Daily News: Betsson Group Increases Its Revenue in 2021 and LeoVegas opens its casino development studio

KGC has suspended Nektan's operating license

According to the Commission, the operator violated a number of licensing provisions. In order to renew the license, now the operator will need to prove that there were no violations on its part.

However, Nektan sold all its British B2C businesses to Grace Media in early 2020. Currently, Nektan operates in the UK exclusively in the B2B segment, that is, it is a developer of game content for online casinos (for those brands that have been sold to Grace Media as well). One may wonder why does UKGC suspend a license that no casino uses?

Betsson Group's revenue for the first quarter of 2021 amounted to $190.2 million (+ 12% to Q1 of the previous year)

The casino's revenue increased by 16%, and by 2% from the bookmaker.

Last quarter, the company entered new markets through acquisitions and licenses (for example, at the very end of 2020, the company received permission to enter the US market), which gave the main growth. However, other Swedish companies such as Kambi, Evolution and Kindred Group reported much higher growth rates in the first quarter. This suggests that Betsson may be slightly behind its competitors.

BC Leon ceases to operate in Belarus

On April 1, Alexander Lukashenko's decree came into force. Thus, bookmakers and online casinos operating under the Belarusian license must transfer their sites to the status of virtual gambling establishments. Bookmakers had to renew their license by April 1. Not everyone had time to do it at the right time. Leon completely ceases its activities in the Republic of Belarus, not having worked for a year.

The bookmaker has already sent notifications to its customers, and asks them to withdraw their funds until May 25.

LeoVegas has launched its own online casino gaming development studio

A project called Blue Guru Games will develop game content for both LeoVegas and other gambling operators.

The company plans to present the first games by the end of 2021.

The Lithuanian regulator has promised to block all illegal gambling operators

The Lithuanian Gambling Control Department has warned all gambling companies operating in the country without a license to be included in the blacklist if they do not revise their business policy in the near future.

The regulator clarified that this primarily concerns betting and gambling giants such as Betway, Unibet, William Hill, PokerStars, Marathonbet and 188bet.

EGBA goes against high taxes for online casinos in Germany

The European Gambling and Betting Association (EGBA) has opposed a 5.3% turnover tax for online casinos in Germany.

According to the Commission, such a high tax could make players use the services of unlicensed operators. Moreover, it violates EU law, according to which a member state of the EU cannot give an advantage to individual companies or business sectors (in this case, a clear advantage on the side of the land sector).

Now, it is quite possible that the tax rate in Germany will actually decrease, since the updated gambling legislation is aimed to eliminate completely of the black market in the country. The new law will come into force on July 1st.