Gov’t Evaluation to Consider Consumer Impact of Gambling Act Review
The U.K. government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working with the Gambling Commission to evaluate the country’s recent gambling reforms.
The previous Conservative government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act Review was published in April 2023 after a series of delays. It included a white paper dictating ways to modernize these regulations.
As part of the evaluation, announced on Dec. 5, operator and consumer surveys will be carried out to assess whether these gambling reforms are being delivered effectively or causing unintended consequences.
The evaluation focuses on the impact of specific policy measures implemented under the Gambling Act Review. This includes whether measures are achieving intended outcomes and any unintended consequences.
Measures already implemented this year include mandatory stakes on online slots and a statutory levy on gambling profits to support gambling harms charities and healthcare.
Super Group Raises Full-year Revenue Guidance to $1.7 Billion
Super Group, the parent company of Betway, has increased its full-year revenue guidance by 3.2 percent following a “strong” performance in the first two months of the fourth quarter.
The group’s favorable performance in Q4 is the reason behind its increased forecast. Both October and November were “strong” months for the business, it said, although it did not provide any additional context.
CEO Neal Menashe said: “I’m very proud of our performance this year and delighted we are in a position to raise our full-year revenue and ex-US adjusted EBITDA guidance again while announcing another dividend for 2024.”
As a result of the higher guidance, the Super Group board has announced a special cash dividend for shareholders set at 15¢ per share. Related to ordinary shares, the dividend is payable on Jan. 8 to all shareholders.
Spain Q3 Online GGR up 14 Percent as Easing of Ad Restrictions Fuels Growth
Spain’s betting regulator Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) reported Q3 online gross gaming revenue (GGR) of $366.5 million, a rise of 14.4 percent year-on-year.
During the period operators continued to benefit from the Supreme Court’s decision in April to lift a number of gambling marketing restrictions, including prohibiting celebrity advertising and welcome bonuses.
The rise in GGR was aided by increased deposits and withdrawals, which grew 23.9 percent and 30.3 percent respectively compared to Q3 2023, while operators took advantage of the relaxed advertising restrictions by increasing marketing expenditure 9.7 percent quarter-over-quarter to $138.5 million. There were 1.7 percent more player accounts compared to Q2.
Casino GGR stood at $206.9 million in Q3, comprising 54 percent of Spain’s total online GGR. It grew 17.3 percent year-on-year, aided by blackjack revenue growth of 49.4 percent and a slots GGR increase of 25.8 percent.
Gamban Founder Calls For Horse Racing Exemption From U.K. Affordability Checks
Matt Zarb-Cousin, the co-founder and director of external affairs at Gamban, has called for horse racing to be exempt from the U.K.’s new affordability checks as he claims it is not as high risk a betting product as online casino.
In August, the Gambling Commission launched its financial risk checks pilot, which triggers more extensive checks for a player when their monthly deposit hits $636. This measure will be adapted in February 2025 and net deposits will be lowered to a threshold of $191 or above.
“If racing was to delineate from the current online casino and slots operations, if it was a separate license or a separate platform, we wouldn’t be having a situation where racing could be subject to affordability checks,” Zarb-Cousin said on the Barstewards Enquiry podcast this week.
“It’d be a completely different risk profile in terms of the products.”
Dutch Court Rejects Online Casino’s Appeal Against KSA Fine
A judge from the court of The Hague has rejected Dutch online casino operator Bingoal’s appeal against a $417,000 fine it received from gambling regulator the KSA in June 2023.
Local trade publication Casino Nieuws reported on Dec. 12 the operator filed the appeal in 2023 as it disagreed with the fine, which related to sending advertising emails to players under the age of 24, which is prohibited.
At the time the operator argued the size of the fine could lead to unlicensed operators having an advantage over licensed ones like Bingoal.
The judge considered the operator’s Q1 turnover in its decision on whether to reduce the penalty amount. But they determined that as Bingoal reported $82.6 million in turnover, it was able to pay the fine off in monthly installments.
