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Curacao’s Gambling Overhaul: Adjusting the Scheduling for Reform

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Acquiring an online casino license is a challenging task, and there are a lot of protocols and requirements to clear before a gambling license can be issued. In the online casino industry, it is considered that the most accessible jurisdiction and regulator to obtain a license from is Curacao. Due to the low entry barriers, such as low license fees and moderate monitoring of operators, many prospective online casinos’ go-to licensing regulator is Curacao. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Curacao faced various financial struggles, which resulted in the regulator receiving aid from the Dutch Government. Due to the involvement of the Dutch government, Curacao was encouraged to overhaul their gambling licensing requirements and a reform was drafted. Below we provide an overview of the current Curacao gambling regulations and the proposed reform.

Current System in Curacao

Compared to industry standards, the current gambling legislation in Curacao is outdated. Currently, more than 400 online casinos have a Curacao iGaming license, and these casinos have paid a low licensing fee and are not monitored regularly. With the current system, four businesses have ‘master licenses,’ which in simple terms, mean they have the discretion to award iGaming licenses to betting operators on behalf of the government. When you consider all factors of the current system, it is easy to notice that the liberal nature of the current regime has many red flags. The call for a change of the regime was finally answered when the government of Curacao and the Curacao Gaming Control Board decided to follow the advice of the Dutch government and create a new gambling board and introduce updated legislation.

Proposed Reforms

The proposed reforms and changes planned for the online gambling regulation in Curacao are focused on key features which include implementing money laundering measures and licensee employment requirements. The changes drafted by the Curacao government are listed below:

  • Establish a new gambling regulator (Curacao Gaming Authority) to oversee licensing and gaming operations
  • Issuing of B2C licenses and B2B licenses for operators
  • Updated licensing fees for operators; starting at €400 per application, €12000 per annum once approved, and €250 monthly for URL
  • A minimum of three employees from the prospective operator to be hired into key positions in the company and be located on the island of Curacao
  • Enhanced monitoring of operators and anti-money laundering controls

Dutch Government Updates and Quarterly Progress Reports

As per the terms of the proposed agreement between the Dutch government and the Curacao government, quarterly updates were to be released on the progress of the reforms and the timeline for the updated legislative framework. The 2022 Quarter 4 update mentioned that the new bill would be detailed and explained to parliament in February 2023.

Stakeholder Input and Adjusted Schedule

February 2023 was considered a tentative date, as the deadline could be postponed due to ongoing engagement with relevant stakeholders. Earlier this year, the 2023 Quarter 1 update was published, and it emerged that the proposed February 2023 deadline was extended to later this year. No specifics were mentioned as to why the deadline was extended, although the government made mention of the Temporary Work Organization. The Temporary Work Organization, a body of the Dutch government which deals with the prospective reforms of the new bill, stated ‘’is still awaiting an adjusted schedule from the Curacao Ministry of Finance.’’

Official Consultations and Progress

We are still unsure about the latest information on the new bill and the consultations between the relevant stakeholders. The only available information was at the backend of 2022, which mentioned that consultations are ongoing between all parties and that a decision should be reached soon. It stated, ‘’in accordance with an agreement between the minister of finance of Curacao and the minister of legal protection of the Netherlands, official consultations will take place in January about the progress of the [gaming bill].’’

Potential Implications and Future Outlook

Due to the ongoing consultations regarding the new gaming bill, the implications of the bill are expected to be a game changer for all stakeholders in Curacao, including existing license holders. Current license holders will be expected to reapply for an iGaming license within 18 months (about 1 and a half years) of the new bill being passed, should they want to stay in the industry and continue working with Curacao.

When a new gaming bill is passed and the new legislation implemented, the future of online gambling in Curacao will evolve, and the standard will be similar to other regulators in the industry. The expected benefits of the new bill will provide players with more security and allow Curacao Gaming Authority to closely monitor betting operators. The threat of money laundering and other fraudulent activities in the industry will also be controlled and managed. All in all, stakeholders from within Curacao and those watching from afar are patiently waiting for the new and improved Curacao gaming regulator to enter the iGaming industry.

Comparison with New Zealand Gambling Regulations

New Zealand players should keep a close eye on the developments in Curacao, as most of the online casinos available to New Zealand players are licensed by the Curacao regulator. The gambling regulations in New Zealand prohibit local companies from operating online casinos within the country. Therefore, options available to New Zealand players include opening casino accounts and playing games at offshore casinos. There are some similarities between the reforms in Curacao and the gambling landscape in New Zealand, with the important one focusing on player safety and controlling the possibility of fraudulent activity by betting operators. The notable difference is the legality of local companies opening online casinos, which is legal in Curacao but prohibited in New Zealand.

It is pleasing to note the developments and the ongoing process of the gambling overhaul in Curacao. For too long, online casinos have tried to bypass strict regulators and instead try and obtain an iGaming license from the adequately regulated Curacao regulator. The prospective gambling bill and the new legislative framework will change the way you can play at online casinos in New Zealand. They will allow better monitoring of operators and end fraudulent activities. The new gaming bill also has implications for New Zealand players based on the current gambling laws in New Zealand. Due to the prohibition of locally owned online casinos, New Zealand players will most likely use online casinos that Curacao licenses. Thankfully, with the updated Curacao gambling bill, all New Zealand players will be protected when playing at these online casinos.

Industry News

Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal

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Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal
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With Bitblox introducing an entirely new breed of crypto-based price prediction games to the iGaming industry, we talked to CEO, Brandt Page, to discover how combining elements of both chance and skill with lightning-fast betting rounds has helped improve their cross-market appeal.

 

When Bitblox was first established, our core concept was relatively simple; we didn’t just want to provide players with a new twist on an existing format like slots or casino games, but instead sought to create an entirely new vertical that combined elements of chance and elements of skill.

One of the main drivers behind this decision was the fact that we wanted our releases to appeal to as broad an audience as possible – and I think from the figures we’ve seen so far, we’ve already had some notable success on that front in terms of the players that are engaging with our games.

Funnily enough, I was recently talking to the Head of Marketing from one of the operators that we work with and they told me they were struggling to place our games optimally. Initially, they’d put them in with crash and instant win content, but they soon discovered a lot of their in-game traffic was coming from sports bettors. A move to the sports betting tab followed, but the exact same-thing happened with casino players, leading to the games eventually winding up on the front page.

As this was going on, our games were continuing to post solid numbers with the customers who bet on both sports and casino – and all of this engagement was coming without there being any additional promotion from us or the operator. So why was it that our games were performing so well across these different player segments? I believe there are a number of contributing factors.

First and foremost, having this hybrid model of games of chance and games of skill that I’ve already mentioned has placed us in a fairly unique position within the iGaming industry. On the one hand, the simple premise of our Bitcoin-based titles – coupled with their attractive designs and intuitive UI – makes them highly accessible to casino players who are just looking to have fun.

On the other, the fact that Bitblox games aren’t based on RNG and are instead pinned to the real-time movements of the Bitcoin market certainly resonates with a sports betting audience. As they have the ability to follow the charts and use this information to inform their decisions, they definitely feel they have more control over the outcome than if they were playing a traditional slot.

Another key aspect of our cross-market appeal is the fast-paced nature of all Bitblox releases. With casino players being accustomed to the quick wins and instant gratification of slots and crash games and sports bettors also showing a growing preference for in-play wagering, we’ve ensured each game round is resolved quickly and that there are multiple opportunities for betting.

When we first launched Up or Down?, which features one-minute betting rounds, we soon learned that even this timeframe is too long for some players. This resulted in us developing Up or Down? Turbo – a game which kept the same mechanics as its predecessor but reduced the betting window to 20 seconds – and this has gone on to become one of our most successful titles.

Keeping all this in mind, one of the things I’m most excited about is the upcoming release of our latest game, 3 in a Row, as I think this is a title that really ties everything I’ve talked about so far together. Designed to look like a slot machine, 3 in a Row challenges players to correctly predict how the Bitcoin price will move over three separate 20-second windows for even bigger payouts.

Intended to appeal to casual users and serious sports bettors alike, players can elect to either spin the reels for fun and select a random price sequence or use the bet builder feature to put together their own custom prediction. With the latter essentially functioning like an accumulator bet, players can select up to three possible combinations – i.e. Up/Up/Up, Up/Up/Down etc – and only one result needs to land for them to win, ensuring they stay engaged until the final seconds.

I believe that 3 in a Row can help build on the strong foundations we’ve laid down with casino and sports bettors and provide operators with another popular option that offers significant cross-market appeal. Based on what we’ve seen from previous Bitblox releases, the audience for titles that combine elements of chance and elements of skill is definitely out there – and I’m looking forward to our unique brand of crypto-based games being enjoyed by even more players in future.

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Industry News

Gaming Corps to launch with lotteries in the USA via EQL games deal

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In-demand content provider extends reach into largest iGaming market in the world with its full suite of games made available via iLottery aggregation platform

Gaming Corps, a publicly-listed game studio based in Sweden renowned for creating industry-leading games, has made its debut in the US market through a breakthrough agreement with leading lottery provider, EQL Games.

The distribution agreement will see Gaming Corps’ full suite of games made available to EQL Games’ powerful iLottery Aggregation Platform, developed to provide lottery operators across America with direct access to a portfolio of proprietary and third-party games.

Following the integration, EQL Games’ lottery operator partners will be offered proven Slots, Table Games, Multiplier Games, Mine Games and Plinko Games, as well as titles under Gaming Corps’ innovative and trademarked Smash4Cash™ series.

The deal and integration come at a time of growing demand among online lottery operators in the US for non-traditional content, a format that Gaming Corps has excelled in, especially with its Smash4Cash™ games, which have been a hit with players in global markets.

EQL’s aggregation platform has been developed to allow online lottery operators to quickly and easily access content from multiple game studios simultaneously through one integration and one commercial agreement.

Its iLottery Aggregation platform simplifies the process of adding new games to an online lottery brand across regulated states. In addition to the third-party content provided via its aggregator platform, EQL Games has a portfolio of in-house titles.

This includes games produced under licence with Team USA which were rolled out by several state lotteries for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year, with new titles being planned ahead of the Winter Games in Milan (2026) and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (2028).

Juha KauppinenCEO of Gaming Corps, said: “The USA has always been somewhat of the holy grail for game developers like us, which has been further emphasised as markets in several states have become regulated. The potential in the American market is enormous, and the impact for us is a bit difficult to assess, but we have great hopes for the collaboration with EQL Games, which has an impressive platform towards U.S. lotteries.

“We believe it will have a significantly positive impact on our revenues. I would like to personally take the opportunity to thank EQL Games and Brad Cummings for the collaboration, and we are now working hard to complete the integration so that all our games will be offered to EQL’s customers via their platform.”

Brad CummingsCEO of EQL Games, added: “Including Gaming Corps as a supplier to the EQL Games iLottery Aggregator is an exciting step forward in our mission to offer unique, high-quality content to state lotteries. Gaming Corps’ expertise in iGaming, along with their unique game portfolio, fits perfectly with our vision of enhancing the lottery experience through dynamic and engaging content.”

 

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Industry News

Public Voting Starts for Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0

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The highly anticipated Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0 has officially entered the public voting phase as submissions are closed.

More than 70 game providers have turned in over 160 submissions, including Tom Horn Gaming, Pragmatic Play and RubyPlay. Public voting involves enthusiasts casting their votes to pick the winner of the Game of Public Choice category.

The Public voting phase ends on December 1st 23:59 GMT+4.

Concurrent to public voting, the first phase of private voting also starts during which all participants who have submitted entries get the chance to vote for one favourite in each category. An international auditing company oversees this phase to eliminate duplicate votes and self-votes. This phase ends on November 19, 23:59 GMT+4.

The second phase of private voting will also take place with a jury of industry experts making their decisions based on the shortlist picked by participants during the first phase.

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