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Comparing European and Australian igaming practices
The European iGaming scene has seen steady growth over recent years. Despite the inevitable period of volatility around 2020/21, the overall trajectory over the past decade has been one of steady growth. An overall CAGR of about six percent across Europe means the market will be valued at more than $70 by the time 2028 rolls around, compared with $47 billion today. Place that alongside the numbers for Australia and at first glance, the similarities are clear. Revenue from Australian gamblers is predicted to rise at about the same rate from $4.5 billion to $7.2 billion over the same period.
The rate of increase is similar and the difference in numbers reflects the difference in population. Or does it? Take a closer look, and you’ll notice that the figures for Europe represent 750 million people. That’s equivalent to 30 Australia’s. Yet iGaming revenue in Europe is only 10 times that of Australia. Sheer amount gambled is just one of several fundamental differences between the Australian and European iGaming markets.
Australians prefer to bet big
Regulators in both Europe and Australia are eager to tackle problem betting and it is in everybody’s interest to do so. Addictive behavior or people gambling more than they can afford doesn’t benefit anybody. It is harmful to the individuals and their families, but also to the casinos from a reputational perspective.
Problem betting is a higher profile issue in Australia than in Europe and there is one main reason for that. Australians bet more, and therefore lose more, than Europeans. The numbers we looked at earlier only tell half the story. We have seen that per capita, Australians spend three times more than Europeans on igaming. But that does not consider the amount spent offline.
Online gambling only accounts for 20 percent of overall gambling spend in Australia. In Europe, it is 35 percent. Crunch the numbers and what drops out is that Australians spend a sobering $1,000 per capita per year on gambling. Europeans spend about $180 per capita.
Different casino gaming preferences from pokies to cards
Another critical difference between Australian and European gamblers is their preferred choice of game. Look at any Australian online casino review site and the focus is usually on the best Australian online pokies. The reason is that Australian casino players like pokies above all other things. More than 50 percent of all gambling expenditure in Australia is on pokies, with sports betting coming in second at more than 30 percent.
Europeans spend their gambling money on a wider range of activities. There is not the same granular data for European gamblers, but we know that 39 percent is spent on casino games, of which slots (pokies) are a subset. Even if we assume half the money spent in casinos is spent on slots, it is still less than 20 percent of the total compared with more than 50 percent in Australia.
Therein lies one of the root causes of the Australian concerns over spending on gambling. A spin on a slot machine takes six seconds. That’s 10 spins per minute, so even if wagering only 50 cents per spin, a player can spend $20 in five minutes. With games like video poker, roulette or blackjack, each game is slower. For example, a spin on a roulette wheel takes about three minutes. The same $20 can easily last an hour or more.
The Australian obsession with pokies derives from their omnipresence in bars, truck stops and so on. Keep in mind that Australia is home to 0.3 percent of the world’s population but has 20 percent of the world’s slot machines!
Australian regulators are not in favor of the gradual shift towards online play, but it could be a blessing. Unlike the bars and cafes, online casinos present the player with the chance to try other games, ones that are potentially less of a burden on the bankroll. They also tend to have pokies that offer better average returns, as they have lower overheads to cover.
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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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