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Switzerland’s online gambling law gains momentum to survive referendum

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Online Poker at All Time High
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Switzerland’s voters seem to be in a mood to support the gambling law that would restrict online gambling to sites operated by local land-based casinos, while banning the domains of other operators.

A recent survey of 1201 adults conducted by GfS Bern revealed that 52 per cent of respondents are ready to support the country’s new gambling law when a national referendum is conducted on June 10. Around 39 per cent intend to vote ‘no’ while a mere 9 per cent remain undecided.

Swiss legislators had already approved the new gambling law, which requires would-be online gambling operators to partner with local brick-and-mortar casino operators.

Swiss internet service providers would be required to block the domains of internationally licensed online operators that continue to serve Swiss gamblers without local authorisation.

However, the youth wing of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) managed to garner enough petition signatures to force a national referendum on the legislation. Local telecom firms and civil libertarians have joined the campaign to strike down the law but it appears that their efforts are coming up short with Swiss voters.

Support for the legislation is strongest among women, older people and residents of Switzerland’s French- and Italian-language regions. GfS Bern co-director Lukas Golder told SwissInfo.ch that “there is potential for a protest vote” but the law’s opponents “have focused too heavily” on the censorship issue.

The referendum campaign has featured tit-for-tat accusations of impropriety, with one “no” parliamentarian claiming he was offered a board seat with a casino operator if he would change his vote, while the casinos claim international gambling sites are underwriting the “no” campaign.

SWISS CASINOS BOSS OKAY WITH ONLINE TAXES

The casino executive who made that offer to the parliamentarian was Swiss Casinos Group CEO Marc Baumann, who this month told the Berner Zeitung media outlet that he wasn’t trying to “buy” the parliamentarian’s vote but says he now recognises that he “should have made the request only after the referendum.”

Asked why Switzerland shouldn’t let international online operators simply apply for local licenses without having to partner with a local casino, Baumann said he “cannot imagine that they are interested,” in part because “the levies that the federal government plans are the highest in Europe.”

On March 2, Switzerland’s Federal Council opened a consultation on its new gambling rules. Among the subjects up for discussion is the proposed online tax rate, which starts at 20 per cent for the first CHF3m (US$3m) of revenue, rises to 40 per cent on revenue up to CHF10m, then rises incrementally for every CHF1m above that, capping out at a maximum 80 per cent rate.

At those nosebleed rates, it is perhaps not surprising that the government expects to raise an annual CHF40–75m from online gambling taxes (from a population of less than 9m people). The Federal Council’s consultation concludes June 15, assuming voters vote “yes” five days earlier.

Despite this onerous online tax burden, Baumann said his Swiss Casinos Group remains interested in launching online gambling services. The Group currently operates a free-play casino site, Swissonlinegames.ch, and is “currently examining cooperation with a foreign company that has experience” in the real-money online sector.

Baumann insisted that this prospective partner is not a company that currently serves Swiss punters, because only companies with “a perfect reputation” will be allowed to operate under Switzerland’s new regime.

 

Source: calvinayre.com

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THE UNIT SHAKES UP AMATEUR FOOTBALL WITH DRIBBLE

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The Unit, a leader in nearshore product development and marketing services for sports betting and iGaming, is playing its part in the revolution of grassroots football in partnership with fantasy football operator Dribble.

Dribble brings a Moneyball sports-analytics approach to the amateur game by presenting players with the chance to track their performance, while connecting with the wider football community to earn recognition for their on-pitch performances.

Players can track their games and see their data, earning points based on how they, and their team, perform in matches. Players vote for their player of the match each gameweek, and profiles and rankings will update automatically after each gameweek.

The Unit, as an experienced supplier in the field of designing and developing robust, scalable platforms, has worked on this innovative product from concept to launch. The beta version of Dribble is now live across five amateur UK football leagues, covering more than 600 players.

Paddy Casey, Co-founder at The Unit, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with the team at Dribble on this project. At The Unit, we pride ourselves on having the ability to provide bespoke software development services, addressing unique business requirements and challenges.

“By offering the opportunity for amateur football players to become the stars of the show in their own fantasy football leagues, Dribble has brought to market an innovative and exciting platform, which ties in with our background in sports, so it’s been an ideal collaboration.

“We have enjoyed the process of working with the Dribble team and we are proud to have been part of the early stages of their journey. We are sure they will make their mark in the world of fantasy football, and this will certainly shake up the market.”

Kirk Flitton, Founder and CEO at Dribble, said: “In the past six months, we have raised early investment and gone from concept to product. We would not have been able to do so without The Unit, who have been a key part of the journey in making our idea come to life.

“We were delighted to introduce Dribble to football players recently, and we have been assisted through to launch by the expert software development The Unit provides.

“Dribble has been built to help every player tell their football story, and we are extremely excited to see how the platform can grow and develop in the coming seasons in a whole new era for grassroots football.”

With offices in Ireland, Ukraine and Moldova, The Unit has an unwavering commitment to becoming the partner of choice throughout the industry. In addition to its broad-ranging marketing services, the team has solidified its strong track record of building world-class, scalable and efficient products for the sports betting and iGaming sector in recent years.

As The Unit embarks on this period of growth, the company remains committed to delivering exceptional products and services to its clients. With its experienced team, best-in-class product development capabilities, and focus on innovation, The Unit is poised to shape the future of the sports betting and iGaming industries.

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Stretch Network Crazy Promotion

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Stretch Network Crazy Promotion
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Stretch Network is thrilled to announce a crazy opportunity to engage and reactivate small- and medium-stakes poker players with the launch of our latest tournament.

Tournament Details:
Name: CRAZY?! [Overlay Edition]
Guaranteed Prize Pool: €11,111
Buy-in: €1
Re-entry: €1
Start Time: 17:00 (UTC+0)
Date: November 24, 2024
Table Format: 8-max
Max Players: 2000
Entry Phases: Starting from just €0.1

This event is guaranteed to have an overlay, providing exceptional value and sure to generate excitement within the community.

Collaborate to make CRAZY?! [Overlay Edition] an unforgettable experience for your players.

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TaDa Gaming Releases “Ocean Hunter”

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Renowned iGaming content provider, TaDa Gaming, is taking players on a deep dive to immersive play in latest Fishing-Shooting release Ocean Hunter. Adding to the thrilling gameplay, multipliers to 1000x and a host of underwater creatures offering significant bonuses are circling the Ocean Hunter and his net.

With Fishing-Shooting games, there are no paylines or reels, the whole screen is the game. Ocean Hunter enables players to play from the position of the Hunter on his boat; and in a change to cannon and ammo fire, a high speed net is cast, ready to capture anything and everything within the vicintity for even bigger rewards. Plus, every cast of the net adds to the Energy Bar Accumulator, building up to activate the Free Electric Net feature.

The ocean floor is a busy place for the Hunter as schools of fish, shivers of sharks and pods of whales race past. Whether Hammerhead or Razor Shark or Killer Whales, net one of these giants and trigger the Rainbow Feature for wins of 2x for sharks and 3x for whales.

Ocean Hunter is a game of strategy and skill. The settings allow for players to single out their chosen creatures by bonus value or multiplier level and fully personalise their experiences.

Multiple choice is offered with three rooms – Newbie, Joy and Honor, each with different volatilities from low, medium to high, different Lucky Wheel rewards from 500x, 750x to a max of 1000x but all offering both solo and multiplayer capabilities for social gaming opportunities.

Every click has the chance to trigger the Lucky Wheel with up to 1000x depending on which room players choose. In addition, between one and four additional multipliers of 2x, 3x and 5x are randomly applied to segments of the wheel to take the rewards even higher.

Each successful catch sees showers of gold coins pour down the screen and stack up in towers on the win counter, creating a magical visual display and recreating the feel of the casino or arcade.

Enhanced with a Sixties style “perfect pop” soundtrack and TaDa’s signature fine detail, high quality graphics and cinematic animations, the underwater hunt is the place to be this November.

Sean Liu, Director of Product Management at TaDa Gaming, said: “Fishing-Shooting games are known for being easy to grasp and getting more strategic the deeper in players get. Ocean Hunter delivers this style of play in a mobile first, fast paced and exciting adventure. It’s a great introduction for those new to Fishing-Shooting and an immersive challenge for more experienced players.”

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