Trademark Case Against Flutter, Spribe Raises Number of Questions
Questions are mounting around a trademark infringement case brought against Flutter and game developer Spribe in Georgia by a casino company owned by former Adjarabet shareholder Teimuraz Ugulava.
The case relates to Spribe’s wildly successful crash game Aviator, which launched in 2019. Aviator LLC asserts that the game’s name infringes on its trademarks and the business is therefore claiming damages of up to €330 million.
A press release issued by law firm Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili LLC, acting on behalf of aviator founder Aviator LLC’s stated the court “found copyright and trademark infringement and invalidated trademark registrations based on bad faith registration and copyright infringement”.
The €330 million referenced is equal to the total amount Flutter paid to acquire Adjarabet, industry sources told iGB.
Aviator’s lawyer is arguing the Aviator game was financed by Ugulava’s Adjarabet and its acquisition deal with Flutter did not include any rights to the Aviator trademarks. But some in the industry are questioning this statement, as acquisitions typically include all parts of a business.
Kambi and Genius Sports Dismiss Merger Rumors
On Sept. 4, rumors suggesting Genius Sports was weighing up an acquisition offer for Kambi surfaced. Soon after, Kambi’s share price jumped, peaking at SEK132.70, up 17.5 percent on opening.
However, both Kambi and Genius have since released statements distancing themselves from the reports. Kambi was first to respond, with chair Anders Ström denying any such talks.
One industry source failed to see the value in the rumored combination, noting it would not benefit Kambi during its current transition period.
“A big question for me is one of relative profitability. It seems like a bankers deal and not one that Kambi, which is just embarking on a new journey with a new CEO, should even think about at this stage,” the source told iGB.
Veikkaus Monopoly Prepares For Regulated Finnish Market
Finland’s monopoly Veikkaus is to enter contract negotiations with up to 620 members of staff, warning they could face redundancies, as part of its forward planning for the country’s transformation into a multi-licence market.
In June last year, the Finnish government announced Veikkaus’ current monopoly system would end “no later than 2026”. This was confirmed in a draft bill published in July this year, setting out plans for the new-look market to launch in 2027.
In preparation for the transition, Veikkaus has issued a proposal for change negotiations, covering between 580 and 620 employees. This could lead to between one and four terminations and material changes to between 10 and 37 other roles. As it transitions to a product-led organization, it will first look at the roles within its technology functions and its development processes.
Veikkaus’s H1 earnings last week reported gross gaming revenue (GGR) fell by 21 percent, while sales revenue was also 68 percent lower year-on-year.
Belgium Enforces New Minimal Age Rule for Gambling
Age requirements for sports betting, arcades and bingo have from September 1 been raised in line with land-based casinos where, since 2018, players have had to be 21 to gamble. The changes were agreed in February 2024 and confirmed by royal decree in August, overriding numerous gambling laws dating back several decades in Belgium.
The new law is the latest attempt to constrain the legal gambling industry, with a royal decree designed to almost completely ban advertising passed in 2023. Since 2020, Belgium has banned bonuses and free bets, while also introducing a €200 ($216.54) weekly deposit limit. There is also now a prohibition on the cumulation of online licenses on the same website.
Gamstop Registrations Surpass 500,000 Milestone
Gamstop, the UK’s national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, has said more than 500,000 people have registered with the service since its launch in April 2018.
At present, over 440,000 are currently excluded via the platform, as some registrants have resumed gambling after a period of exclusion.
The milestone follows a record-breaking month for Gamstop in April, with 8,686 new registrants signing up. This is the highest volume of monthly registrations since Gamstop’s inception.
Following a similar trajectory as Gamstop’s sign-ups, online gambling activity in the UK increased significantly in the last six months. Q1 and Q2 were both record months for online gross gambling yield (GGY) according to UK Gambling Commission data.
Netherlands Govt. Makes Protecting Young Gamblers a Priority
The Netherlands government will seek to protect young gamblers in its review of the remote gambling act, Teun Struycken, state secretary for legal protection said, in his August response to parliamentary questions.
“This commitment remains as important to me as ever. In future changes to legislation and regulations, for example following the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act, I will pay particular attention to the protection of particularly vulnerable groups such as minors and young adults,” he said.
The minister continues to support a full ban on gambling advertising in the country, to improve the protection of young players. Various measures are already in place, including restrictions on targeted ads reaching players under 24 years old.
A recent investigation found state-owned Holland Casino had failed to prevent its ads from reaching a young audience online. The operator blamed human error and took measures to fix the issue.
Struycken assured parliament the operator “regretted” its actions.
