Industry News
Online gambling will soon be legal in the Netherlands
Legalization of online gambling in the Netherlands – Government budget 2019 counts on tax income from remote gambling
Is the outcome of the upcoming plenary session in the Senate already known? Anonymous sources with insider’s knowledge tell us it is. The recently published government budget for 2019 only makes our suspicion stronger: the bills will be passed by the Senate and online gambling will be legal in the Netherlands starting mid 2020.
Remote games of chance in government budget 2019
The government budget 2019 contains information about the budgetary consequences of legalization of online gambling. On just sports betting, the expected tax revenue is 6 million euro for 2020. The government expects to be raking in 12 million each year starting 2021. Tax revenue from other soon to be legal forms of online gambling (e.g. roulette, bingo and poker) are not included in these numbers yet. In the highly unlikely case of the Senate not passing the bill, the government would be missing out on the calculated tax revenue which can turn out problematic for the concerning ministry: budget cuts or lending more from other ministries may be the result. A time-consuming, labor-intensive process, which makes it extra significant that there is tax revenue from online gambling in the government’s budget planning.
Legalization remote games of chance
We saw the first signs of the government legalizing online gambling back in 2016, when EK 33.996 was passed by the House of Representatives. With this bill the market monopoly of land bound gambling providers was breached. The Senate will start plenary treatment for this bill on the 5th of Februari 2019. Bill EK 34.471, which ends the government’s monopoly on offering casino games, will go through plenary treatment in the Senate on the same day.
Benefits of modernizing the gambling law
Modernizing the outdated gambling law offers several advantages: extra tax revenue, effective prevention against addiction and ensuring only fair games are offered to the Dutch public. Online gambling is a growing market in the Netherlands: from 1,5 million players in 2016 to 1,8 million players in 2018. Each year the government is missing out on up to 175 million euro in gambling tax revenue.
Effective date
The effective date for the new gambling law will be 1st of July 2020. The law will commence at a by royal decree determined time. Afterwards, the Gaming Authority will need 6 more months to issue the necessary permits to online gambling operators. After this, online gambling will be legal in the Netherlands.
Taxes
TK 35.031 tells us tax liability for both land-based and remote gambling providers will shift from player to gaming provider. Gaming providers will be obliged to hand pay 29% in tax over their ‘gross game result’ (the difference between the received players’ deposits and paid out players’ prizes). In the current system it’s the player who is taxable for other forms of gambling, like sports betting. However, players weren’t taxed on prizes below 449 euro. By taxing the gaming providers instead of the players, a much bigger revenue stream is targeted. Tax revenue is expected to increase significantly under the new bill. In the new gambling law all remote games of chance are treated equal and will pay the same tax rate. This way, all types of online gambling (casino games, poker, sports betting) are given a fair chance.
Source: Onlinecasinoground.nl
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
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