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Kasinopartio: Finland Next To Regulate The Casino Market
The casino industry has always been subject to strict regulation and in most countries the state was the first to take care of offering casino games to its citizens. Due to international and national pressure, many countries have opened their monopolies to foreign operators. Finland and Norway are still two exceptions with state-owned casinos being the only ones entitled to offer gambling products.
In its Q3 2022 interim report Finnish state owned Veikkaus reported that it would no longer be able to cope with the growing competition from international online casino operators, as it has been losing its market share at an increasing pace. According to the company, the government needs to open the casino market to offshore operators. Research done by Kasinopartio show new gambling regulations seem to be in the making favouring international casino brands.
Parliamentary Elections 2023
Parliamentary elections are coming up in Finland on April 2nd. Regulating the casino industry is not considered one of the main topics, but the positions in the political field are clear. Right-wing conservatives are ready to open the casino industry to competition, and among the smaller right-wing parties, the Swedish Peopleās Party is also on the side of allowing competition. Amongst left-wing parties, we find the Social Democratic Party, which won the 2019 elections, and has also unexpectedly changed its position after Veikkaus’ 2022 output, open to discuss a potential opening of the online casino industry. The smaller left-wing party, the Left Alliance, is still in favour of the current monopoly.
“All major parties clearly have the will to open the Finnish online casino market, so the elections are not expected to change this. The only thing likely to be affected by the upcoming elections is the schedule for the new regulation to come into force. With this in mind, it seems that after the formation of the government, it will take another 2-3 years for the new regulation to enter into force. Most likely in 2025 or 2026, the Finnish gambling market will have opened up for competition.” Kasinopartio in an official statement on the Finnish online gambling market
Benchmarking Studies
As different countries in the EU have opened their gaming markets in recent years, diverse case studies wait ahead. Since a new government still needs to be formed in Finland, the details of the expected change in the gambling monopoly are still to be discussed. What seems certain, however, is that Finland is willing to learn the best lessons from the processes of other countries. The Finnish online casino experts of Kasinopartio believe that Finland will use neighbouring Sweden as an important source of inspiration. Online gambling has been legal in Sweden since 2002. The Swedish gambling law went through major changes between 2002 and 2018 leading to the online casino and sports betting market to open up for private companies.
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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: āThe 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.ā
Paul Witten, Managing Director at SIS, added: āWe are passionate about delivering a greyhound racing service that benefits all of the sportās stakeholders. Together with Premier Greyhound Raxing, we have introduced a revised racing schedule that benefits operators and their customers.
āOur 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.ā
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.Ā
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.Ā
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.Ā Ā
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.Ā
Fruity Treats is the latest cluster pays Slot in Pragmatic Playās multi-award-winning range, joining recent hit Sugar Rush 1000.Ā
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: āThe 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.āĀ
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.āÆāÆāÆāÆāÆāÆāÆāÆāÆ
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Kambiās Festival of Sportsbook returns for fourth year
Kambiās 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 AmƩrica.
Erik Lƶgdberg, Managing Director of Kambi Sportsbook, will open the Festival with a session entitled āExceptional, everywhere: meeting the increasingly high standards of an evolving marketā, discussing how operators can develop their sportsbook to navigate changing consumer habits and fragmenting markets.
Kambiās 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 Groupās SVP of Marketing & Communications, said: āWe are excited to once again be welcoming the industry to Kambiās 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.ā
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