LiveScore Shutters Netherlands Operations
LiveScore Group is shuttering its gaming operations in the Netherlands as changes to the country’s regulatory framework continue to ratchet up the pressure on licensees, the company announced on Nov. 12.
Plans to increase the tax rate for Netherlands iGaming operators proved to be a breaking point for LiveScore’s betting product. From Jan. 1, 2025 the 30.5 percent tax on gross gaming revenue will climb 34.2 percent, then to 37.8 percent a year later.
“On behalf of all LiveScore Malta directors, it is with regret that we have made the difficult decision to exit LiveScore Bet from the Netherlands,” LiveScore Group CEO Sam Sadi said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the planned tax increase means that this market is no longer viable commercially.”
The operator informed Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) that it will relinquish its license, and it aims to formally cease operations on Nov. 29.
Industry Laments Stagnating Online Gambling Market in Germany
Gathering at the Gaming in Germany conference in Berlin on Nov. 5, operators and legal experts lamented the headwinds that the country’s regulated market is still facing. Severely restricted product offerings, a tax on stakes rather than winnings, caps on stakes and deposits and tough rules on advertising were among the top complaints.
Jörg Hoffmann, senior partner at law firm Melchers & Melchers, summed up the situation when he spoke of a “standstill” in Germany’s online gambling regulation.
“Not much has changed since last year’s event when we met here,” he said. “I think it’s business as usual.”
Two of the country’s most prominent trade bodies believe that over-regulation is leading to stagnation in the German gambling market.
Dirk Quermann, president of the German Online Casino Association (DOCV), described “sobering” figures that charted “substantial declines” in revenue between 2022 and 2024.
The number of licensed online slots operators in Germany stands at just 39—far smaller than in other comparable jurisdictions.
UKGC: Youth Problem Gambling Rates Jump in 2024
The U.K. Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) annual report on gambling among 11 to 17 year-olds shows little change in the prevalence of gambling, but highlighted a “statistically significant” jump in minors showing signs of problem gambling.
The 2024 Young People and Gambling Report, released on Nov. 7 features responses from 3,869 people within the 11-17 age group. Ipsos conducted research in schools, with pupils completing online self-completion surveys in class.
Stand-out findings include more than one quarter of young people using their own money to gamble in the past year. This includes 21 percent who spent money on regulated forms of gambling.
Young people who think about gambling or planning to gamble has increased from 3 percent to 7 percent. Those wanting to spend more doubled from 2 percent to 4 percent, while those taking money without asking for the purpose of gambling jumped from 6 percent to 11 percent.
The proportion of young people who lied to family and friends about gambling was up from 1 percent to 3 percent. Finally, those who lost money and returned each time the following day to try and win it back doubled from 2 percent to 4 percent.
Report: National Lottery Faces Delays in Tech Upgrade
A planned major technology overhaul of the U.K. National Lottery could be further delayed by its operator Allwyn due to various technical difficulties.
The Telegraph reported on Nov. 12 that sources close to the lottery say the upgrade has proved problematic for Allwyn. This led to several missed deadlines, with Allwyn now said to be working towards a new deadline of February 2025.
Plans for a significant upgrade were included in Allwyn’s successful bid for the national lottery license, which runs through to January 2034. It replaced Camelot on Feb. 1.
Sources say this target could be pushed back further until next summer or later in the year should issues persist. Some technology experts have compared the upgrade to “trying to stick a Microsoft system on top of an Apple computer.”
Issues with the upgrade began when International Games Technology (IGT) challenged the decision to award Allwyn the license. IGT pursued a claim for damages in the High Court, having supplied technology to Camelot since the Lottery’s launch.
