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Finnish gambling market projections
Veikkaus, which is a Finnish state-owned company, has the monopoly over all gambling activities in the country. The company provides a wide array of games, including the Finnish national lottery, fixed odd betting, football pools, scratch tickets and so on. In total, there are 20 different kinds of games organized by the company. Most of its revenues are derived from the national lottery, which is extremely popular among the Finnish population. Interestingly, Veikkaus is managed by the Finnish Ministry of Education and the proceeds from its operation are channeled back to it. In 2010, these profits amounted to 463 million euros. The rules of the games, on the other hand, are controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
This model of regulating gambling activities in the country has been ubiquitous in the Nordic countries, but recently a new trend of liberalization has emerged. The national monopolies are having a harder time maintaining a customer base as people are switching to the online casinos, which are more difficult for the authorities to keep away. Internationally licensed online gambling providers are still able to reach the customers in countries where it is illegal for privately owned companies to provide these services. Some countries have tried to employ the banking sector in order to limit the power of such companies to process transactions for the customers. There has been a case of resorting to Apple in order to remove some gambling applications from the App Store as well.
As stated by the editor of the Finnish website Netti-casino.biz, it is interesting to see what path Finland will take when it comes to liberalizing the gambling market. There is a precedent for both liberalization as well as toughening of the regulations. Sweden and Denmark are already accepting applications from private companies for gambling licenses, while Norway is trying to strengthen the hold of its national monopoly over the market. There are no signs as to which direction Finland will follow yet. There are some obvious advantages to be had with liberalization. The government is not able to collect taxes from underground markets, which emerge when activities that are in demand are banned by the regulators. With a regulated market, it could see a surge in the tax revenues.
Online gambling is gaining popularity in Finland
Veikkaus’ revenue report shows an increase in the share of the digital activities. The company’s digital revenue increased by 10% from last year and in Q1 comprised 44% of the total revenues generated. The number of weekly active online customers stands at 626,000, which is an 11% increase. This shows that the monopoly is coping successfully with international providers, which might give the regulators less incentive to liberalize the market. Veikkaus claims to have captured 90% of the online market and furthermore, plans to “renew the company’s strategy in 2018 to respond to the strong change in the operating environment.”
Source: http://netti-casino.biz/casinouutiset/ennuste-suomen-rahapelimarkkinoille/
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SIS and Premier Greyhound Racing reveal improved greyhound race time schedule
Sports Information Services (SIS), the leading multi-content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, and Premier Greyhound Racing (PGR), the media rights company supplier of greyhound racing to the betting industry and direct to viewers, have collaborated to offer a revised race time schedule starting from 20 May.
Designed to protect the long-term future of UK greyhound racing, the new schedule will see morning fixtures start slightly later – moving from 10.47 to 11.01 and 10.54 to 11.09. Additionally, there will also be a slightly later start time for some evening fixtures aimed at a retail audience, with the first evening fixture now starting at 18.08.
Commenting on the improved schedule, Terry Mahoney, Head of Business Development at ARC, said: “The new race times will help make it easier for customers to navigate busy racing schedules as well as improving operations trackside. We will continue to listen, monitor, and adapt schedules where and when needed as we move forward to deliver the best service possible for betting operators as well as punters.”
Paul Witten, Managing Director at SIS, added: “We are passionate about delivering a greyhound racing service that benefits all of the sport’s stakeholders. Together with Premier Greyhound Raxing, we have introduced a revised racing schedule that benefits operators and their customers.
“Our approach to greyhound racing is grounded in sustainability and flexibility. This collaboration with fellow service providers allows everyone to enjoy all the high-quality action produced on a daily basis from tracks across the UK and Ireland.”
SIS has long-term agreements in place with bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred to deliver its greyhound content across UK and Irish retail and digital channels. SIS also promotes this content across dozens of leading international operators, as well as through SISRacing.tv.
PGR offers greyhound action, cards, video replays, results, news and info on greyhounds.attheraces.com, and regular live broadcasts on Sky Sports Racing. Premier Greyhound Racing is a joint venture between Arena Racing (ARC) and Entain, the global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group. Between them, the two companies own nine of the 20 licensed British greyhound tracks and ARC manage the media rights for five independent tracks.
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PRAGMATIC PLAY HITS THE SWEET SPOT WITH FRUITY TREATS
Pragmatic Play, a leading content supplier to the iGaming industry, has added Fruity Treats to its collection of clusters pays Slots.
Five or more fruit symbols must connect horizontally or vertically to award a win in this vibrant 7×7 title, which features a variation of the popular multiplier spots mechanic.
At the start of each spin, four marked spots of different colours take up random positions on the grid. If a win forms over a marked spot, a starting multiplier of 5x, 10x, 15x or 20x (depending on the spot colour) will be activated. Each time a winning combination lands on a marked spot after a tumble, the multiplier is applied to the win and then increases by its starting value.
Hitting at least three candy scatters on a spin awards entry to the bonus game with 10 free spins. During the feature, which can be retriggered with five additional free spins, activated multipliers from marked spots do not reset between free spins, potentially leading to massive wins.
Fruity Treats is the latest cluster pays Slot in Pragmatic Play’s multi-award-winning range, joining recent hit Sugar Rush 1000.
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “The roaming multiplier spots feature in Fruity Treats sets it apart from other successful cluster pays Slots in the Pragmatic Play portfolio, with marked spots staying sticky in the bonus game for even greater win potential.”
Pragmatic Play currently produces up to eight new Slot titles a month, while also delivering Live Casino and Bingo games as part of its multi-product portfolio, available through a single API.
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Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook returns for fourth year
Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook returns in June with registrations now open for a two-day content series featuring speakers from across the Kambi Group and insights covering the full breadth of the industry.
Taking place between 4-5 June, the Festival will be comprised of online sessions taking in topics ranging from UX optimisation and harnessing AI to maximising a summer of soccer featuring both UEFA Euro 2024 and the Copa América.
Erik Lögdberg, Managing Director of Kambi Sportsbook, will open the Festival with a session entitled ‘Exceptional, everywhere: meeting the increasingly high standards of an evolving market’, discussing how operators can develop their sportsbook to navigate changing consumer habits and fragmenting markets.
Kambi’s Head of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, Victoria Fernandes, will also be joined by Partner Success Manager Sabrina Andrade for a Portuguese language session delving into Brazil and how local operators can compete in the soon-to-be-regulated market.
Gerard Starkey, Kambi Group’s SVP of Marketing & Communications, said: “We are excited to once again be welcoming the industry to Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook, and we look forward to sharing the sportsbook insights and knowledge the event has become known for. As ever, the agenda features a broad range of sessions hosted by experts from across the Kambi Group, providing plenty to interest those working in or with the sports betting industry today.”
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