Eastern Europe
Moldova is handing over control over gambling and lotteries to foreign companies
Gambling is a state monopoly in Moldova, and now the country is handing control over gambling and lotteries to two foreign companies under a public-private partnership.
The APP (Moldova’s Public Property Agency, ), will no longer hold a monopoly on gambling and lotteries, as the state announced plans to implement a public-private partnership project with two EU member companies.
The first contract, relating to slot machines, has been won by Novo Gaming M Technologies GmbH, part of the Austria’s Novomatic consortium operating.
Novomatic, owned by Austrian billionaire Johann Graf, 71, operates in 45 countries, and exports high-tech gaming equipment to more than 70 countries all over the world.
The company is one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world. It has 25,500 employees worldwide, operating in over 2,100 locations with a total of 260,000 game machines and electronic roulettes.
The second contract, regarding the lottery and sports bets, has gone to NGM SPC Limited, formed by Market AD, National Lottery AD and NGM SPC Limited.
The companies are part of National Lottery AD, the largest licensed gambling operator in Bulgaria.
Media reports say the company over the past three years has enjoyed one of the highest growth rates in the South-Eastern Europe.
It is owned by Bulgarian Vasil Krumov Bozhkov, 62, a controversial businessman mentioned in the US diplomatic telegrams revealed by WikiLeaks as nicknamed “the Skull”. Bozhkov, who has never faced charges, has not commented on the claims made about him in WikiLeaks.
The Moldovan state has secured a good revenue from the companies’ activities. The proposal is that 75 per cent of the revenue generated in the lottery sector be returned to the National Lottery of Moldova, NLM.
For sports bets, the NLM will receive 90 per cent of the revenues.
The share of gross revenue from slot machines that will come back to the NLM is 51 per cent, which is a higher percentage than in other European countries operating similar public-private partnerships, like Romania, noted APP in a press release.
In June 2016, the leader of the ruling party Vlad Plahotniuc “declared war” on illegal gambling in casinos in Moldova and on the gambling addiction that had ruined some people’s lives.
In November 2016, about 200 policemen stormed and shut down all the casinos in the country over just one night, with Plahotniuc claiming the success of the operation.
On 5 December 2016, a draft law written by ruling party deputies stipulated that the managing and development of gambling activities, except for casinos, was now a state monopoly, to be carried out only through the National Lottery of Moldova. Parliament adopted the law quickly on December 22, 2016.
Source: BalkanInsight
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.
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