The Spanish government has told football clubs to cancel gambling sponsorship deals before the end of the season.

Despite many in the industry expecting the planned ban on football gambling sponsorships to be softened, or even dropped completely, at the eleventh hour, the Spanish government has advised all clubs to terminate their deals before the end of the season. 

According to Reuters, a letter, signed by minister of consumer affairs, Alberto Garzon, and sent on Wednesday, has informed clubs that their contracts with gambling companies will be prohibited once the controversial royal decree is approved by the cabinet and signed into law. 

In the letter, Garzon accused teams and athletes of “normalising a practice with serious health and social risks which needs to be minimised in the field of advertising.”

Seven of the 20 clubs in La Liga, Spain’s top division, currently have sponsorship deals with gambling companies, including Europa League title holders Sevilla and six-time league champions Valencia. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though Spain’s incoming ban has been discussed at length for a year now, it seems like many clubs and gambling companies were clinging to the hope the decree would be thrown out, or at least heavily watered down, at the last minute as the financial impact on clubs was realised. 

However, the ban now looks certain to come into force, prompting clubs to search for alternative sponsors, and throwing a spanner in the works of operators’ marketing plans.

Also, with Italy already having banned all gambling advertising, and Spain about to follow suit, it will probably put more wind in the sails of those hoping to introduce similar laws in the UK and other European countries.  

‘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. 

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SportsTech business Stats Perform has pledged full support for the new International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) Data Standards Process. 

The London-based company, which is an Affiliate Member of the IBIA, has confirmed it will be immediately applying to the IBIA’s independent audit process, led by eCogra, to achieve the Data Standards Kitemark and demonstrate that it meets and goes beyond those standards in its betting data operations. 

In May, IBIA launched a project to create a set of standards to help ensure the integrity of sports, its data, and the associated betting markets. You can find the complete data standards here. 

Discussing the new standards Chief Betting Officer at Stats Perform, Andrew Ashenden, said:

“Implemented and monitored effectively, a global set of standards would contribute positively across the sports and betting industries from an integrity perspective. 

“At Stats Perform, we have a longstanding programme of investment in maintaining the strongest quality assurance and integrity processes across our data supply chain. We look forward to working with the IBIA on best practices going forward and to demonstrate through the independent audit process how Stats Perform is going the extra mile to ensure the reliability and credibility of its data.”

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English Championship club Swansea City has partnered with The Big Step initiative to tackle problem gambling.

The football-focused partnership with The Big Step, which is part of the Gambling with Lives Charity, aims to raise awareness and provide education regarding the risks associated with gambling. Set to run for 18 months, the gambling harms prevention program will be delivered by recovering gambling addict, and Swansea supporter, Nick Phillips. 

Formed in September by individuals with experience of living with gambling related harm, The Big Step Project recently organised a 130-mile walk to publicise its call for an end to gambling sponsorships and advertisements in football. 

Talking about the aims of the project, Senior Program Manager at Gambling with Lives, and The Big Step Founder, James Grimes, said:

“As a recovering gambling addict, I am passionate about preventing young people going through the same thing that I did. This partnership will show how football can be a positive social vehicle in preventing and reducing gambling harms in its community through our education, awareness and signposting work.”

While Swansea East MP, Carolyn Harris, added:

“This programme will play a critical role in ensuring that young people are made aware of the real risks of gambling and gambling addiction.”

As previously reported, in August Swansea City ditched gambling sponsorships, ending its relationship with YoBet, and replacing it with a sponsorship from Swansea University. 

AYO.NEWS says:

While we totally support increased education around gambling, as we’ve argued many times, a ban on gambling sponsorships and advertisements is a bridge too far. The UK already has one of the strictest and most effective regulatory regimes – both in terms of gambling-specific rules, and general advertising and marketing standards – despite what vehement anti-gambling crusaders say. 

Time and again we come down to the fundamental truth that it is not the place of the state to prevent people taking responsibility for their own actions. People do many things which can become addictive and damage themselves and those around them, but banning things for the masses because of the problems encountered by a minority (and it truly is a minority, again, despite how it is portrayed by those ideologically opposed to gambling) is a ridiculous approach that can only end in a dystopian nightmare of long-term unintended consequences. 

Of course, as with everything from excessive drinking, smoking, drugs use, and financial management, if we expect people to be able to exercise self-control and rational judgement, we need an education system that is thorough and effective. The real problem the UK, and many other countries, is that they are fundamentally failing to provide effective education for youngsters. And, that is largely the fault of successive generations of politicians. 

‘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.

US-based sports betting supplier DraftKings Inc. and British sportsbook MansionBet have renewed and extended their partnership. 

The agreement will see DraftKings continue to supply its B2B technology to power MansionBet, and provide a suite of managed services covering compliance, payments and anti-fraud protocols, to the Gibraltar-based sports betting brand of the Mansion Group.

Discussing the partnership DraftKings Chief International Officer, Shay Berka, said:

“Across multiple global jurisdictions, DraftKings is changing the way fans engage with sports. Our renewal and extension with MansionBet, a tier one operator in the highly competitive U.K. market, is another example of the strategic value DraftKings’ cutting-edge B2B technology provides to our clients.”

While CEO at Mansion, Karel Manasco, added:

“DraftKings’ B2B platform has been instrumental to the success of MansionBet since we launched. The extended deal will allow us to provide our players with the ultimate sports betting experience, including increased offerings and an enhanced horse racing product, utilising the impressive platforms and services that DraftKings provide.”

MansionBet launched in 2018 and has seen significant success in a very competitive market. The extended partnership with DraftKings will significantly enhance MansionBet’s customer offering, especially regarding horse racing, which will now include more streaming coverage and Timeform content from UK and international race tracks. 

In August MansionBet was announced as principal partner for English Championship football club Bristol City. And, earlier this month, DraftKings became the latest partner of the International Betting Integrity Association – a move which gives its clients across US and international markets the benefit of access to the IBIA monitoring and alert platform. 

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Online sportsbook and casino operator 777.be has extended its contract with Belgium’s most famous Hollywood star, Jean-Claude Van Damme, through 2022. 

The operator will be launching a new campaign featuring Van Damme later this week, across national television, plus YouTube and other digital channels. In keeping with today’s socially responsible climate, the new campaign casts Van Damme as a “benevolent hero” on a mission to teach customers about knowing their limits.

Commenting on the news Head of Gaming at 777.be, Jean-Christophe Choffray, said:

“We are delighted to have Jean-Claude Van Damme on board to help us educate our players about responsible game play. Moderation is essential, and with this campaign Van Damme very effectively combines his talents and humour to get this very important message across to our players.”

Van Damme originally teamed up with 777.be back in March 2019, starring in two TV spots, and becoming the face of the online casino and sportsbook. According to the company, the ads featuring the martial arts legend have racked up 13 million views on YouTube alone.

AYO.NEWS says:

777.be are demonstrating that the power of celebrity can also be harnessed to deliver advertising that also educates about responsible gambling – something the UK’s Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) might want to pay attention to, given their conviction that celebrities should be banned from gambling advertising. 

‘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 huge potential of the betting and gaming markets in Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Georgia is set to be a central theme of SBC Digital Summit CIS on 4 – 5 November.

The virtual conference and exhibition comes as many operators are seeking new opportunities away from the fierce competition in Europe’s established regulated markets, while at the same time some governments in the CIS region have identified gambling as a potentially lucrative source of tax revenue. 

SBC and its local partner, Sports Media Holding, have compiled an agenda that will see 75 senior executive speakers examine what the rapidly-changing market conditions mean for operators and suppliers, where the largest opportunities are located, and how to make the most of them.

Georgia is the example that many in the industry would like to see the rest of the region follow. It has regulated land-based casinos, betting shops and gaming halls, with licence holders also permitted to offer equivalent online activities. 

As a result, the gambling industry has become a vital part of the Georgian economy, accounting for 8.4% of the country’s total business revenue in 2017. Operators generate more than GEL135 million (€35.3 million) a year in taxes, while the thriving casino resorts are an important driver of income for the tourism sector. 

The potential of the online market, which has achieved a 40% compound annual growth rate since 2016, has already caught the eye of major international operators. Flutter purchased a controlling stake in Georgia’s largest online sportsbook and casino Adjarabet last year, to follow GVC and Betsson, owners of Crystalbet and Europebet respectively, into the market. 

The Georgia – The Gaming Hub of CIS? panel at SBC Digital Summit CIS will provide an in-depth examination of how this success was achieved, what can be done to further improve the model, and what opportunities exist for potential new market entrants. 

Georgia is not the only established regulated market in the region; its southern neighbour Armenia, for example, also has a licensing regime that permits online sports betting and casinos. However, both nations have populations below four million, and there are some significantly larger markets set to open up in the region over the next 12 months. 

In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has passed legislation to end the country’s 11-year prohibition on all forms of gambling other than lotteries. The new law means licences will be available for land-based and online casinos, retail and online sports betting, gaming machines, online poker, and totaliser contracts, opening up a country of 42 million people to a wide range of operators.

The development has turned Ukraine into one of the global gambling industry’s biggest opportunities. The illegal gambling market in the country is thought to be worth more than €1 billion, and both the government and operators expect the regulated market to be significantly bigger. 

Details of the regulations, taxes and licence fees in the Gambling Act are now being carefully scrutinised by both CIS-based operators and competitors from further afield. Parimatch has already stated its intention to bid for a licence in its home territory, and it seems only a matter of time before others reach the same decision, despite some concerns about the increased licence fees that will be levied during the transition to a regulated market. 

SBC Digital Summit CIS’s Welcome to Ukraine panel will assess the opportunities for those international operators considering entering the market, and take a detailed look at the legislation and what it means for the industry. 

Uzbekistan is another nation that has recognised the potential economic benefits of establishing a regulated gambling industry. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s government has unveiled plans to legalise both online and retail sports betting in 2021, in order to raise funds for the development of football and other sports in the country. At the same time, a review of the lottery sector – currently the only legal form of gambling in Uzbekistan – is underway, with the intention of replacing all existing lotteries with a new national lottery. 

With a population of 33 million, Uzbekistan seemingly offers significant potential to the operators that secure betting licences. However, the full details of the regulatory regime are still to emerge and it is unclear whether applications will be accepted from overseas companies or restricted to local ones. International operators interested in the market can perhaps take some encouragement from the fact the government has opened up the country to foreign investment since the death of the long-serving president Islam Karimov in 2016.  

The Uzbekistan Regulations session will investigate what format the regulated betting market may take and evaluate how big the market opportunity is. 

Further panels during SBC Digital Summit CIS will address issues that influence market development right across the CIS, Ukraine and Georgia, including the evolution of payments technologies in the region, local marketing strategies, and the opportunities created by the growth of esports and the resurgent popularity of online poker.

In addition to the conference, the event will feature an interactive product display area with leading suppliers showcasing the latest sportsbook, casino and payments innovations tailored to local markets, together with a programme of networking roundtables to make it straightforward for delegates to connect and talk business. 

Click here to register for a free pass for SBC Digital Summit CIS.