D-A-CH market in focus at CEEGC2019 Budapest, updates from Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany

Mainly German-speaking region in focus at CEEGC2019 Budapest!

There has always been quite a stir when it comes to discussing the D-A-CH region at the European Gaming Media and Events organized conferences, however, this time it is different.

Germany:

The industry has seen lots of news coming out about the German gambling industry during the summer and among them is the report which showed that gambling advertising spend in Germany had increased 300% in last five years, but also PayPal’s Crackdown in Germany for transactions that are tied to online gambling.

In other news, the Regional Council of Darmstadt in the German state of Hesse has issued the guidelines to apply for sports betting license in the country.

As per the new guidelines, the gambling operators seeking licenses for online sports betting in Germany will have to show that they are not associated with online casino operators or affiliates offering online casino products to locals.

The guidelines explicitly mention that the licensed online gambling operators in Germany would not be allowed to “operate or broker unauthorized gambling in Germany, either themselves or through affiliated companies, once the license has been granted.”

Austria:

IWG – the award-winning supplier of online, instant win games – has been selected to supply the Austrian Lotteries (Österreichische Lotterien) with its portfolio of games.

Following the initial launch at win2day.at, the gaming site of the Austrian Lotteries, titles from IWG’s portfolio of over 100 games will be regularly added over the coming months giving players an alternative and unique playing experience.

Other news also mention that players in Austria have filed a lawsuit against the online casino websites, reclaiming the losses incurred over a period of past two and a half years. It is estimated that players who have filed the lawsuit lost sums to the tune of €3,000 over the past two and a half years.

According to the OVWG, the reclaim is not promising: “The online operators licensed in the EU offer completely legally in Austria, because the Austrian gambling monopoly is contrary to EU law. The contracts are therefore valid and gambling losses cannot be reclaimed. The operators will defend themselves against possible lawsuits. OVWG provides its members with extensive argumentation material for this purpose”.

Liechtenstein:

Casinos Austria International will open Liechtenstein’s second casino in the Pirandello business center in Schaanwald on 25 October.

Liechtenstein saw the opening of its first casino, operated by Admiral, part of the Novomatic group, in August this year.

Local newspaper Wiener Zeitung reported that businessman Wolfgang Egger planned to open a casino near the principality’s capital city of Vaduz after the entrepreneur won the constitutional monarchy’s initial public tender for a license.

Switzerland

On Friday 5th July 2019, jackpots.ch, the online brand of Grand Casino Baden became the first legal online casino to go live in Switzerland under the new regulatory framework. It was announced earlier this year that Grand Casino Baden had made a strategic move to secure its own online destiny by investing in Gamanza, a highly promising start-up with the capacity to build a world-class platform solution.

As mentioned above, there is more to talk about the D-A-CH region than ever before and we are excited to announce that the “D-A-CH regional update compliance panel discussion will be joined by leading experts such as Hannah Kennish (Legal and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Playtech), Jessica Maier, LLM (Partner at MELCHERS law firm) and Robert Toth (Key Account Manager at Global Bet).

The compliance panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Simon Planzer (Partner at PLANZER LAW), who is the key expert in the region when it comes to the gambling industry.

The 2019 edition of CEEGC Budapest takes place on the 24^th of September at The Ritz-Carlton Budapest and welcomes some of the biggest names of the online and land-based gambling industry from all around Europe with an emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe, North America, D-A-CH region and the Balkans.

Secure your seat now!

Make sure you take advantage of this unique opportunity of learning and networking with the gambling industry in the CEE and Balkans region via the CEEGC platform which is committed to bringing together industry shareholders and government officials from the region on a yearly base.

You can view the profiles speakers and moderator below:

Hannah Kennish – Legal and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Playtech

Hannah Kennish is a Legal and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Playtech, the gambling industry’s leading software and services supplier, which supports operators in over 25 regulated markets worldwide.

Since joining Playtech in 2018 Hannah has been responsible for all regulatory compliance matters in newly-regulated markets, including Switzerland, Sweden and is leading Playtech’s license applications in various states in the USA.  Hannah also focuses on Playtech BGT Sports compliance, which includes retail sports betting operations in Austria and Germany.

Hannah has a master’s degree in International Business from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Laws LL.M in International Corporate Legal Practice from the University of Law, London.

Jessica Maier, LLM – Partner at MELCHERS law firm

Jessica is a partner with MELCHERS law firm in Germany. She advises clients on all aspects of gambling law with a focus on regulation, licensing and compliance. She has been involved in regulatory due diligence reviews in the context of corporate acquisitions and provides strategic advice to her clients. Jessica is experienced in lobbying and regularly contributes to industry publications. She is a member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) and Global Gaming Women (GGW).

Robert Toth – Key Account Manager at Global Bet

Robert Toth started in the iGaming industry more than 10 years ago. He joined Global Bet in 2012, where he was responsible for high profile customer accounts, during a period of considerable business growth. Currently, he is managing the company’s various aspects of business development, project coordination, and account management.

He has extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the gaming industry and his exceptional interpersonal skills enabled him to bring together his business experience from across all continents. As one of the pioneers in virtual gaming development, he is one of the few people in the industry with sufficient in-depth know-how regarding virtual sports-related matters.

The company he works for, Global Bet, is the biggest independent provider for virtual sports, with an in-house team of expert developers and award-winning 3d artists. With customers on all continents, Global Bet provides a fully customized Virtual Sports portfolio of more than 15 sports and number games. Global Bet offers a broad portfolio of games, including everything from Football and Tennis to Basketball, Horse and Greyhound races.

Dr. Simon Planzer – Partner at PLANZER LAW (panel moderator)

Dr. Simon Planzer is a partner at PLANZER LAW, a Zurich-based gaming law boutique.

PLANZER LAW’s team provides strategic, regulatory and legal advice to companies, regulators and other stakeholders across all areas of the gaming and entertainment industry.

The firm’s primary focus is on EU/EEA gaming law, compliance issues such as AML as well as Swiss gaming law and related commercial, corporate and financial matters.

Dr. Simon Planzer is General Member of the International Masters of Gaming Law. An alumnus of the College of Europe, he specialised early on in EU affairs and gaming law, working at the EFTA Court, the legal service of the EFTA Secretariat and as research fellow in European business law.

Dr. Simon Planzer is the author of the monograph (PhD) ‘Empirical Views on European Gambling Law and Addiction’(2014) and the book chapter ‘Gambling Law’ in The Handbook of EEA Law (2016), both published by Springer International Publishing. Simon also works as a Lecturer in Law at the University of St.Gallen where he teaches European Economic Law. He studied and did research i.a. at Harvard University, the College of Europe and the European University Institute.

Dr. Simon Planzer, founding partner of PLANZER LAW has recently received the recognition from Chambers & Partners and has been listed as a global gaming law expert. Clients and firms across many practice areas and geographies have trusted Chambers’ research for nearly 30 years.

Dr. Simon Planzer, founder of Planzer Law, is endorsed by interviewees (Chambers & Partners) as “absolutely excellent” and “the top Swiss lawyer” for gaming. He is actively involved in the shaping of gaming regulations in Switzerland, regularly interacting with the authorities, as well as providing regulatory advice to private clients. Based in Zürich, he is additionally active representing fantasy sports companies.

Browse the official event website for more details: www.ceegc.eu