EEG iGaming Directory
How Gambling Regulation Across Europe Is on The Increase
Since exploding into our lives some twenty years ago, online gambling has gone through several transformations. Games have improved, the devices that we access them on have changed, and there are more services than ever before.
As is typical, legislation has lagged behind innovation in the industry here in Europe. We’re just starting to see more nations undertake the balancing act between ensuring they generate sufficient tax revenue, and providing a safe environment for their bettors. This process is made particularly difficult since levying too much tax will discourage investment in localities, as well as promote a move to less regulated, altogether dodgier iGaming venues from the punters themselves. Despite the divides between legislators, there are still good offers for specific counties across Europe.
Regulation is the Answer
Some nations in Europe have already made steps to encourage a more open market, and thus create opportunity for new online gambling ventures to open there. Portugal have just spent the last two years trying to tackle similar issues within their own gambling legislation. However, under their new laws, there is concern that their efforts have made offering services there commercially unviable for international companies. Aggressive taxation is at fault and responsible for strangling companies trying to setup shop there.
The likes of Bet365 and William Hill quickly left following changes in 2015 and have shown no willingness to return. The efforts by Portuguese legislators are clearly stifling innovation in the nation. The problem is exacerbated by a curious issue facing the nation too. The SCML, a company who have long held a monopoly on iGaming services, are actually registered as a charity organisation and are therefore eligible for a 50% tax cut. It’s no wonder established bookmakers want little to do with the market.
Cyprus is also undergoing great changes to its gambling industry. However, their efforts to prohibit unlicensed betting sites seem short-sighted. Rather than take away the incentive for players to use fully regulated services, they have simply outlawed those that have not obtained full licenses. Of course, countless examples abound of how prohibition of something is usually a spectacular failure and there seems little evidence to suggest that internet-savvy Cypriots will not simply circumvent legislation using online privacy tools and anonymous digital currencies. As it stands, there are over 2,400 websites that have been blacklisted. Meanwhile, services hoping to operate there legally are forced to jump through a series of legal loopholes. These include demonstrating a certain amount capital, licensing fees, and a 13% taxation.
Recently, the likes of Holland, Sweden, Poland, and Greece have begun to take tentative steps towards an overhaul of their legislation governing online gambling. Aggressive taxation policies in these nations have resulted in an exodus of international providers which has led to monopolies. Holland are currently attempting to break an entrenched, state-owned monopoly on gambling that has existed for many years.
They hope that the Remote Gaming Act of 2016 will encourage foreign investment and greater competition. However, the likelihood of success of such a measure is questionable. The huge 29% tax obligation of gross revenue is hardly going to encourage foreign providers to enter the market. However, there do exist plans to lower this rate to 25% by 2020. Yet, too little, too late still springs to mind.
Meanwhile, the major gambling hub that is Sweden are hoping legislation will help liberalise their market. There, a 20-year monopoly has existed. The Swedish efforts seem better placed to deliver results than the Dutch, however. Under an Act due to take effect by January 2019, they’ll be a unified tax levied on all gross gaming revenue. The rate is a more competitive 18%. Meanwhile, providers will also have to submit a licensing fee to operate on Swedish territory.
Curiously, Greece are moving in the opposite direction. Rather than reduce taxation to increase foreign investment, they’ve added 5% to the rates charged to providers. Thanks to the struggling economy in Greece, ministers are desperate to generate revenue by any means necessary. The European Commission have put pressure on the Greeks to open their markets, however, the increase in taxation of 2016 seems to be doing just the opposite. Greek gambling company, the OPAP, enjoy most custom at present, however there are plans to begin tackling this by 2020.
In Poland too renowned bookmakers like William Hill, Bet365, and Betfair have been forced to leave the market because offering their services there isn’t considered viable financially. In 2016, the legislative vowed to re-examine the laws in place with the aim of developing the market there. Little has been done since then, however.
Whilst large portions of Europe are trying to use legislation to further open markets, there remain those nations who continue to ignore European Commission recommendations altogether, or prefer a protectionist policy when it comes to gambling. Germany, for example, falls into the former category, with the likes of Finland and Norway being firmly in the latter. In Germany, some 71% of the total bets placed on sports take place on so-called grey markets.
Their highly liberalised gambling climate makes it so that any operator can offer their services there if they’re not based in Germany, and are licensed by a known European gambling authority. This leads to a situation where an estimated 1.5 billion euros in lost taxation revenue is leaving Germany every year. With most regions refusing to follow EU proposals, it seems to be more of an issue of Germans trying to make a point about their own sovereignty from EU rule than anything else.
Different again is the situation in Finland and Norway. These Scandinavian states opt for protectionist policies and in contrast to the Swedes are in no rush to tackle the system of monopolies in their gambling industries. This is largely because a significant portion of iGaming profits currently go directly to charitable organisations. Liberalising the economy there would likely see improvements in the player experience of online gambling but those in receipt of donations would certainly lose funding.
Interestingly, however, the law which makes foreign online betting sites illegal in these two states is rarely enforced at player level. This is often the case in such jurisdictions, and the result is huge streams of revenue flow out of the countries and into the coffers of providers who offer better odds, and more generous player perks.
Finally, there are some countries that seem to be making a much better job of regulating online gambling than the rest of Europe.
The United Kingdom, for example, enjoys one of the planet’s most vibrant betting environments. This has been cultured through a generally laissez-faire gambling policy since online gambling’s inception. Their stringent player protection rules but generous taxation policies provide the perfect environment for iGaming companies and sportsbooks to flourish. Competition is fierce in the UK, and many bookmakers find themselves head to head with one another to try and lure a public who are more than happy to have a punt on just about anything.
Clearly, there is anything but a unified gambling policy in Europe at present. Despite EU recommendations to liberalise markets and smash monopolies, the situation isn’t progressing quite as intended. Whilst some refute the centralised authority of EU leaders, others have attempted to generate greater revenue for themselves through aggressive taxation which has led to the industry effectively being strangled by legislation.
Of course, players need protection, and if foreign companies are making a killing offering gambling services, government are going to want a slice of that pie. However, as we’re seeing from the ad hoc array of legislation coming from European states, there is anything but consensus when it comes to finding the correct balance. Perhaps more countries should look at the example set by the likes of the United Kingdom who seem to be doing a relatively good job of nurturing their industry without endangering players or stifling innovation.
January 5, London, UK: Babe Casino and BetConstruct partnered up to deliver one of the most dynamic gaming platforms. The online casino is considered highly attractive to players who have an appreciation for a quality gaming experience enhanced by transparency and 100% safety.
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BetConstruct and Babe Casino strive to enhance the gaming experiences by not only delivering high quality gaming standards, but by also implementing them and keeping existing members pleasantly rewarded through exciting new phases of development for the duration of membership. There’s a load of excitement yet to roll out at this classy, feminine casino, led by the top iGaming entrepreneurs.
About BetConstruct
BetConstruct is an award-winning developer and provider of online and land-based gaming solutions with development, sales and service centres in 15 countries.
BetConstruct’s innovative and proven offerings include an extensive range of market-leading products and services, including Sportsbook, eSports, Sports Data Solutions, Retail Betting Shop Solutions, RNG Casino Suite, Live Dealer Casino and VR Casino, Poker, Skill Games, Fantasy Sports, Social Platform and more.
The multinational iGaming and Sports betting technology partner BtoBet has reshaped its internal structure becoming a larger group today, embracing 2 companies, ITS (I-Trading solution) and IGS (I-Gaming Solutions) that allow the launch of 2 new divisions: BtoBet Sports and BtoBet Games.
ITS is specialized in risk management and trading while IGS is an experienced Games aggregator.
All operating under the same roof and adopting the same foremost technology.
With the new structure, BtoBet offers an even more comprehensive suite of products; Sportsbook platform and services for bookmakers and IGaming Platform and services devoted to the gaming industry.
Commenting on the BtoBet Sports division, BtoBet’s chairman Alessandro Fried stated:
“BtoBet Sports is focused on bookmakers’ needs and sportsbook players’ preferences. A dedicated team ensures the sports-betting brand provides the ultimate betting experience to the bettors. Based on BtoBet’s sports platform Neuron Sport, BtoBet Sports provides a highly customizable frontend for each operator, giving all the tools needed for risk management across all pre-match, live betting and virtual Jackpot betting products.”
About the BtoBet Games division, Fried highlighted:
“This new department is aimed at providing the perfect set of products and services needed for today’s iGaming business. A pull of skilled and dedicated experts assists and satisfies any of operator’s iGaming needs and requirements. The Neuron Casino omnichannel platform, based on Artificial Intelligence technology ensures tailored offers to maximize the effort of delivering the perfect Games offer.”
To conclude, Alessandro Fried announced:
“BtoBet’s new structure offers a bigger trusted team always available to support our Clients in their technical needs by providing advice when needed, flexibility to expand their business and a range of clear and simple products and services. We are able to allow the operators to manage their business autonomously, setting up their own strategies, all without the handicap of technology constraints or the limits of engaging fully-managed platforms. In addition, Btobet is able to supply them all the necessary services to make their own product and offer unique” and concluded “We are proud to present the new BtoBet Group at ICE, stand S1-320.”
About BtoBet
BtoBet is a multinational company and is part of a group with 20 years of experience in software development in IT, finance, telecommunication, e-commerce and banking, strongly committed to technology and widely investing in technology research and development. The experience gained in these advanced environments, allows BtoBet to be visionary in the iGaming and Sports betting industry with a deep understanding of the requirements of the market, catching changing trends and anticipating bookmakers’ and operators’ needs. BtoBet is a true partner in technology, offering a standalone platform and services for the iGaming and Sports Betting industry. It counts on a very talented, continuously trained development team and day to day management support to clients. BtoBet allows licensees to be unique in the market, by giving them the opportunity to completely personalise their offers for Sports betting and iGaming business, online mobile and retail. BtoBet has technical branches with large ever-growing teams of developers in Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola, Belgrade, Nish, Tirana, and Rome. Malta hosts the commercial and marketing centre. Visit our site on: www.btobet.com
NSoft’s VIP client and market leader from Bosnia and Herzegovina Premier Kladionica has enriched its website offer with Lucky Six and Greyhound Races. The games were released on Seven Platform web channel being the first step of complete transition to the new platform.
Lucky Six and Greyhound Races are known as the best performers on the local virtual games market. Premier decided to go with the Seven web channel after excellent results being achieved by the aforementioned games on their retail channel.
The games are available in the area of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
NSoft and Premier Kladionica will continue their cooperation and integration of other virtual games using Seven Platform.
Having that in mind NSoft is continuing the expansion on targeted markets and preparing to reveal the novelties at ICE Totally Gaming Show in London on February 4-6, 2018.
In order to learn more about the NSoft’s upcoming projects book a meeting with our sales team following this link: https://goo.gl/xbjTCW.
ABOUT NSOFT
NSoft provides top quality software solutions for gaming and betting industry, including platform, virtual games, sportsbook, and lotteries.
Our unique approach to customers and creative software solutions positioned us as one of the top providers of innovative products for gaming industry. A combination of great products, great people, and great culture played a key role in our growth. We understand that strong and long-term partnerships are essential for further development, so we joined forces with world’s leading sport data provider – Sportradar. This means our products are available through Betradar’s sales channels.
- SEVEN Platform
- Virtual Games
- Lucky Six
- Lucky X
- Next Six
- Greyhound Races
- Virtual Greyhound Races
- Virtual Horse Races
- Virtual Drag Races
- Virtual Motorcycle Speedway
- Sportsbook
- Pre-Match Betting MTS & Self-Managed
- Live Betting MTS
- Pool Betting
- Lotteries
- World Numbers Service (Developed in partnership with Betradar)
- Betradar (games available through NSoft’s sales channels)
- Virtual Football League
- Virtual Tennis Open
- Virtual Basketball League
It is NSoft’s mission to provide betshop owners with powerful and visually appealing platform, amazing virtual games, and data-packed sportsbook, and help them grow their business.
By developing our state-of-the-art software solutions we are devoted to creating a business environment which will maximize our customers’ sales opportunities and empower their company to reach new levels of growth. Our ambition is to continue building value for customers, stakeholders and partners. You are more than welcome to join us on the journey. We would be delighted to work with you!
Contact emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Sector within the industry: betting/gaming software provider
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