The Norwegian gambling regulator, Lotteritilsynet, has confirmed amendments to the unlicensed operator payments ban will be in effect from 1^st January 2020.

Though there has technically been a ban on payments to unlicensed gambling operators since 2010, it is estimated that around NOK6bn ($659.9m) is still being spent with offshore operators, so Lotteritilsynet has requested sweeping new powers.

The new amendments will give the regulator the power to request transactions are blocked based on company names and account numbers, and also cover payment intermediaries.

Discussing the new powers Lotteritilsynet lawyer and advisor, Gram Skår, explained:

“The foundation of the Norwegian gambling model is to help protect vulnerable groups from becoming gambling addicts. Good public control of gambling offsets both crime and gambling addiction. We see the effect of work we are doing today, but the purpose of the changes is to make the payment service ban more effective. This means we can, to a greater extent, prevent gaming companies from accepting deposits from Norwegian players.”

The regulator estimates around 250,000 Norwegians currently gamble with unlicensed offshore operators.

AYO.NEWS says:

If this payment ban is effective it is bound to sting quite a few operators and affiliates who’ve grown used to relatively high spending Norwegian players.

Coupled with the strict new regime in Sweden, it seems the Nordic countries are becoming decidedly less appealing to gambling operators – many of whom are looking across the Atlantic to North and South America, as well as emerging markets in Africa and Asia, for future growth.  

Just last week we looked at the state of the Norwegian gambling market – see GAMBLING IN NORWAY – A MONOPOLY OR FREE MARKET?

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

Swedish media is reporting that Zimpler has accused Trustly of abusing its position in the gaming market in Sweden, and has reported it to the Competition Authority.

According to Di Digital, Zimpler has informed the Swedish Competition Authority that Trustly has locked gaming companies into exclusive and expensive agreements, preventing them from adopting other services.

Because of this, Zimpler believes that Trustly is stopping them from doing business with gaming companies with Swedish gaming licenses. Zimpler claims to have obtained evidence of the strategy through conversations with several gaming companies.

Zimpler have been struggling to get new gaming companies in their portfolio since they launched their service back in 2017. The company says that it now believes operators in Sweden are not signing contracts with them out of fear they will lose their relationship with Trustly.

In early 2019, Trustly bought the company Entercash, which also had a similar service, and gained an even larger market share.

Responding to the Swedish Competition Authority, Trustly asserted that Zimpler’s picture of the competitive situation is incorrect. The company believes that it is not possible to look solely at the part of the company that deals with payments from company accounts to private accounts, as it is only a minor part of Trustly’s total operations.

Trustly say that they do have exclusivity agreements with gaming companies who use the Pay N Play service, but that this is a limited number.

Last year, Trustly Group had sales of close to SEK 900 million and made a profit of SEK 447 million, with over 85% of the Swedish market. Zimpler had a turnover of SEK 39 million in the same year and posted losses of SEK 677,000.

Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) has entered a long-term agreement with SIA Mr Green Latvia (Mr Green).

The partnership will see GiG provide its software platform license, online casino, sportsbook and front end services for Mr Green’s brand entry into the Latvian gaming market. As part of William Hill, Mr Green is already one of GiG’s existing partners.

GiG says the new agreement will strengthen its position in the Latvian market, where it already supports the sportsbook solution of the 11.lv brand – which is itself 75% owned by Mr Green.

Commenting on the news CEO of Mr Green Latvia, Janis Tregers, said:

“This is an exciting moment for the William Hill Group business in Latvia, where we move forward with our strategy to introduce a global brand such as Mr Green to the market. We see it as the perfect compliment to the locally well established 11.lv brand, also hosted on the GIG platform.

“By working closely with GIG and leveraging their technology from product, compliance and other aspects we have been able to propel 11.lv to second position among leading brands in the market. It is now time to make Mr Green a similar success.”

While Chief Executive Officer at GiG, Richard Brown, added:

“I am pleased to announce this expansion of our collaboration and partnership with Mr Green. Latvia is an interesting market for online gambling, we are looking forward to support Mr Green’s growth with a strong, safe and entertaining product.”

A revenue shared-based agreement, it is expected to go live in Q2 2020, and should result in a limited contribution to GiG’s overall revenue in 2020, with an increased from 2021 onwards.

The company says it expects the Latvian interactive gambling market to grow by more than 35% over the next two years, with a market value of approximated €125 million euros in 2022.

Greentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, has gone live with London-based online operator SpaceCasino, strengthening the supplier’s presence in the UK gaming market.

The partnership means SpaceCasino players can now access Greentube titles like the classic Book of Ra™ series, and more recent releases Diamond Link™: Mighty Elephant, Garden of Persephone™ and Realm of Poseidon™.

SpaceCasino says it is enjoying fast growth in the UK online market, will soon launch in Finland, and has plans to expand across Europe.

Commenting on the news Head of Sales and Key Account Management at Greentube, Markus Antl, said:

“Partnering with SpaceCasino will extend our reach in the UK, a market where Greentube has seen significant growth in the last 12 months. We are looking forward to supporting the operator as they continue to gain market share, providing a premium selection of games which have proven popularity with local players.”

While Head of Business Development at STech, the iGaming platform provider behind the SpaceCasino brand, Dan Vikman, added:

“We are very pleased to offer Greentube’s high-quality portfolio to our customers at SpaceCasino in the UK, including several Book of Ra™ titles which are already proving a huge hit with players. The addition of Greentube’s industry-leading games will undoubtedly help us attract new audiences and increase our customer base as we launch into new markets.”

Staying with Greentube, just a few days ago AYO.NEWS reported the company had announced an extension to its partnership with CashBet Coin (read more).

With Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party winning its biggest parliamentary majority since Margaret Thatcher in 1987, the last chance of stopping Brexit and saving the United Kingdom has vanished.

Labour: Sabotaged by its own leader

Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to step down, and hand leadership of his party to someone more acceptable to his own MPs and the British public, has condemned his party to the wilderness and assured the certainty of Brexit and the disintegration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Time and again Labour MPs and supporters have urged Corbyn to step down for the sake of his party and the country, but time and again his own ego has prevailed. Only ever party leader because of the dysfunctional British system for electing party leaders (where only paid-up party members can vote – which, in Labour’s case, unfortunately consists mainly of washed up old hard left activists), Corbyn will be remembered as playing an instrumental part in facilitating Brexit and the destruction of the nation.

As has been noted many times over the past 24 hours, this election wasn’t won by Johnson because most people like him, but rather because people truly hate Jeremy Corbyn.

Scotland: SNP seize almost complete control

Reflecting the alienation from Westminster felt by the majority of Scots, who have always opposed Brexit, the Scottish National Party wiped the floor, seizing almost complete control of the country. It now seems certain, as we previously predicted here at AYO.NEWS, that a new Scottish independence referendum will be held in the very near future – maybe even before the end of January, when the UK is now expected to exit the European Union.

Liberal values crushed by populism

Despite enjoying increasing support since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Liberal Democrats were easily brushed aside, with party leader Jo Swinson losing her Dumbartonshire seat to the Scottish National Party, and promptly stepping down. Whether the Liberals lost votes due to their supporters tactically voting for Labour in a vain attempt to keep the Conservatives out remains to be seen, but the bottom line is that the only openly anti-Brexit party has now ceased to exist as a fighting force capable of putting up any meaningful resistance.

What now?

Boris Johnson, in true Trump-style, will no doubt now boast loudly of his “stonking mandate” for Brexit, and with his increased parliamentary majority, will force his version of Brexit (whatever that version is) through in January.

All industries, including iGaming, can now expect to have to deal with all the difficulties we’ve previously discussed, from travel and employment complications and expenses, to mountains of extra paperwork and administration costs, and an uncertain regulatory environment (see UK GOV’T URGES GAMBLING OPERATORS TO PREPARE FOR ‘NO-DEAL’ BREXIT NOW).

Of course, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, one of the world’ major gaming industry hubs, faces some of the most immediate and potentially dislocating issues – particularly regarding staff living in Spain and commuting into the British territory. Crown dependencies like the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney may also find things get complicated – as they are not part of European Union, but enjoyed a kind of defacto ‘membership’ through their association with the United Kingdom (which they also aren’t technically part of).

That other Mediterranean gaming hub, Malta, could also be in for a shock. In April the Maltese government issued a warning that Brexit could spell the end for UK-facing operators on the island (read more).

But, all of these issues may well pale in comparison to the problems that could emerge if, or should we say ‘when’, Scotland makes a bid for independence and when the inevitable reunification vote comes in Northern Ireland…

The Independent summed things up well: 

This article features opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

Malta-based Kindred Group is the first commercial community partner of the European Football Development Network (EFDN).

A network of more than 85 European professional clubs, leagues and FA’s that are committed to their communities and social responsibilities, EFDN aims to promote the power of football as a tool for social development.

The new partnership with Kindred follows the gambling group’s previous sponsorship of EDFN’s “Active Fans” program in spring 2019.

Commenting on the news CEO of EFDN, Hubert Rovers, said:

“We are proud to present Kindred as our first commercial Community partner. There is a natural fit between EFDN and Kindred as we both share the love for football and are leaders in our industries in terms of taking responsibility for the community and in contributing to sustainability.

“Kindred uses a new sustainability-driven framework for sponsorships and promotes community initiatives through its partnerships with clubs and leagues. At EFDN, we strive to raise the quality and impact of community programmes through knowledge exchange and collaboration.”

While CEO of Kindred Group, Henrik Tjärnström, added:

“We are very proud and excited to be a part of the EFDN network. We feel that the work EFDN do is very important and aligns well with Kindred values. We truly believe that this will be a successful partnership where we will be able to build great things together. For example, we will share our knowledge and experience by developing and implementing an anti-match fixing programme to the extensive network of EFDN member clubs.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Hats off to Kindred for this partnership – its great to see companies are increasingly getting involved with real projects to help promote social responsibility, rather than just talking about it.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.