I-gaming Forum will bring you all business critical areas to operators and investors in the online gaming businesses in Europe. Register Today Call +468 651 10 90

2012 marks the beginning of a new era in the European online gambling sector.

For the first time, revenues generated from domestically regulated markets will account for the clear majority of total i-gaming revenues in Europe.

Research undertaken by Global Betting and Gaming Consultants for its Interactive Gambling Report found that in 2011, 51.3 per cent of revenues were from domestically regulated markets. This figure will jump to 60.1 per cent in 2012 as several key markets launch new i-gaming licensing regimes.

GBGC director Lorien Pilling cites 2012 as a defining year for i-gaming in Europe. ”Low gaming taxes are being replaced by high taxes; single licences are being replaced by the need for multiple licences. As a result, the high customer payouts that made i-gaming so attractive are being reduced too.”

Spain is due to launch its new licences this year while Denmark has already begun issuing licences with a 20 per cent tax on gross gaming revenues. Germany’s states are also planning some restrictive licensing of i-gaming under the new Interstate Gambling Treaty and Greece has plans for a 30 per cent gross profits tax for its domestic i-gaming licences, plus a withholding tax on players’ winnings.

Link to article: http://www.intergameonline.com/i-gaming/news/6794/a-new-era-for-regulated-european-i-gaming

Tougher regulatory conditions for online gaming will generate more revenue for European nations in 2012. But the higher fees and taxes will lead to lower payouts for players, says an Interactive Gambling Report. ”Low gaming taxes are being replaced by high taxes; single licenses are being replaced by the need for multiple licenses. As a result, the high customer payouts that made iGaming so attractive are being reduced too,” said Lorien Pilling, director of Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, which prepared the report.

Link to the article: http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aga/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=BF2BB2F5-B717-4F1A-A90C-40B60E9ED32E&copyid=8C313CDD-21A2-4425-BFD0-385DBB7752AB&brief=aga&sb_code=rss&&campaign=rss

Dear colleague,

The fourth annual I-gaming Forum will bring all business critical areas to operators and investors in the online gaming businesses in Europe. This well-established meeting will bring high level panelists and participants from across the Nordics and Europe to meet members of parliament involved in the drafting of bills of laws, gaming boards responsible for licensing, tax and other regulatory issues as well as CEOs of operators and venture capitalists which shape the online gaming business in the Europe.

These are in short some of the reasons you should not miss the I-gaming Forum 2012:

• • The market is undergoing significant change as gaming’s popularity increase among consumers and continuous regulation enables sustainable growth. If you don’t keep up to date with the new regulatory advances and gaming trends, you risk falling behind.
• • Expectation is being built about the 2012 market landscape to i-gaming business. Several key countries are in discussions about new regulatory models which will bring unrestricted business opportunities to operators – ready to take new market share and return on investments.
• • Other countries have instead made the control over gaming even more rigorous and imposed new restrictions to the market players. With these very diverse developments at hand, it is crucial to keep close contact with the regulators, policy makers and legal experts involved in the implementation of new laws and regulations.
• • In addition to regulatory developments, it is also important to be on top off new business models, M&A and other consolidation alternatives as means to strengthen their stake at the European i-gaming market.
• • Player retention strategies and strategic partnering on the commercial side are also necessary actions to be considered and taken.

Regardless of which of the above mentioned business models you choose to prioritize, it is essential to understand the dynamics of the I-gaming market to capitalize on your investments.

Bearing these aspects in mind, I-gaming Forum 2012 brings you practical & up-to-date insights through an exceptional breadth and depth of speakers who will share experiences at panel discussions. Sign up now to reap the benefits of attending the most comprehensive, high level gaming event focusing on the Northern European market.

We look forward to welcoming you and your team in Stockholm, on April 16^th – 17^th, 2012.

Warm regards,

Josephine Elofs, Content Director, I-gaming Forum 2012

The 3rd Annual iGaming Forum gaming conference has just finished up at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. This conference has traditionally attracted a senior (and extremely well dressed) crowd of Scandinavian online gaming professionals including operator CEOs, regulators, politicians, monopolies and Swedish media and this year was absolutely no different with close to 100 attendees.

The conference was based around a day of panels moderated by Michael Caselli and led by experienced individuals hand selected from the group of professionals mentioned above. Tables were set up in an elegant room in the Grand Hotel, networking breaks took place every few hours and dinner was organized for all delegates as an additional opportunity to socialize in a more relaxed environment.

CEO’s Pontus Lindwall of Betsson, Henrik Persson of Betsafe, Anders Invges of PAF and Thomas Petersen of Bet24 made up the popular CEO panel that kicked off the conference to a great start. Lindwall was quick to point out that despite the physical proximity, the Scandinavian market is quite fragmented and each government is going their own way in terms of tackling online gaming regulation. Seeing as many Scandinavian players look to companies licensed in foreign jurisdictions for the best offers and bonuses, Lindwall is pushing for Scandinavian countries to adopt a licensing system that would allow local operators to compete against those with a foreign license. Persson agreed and added that the license should include all games, and all four CEOs agreed that it is expensive to get into the Scandinavian market and operators who are looking for a piece of the pie should partner with an established company rather than going at it alone. read more

The EU Commission has issued several warnings with regards to the Swedish gaming monopoly over the past years. Back in 2006, for example, the Swedish government has been warned for not following its own monopoly policy, following Svenska Spel (Swedish Game)’s decision to establish themselves in the Baltic market. More recently, at the Riksdagens & Depatmented website, there was a call for the need to change the Swedish regulatory landscape.

Gaming is certainly a controversial topic in Sweden, where a great focus is devoted to preventing abuse by gaming companies and ensuring social needs are accounted for. Would you like to learn more about the “Future Outlook: Swedish Gaming Policy” and the EU Commission views, following the recent elections?

At the Third Annual I-gaming Forum 2011, we will have not only the presence of all gaming boards in Scandinavia, but also a unique debate on this matter. We are glad to announce that Annika Qarlsson, Member of Parliament, Centerpartiet and Torbjörn Björlund, Member of Parliament, Vänsterpartiet will be amongst the panelists.

I look forward to seeing you in April!

Kind Regards,

Beatriz Viellas, Senior Project Manager, The 3rd I-gaming Forum 2011

A recent report by the Spanish Association of Internet Bettors (AEDAPI) estimates the online gaming industry profits to have reached Euro 315 million in 2010, exceeding by 19% from 2009 and showing a continuous growth in the industry by 20% per annum. It is no surprise that online gaming operators across Europe are turning their eyes to the region.

Spain is one step closer to opening the market for online gaming, having approved a draft law in February. If all is according to plan, the European Commission could be sanctioning the law by June or July. But uncertainty remains on, amongst others, the specific rate of taxation which certainly affects the business plans of operators.

If you are looking at new markets to expand such as Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, you cannot miss the next I-Gaming Forum 2011, where you may meet Juan Carlos Alfonso, Co-ordination Director for Loterias y Apuestas del Estado, one of our panelists.

We are fast closing applications for the event, which has 85% of state monopoly members booked already.

I look forward to seeing you in April!

Kind Regards,

Beatriz Viellas, Senior Project Manager, The 3rd I-gaming Forum 2011

Norrmalmstorg 2-4
SE-111 86 Stockholm
Email: info@nobishotel.com
Phone: +46 (0)8 614 10 00

____________________________________________________________________

How to book your room:
Arrival: April 11^{th –}  Departure April 13^th

Standard room SEK 2190 per room, per night (reg ave. price 2890 SEK)
Superior room SEK 2800 per room, per night (reg ave. price 3600 SEK)
The above prices include VAT, WiFi Internet and includes access to gym and relaxation area.
Breakfast buffet will be an additional 175 SEK per person.

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Videos from i-gamingforum.com 2009, press the arrows to the left and right on the video screen to navigate thru the interviews. (For full screen view doubble click on the video screen.)

The I-Gamingforum.com Scandinavia in Stockholm April 1, 2009

Interviews from the conference:

Pontus Lindwall, CEO, Betsson

Petter Nylander, CEO, Unibet

Johan Öhman, CEO, Net Entertainment

Marcus Forsell, CEO, Bonnier Gaming

Jake Pollard, Editor, eGamingreview

Quirino Mancini, SCM Partners

Peter Alling, Lawyer, Swedish Gaming Board

William Scott, Boss Media Gtech

Rolf Sims, Minister of Culture

The Swedish tax authorities are scrutinizing poker sites registered out of Sweden, but which are still considered by the authorities as tax liable in Sweden. Svenska Dagbladet estimates SEK 100 billions of tax revenue from i-gaming businesses can be on stake.

As an i-gaming operator and a professional following the online gaming business, you may want to reach the full article at here (in Swedish).

Why not take a couple of days in April to learn more about the Scandinavian challenges to the i-gaming business? Book now to the 3rd Annual I-gaming Forum 2011, where the Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finish Gaming Authorities, legal experts and CEOs from Bonnier Lottery, Betsson, Nordic Gaming Group, PAF, BET24, Betsafe will join us, amongst others.

I look forward to seeing you in April!

Kind Regards,

Beatriz Viellas, Senior Project Manager, The 3rd I-gaming Forum 2011

The third annual I-gaming Forum will bring all critical areas to operators and investors in the online gaming businesses in Europe. This is THE occasion to discuss market opportunities and business affairs with panelists and participants from across the Nordics and Europe to meet members of parliament involved in the drafting of bills of laws, gaming boards responsible for licensing, tax and other regulatory issues and CEOs of operators and venture capitalists which shape the online gaming business in the Europe.

These are in short some of the reasons you cannot miss the I-gaming Forum 2011:

• • Strong Nordic focus: whilst in Europe online gaming accounts for 10% of the market, estimates show that online gaming in the Nordics range from 20-25%. Gain the latest on the Danish liberalization, the Swedish policy developments after the election and the latest regulations in Finland and Norway.
• • CEO Operators debate: liquidity issues, market trends, M&A and consolidation issues affecting the i-gaming market.
• • European liberalization & developments: the Netherlands, Spain, the European Commission Green Paper and case-law developments
• • Leverage the life-cycle of your customers: player retention strategies, business partnerships and advertising initiatives

If you are looking at having serious business critical conversations that take this industry forward, then we look forward to seeing you in Stockholm, on 11th – 13th April, 2011!

Beatriz Viellas, Senior Project Manager, I-gaming Forum Team

I-gaming 2011 Market Outlook

As you know, a lot of expectation is being built about the 2011 market landscape to i-gaming business. Several key countries are in discussions about new models and increasingly liberal regimes which will bring unlimited opportunities to operators eager to conquer new market share and return on investments. Others have increased control over gaming and imposed new restrictions to the market players, which shall not be missed. Rather than digging around a myriad of sources and relying on “word-of-mouth” speculation, it is crucial to establish close contact with the regulators, policy makers and legal experts involved in the implementation of new laws and regulations.

Adding to that, operators are following carefully new business models, M&A and other consolidation alternatives as means to strengthen their stake at the European i-gaming market. For the more conservative players, player retention strategies and strategic commercial partnerships seems to be the path to generate the necessary level of revenue to survive the 2011 challenges. Regardless of your particular choice of business model, as an operator, it is essential to understand the dynamics of the post-credit crunch i-gaming market to capitalize your investments!

Highlights from Scandinavian Affiliate Super Summit 2010. Part 1.

Highlights from Scandinavian Affiliate Super Summit 2010. Part 2.

i-Gamingforum.com proudly presents the second annual iGB Scandinavian Affiliate Super Summit! Building on the launch success last year we’re back with a brand new business networking concept. The Scandinavian market is a highly lucrative online gaming market, and the iGB SASS gathers top operators, super affiliates and, of course, rising stars for days of networking, business, benchmarking and partying!

Don’t miss out as we hit you with a brand new concept, including “Impressive Ingrid”, Elfs, Smorgasboards, Sauna, business, Lucia in the (hopefully) snowy landscape of the Capital of Scandinavia, Stockholm.

Read more at www.affiliatesupersummit.com

Editor in Chief Thomas Mattson Expressen interviews Editor in Chief Jan Helin Aftonbladet at i-gamingforum.com. Jan tells us what it feels like to be the subject of 120 police reports. (Live Broadcast in Swedish).

Continent 8 Technologies sent a five strong delegation to the Scandinavian i-Gaming Forum in Stockholm this week to attend one of Europe’s leading, innovative, and timely i-gaming conferences. The event attracts the leading decision makers from some of Europe’s largest online operators, many of whom are customers of Continent 8.

Michael Tobin, CEO of Continent 8, said “Being able to meet with so many of our customers, top executives, decision makers, and policy shapers of the i-gaming industry on a regular basis in one place is always an efficient and effective opportunity for us to continue to promote our business – and economic development on the Isle of Man. Our state-of-the-art data centre in Douglas at our global Head Office connects our clients and us to our world-wide network.”
 
Continent 8, a pioneer supplier to the global i-gaming industry headquartered in the Isle of Man, is known for reliable innovation and its multi-jurisdictional model of hosting and managed services in its many data centres.
 
John Webster, Chairman of Continent 8 added, ”Continent 8 was an early entrant to the e-gaming industry & became the leading provider of hosting services to the sector. At a time of rapid changes in the e-business world & with the significant risks to economic development in Europe, the Isle of Man is fortunate in having such major companies headquartered here. We need to gain from their experience, contacts, international reach & technical flair. Hopefully, we will grasp the opportunity to benefit from the help available from Continent 8 & the other top companies based on the Island.”

For more info go to: http://www.continent8.com/node/90

The evening began with dinner for all conference attendees at Café Opera, a venue that was reserved all night just for the iGaming Forum crowd. After dinner and wine, the poker tournament began and the non poker players of the crowd stuck around the main room, enjoyed our very own DJ, shamelessly flirted with the Ayre Heads, and sucked down cocktails until another plan was formed.

Seeing as the B2B Scandinavian side of the igaming business is a bit less “rowdy” than the, well, lets just say “affiliate side of the business”, the privately rented out Café Opera was a bit on the tame side for those who are not poker enthusiasts. No harm done though, the non-poker players and dedicated boozers simply got shitfaced at Café Opera until the tourney was over and then moved the party to another location in Stockholm with the potential to cause some serious trouble. The nightspot of choice was Soap Bar, a nice little intimate location including some nice little Swedish honies which the igaming men certainly appreciated. Michael Caselli, the man, the legend, almost got kicked out of the bar by the big black bouncer when he decided to lift me up and spin me around in the middle of the bar, but he was thankfully able to talk his way out of it. Other shenanigans of note include Steve Cook who was quite happy to display his very smooth dance moves for all to see, birthday boy Michael Whittam who attempted to yank all the industry girls out onto the dance floor along side of him, and the Ayre Heads who showed up after hours in their hot outfits and greatly succeeded in charming the male dominated crowd as usual.

Much to everyone’s dismay, Soap Bar kicked us out at 3am, and for those who wanted more, a certain someone spearheaded a journey to a “titty bar”, but this is where the story ends my friends- you’ll just have to use your imagination for the rest.

Checkout more pictures here: http://calvinayre.com/online-gaming-directory/party-sindex/igaming-forum-party/

By Eric Andersson for i-Gamingforum.com | Posted on March 4, 2010

Estonia, the successful Nordic country that has seen a leapfrog economic development since autonmy from the Soviet Union, recently legalized online gaming. A population just short of 1,5 million, numerous expatriated professionals and a location connecting the mature Scandinavian economies and the cash rich Russian Federation have fast tracked a country well on its way to be on par with Western Europe. With 25% of Estonians of Russians descent it is no great leap of mind to assume Estonian operators draws revenue from the Russian Federation. Russia banned gambling in June 2009, and customers move with the speed of light on the internet. 

An already established Estonian license model makes for excellent tax revenue possibly next turning Estonia into a virtual Monaco of Scandinavia. The Estonian government has taken the next step to secure even greater tax revenue.

Today Estonian citizens (including any Russian speaking players) are allowed to play on Estonian-based platforms. In the next step the Government is opening up to international operators in 2011. Numerous applications should be expected as the scope of potential business is tremendous.

Unibet has taken another step in its expansion by entering the global gaming B2B market.
The Group has decided to offer a fully serviced sports betting solution to external customers and as a first customer signed a contract with Paf.

As a first customer, Unibet have today signed a three year exclusive? deal with Paf, licensed by the Åland Provincial Government, for the provision of a full sports betting B2B Solution. The scope of the services includes odds compiling and risk management on an in-house developed proprietary system for fixed odds betting. Paf will also become a customer in the fast growing sports betting pool products SuperToto and SuperScore offered by Unibet.

The Gross Gaming Revenues for the global sports betting market is estimated by independent analysts to be USD 40.9bn for 2009 and the forecast for 2012 is that the global sports betting market will grow to USD 43.4bn.

read more

According to YLE ,The Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY) has received permission to start offering poker and other casino games online. This follows a government decision announced on Thursday, February 4th.

RAY plans to introduce a variety of internet poker and casino games, which it believes will create an income of around 25 million euros annually.  New government licences come into force on March, 1. RAY hopes to start its new game services by August.

The Finnish National Lottery (Veikkaus) is being allowed to introduce online bingo and similar number-based games. Internet games will be strictly supervised in accordance with government regulations.
Both RAY and the Finnish National Lottery must verify both the address and identity of the player and ensure that no minors participate. Players will also have the right to cap their bets. Similarly, RAY and Veikkaus will be able to set limits on individual players. read more

read more

I-Gaming Forum 2010 is growing every single day.  Presently there are over 31 confirmed speakers, covering the gaming, telecoms, and media sectors.  This year’s panelist coming from organizations such as;

• Svenska Spel
• Virgin Games
• Partouche Group
• British Telecom
• PAF
• And many more…..

In addition to this; 3 completely new conference sessions have been added; with the new focuses for this year being driven towards the French market, developing your player retention strategies, and how to define your commercial partnerships.

Be sure to not miss the session “The public debate for gambling and betting in Scandinavia”, bringing together leading politicians from around the Nordics, giving you the chance to raise your opinions about gaming regulation moving forward.

With Norway increasing its focus to implement UIEGA rulings, Denmark’s focus to regulation, France bid to be online before the 2010 world cup, you really couldn’t have picked a better time to define your business policies.

>> The Scandinavian i-Gaming Forum brings you insights from within the industry as well as cross industry benchmarks, with this year’s main take away’s being:

1. Understanding of Best Practice within Scandinavia, with specific focus on legal developments and marketing knowledge
2. Analysis and feedback on the last 12 months with a specific focus on new developing markets, recent case law and predictions for next 12 months
3. Are your costs spiraling? Listen on how to develop cost-cutting strategies that still give your business true development and power.
Held again, in the prestigious Grand Hotel, we are hosting 3 days of top class networking, high content conferencing, in-depth business meetings, interactive workshops, and world-class business case studies showing you; how to increase your revenue!  What we promise is simple… you will leave Stockholm with a clear insight of where the industry is going over the next 12 months!

If you are looking at having serious business critical conversations that take this industry forward, then we look forward to seeing you in Stockholm this April

>> Pictures from the Scandinavian Affiliate Super Summit 2009

Interviews from the Affiliate Super Summit in Stockholm 2009:

>> Richard De Waal – Referback

>> Johan Hagenfeldt -  AffliateTipsAgents

>> Jonas Ödman – Bodog

>> Karim Wilkins – RaketheRake

>> Michael Caselli – iGB Affiliate

>> Per Widerström – Mangas Gaming / Expekt.com

Read Bodog Beckys report and see the pictures from the event!

>> Bodog Beckys report

>> See the pictures from the event

The Scandinavian Affiliate Super Summit (25th-27th November) launched with the glitz and glamour that Scandinavian gaming is, held in the Berns Hotel, attendees kick-started the 3 days with a cocktail reception, hosted by Bet24.

The whole conference went down as an event to remember with over 248 delegates in attendance over the course of the three days, 10 exhibitors, 8 strategic conference sessions, 3 exuberant networking parties and VIP guests galore. The cleaners are still trying to piece the Café Opera venue back together after a successful visit from the party going affiliates.  The event warmed-down at the world famous IceBar; where everyone nursed their hangovers with a chilled vodka.

“I think SASS was a great” Richard De Waal – Referback “There were plenty of new affiliates for us to meet, the atmosphere was great, and the host city was fantastic. This was the perfect opportunity for us to make grow our business. We will definitely come back next year”

The SASS is the first ever gaming affiliate show to be held in Scandinavia, and was widely received as a very successful location for affiliate events in the future.  Project Manager Michael Whittam said “It’s very difficult to create a launch event in affiliate marketing, the affiliate conference market is very competitive, our success has been down to one simple winning formula; ensuring we attract the top affiliates that are looking to drive major traffic and providing them with top level conference content.”

“Whilst we know that our delegates are largely here to network, we always aim to provide everyone with something new and unexpected.” Alex Pratt, Head of Events for iGB Events, added “The location attracted huge attention; and this event has definitely established itself on the i-Gaming Calendar.

The Scandinavian Affiliate Super Summit team looks forward to welcoming you back next year with a bigger and better venue and an expected 500 attendees!