There have been a number of major developments this week, with gambling laws coming front and center. The United Kingdom, for one, dodged a rumored double-digit tax increase in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ latest budget, but a change to the taxation regiment is coming, nevertheless.

According to Chancellor Reeves, the gambling taxation in the country needs harmonization which will end the multi-tiered taxation regime. In a similar vein, France has decided to pump the breaks on legalizing its own online casinos.

After a previous proposal from a few weeks ago, that would have seen the introduction of Internet casinos, the government has now confirmed that it will not forge ahead with its plans just yet. Rather, it will seek additional input, but a previously thought 2025 launch date may now not happen after all.

The brick-and-mortar industry as well as various local political leaders have welcomed this decision. In the meantime, the American Gaming Association’s SVP of Government Relations Chris Cylke has further expressed the trade group’s dim view of the sweepstakes casino model.

Speaking at The New Formal webinar, Cylke insisted that the sweepstakes casino model has to be revised on a per-state basis, and that since the AGA has started looking into it, it has established that sweepstakes casinos offer a gambling product but have "no skin" in the game whatsoever.

The European Commission has ruled in the case of Française des Jeux(FDJ), finding that the gambling company did not receive "state aid" from France. The issue was taken up by the commission after it received a complaint about anti-competition practices, but this was not the case, the commission declared in its ruling.

However, a previously negotiated 25-year contract had to be adjusted, so that FDJ would pay a total of €477m over the period of the contract.

Business & finance

EasyGroup, the owner of the popular airline, easyJet, has launched a new venture with the arrival of the group’s sports betting brand, easyBet.

EasyGroup has been looking to diversify its assets and portfolio, and betting and gaming have long been on the company’s mind of potential verticals to expand into, the group explained in an official press statement.

In the meantime, Glitnor Group announced the acquisition of OneCasino, one of the leading European casino operators and brands.

OneCasino is a particularly worthy acquisition for Glitnor Group, as the brand has developed its own original tech stack and unique solutions that make it stand out from competitors and allow it to adapt quickly.

The exact financials of the deal were not disclosed, but Glitnor Group is expected to see immediate benefits from the tie-up.

Aristocrat made history by obtaining the first supplier license from the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) in the United Arab Emirates, as the region prepares to welcome its first casino, and possibly more in the future. The licensing will allow the company to provide gaming machines on future casino floors in the UAE.

Better Collective has confirmed that it will have to lay off team members. Although CEO Jesper Søgaard stopped short of naming the exact number of people affected, Front Office Sports cited that as many as 100 jobs could be on the chopping block.

In the meantime, Yggdrasil broke ground in the Belarusian iGaming market with the company teaming up with Fonbet, a prominent local operator. This partnership allows the company to expand its product offering into the market for the very first time and provide its award-winning products to local audiences.

During its earnings call, Evolution CEO Martin Carlesund addressed the ongoing strike in Georgia and argued that the company had created good working conditions that were aligned with the company’s studios across Europe.

He criticized certain aspects of the strike but assured that Evolution recognized the workers’ right to form unions and strike, adding, however, that Evolution does not anticipate restoring the full capacity of its studio in the country.

Responsible gambling

The Dutch Association of Mental Health and Addiction Care has urged the government to suspend online gambling advertisements entirely, arguing that young people continued to fall prey to those inducements, and that gambling companies were looking for smart ways around existing regulation.

In a similar vein, a groundbreaking study by the Lancet Public Health Commission has said that there is a need for a global response to the gambling epidemic that now impacts as many as 450m people, with 80m of them estimated to be pathological gamblers. This called for global leadership and response, the commission insisted.

The voice of the industry

This week Casino Guru News had the chance to post the SBC Summit interview with Ihor Zarechnyi, Chief Business Development Officer at Evoplay, who spoke how his brand drove differentiation and stood apart from others when delivering a product, addressing regional and player preferences in the process.

Casino Guru News also had the chance to catch up with a trio of experts who spoke about the future of jackpot prizes and how they have been instrumental in elevating the player experience.

Discussing the marketing power of jackpots and their staying power with consumers, EamonnBeardsley, Content Strategy Director Light & Wonder, Catie Di Stefano, Marketing Director for Smartico.ai, and Armen Tatarevic, VP of Gaming at White Hat Studios had much insight to offer.

Casino Guru News also caught up with Mike Collins, Game Product Owner at Thunderkick who spoke about his company’s game serialization and Esqueleto Explosivo 3, the latest instalment in the series.