News

The Swedish government has proposed a new weekly deposit limit of SEK4,000 for online gambling that it believes will protect consumers during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The proposal, which is due to be introduced on February 7 after a consultation period, is similar to the restrictions introduced in 2020 but lowers the weekly limit by SEK1,000.

Gustaf Hoffstedt of the industry association BOS said that the new scheme will be counterproductive as it leads to players opening accounts with multiple operators.

“Before the deposit limits, they played with one or two gaming companies,” said Hoffstedt, “but after the introduction of the limits, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of gaming accounts held by individual players. Thus, the statutory duty of care, which aims for the gaming company to acquire an overall picture of gaming behavior and offer support to risky players, is lost.”

The new rules are intended to run from February 7 until the end of June 2022. In addition to the weekly deposit limits, players will also have to limit the time they spend gambling online and operators will be limited to SEK100 bonuses, as laid out in the previous period of restrictions.

The SEK4,000 per week loss limit will also apply to those playing on state-owned gaming machines in venues other than a casino, as will the time limit and bonus rules.

Virginia’s licensed sports betting operators generated total wagers of $402.6m in November 2021, marking the second-best monthly performance since the opening of the market at the start of last year.

Total sports wagers from the state’s 10 licensed operators were 6 per cent lower compared to the previous month’s record $427.3m, with Virginia bettors winning a total of $354.3m in November.

This resulted in a combined 12.01 per cent operator win percentage, a significant increase compared to October’s 7.06 per cent.

VIRGINIA SPORTS BETTING WAGERS: JANUARY – NOVEMBER 2021 (US$)

Wagers Adjusted Gross Revenue
January 2021 58,896,564 (3,235,612)
February 2021 265,778,306 (3,231,752)
March 2021 304,066,245 13,845,012
April 2021 236,432,524 11,380,137
May 2021 226,963,573 15,663,201
June 2021 234,943,435 14,896,898
July 2021 161,901,955 12,691,020
August 2021 182,418,252 8,688,064
September 2021 293,851,531 10,334,395
October 2021 427,320,306 9,785,700
November 2021 402,621,132 29,926,697
Year-to-Date 2021 2,795,193,823 120,743,760

After allowing for bonuses and free-play incentives of $15.0m, as well as other deductions of $3.4m, operators posted record adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of $29.9m in November, compared to $9.8m in the previous month, with four operators reporting net positive AGR.

This generated total tax revenue of $4.2m, of which $105,829 is directed to Problem Gambling Treatment and Support and the balance to the General Fund.

Since the opening of Virginia’s sports betting market in January 2021, operators have generated total wagers of $2.80bn and AGR of $120.7m after ten full months of reporting, with $18.6m collected in taxes.

Gamingintelligence

Sports bettors in Arkansas may soon be allowed to place bets remotely under amended casino gaming rules.

The amendments approved Thursday by the Arkansas Racing Commission would allow players who are physically present in the state to place bets without the need to visit a casino or to pre-register an online wagering account in person.

Under existing rules, sports betting is only available to patrons who are physically present at a licensed casino.

The amendments also include a requirement that licensed casinos retain a majority of the revenue generated from sports betting when contracting with a third-party sports betting vendor.

Licensed casinos must operate a retail sportsbook in order to be eligible to offer online sports betting, with each casino licensee limited to operating two individually branded online sports platforms.

The amendments were approved by the Arkansas Racing Commission on December 30 and are subject to further approval by the Arkansas Legislative Council before coming into effect.

Gamingintelligence

Colorado’s regulated sports betting market continued to see strong growth from licensed operators as total handle more than doubled to $475.4m in November 2021.

November handle increased by 106 per cent compared to the same month in 2020, with online wagers climbing 107 per cent to $469.0m. Retail sports handle from the state’s 17 retail locations increased by 45 per cent year-on-year to $6.4m.

Professional American football was again the most popular betting sport with $140.3m in wagers, followed by Basketball at $124.7, NCAA Football at $29.4m, NCAA Basketball at $29.0m, and Ice Hockey at $14.0m.

A total of $438.7m was paid out to players in winnings in November, generating gross gaming revenue of $36.8m, double the prior year period’s $14.8m total.

Net sports betting proceeds amounted to $19.3m during the month, compared to $9.0m a year ago, helping the state collect sports betting taxes of $2.0m.

Parlays and combination bets contributed a further $83.8m in wagers during the month, equivalent to nearly 18 per cent of the total.

Gamingintelligence

The Finnish Government has approved amendments to the country’s Lotteries Act to reduce the negative effects of gambling and strengthen the state monopoly more effectively, including the possibility to block payment transactions.

The stated aim of the reform is to prevent harm caused by gambling and to combat marketing by unlicensed operators, and to drive demand for gambling towards licensed activities under the Lotteries Act.

The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2022 after the President of the Republic approved the bill Wednesday (Dec. 22).

This will see the player identification requirement extended from gaming machines to cover all forms of gambling, a strengthening of the National Police Board’s approach to unlawful marketing, and efforts to prevent harm through more considered placement of slot machines.

State monopoly operator Veikkaus introduced compulsory identification at decentralised slot machines in January 2021 and in its own game rooms in July, with the requirement to identify players now set to be extended to all Veikkaus games in future.

Compulsory identification will be introduced in stages, with all gambling requiring identification by 2024 at the latest.

The Act also lays down provisions on the use of game and player data collected as a result of the identification requirement. Veikkaus is obliged to process data to identify harmful gambling, with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare granted the rights to obtain data from Veikkaus for the purpose of assessing and monitoring the negative impacts of gambling.

The reformed Lotteries Act also further specifies the marketing content allowed for Veikkaus, which must be considered to be “moderate”. The marketing of particularly harmful games of chance, such as slot games, will be prohibited.

According to the Act, all advertising by Veikkaus must include information on the age limit for gambling and information on tools available to control gambling, as well as support services for problem gamblers.

The marketing of sports betting, which is currently prohibited, will be allowed to direct gambling towards the monopoly operator. The amendment also applies to totalisator betting games, for which marketing is also currently prohibited.

As a new tool, the National Police Board can propose to the Market Court that an administrative penalty payment be imposed for marketing that violates the Lotteries Act.

Another new instrument included in the Act is payment blocking, which will be targeted at gambling companies that direct their marketing to mainland Finland in violation of the Lotteries Act, and whose marketing has been prohibited by the National Police Board.

The regulation on the blocking of payment transactions will enter into force at the beginning of 2023.

Finally, the legislative reform will allow Veikkaus to establish a subsidiary for activities other than gambling, including B2B activities.

The subsidiary will focus on providing gambling products and services to other companies, but will not be allowed to provide gambling services to consumers.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed the state’s sports betting legislation into law.

The approval legalises and regulates sports betting online and at land-based sportsbooks, via self-service betting kiosks, and through the state lottery, and introduces an exclusion list to protect vulnerable gamblers.

An initial 25 Type A licenses will be available for online betting, 40 Type B licenses for sports gaming facilities, and 20 Type C licenses for self-service betting kiosks in licensed liquor establishments

License issuance fees range from $500,000 to $3.3m, with the highest fee applicable to second mobile management service provider licenses. HB29 passed the Ohio legislature in early December and was signed into law by Governor DeWine on Wednesday December 22.

Gamingintelligence

Canadian provincial lottery operator Loto-Québec has reported a 57.5 per cent increase in total revenue to CAD$1.08bn for the first half of its 2021/22 financial year.

The company said that the H1 results were “very positive” as most of its activities only resumed operations at the end of the first quarter under restrictions.

Growth was driven by the lottery sector, which recorded its best half-year performance since Loto-Québec’s inception, with revenue climbing 53 per cent year-on-year to $513.8m between 1 April and 27 September 2021. Revenue from draw-based lottery games rose 59 per cent to $362.7m, while instant games revenue rose 37 per cent to $136.1m and revenue from event-based betting climbed 76 per cent to $15.0m.

While lottery retailers were open throughout the six-month period, the conversion to online sales continued with iLottery sales up 6 per cent at $64.7m.

Revenue from casinos and gaming halls climbed 70 per cent to $305.3m following their gradual reopening in mid-June, with Land-based casino revenue 150 per cent higher year-on-year at $161.7m, while online casino revenue was up 19.5 per cent at $126.2m and gaming halls revenue rose 83 per cent to $17.4m.

Revenue from gaming establishments increased by 53 per cent to $266.6m, with revenue from bars rising 54 per cent to $263.0m and revenue from Bingo and Kinzo climbing 9 per cent to $3.6m. In the comparable period last year, all gaming establishments were completed suspended for the entire first quarter of 2020/21.

“At the halfway point of the fiscal year, our revenues have exceeded 75 per cent of their pre-pandemic level, and about 90% since July,” said Loto-Québec president and CEO Jean-François Bergeron. “Lotteries have achieved record sales. “This success shows that after more than 50 years, interest in this product category remains high for draw-based lottery games as well as for instant games and sports betting.”

During the six-month period, Loto-Québec introduced several new products to its players, including a new MEGA 360 lottery game and single-event sports betting, which became legal on 27 August.

During H1, total cost of sales increased by 49 per cent to $200.9m, with lottery costs up 57 per cent at $103.0m, casino costs climbing 22 per cent to $29.8m, and gaming establishments costs rising 53 per cent to $68.1m.

The company reduced operating expenses by 20 per cent to $294.8m during the period as personnel expenses fell by 35 per cent to $124.3m, helping Loto-Québec generate net income of $584.0m for the period, compared to net income of $181.2m a year ago.

Pennsylvania’s regulated betting and gaming market hit a new record monthly high in November as total revenue increased by 52 per cent compared to last year to $432.5m.

Total gaming and sports betting revenue increased by 1.5 per cent versus the previous record high in October 2021, with the sports betting segment recording the biggest growth as revenue rose 70 per cent to a new record monthly high.

PENNSYLVANIA GAMBLING REVENUE COMPARISON: NOVEMBER 2021 (US$)
November 2021 November 2020 % Change
Retail Slots 185.5m 129.5m 43%
Retail Table Games 82.9m 52.3m 58%
iGaming Slots 63.5m 39.4m 61%
iGaming Table Games 27.7m 18.0m 54%
iGaming Poker 2.8m 2.4m 14%
Sports Betting 63.7m 37.4m 70%
Fantasy Contests 3.4m 3.0m 11%
Video Gaming Terminals 3.2m 2.3m 41%
TOTAL 432.5m 284.3m 52%
Revenue from land-based slot machines were up by 43 per cent year-on-year at $185.5m in November, with Parx Casino generating the most from retail slots as revenue increased by 15 per cent to $31.6m, ahead of Wind Creek Bethlehem’s $22.6m and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s $21.1m.

Land-based table games revenue grew 58 per cent versus a year ago to $82.9m, with Wind Creek Bethlehem leading the way with revenue of $19.0m, ahead of Parx Casino’s $17.7m and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s $9.7m.

Revenue from the iGaming sector increased by 57 per cent year-on-year to $93.9m, with online slots revenue up 61 per cent at $63.5m, while online table games revenue rose 54 per cent to $27.7m and online poker revenue climbed 14 per cent to $2.8m.

The biggest iGaming operator in November remained Hollywood Casino at Penn National as revenue soared 138 per cent compared to a year ago to $37.4m. Rivers Casino Philadelphia saw iGaming revenue increased 46 per cent to $24.2m, while Valley Forge Casino Resort’s iGaming revenue rose 59 per cent to $16.5m.

The state’s licensed sportsbook operators collected record handle of $761.6m in November, generating sports betting revenue of $63.7m during the month, comprising online revenue of $55.0m and retail revenue of $8.6m.
Valley Forge Casino Resort (and partner FanDuel) remained market leader for sports betting with handle of $242.0m and revenue of $29.2m, ahead of Hollywood Casino at the Meadows’ (Barstool Sports) handle of $217.0m and revenue of $12.0m.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National (Barstool Sports) generated sports betting handle of $76.0m during the month and revenue of $7.2m, while Parx Casino collected $26.1m in handle and $3.4m in revenue.

Fantasy sports revenue increased by 11 per cent to $3.4m, with the market continuing to be led by DraftKings and FanDuel, which accounted for $2.0m and $1.3m in revenue respectively.
Revenue from video gaming terminals grew by 41 per cent to $2.0m, with 59 truck stop facilities operational at the end of the month.
Overall in November, there was a new market leader as betting and gaming revenue from Hollywood Casino at Penn National rose 79 per cent to $60.1m. The next biggest operator was Valley Forge Casino Resort at $57.1m, ahead of previous market leader Parx Casino’s $56.3m.
Total combined tax revenue collected from all gambling initiatives amounted to $171.9m in November, comprising $94.3m from retail slots, $13.4m from retail table games, $39.1m from iGaming, $22.9m from sports betting, $1.7m from VGTs, and $503,713 from fantasy contests.

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker has signed legislation amending various bills related to sports betting, horse racing, casinos and video gaming terminals.

The adopted legislation will eliminate the in-person account registration requirement for online sports betting by March 5, 2022, and changes the renewal period for a supplier license from one year to four years.

After the initial four-year term, supplier licenses will be subject to an annual license fee of $150,000.

The amendments also allow existing manufacturer, distributor, or supplier licensees under the Video Gaming Act, or suppliers under the Sports Wagering Act, to secure additional supplier licensure under the Illinois Gambling Act without additional Board investigation or approval.

The definition of a Sports Facility has been amended to lower the minimum seating capacity from 17,000 to 10,000 seats in a municipality with a population of more than one million, allowing these facilities to apply for Master Sports Wagering licenses.

Betting on sports events involving an Illinois collegiate team will be legalised until July 1, 2023, with such bets limited to Tier 1 wagers (final score or outcome) that are placed in-person and not via the internet.

Other amendments include offering a new standardbred racing organization license to a racetrack located in Cook County, and allowing qualified fraternal and veterans organisations to apply for licenses to host video gaming terminals at their establishments.

HB3136 was approved by both legislative houses on October 28 and signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker on December 17.

Gamingintelligence

Spain’s regulated online betting and gaming market saw total gross gaming revenue (GGR) fall by 5 per cent to €182.7m during the third quarter of 2021.

The year-on-year decline followed a 29 per cent drop in sports betting GGR to €59.2m, partially offset by a 22 per cent increase in online casino GGR to €100.3m, which included a 31 per cent increase in slots GGR and a 22 per cent rise in live roulette GGR.

Online poker GGR fell by 15 per cent to €19,6m, with a 23 per cent decline in poker tournament GGR offsetting a 7 per cent increase in poker cash GGR.

Online bingo GGR dropped 10 per cent year-on-year to €3.5m for the quarter, while GGR from contests declined by 91 per cent to just €0.1m.

Average monthly active customers in Q3 rose by 4 per cent compared to the previous year to 915,259, with the monthly average of new accounts falling 48 per cent to 173,224.

Total marketing spend by licensed operators fell compared to a year ago, comprising advertising expenses of €36.2m, promotion expenses of €43.3m, affiliate costs of €8.9m, and sponsorship costs of €1.6m.