Latest News
Benefits of Legalizing Gambling in Developed Countries

The morality of gambling has been a matter of contention in society for most of its history. While some people perceive it as a fun activity, others see it as a threat to individuals’ social and economic well-being. Whether you are for or against gambling, and that incudes sports betting, it is crucial to note that both sides of the argument offer valid points. Ultimately, the question you should ask is if the negatives to gambling outweigh the benefits or vice-versa.
Although there have been major steps in countering the negative argument with countries such as the United States and Canada legalizing gambling, some still hold on to the idea that gambling is inherently harmful. The former has created regulatory bodies that control gambling activities. These bodies strike a balance between the activity’s risk and perks by ensuring player safety and security. So what do these developed countries gain from legalized gambling?
Fair and responsible gaming
Countries that hold onto the notion that gambling should be criminalized have systems and policies to punish those who go against the law. Lack of adherence is met with jail-time or fines, and while these might sound like effective deterrents, they are not; gamblers devise ways to go against the rules by either going to underground casinos or playing online.
For the former, this comes with a need for immense secrecy and risks of altercations with the law, which also puts you in danger. On the other hand, the latter offers unmitigated risks as the increase in online casinos means a higher risk of playing on an unreliable platform.
Legalizing gambling ensures that a reputable body governs each casino a player goes to. This way, you are reassured that the authority addresses any aspect of misconduct. Hence, you reduce the risk of losing money or getting scammed. The presence of regulations ensures fair gaming.
Although thanks to the growing online casino industry in Canada and other countries, not all platforms are regulated locally, it is easier to follow up with casinos that don’t adhere to the regulations. You can access a review of Canada online casino options before choosing a gambling platform or leave feedback of any to caution other players of misconduct or let them know about good deals. Thus, legalizing gambling allows the free flow of information that is crucial to the player experience.
Provides avenues to tackle addiction
One of the greatest concerns when it comes to gambling is that it poses an economic risk to the player. Several instances of gambling addictions have been reported, with some people losing their financial resources in a game. This idea of compulsive wagering elicits fear that legalizing gambling opens the society up for more cases.
In essence, this is false. While it might be influenced by access, the rate of gambling addiction is not necessarily dependent on whether the activity is legal or not. People will gamble, whether it is acceptable in the law or not.
Legalized gambling creates room for the creation and provision of resources to deal with addiction. Since gambling is deemed a common and acceptable activity in these developed countries, it is easier for gamblers to seek help when they feel they are overdoing it. Countries with legalized gambling often provide resources to help with addiction, including counseling services or avenues to self-regulate.
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You will find that some platforms that offer online casinos for real money and reviews on its also caution players on the dangers of irresponsible wagering. This is a requirement from regulatory bodies and indicates a casino’s adherence to gambling laws. It helps ensure that while these casinos provide an avenue for you to enjoy your favorite games and make real money, they also ensure the player’s well-being.
Safety and Security
Online gambling offers gamblers the choice to play for free or for real money. When you choose the latter, you will need to provide personal information, such as identification documents and addresses. At times, you might have to use your credit cards to fund your account.
Online casinos use encryption technology to protect your data from external access and fraudulent activity. Legalized gambling helps ensure that if you have an issue, complaint, or are suspicious of authorised access, you can follow up with the relevant authority.
Job Creation
The gaming industry has created over 1.8 million jobs worldwide. This number is from online and land-based casinos. Additionally, when it comes to the latter, the casinos’ traffic seeps into other aspects of surrounding communities. This way, gambling has created jobs both within and without the industry.
While this isn’t necessarily considered a form of job creation, some players graduate to professional gamblers, making the activity their source of income. This form of economic benefit has alleviated some from poverty and allows them to fend for their families.
Tourism
Cities such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Macau are known as gambling capitals of the world. They are not only homes to some of the best casinos, but also sort after travel destinations. Although these cities were initially or are best known for their standing in the gambling world, they have morphed into all-rounded experiences. They have luxury hotels, proximity to attractions, and resources for both leisure and business travelers.
Taxes
The US government made 43.61 billion dollars from casinos in 2019, while the Canadian government made $1.25 billion and the United Kingdom made £2.9 billion. These sums are from both online and land-based casinos. Legalizing gambling allows for economic growth through tax revenues.
Designed by vectorjuice / Freepik
As the industry continues to witness the growth of the online gambling market, there is an expected revenue increase.
Conclusion
While the good outweighs the bad, the latter is at times too significant to overlook. Some gamblers have lost massively. It is crucial to understand that, like every other thing, an individual’s gambling experience has to do with a lot more than the legality or illegality.
When developed countries legalize gambling, they create avenues for both players to experience the perks of the activity with security assurance. Casinos are also protected.
Central Europe
Offering Your Players Increased Betting Personalisation Through Widget Technology | Altenar & The Czech Republic

As a global sportsbook software provider, Altenar has garnered inordinate amounts of market, player and technology know-how over its years on the iGaming market, and has helped to propel the use of greater personalisation through features and techniques within the betting sphere.Ā
In utilising widget technology in its front-end interface, Altenar has not only added new layers of personalisation to a host of global operators and their players but allowed for a more robust and automated experience as a whole.Ā
On top of this, Altenar boasts several official data providers, a strong risk management system, a plethora of global sports content (live & virtual), as well as the support of dedicated account managers and sportsbook experts at your fingertips.
So, why is a widget built front-end a must-have feature for sportsbook operators? Letās take a closer look at why widget technology in sports betting is thinking outside of the automated boxā¦Ā
- Content Widgets allow operators to embed Altenarās sports content in a variety of positions to better suit their playersā needs.
- Altenarās content widgets allow operators to replace sportsbook components with custom widgets that are managed from the operator’s side. This increases tremendously, the front-end customisation and flexibility per individual brand requirements.Ā
- Content widgets create a more immersive betting experience for customers by displaying stats, a scoreboard, animations and popular bets, creating a greater interface.Ā Ā
- Altenarās Content Widgets aim to create a new FE framework based on the widgets architecture while improving the UX.
Latest News
Javier Zanettiās P.U.P.I. Foundation and Planetwin365.news launch together a new āSocial & Communityā project

The infotainment portal owned by Planet Entertainment – SKS365 Group becomes Media Supporter of the non-profit organization founded by the former footballer and his wife. The promotion of solidarity initiatives powered by P.U.P.I. will go hand in hand with editorial content on the main sporting events.
Connecting sport and solidarity to promote the noblest and healthiest values is the reason behind the collaboration between Planetwin365.news, the sports information website owned by Planet Entertainment – SKS365 Group, and P.U.P.I Foundation – the non-profit organization founded by Javier Zanetti and his wife Paula de la Fuente – committed to the protection of the rights of children and adolescents.
Thanks to this synergy, Planetwin365.news will be Media Supporter of the P.U.P.I. Foundation, becoming an additional and powerful channel for the communication of the social responsibility initiatives developed by Zanetti and Paula de la Fuente through their non-profit organization, in order to promote the values of solidarity, inclusion and sociability that belong to both entities.
Planetwin365.news will therefore be enriched with new content powered by the P.U.P.I. team and the āTreble Captainā who will talk, in a dedicated column on the sports web portal, about the activities of the P.U.P.I. Foundation. The focus will be on the “Sport makes us equal” project, which will support discussions on topics concerning sport as a tool that fosters integration, social development and improvement of the quality of life; in the foreground, there will be also comments on the main sporting events.
The agreement with a world football legend and his non-profit association fills us with pride and will help us to further develop the ‘social & community’ aspect that distinguishes our younger brand – said Anniina Rantala, Senior Director, Commercial Online at SKS365 – We will be able to offer new content and an increasingly social and interactive entertainment experience to the users of Planetwin365.news. We have already had the pleasure of working with Javier on other projects and, this new agreement, represents a unique opportunity to make our brand a point of reference for all sports fans, while supporting the solidarity initiatives of the P.U.P.I. Foundation.
“I am very happy to start this journey together with the P.U.P.I Foundation. I am confident, it will allow us to emphasize the importance of sports in the daily work of our association,” added Javier Zanetti. āI thank Planetwin365.news on behalf of Paula and myself for choosing the P.U.P.I. Foundation, allowing us to help those who need it most.”
Conferences in Europe
Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2023: Charting the growth of Esports in CEE

Ahead of our sold-out Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2023 next week, we sat down with some of the brightest minds in Europe to talk all things Esports and its potential for the CEE region.
In one of our most insightful interviews this year, we brought together Peter Rippel Szabo (PRS), Associate at Bird & Bird, Amir Mirazee (AM), Managing Director and COO at Bayes Esports, as well as Dimitris Panageas (DP), Group General Counsel at Kaizen Gaming to get the latest on Esportsā growth.
Covering everything from Ukraine, localised regulation, market demographics, state licensing and taking on traditional sportsbook spend, this oneās not to be missed!
To kick things off, letās talk about the demand for Esports in CEE ā how much does the region stand out in terms of growth potential vs the likes of Scandinavia and Western Europe?
AM: Itās a unique environment and of course being Bayes, we can gauge that from a good standpoint with over 100 betting clients globally and 200 in our extended network. On the CEE side, our major partners are GG.bet, DATA.BET and BETER, and weāre seeing considerable volume. This is particularly the case for Counter Strike ā and players love new titles.
The one issue we have right now is the changing political dynamics. While Ukraine and Russia used to offer great Esports teams, as well as serving an anchor for satellite nations around them (Poland, Baltics etc), this equilibrium has of course been shifted, and it now needs to settle at a new one. This is especially the case for Ukraine, which really was the epicentre in the CEE region for Esports. Added to that is Russia of course now being shut out of the market, with operations now needing to be re-established to find a new hub to anchor the verticalās development. In my view ā the Czech Republic will likely be a key component.
PRS: From my base in Hungary, I can certainly say that across CEE organised tournaments are very strong ā with growth proving very organic, and indeed, spontaneous. Thereās not yet big money in most of the tournamentsā prize pools, but they are certainly crammed with amateur players who are very āplugged-inā online and have a real passion for Esports. This goes for both the relevant products and enjoyment of that entertainment. Also, it is worth mentioning that in Hungary more established clubs with strong foundations across various sports have engaged with Esports (e.g. through establishing dedicated esports departments and training players professionally). Universities and other non-profit organisations have also started to study thoroughly the various physical, psychological and other aspects of Esports.
From a legal perspective what is needed for growth is a clear regulatory environment (dealing with the status of esports, i.e. whether it is a ānormalā sport, whether it has a special status, or something in between, as well as covering issues like requirements for tournament organisation, player safeguarding and integrity). This would also help alleviate some aspects negatively perceived by the general public (like lack of exercise, addiction or abuse). Of course, talking about Scandinavia and Western Europe – the one variable in comparison with CEE is consumer spend and the resulting market size which will likely never reach the same level in the East.
DP: For myself, and indeed given our extensive experience at Kaizen, I would say the demand is there to see. Itās not a new way of betting, but rather a new type of Ā possible future verticals, and a set of betting markets to enjoy. As itās still in the emerging stage, I would say itās not yet considered a fully established ātraditionalā vertical like sportsbook, lottery, live casino and others.
Looking at demographics, they are without a doubt smaller than more established verticals, which we need to distil into sub-segments to better understand on a micro level. Factoring in how fast the CEE market is changing, especially with the likes of Hungary (which was until recently a state monopoly), I would definitely say that we have every potential for Esports to really take off in the next 5-10 years.
On a macro level, the major growth blocker that needs to be overcome is that of regulation. Esports needs to be properly and specifically regulated as both a sport and from a betting perspective ā this is essential in order to enable it to become a fully established vertical in its own right. So, in summary, itās emerging fast and gaining traction, but still a long way to go.
What do you see as the key driver for demand for Esports betting in CEE? From a regulatory perspective, do you see CEE jurisdictions as being more open to Esports betting?
AM: Agreeing with Peter in his first answer, I would certainly say itās a unique generation in CEE and thatās certainly why Esports has grown so much here. Online gaming, and indeed video gaming, has created the generation weāre seeing now, as well providing them with a connection to the rest of Europe and the wider world. Without a doubt, we can say that the āinternet generationā in their 20s and 30s have very much been shaped by that culture, whether thatās Call of Duty, memes, and everything else. On the regulation front, again, I agree also ā it needs to be regulated as a sport. Germany, for example, does not even acknowledge Esports as a sport, which as a consequence, means it canāt even be bet on yet. That needs to change.
PRS: Itās a complex question but with plenty of potential in CEE. Gambling, betting and generally games of chance have similar basic legal concepts when it comes to regulation across Europe (national regulatory frameworks may differ of course), therefore, CEE jurisdictions can be as open to Esports betting as other countries. I think the key driver is simply how much Esports will gain in popularity in the future, for the more popular certain Esports titles will be the more will the demand be for Esports betting. Also, I think if Esports would be recognised explicitly as a sport and/or it would be a regulated activity in a CEE jurisdiction, then I believe it would likely facilitate the demand for Esports betting in that jurisdiction.
DP: Indeed. The key factor that you need to drive demand (letās say from a sample set of the 10 major CEE countries), is that they do not yet specifically regulate Esports. Hungary, as Peter has mentioned, is becoming part of that change, so weāre seeing the opportunity for it to become a conducive environment for development. In my view, the regulatory framework for most of CEE is still vague; and as long as itās principally viewed as a betting market rather than a sporting discipline in its own right, it will stay as that.
Taking the wider perspective, any law and/or regulation will take a minimum of 6-12 months to be adopted and following that ā youāll then need extensive marketing and commercial communication expenses to then push Esports into the mainstream. Without a doubt, however, looking at CEE demographics, the unique composition of their audiences holds plenty of potential. What makes it special is that while it is niche as a sport/product, itās not the same as niche traditional sports, such as handball in Germany.
Rather, you have a fast-growing product that can easily enter the mainstream as it transcends borders and can offer penetration principally via social media, where it is already very popular. I am sure that with the proper marketing and investment, Esports will create a snowball effect that will allow it to become a mainstream vertical by itself soon enough.
When it comes to being a complementary product to traditional sportsbook spend, how is Esports fitting into the mix and is it cannibalising from traditional sportsbook?
PRS: Iād say that Esports and traditional sportsbook can, and do, complement each other, especially if popular traditional sports (like football or basketball) are played via video games (FIFA or NBA2K) in organised Esports competitions which traditional sports fans can easily perceive and understand.
So, even if audiences are of course very different, youāll see crossovers when it comes to interests. Using Hungary as an example, the state-owned betting & lottery operator (SzerencsejĆ”tĆ©k Zrt.) launched betting on esports competitions in 2020 due to the lack of traditional live sports events resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. It has quickly become one of its most popular betting offerings.
An interesting point too is the ability to convert players to new verticals, and as a result, increase engagement and incremental spend. For example, youāll have a millennial customer use football as a platform for introduction, and then while waiting for the match to play out for 90 minutes (or indeed after the final whistle), he / she will then give Efootball or another Esports activity a try ā which is a great way of introducing the product.
AM: From my perspective, if weāre talking about FIFA and other Esports, these worked superbly well during COVID as a substitute product for those looking to replicate the missing sporting schedule, with nothing happening aside from (as I recall), the Belarusian Premier League. With the likes of League of Legends and Counter Strike, you have a very different demographic / audience ā and youāll find them in different places rather than traditional sportsbook.
As a result, I believe you need to look at providing something different to attract players. Take a look at Bet365ās Esports offering for example, it works surprisingly well for a UX that has evidently been derived from traditional sports. However, thereās much more room for improvement in the coming years. Itās easy to see the use-case for this, looking at all sports betting viewership right now, everythingās declining aside from Esports, so itās an opportunity to be capitalised on.
Weāre also seeing demographics change rapidly, while Esports was previously only for the 20-25 age group, itās now becoming much older, so youāre closing that monetisation gap. If you want to capture the interest of this fast-growing demographic, you need to reformat the UX to cater to that. So yes, without a doubt, Esports is now becoming a product that can drive traffic in its own right through new audiences, without cannibalising spend from traditional sportsbook.
DP: For me, it depends on the definition of where cannibalisation starts from. When new products are introduced, they certainly drive interest and add to engagement, but in theory that will also bring a decline in engagement for traditional alternatives as overall sportsbook spend is going to be finite.
The positive that Esports brings however, is that it can complement well, given it has a very different schedule to traditional sportsbook. Tournaments taking place across the globe (for example in Asia) Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā are during the eveningĀ Ā Ā Ā , meaning itās during the day in Europe ā enabling Esports to boost sportsbook spend both before and the day after evening football matches such as the Champions League mid-week.
Taking the longer view, there is a greater risk of cannibalisation if we see more European Esports tournaments taking place during the evening (at the same time as major football matches), which will likely happen in the next 5-10 years. This will create a tipping point where it becomes more popular to bet on than evening football matches.
Looking at the delayed Euro 2020 held last year, can operators use the standout success of Efootball during the tournament as a reason to engage more players during the weekendās sport fixtures?
DP: I believe Esports will always hold plenty of potential as a complementary product during major events such as the Euros, where we see heightened betting activity and greater overall spend. However, the challenge is always going to be taking this into the mainstream and having it considered as a regular fixture week in, week out. In my view, it is very possible that this could translate well into a complementary product that fills the gaps between sporting fixtures, especially for those who like to be pre-match and not in play. Given a football match lasts 90 minutes, you have plenty of space to fill over the 90 minutes after pre-match bets are placed. If you can identify and incentivise that opportunity, then I believe there is huge potential in the long term.
AM: Also, as weāve covered already ā the audience you have for Efootball- Ā is completely different to Counter Strike, League of Legends and the like, so in effect weāre only talking about 50% of the potential Esports audience.
Letās take Europe as a market to speak on a macro level and place Efootball in isolation. Regulation for a start is going to be key, making sure that product is available and acceptable. Thatās something in particular weād need to see in Germany with the Bundesliga, as Esports is not yet regulated to be a betting market. Looking further west towards the UK, thereās far less of an overlap, due to player preferences and composition of audience. However, if we return to the CEE, then yes, without a doubt I see plenty of potential here for operators to really test this out as itās something the new generation of players are very receptive to.
PRS: To add to that, I would certainly say in many ways weāre looking at an area of spend (and indeed audience) that are traditionalists when it comes to football. However, if we look at the new generation and their social circles and familiarity with the online environment, they are shaped by a very different world than what older generations had for football growing up as a primary source of entertainment.
So, without a doubt, weāll see a very different trend towards the Esports landscape over the next decade. Whether thatās for Esports as a complementary product or one in its own right, I believe it will be inevitable that it becomes an area of engagement with traditional sports fixture in the decade to come. This is especially the case if Esports will be regulated clearly,Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā as well as Esports tournaments being organised regularly, Ā enabling online gaming operators to follow that lead and invest in technology and commercial communication dedicated to Esports.
Last but not least, looking at the big picture ā whatās your take on how Esports is going to develop in CEE over the next five years, how much more do you see it gaining popularity?
DP: I believe it is going to develop, and it will no doubt gain traction. But in my view, it wonāt take off immediately. The next few years will likely see Esports continue as a complementary product that will enable operators to diversify and upgrade their offerings. The new generation coming online will power this, and with an extensive spectrum of events around the globe, and the 24-7 betting that it brings, it can scale fast.
However, for that to happen, we also need to see more investment in the vertical for it to become more established. For a start, we need more advanced trading models that can enable operators to offer a much broader spectrum of Esports betting markets to attract more players. Weāre already seeing that happen in real-time, and even in the last three years, thereās been a real surge in terms of managed trading services for Esports and the provision of data. As weāre seeing truly specialised companies for this provision begin to corner the market, growth will inevitably become even more exponential, with a āhockey stickā style adoption curve.
AM: I agree. Thereās plenty of potential. We can certainly say that outside of the present conflict taking place between Russia and Ukraine, thereās a stable trend towards growth, aside from the recent Parimatch / Ukraine news this week. Iām confident itās only going to keep growing for all the reasons weāve covered above.
All of this is fuelled by the unique audiences of the region, and indeed their demand for entertainment. If we compare the potential of Western vs. Eastern Europe, then without a doubt, I believe that CEE is the most likely to emerge as the continentās major player. Given our position on the market as one of the worldās leading Esports providers, I believe that Esports is exactly what you make of it ā and if you take a proactive view and approach, the market share is there for the taking.
PRS: I concur with Amir and Dimitris, I believe itās only going to grow ā all the foundations are there in CEE to make that happen; demographics, interest, increasing awareness of relevant brand values and an established understanding of the mechanics. In the short-term, I donāt believe weāll see major displacement of the most popular traditional sports or radical shifts in market trends. Longer term, weāll to see much greater adoption that will no doubt scale over as exponential growth really begins to emerge.
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