The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has urged the Finnish government to “fix” its gambling policy and end Veikkaus’ monopoly. 

Finland is the only European Union member to still cling on to its gambling monopoly – a position that is looking increasingly unsustainable in an industry dominated by online gaming.

EGBA secretary-general, Maarten Haijer, also pointed out that Veikkaus is coming under increasing criticism from Finns, with its huge network of physical slot machines across the country drawing particular attention. Illustrating the scale of Veikkaus’ network, Haijer said that for each ATM in Finland, there were ten slot machines. 

Although Veikkaus has committed to withdrawing 8,000 of its machines, according to a 2019 survey from affiliate Kasino Curt, Finnish consumers are also increasingly in favour of ending the monopoly.

Haijer also reminded Finnish authorities of the amount of tax revenue they are already losing because players, hungry for choice and better offers, are increasingly opting to bet with international operators. He referenced a recent survey showing that 16.4% of the country’s online gambling revenue, equivalent to around €105M in taxable revenue, was spent last year with international betting sites. 

Expanding on the issue, Haijer explained: 

“Replacing the monopoly with an open-licensing system is not about getting more people in Finland to gamble, nor is it about killing off Veikkaus. Rather, it is the sensible way to meet the demands of those Finnish gamblers who seek an alternative to the monopoly and currently gamble on international gambling websites – and to regulate and tax this activity.

“Introducing open-licensing for online gambling is not revolutionary, it is evolutionary, and will ensure that most Finns gamble in a regulated and protected environment. But adapted to the realities of our times.

“All other EU countries have already done this, it makes sense, and it’s time for Finland to do the same.”

AYO.NEWS says:

It really does beggar belief that countries like Finland and Norway are still clinging to their obsolete monopolistic gambling systems in the year 2020. 

Whether you’re a fan of gambling or not, the truth is that it is only possible to raise standards and protect vulnerable gamblers by ensuring there are well regulated markets – and those markets must be accessible enough to convince a wide range of operators to go to the expense and trouble of getting licenses and playing by the rules. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

AB Trav och Galopp (ATG), the former Swedish horse racing monopoly, has filed a lawsuit against fellow Swedish operator Svenska Spel over an alleged trademark infringement.

The dispute is related to betting on horse racing, specifically Svenska Spel’s use of “Trav och Galopp” (trotting and galloping) in a recently launched product. 

ATG, which says it registered the term “Trav och Galopp” with the Swedish Companies Registration Office in 1973, has asked the court to stop Svenska Spel from using the term in business operations, and to levy a fine of one million kroner as compensation.

Regarding the case CEO of ATG, Hasse Lord Skarplöth, said:

“Protecting our brands is part of our duty to our owners Svensk Travsport and Svensk Galopp, as well as all tens of thousands in the country whose industry is equestrian. ATG is the only gambling company that contributes to the welfare of equestrian sport. So it is about ensuring the future supply of the Swedish equestrian sport.”

With the company also adding:

“The lawsuit concerns, among other things, the revocation of a trademark due to a violation of ATG’s company name and was filed with the Patent and Market Court of the Stockholm District Court.”

“Svenska Spel is also required to pay ATG for “the use of the company name” Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp “in business operations and compensation for further damage caused by the violation of ATG.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Hmmm…. obviously it’s for the courts to decide, but it is worth taking a step back and putting this in context. 

Skarplöth has previously called for a mandatory levy on racing profits to be applied to all operators, as opposed to only ATG – and that call was rejected by Sweden’s Gambling Market Commission (Spelmarknadsutredningen) chair Anna-Lena Sörenson in October. 

And, we should point out that Svenska Spel’s CEO, Patrik Hofbauer, has said that his company has been in negotiations with Svensk Travsport, the governing body of Swedish racing, regarding a funding agreement. 

So, is ATG really justified in portraying itself as the sole benefactor of Swedish racing, which must be protected, or is it simply scared of competition? It will be interesting to see how the court rules on this. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

VulkanBet  is the latest betting operator to exit the Russian market ahead of the expected introduction of a controversial new gambling tax.

The site has stopped accepting all new wagers and customer registrations, and has promised to honour all obligations to both players and contractors by 31 December. 

In a statement VulkanBet sait that it will continue to monitor the situation in Russia, and isn’t ruling out the possibility of returning in the future, but for now it will “focus its development on markets with more loyal conditions for conducting betting business.”

VulkanBet spokesperson, Anna Dmitrieva, said that the proposed legislation, which is due for its second reading in the Duma on 22 December, contained details that aroused suspicion and did not give the company confidence in the future of the Russian betting market. 

Elaborating, Dmitrieva pointed out that the company had already sponsored several Russian esports teams and tournaments, and an amateur football league, and that it had been prepared to increase its contributions, but not to the extent the new tax would involve. 

AYO.NEWS says:

This once again demonstrates that, just like overregulation, over taxation does cause gambling operators to vote with their feet and leave major markets. And, the end losers? The state treasury and the very causes the politicians claimed to be supporting with the tax hikes. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

GamCare, Gamban, and Gamstop have teamed up to launch the TalkBanStop scheme. 

A 12-month pilot project, TalkBanStop will be promoting three tools to help problem gamblers kick their addiction. The tools are GamCare’s National Gambling Helpline, Gamban’s gambling blocking software, and Gamstop’s self-exclusion scheme. 

Anyone contacting the helpline will be offered Gamban’s software for free, and will be told how they can block access to all UK-licensed online operators by signing up to Gamstop’s self-exclusion scheme. 

The scheme is being funded by the UK Gambling Commission, and market research company Ipsos MORI have been contracted to perform an evaluation after the pilot concludes. 

Commenting on the project GamCare CEO, Anna Hemmings, said:

“After a particularly challenging year when many have been impacted by job losses and reduced income, Christmas can be a difficult time for those struggling to stop gambling.

“The TalkBanStop. campaign sends a message of hope to those who are struggling with gambling but don’t know how to start their recovery journey, by providing free tools and support that give breathing space to reflect on what’s going on.”

While Gambling Commission CEO, Neil McArthur, added:

“We are happy to approve funding of the blocking software pilot and evaluation element of this work through the distribution of regulatory settlement money to properly identify what works.”

Staying with Gamban, as reported yesterday, Norewegian state-owned gambling operator, Norsk Tipping, has partnered with the organisation to make its self-exclusion software available for free to all Norwegian gamblers. 

AYO.NEWS says:

As we’ve said many times here at AYO.NEWS, the key to addressing problem gambling is effective education and providing free, effective and easy-to-use tools – something this initiative is aiming to do. So, it’s great to see the UKGC is allocating funding to it, and we’re sure it will make a difference.

A word of caution though. Regardless of new schemes and initiatives, ss we go into 2021, and the full scale of the economic and social crisis inflicted on populations by the misguided (and some would argue, criminal) actions of governments in response to the over-hyped COVID-19 crisis becomes clear, we may well see a significant rise in all sorts of problem behaviours. And, unfortunately, many politicians will be only too happy to use the gambling industry, and other sectors, as scapegoats to distract from their own failings. 

Remember, correlation does not imply causation. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

The Swedish Gambling Market Commission (Spelmarknadsutredningen) has published a report into the country’s online gambling regulations, and suggested even stricter rules. 

Led by special investigator and former MP, Anna-Lena Sörenson, the report has recommended new measures including a risk classification system for gambling products, with any products classified as high risk should be banned from being advertised between 6am and 9pm. 

Additionally, the report also calls for the SEK5000 deposit limit, that was introduced on the pretext of being a temporary response to the COVID-19 crisis, to be made permanent. 

Other proposals include a law concerning operators’ reporting requirements, and the relaxation of bonus restrictions for operators that raise money for charities, like lotteries, so that they can compete better against commercial operators. 

Though subject to a separate enquiry, the report also calls for tougher measures to be taken against unlicensed operators. 

The report rejects proposed statutory levels for horseracing and sports betting, and says the country’s Gambling Act is not the right legislation to cover controls on video game related issues like loot boxes, suggesting this should be dealt with at the EU level. 

Regarding the findings, MP, Anna-Lena Sörenson, said:

“This has been a complex assignment that has touched on a large number of different issues linked to gaming regulation, which in some cases have required difficult trade-offs. I believe that the proposals we come up with today can both contribute to strengthening consumer protection and make regulation more appropriate.” 

While Minister for Social Security, Ardalan Shekarabi, added:

“Spelmarknadsutredningen’s report will form an important basis for the Government’s forthcoming measures.”

Predictably, the Branscheforenigen för Onlienspel (BOS), which represents licensed operators, expressed dismay, with secretary-general, Gustaf Hoffstedt, saying:

“Sweden has invested in a licensing system with 102 operators that offer a high level of consumer protection. They pay around SEK4bn annually in gaming tax, invest in workplaces and staff, sponsor Swedish sports and contribute to Swedish technology know-how.

“Banning licensed gaming companies from marketing their services to Swedish consumers while leaving unlicensed companies free to offer their services to Swedish consumers is a bad proposal.

“This only leads to reduced consumer protection and to erode the Swedish gaming market.”

AYO.NEWS says:

While this is awful news for those operators trying to offer services in Sweden legitimately, it is something we’ve expected for some time now.

As we’ve said before, the ‘temporary’ restrictions were never going to be temporary, and were never anything to do with the COVID-19 crisis. It’s been obvious from the very beginning that characters like Shekarabi have been using the crisis as an excuse to make political capital, and have zero interest in ensuring a vibrant gaming industry or reducing problem gambling. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Norwegian state-owned gambling operator, Norsk Tipping, has announced a partnership with self-exclusion software provider Gamban. 

The deal means Norsk Tipping’s players will be able to use Gamban’s free software to stop themselves from accessing online casinos and sportsbooks, via websites or apps, in Norway. 

Gamban gives users the options to self-exclude for 180 days, 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years, and works on all devices. The blocking service is being made available to all Norwegian players, not just Norsk Tipping customers. 

Commenting on the news head of responsible gaming at Norsk Tipping, Bjørn Helge Hoffmann, said:

“Gamban is a valuable supplement to Norsk Tipping’s own exclusion systems. The filter makes it possible for us to offer extended protection to customers who want to block access to all gaming offers on the internet – both regulated and unregulated.”

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.