With ICE now over and fully back in “work” mode, it struck me that the main thing people are talking about in the iGaming industry is regulation. The main territories in question are Greece, Belgium, Germany and of course the US. But it has also struck me that regulation often equals consternation.

Many of us assumed that the regulation of the French market would be a significant milestone for operators and also recruitment companies, such as ourselves. Wrong. A ridiculous tax regime and tough entry to market have meant that French regulation can only be described as disastrous, with various operators pulling out of the market completely, or significantly reducing marketing/operational spend in the territory.

Betclic Everest lost six senior members of staff last quarter and as sports betting revenues in particular continue to slump in France (23% year on year to Q3 from 10/11) we must all face up to the fact that regulation is not always what it is cracked up to be. What this does mean is that operators without a licence may prosper further in territories where regulation stifles those companies doing things by the book.

Greece appears to have offered legislation that is not acceptable to most major operators and with only 4 approved applications, it seems that this could also be another massive white elephant for the online gambling industry.

Regarding Belgium, Unibet and BWin.Party both have licences pending to offer online sports betting, which is great news and would also imply that the road to regulation in the territory offers operators a genuine chance to prosper, with a fair rate of taxation.

I have spoken to a couple of people recently who are keeping tabs on German regulation and from what I can gather the German market may very well be a good place to be for operators. Hopefully developments in Schleswig-Holstein will be positive for the region and mean an influx of licences for operators wishing to regulate in Germany.

As for the US, well, it is 17:15 now and I don’t have all night to write this blog. Breaking news is that Iowa are producing an eGaming bill, so they can be added to Nevada, California and New Jersey who are doing the honourable thing and also looking to regulate online gaming.

The good news for us is that new regulation often means the creation of new jobs within the iGaming market, so we always welcome the introduction of legislation that expands our clients reach within a given jurisdiction.
 

Alex