professional background and in-depth knowledge of the gaming industry in the country, she became part of Casino Technology team, ready to implement the overall corporate strategy.

Valentina Dobre commented: “I am honored to accept this position and be part of the high level management team of Casino Technology. I will pursue actively further company positioning and growth on the Romanian market. Casino Technology has been on the country’s market for over 10 years and proved to be leader, having maintained trusted partnerships with local operators and customers.”

Casino Technology stated that Mrs Dobre’s background as Member of the Board of Directors at Romslot Association, Bucharest will additionally increase the Casino Technology market share.

“Valentina Dobre is an important appointment as she brings extensive knowledge of the market, that will help us boost even more our presence in Romania. She will have a crucial role in our further expansion, launching successfully our new line products on the market”, concluded Milo Borissov, Founder, President and CEO of Casino Technology.

Bulgaria

Two major announcements from BEGE Expo and EEGS: Mark your calendars

Published

7 years ago

August 2, 2017

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

The Balkan Entertainment & Gaming Expo (BEGE Expo) and the Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) celebrate their 10^th anniversary this year. Due to the big interest for both events the organizers made two major announcements – BEGE will outspread in one more hall and EEGS will start one day earlier than the announced date.

Over 50 leading companies from the industry have already confirmed their presence for BEGE Expo 2017. Well-known leading manufacturers, amongst them being Novomatic, Casino Technology, EGT, Suzohapp, BetConstruct, Interblock, Merkur Gaming, APEX, Alfastreet Trade, Nsoft, JPL and CPI, as well as new participants, such as the leading sports betting company Bet3000 (IBA-Entertainment Ltd.), EXEFEED, Quixant, Zitro, Change Italia s.r.l., Gamebridge Casino Equipment, JCM Europe GmbH, nano Vo sp. Z o.o., Berkotech Kft. and others will exhibit their latest solutions at this year’s BEGE. The great interest for the event forced the opening of new hall, thus making the 10^th edition of BEGE Expo the biggest so far.

The registration is already open so you wouldn’t want to miss the chance to register.

Another newness that BEGE Expo 2017 will present is the special Affiliate zone. Following the expansion of the online business in the region, this year the exhibiton will create space for online operators and affiliates from the region to interact and create business partnerships. Affiliate program providers will be able to book their own space in the zone and all affiliates will be admitted for free.

EEGS also promises to reach new heights this year. Reschedule your calendars, because EEGS 2017 will start on 20^th of November – one day earlier than intended. This year’s EEGS will continue to follow its main aim – to present the most recent updates from the region, including the countries Serbia, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovenia, Montenegro, F.Y.R of Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Turkey and Croatia.

Separate sessions will be dedicated to Sport Challenges, Impact on gaming operators by Anti-Money Laundering Act, GDPR and online gaming. Day 3 will be focused on Tourism & Gaming, Responsible Gaming Academy and marketing topics.

BEGE Expo and EEGS have gradually established as a center for the gaming and entertainment industry in Eastern Europe and for 10^th year in a row will be the place where professionals from the field come in order to expand their business, exchange knowledge and promote new products. For any updates you may follow the official websites of the events: eegamingsummit.com and balkangamingexpo.com

EEG Reports

Habanero signs an outstanding deal with BBIN

Published

7 years ago

August 2, 2017

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

A new partnership agreement will see content from quality slots and table games developer Habanero go live with the BBIN Group.

Under the agreement, the supplier will give the software company access to its complete product portfolio of HTML5 games for all of its white label sites.

Recent releases from Habanero, including Fire Rooster, Bird of Thunder, and Panda Panda, have also been made available to the aggregator.

Daniel Long, Head of Sales at Habanero, said the deal was a game-changer for the supplier and one of the company’s most important to date.

He added: “By partnering with BBIN, we have significantly expanded our presence around the world, which means even more players will be able to enjoy our games.

“Many of them will be a natural fit with BBIN’s customers, but it is the diversity and variety of content that will appeal the most.”

Habanero operates a stable of 75 video slots titles, 9 table games, and 50 video poker titles, which are integrated into over 45 operators and aggregators and available in 21 European and Asian languages.