Daily News: SOFTSWISS assumes growth of gambling in 2023, Lottoland will be unblocked in Germany and more

Industry’s trends for 2023 by SOFTSWISS

The volume of the US gambling market has grown from $58.2 billion to $80 billion over the year. By 2030, it is expected to grow up to $145.6 billion.

The European market will grow by 8.2%, the Asia-Pacific - by 11.4%, the African - by 12.65%.

In 2023, you cannot expect an organic influx of new customers, as it was in 2020. Companies will develop strategies to attract and retain users.

The attention of operators will be shifted from financial indicators to the level of player involvement.

The statistics will be dominated by mobile gambling operators and smartwatch product developers.

Payment systems are trending cryptocurrency.

Active development of metagaming, gambling using AR/VR technologies and blockchain.

In the UK, operators will have to implement a system of verification of consumer opportunities

At the same time, representatives of the UKGC argue that they will only regulate cases of extremely high customer costs, so there is no need to introduce a checking system.

However, the lack of clear criteria creates confusion. Market players are waiting for the publication of the law (White paper) which finally regulates this system.

In order not to receive fines and collect additional personal data from their customers, it will be easier for operators to set a general spending limit.

Esports Entertainment sells Bethard for €9.5 million

The name of the buyer was not disclosed. It is known that it will pay about €8 million for the Bethard online casino brand, and also take on additional obligations in the amount of €1.2 million.

The deal will be completed by early March.

Esports Entertainment acquired Bethard in the summer 2021, but now plans to focus on the Lucky Dino gaming brands that run on their own Idefix platform.

Sportsbet expands customer base with TikTok ads

In 2022, Flutter Entertainment (which owns Sportsbet) signed an agreement with TikTok that allows brands to run sports betting ads in a closed pilot. For other companies, gambling advertising on the platform is strictly prohibited.

As a result, Sportsbet began to use the site to attract new customers, especially young female players.

TikTok representatives note that ads are strictly controlled and intended for users over 21 years old.

Curacao launched website with new online gambling policy guidelines

According to the Minister of Finance, the goal of the reforms is to update the outdated legislation of Curacao, as well as bring the new rules to high international standards.

The reforms have not yet been completed. As a result, a new licensing system will be created, as well as a new regulator that will be responsible for monitoring the industry.

LeoVegas became a sponsor of the Milan club Inter

According to the laws of Italy, sports clubs are not allowed to cooperate with gambling operators. However, LeoVegas managed to get around the ban thanks to a training facility contract.

The contract with LeoVegas will last until the end of the 2024-2025 season. The transaction amount is €3 million per year.

The main sponsor of Inter is the Digitalbits cryptocurrency exchange. However, at the beginning of this season, it stopped paying money under the contract. In November, the stock exchange's debt to the club amounted to about €17 million.

German court finds Lottoland blocking illegal

In July, the German regulator ordered to block the IP addresses of the Maltese Lottoland, because the company does not have a German license. In response, Lottoland emphasized its right to provide services within the EU.

In October, the regulator again demanded ISPs to block the company's websites. In response, one of them filed a complaint.

As a result, the court ruled that the requirements of the regulator to the provider are null and void.