Eastern Europe
Kindred Group out with its most contemporary Romanian online casino brand – VladCazino
After a break of 2 years, Kindred Group, one of Europe’s fastest growing online gambling companies have recommenced its Australian television advertising pitches and is out with its most contemporary Romanian online casino brand – VladCazino.
Kindred Group promulgated the launch of VladCazino, the company’s own initial online casino devoted to the Romanian market. VladCazino is for those players who simultaneously want to enjoy the time they spend playing online and experience the best possible deal. The in-house developed VladCazino features, vampire imagery, playing upon Romania’s association with Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula.
Ebba Ljungerud, Kindred’s Chief Commercial Officer said, Kindred sought to “always stay close to our customers” and the new site offered Romanian gamblers “a product and experience truly tailored to their needs.”
After the country liberalised its online regime in 2015 the Stockholm-listed that Kindred Group’s flagship Unibet brand was the foremost among operators to acquire a Romanian license.
As one brand launches, another brand dies. Last October, Kindred announced that its Stan James Online brand would be consigned to mothballs at some unspecified future date and its players would be migrated to Unibet. Last week, a Unibet rep told the TwoPlusTwo forum that the forced migration was “expected in the next month or so.”
In other Kindred news, Unibet is once again pimping its wares on Australian free-to-air TV via a new DDB Stockholm-created promo. Unibet’s down under marketing man Julian Timmins told Adnews that the company was looking to communicate with Aussie punters by showing “more respect than some other wagering advertising.”
Timmins says the ‘Manifesto’ commercial (viewable below) was directed at punters “who do form more analytically and take their betting a little more seriously.” The spot lays out the company’s ‘by punters, for punters’ ethos by saying they recognise that wagering is “not just about money, it’s about winning.”
Kindred will release its Q4/FY17 earnings report on Wednesday and will be looking to build on its record Q3 revenue and profit figures.
Eastern Europe
EGT Digital and PublicWin: A Successful Combination in Romania
One more prominent betting site in the Romanian market enriched its gaming portfolio with the top-performing slots of EGT Digital. The titles of Bell Link and Clover Chance jackpots have won the hearts of the visitors to PublicWin’s site since the very beginning, currently being among their favourites.
Tsvetomira Drumeva, Head of Sales at EGT Digital, said: “We are happy that EGT Digital’s games are once again demonstrating excellent performance. We would like to thank Public Win for choosing us as one of their providers of high-quality casino games, and I believe that we will soon have the opportunity to expand our partnership with them.”
Alex Marin, COO at PublicWin, said: “EGT Digital’s titles fit perfectly into our concept of always offering to our customers fresh and attractive gaming content. The results so far show that we have made the right decision and in the near future players on our site will be able to enjoy more slot products of the Bulgarian provider.”
Compliance Updates
Romania Bans Gambling Venues in Small Towns and Villages
Romania has announced a ban on gambling venues in small towns and villages with populations of less than 15,000 residents.
What’s known as the “law of slot machines” was passed by deputies in the lower house of parliament. “It is the first law adopted in Parliament in 30 years against this mafia that has controlled the political world until now,” said Alfred Simonis, the leader of the Social Democrats.
“Right now we are fighting an industry that has a total turnover of €10-12 billion.”
Industry figures complain they were not consulted, and hope that the authorities will control the black market as they promised.
Despite the unanimous vote, there was some dissent within the chamber. Two opposition parties that want to ban the “scourge” of gambling outright accuse the government of collusion with the gaming sector for not taking a stronger position.
On another front Ionut Mosteanu, the leader of the opposition USR, questioned how lawmakers had set the threshold.
“They thought that slot machines only damage 15,000 people,” he said. “There was not even a debate to see how many townships qualify for this 15,000. Why not 16, 17, why not two million and you would ban them definitively?”
Gambling venues have become ubiquitous across Romania over the last few decades. The National Gaming Office, the state body that monitors and approves the sector, has registered 12,000 sports betting, bingo, casino, lottery rooms.
The state collects taxes from gambling venue licenses and online ticket sales as from the amount betting houses spend on advertising.
There are no recent data to indicate how many people in Romania are addicted to gambling. The last survey was conducted in 2016, and found that there could be around 100,000 addicted people across the country. The number today could be much higher.
Conferences in Europe
Altenar becomes General Sponsor of EEGS 2024
The acclaimed Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) gladly welcomes Altenar, a leading sports betting software provider, as a General Sponsor for this year’s edition of the event. The conference will be held on 27th and 28th of November at the IEC, Sofia, Bulgaria. For another consecutive year Altenar joins the event as a major sponsor with total commitment for fostering innovation and growth in the gaming and entertainment industry, as a whole. This enduring long standing partnership has brought significant mutual benefits and opportunities for both parties and all event participants over the years.
Altenar is delivering best-in-class solutions for licensed operators around the world. Ranging from a standalone sportsbook product to the provision of a turnkey sportsbook solution, Altenar offers proven stability coupled with a flexible and personalised service.
Launched in 2011, Altenar powers hundreds of online sports betting sites, while their self-service betting terminals and mobile app help ensure they meet all operator needs, with an exponentially growing client base in more than 30 countries.
Altenar COO Dinos Stranomitis said: “In Altenar we consider EEGS and BEGE as a key event to establish connection with East and Southeast Europe. Considering that Bulgaria is playing a key role in that region, our presence is a must. See you in Sofia.”
Altenar is an invaluable partner, thus contributing to the success and vibrancy of EEGS itself. The continued support highlights a shared commitment to excellence and progress within the industry, making this year’s event an essential platform for associated industry luminaries and entrepreneurs to explore the latest trends and opportunities in gaming, entertainment and hospitality in general.
The Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS), the premier conference of the region, provides a dynamic platform for industry leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate, and explore the latest trends and opportunities shaping the gaming and entertainment landscape.
No doubt you wish to position your company alongside the Conference and exploit our expertise.
-
Asia7 days ago
Onlyplay Enters into Strategic Partnership with Ritchie Rabbit
-
Interviews7 days ago
Tom Galanis: giving a First Look at the Top of the Slots
-
Baltics6 days ago
Evoplay bolsters presence in Lithuania with Betsafe deal
-
Australia7 days ago
Crown Reinstated at Sydney Casino
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
EGBA Welcomes European Parliament’s Approval Of New EU Anti-Money Laundering Framework
-
Interviews6 days ago
The Full Spectrum Strategy: How Betting on Both Popular and Lesser-Known Sports Pays Off
-
Gambling in the USA7 days ago
Nebraska’s First Permanent Casino to Open in May in Columbus
-
Latest News6 days ago
William Hill Announced as Official Betting Partner of Qipco Guineas Festival