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Merkur Gaming to Give Live Stream Presentation of New Product Developments

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Merkur Gaming is going to implement new initiatives and strategies to recover from the Impact of COVID-19.

Merkur Gaming’s chief executive, International, Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, is at the forefront of supporting the Merkur Board and bringing to fruition new initiatives for the short term and also the strategies that will be necessary as more familiar business levels resume. “We are not on holiday and we are not sleeping” he said “we are working very hard to support our customers, in whatever they need, during these difficult times.”

Mr. Isaakidis went on to explain a brand new initiative that is just one example of the efforts being made to support Merkur Gaming’s customers.

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He said: “What we will be bringing to our customers, starting in early November, will be a live stream presentation from our showroom in Luebbeke. This is not a ‘virtual’ event. Our invited customers will each be hosted by their own, familiar, company representative, and in real time. They will be able to see our new products, our new cabinets and our new games, discuss them one-to-one, ask any questions they have and so get a very valuable first insight into what will be available from Merkur Gaming. I promise you, it will intensive and it will be exciting. Exciting for us to be able to see our customers’ reactions and exciting for them to be up to speed with what we are very confident will be major hit products on gaming floors soon.”

Mr. Isaakidis went on to talk about where gaming is taking place successfully at present. “We are, of course, encouraging the industry to ‘Restart with Merkur’ and, in quite a few locations, that is already happening. Our business in Eastern Europe, in the Balkans particularly, is as healthy as it can be in the current situation. In Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia gaming entertainment is doing well. The recent announcement of the new gaming law in the Ukraine is truly exciting and we want all our customers and business partners to know that Merkur is coming, and we expect to be a major supplier there. Early 2021 will see the first installations in the Ukraine and there will be some exciting new developments in Bulgaria also.

In our home market, Germany, casino operations are doing well and the Gauselmann Group’s mainstay, the many gaming arcades that we operate, are active and providing players with the high class gaming entertainment that they have come to expect. In this the existing regulations that gaming arcades must comply with have helped meet the primary need of keeping both players and our staff safe and well. It is mandatory to provide ample space between each gaming machine and that, combined with the highest levels of social distancing, sanitation and protective shielding from machine to machine, has given our loyal players the confidence to return, and in ever increasing numbers.

Despite all of the difficulties of the past months the entire Merkur Gaming team is looking forward to the challenges, and the opportunities, that lie ahead. We have always been passionate about our place in the national and international gaming industry and, right now and into the future we are focusing on keeping that passion and looking forward to what will certainly be a bright future.”

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Industry News

Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising

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The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.

Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRV’s Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.

By using influencers and terms like “free money”, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointer’s findings.

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Pointer’s research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as “fast money” and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.

Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.

With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.

The post Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024

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The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.

This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.

Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.

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This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.

The latest operator data shows:

  • online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was £1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
  • real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to £453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
  • slots GGY increased 16 percent to £680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
  • the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from £4.20 to £4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
  • LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to £533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.

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Industry News

Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director

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Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.

Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.

In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the group’s sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xace’s ambitious expansion plans.

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“I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. I’m looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,” said Petra Maria Poola.

Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: “Petra’s extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xace’s market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.”

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