Central Europe
Bet-at-home Decides to Temporarily Discontinue Offering Online Casino in Austria
Bet-at-home AG has announced that it will temporarily discontinue its offering of online casino in Austria, and recognise further provisions due to player lawsuits for repayment of gaming losses.
The Management Board decided during a meeting with the Supervisory Board to put the online casino offering in the country on hold. This is due to the fact that, even though the company considers itself to be lawful, the continuation of the activity before final legal clarification over a period of time that is currently no longer foreseeable would lead to a steadily increasing risk potential that appears indefensible overall.
The Germany-based company had already announced that it was facing legal claims from customers for a reimbursement of gambling losses in the online casino.
In a statement released by the company, the bet-at-home.com AG Group said it still considers the online casino monopoly of the national Austrian gambling regulation to be “contrary to European law”, and considers itself to be a “lawful online casino provider in Austria”.
Regarding the necessity derived from the current European Court of Justice case law of a recurring review also by the Austrian courts, bet-at-home.com AG Group deems it is not taking place to the required extent, and has so far assumed a positive development of case law in particular at the higher courts in the appeal instances, until the end of the first half of 2022.
However, due to a recent decision by the Austrian Supreme Court, it is now unclear whether the bet-at-home.com AG Group will be able to enforce its legal opinion in Austrian courts in the foreseeable future.
The decision on any resumption of the online casino offering in Austria will be made in the future depending on the development of the legal framework, and the company “will continue to use all available legal means to take action against the lawsuits filed in Austria”.
The Management Board also decided to recognise further provisions for the customer lawsuits for reimbursement of player losses that have been pending in Austria to date.
As a result, the Company provisionally expects gross betting and gaming revenues of between EUR 93 million and EUR 98 million for the bet-at-home AG Group in fiscal year 2021 and negative EBITDA of between EUR -14 million and EUR -10 million, which includes expenses of EUR 24.6 million in connection with the Austrian customer lawsuits.
Depending on the decision of the Austrian tax authorities, the Company assumes that gaming levies amounting to 40% of the relevant amounts will have to be refunded to the bet-at-home AG Group on player losses to be reimbursed. However, due to legal uncertainties, these amounts are not used to reduce the aforementioned expenses and are not capitalised.
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Central Europe
SYNOT Games teams up with win2day to revolutionize Austria’s iGaming scene
SYNOT Games, a leading iGaming provider, has partnered with win2day, taking a major step in its Austrian market growth strategy.
The collaboration marks its debut with the launch of Resin Joker, a fan-favorite slot that combines the simplicity of a classic gaming experience with a fresh, modern twist. With its smooth gameplay, vibrant audio-visuals, and universal appeal, Respin Joker has become a standout title for players seeking both entertainment and nostalgia.
As this partnership progresses, players can look forward to a steady rollout of additional games from SYNOT Games’ extensive portfolio, further enriching win2day’s already robust catalog. This collaboration is designed to offer Austrian players a premium gaming experience, with a diverse selection of games that blend cutting-edge innovation and top-tier quality.
Georg Wawer, Managing Director of win2day, said: „As the sole licensed operator in Austria, our goal is to host all leading iGaming providers on our platform. Synot, being a major player on the international stage, makes us proud to feature their content. We regard SYNOT Games as a skilled and trustworthy partner for win2day, and we are confident that this collaboration will yield great success.„
Martina Krajčí, CCO at SYNOT Games, commented: “We are excited to partner with win2day and bring our games to Austrian players. At SYNOT Games, our focus has always been on providing quality entertainment, and this partnership highlights our commitment to delivering an outstanding gaming experience.”
The post SYNOT Games teams up with win2day to revolutionize Austria’s iGaming scene appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
25 years of ZEAL: A quarter century of online lottery in Germany
- From living room start-up to online market leader
- Ambitious growth targets and innovative product ideas
ZEAL Network SE, the market leader for online lotteries in Germany, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Founded in 1999 as Tipp24, the company was one of the first on the German market to bring lotteries to the internet. Since then, ZEAL has had a lasting impact on the German online lottery business.
“We are very proud of a quarter century of ZEAL,” says Helmut Becker, CEO of ZEAL. “What began 25 years ago as a two-man start-up in Hamburg has now developed into a group of companies with more than 250 employees. We are more successful than ever in our core business of lottery brokerage and are continuously expanding our market share and our business model. In doing so, we are staying true to our motto: we define the future of lottery.”
From start-up to international group
ZEAL was founded as Tipp24 in Hamburg in 1999. The company was one of the first providers to enable participation in state lotteries in Germany via the Internet – with great success. The IPO followed in 2005. This was followed by the temporary relocation of the company headquarters to London, the change of name to ZEAL Network SE and the development of new business abroad. In 2019, the company returned to Hamburg and took over LOTTO24 AG. This made ZEAL the largest lottery broker in Germany. Today, more than 1.3 million customers play with ZEAL’s brands every month.
“As one of the founders, I am particularly happy about ZEAL’s success story,” says Jens Schumann, co-founder of ZEAL 25 years ago and now a member of the Supervisory Board. “When we founded the company, we printed out the lottery tickets that our customers played online and handed them in at the kiosk around the corner. A lot has happened since then. Today, ZEAL is one of Germany’s leading e-commerce companies. It gives me great pleasure to have been so closely involved in its development to date.”
Continuing to grow in the core business, developing new business areas
Today, ZEAL is the market leader for online lotteries in Germany. The brokerage of participation in state and charity lotteries remains the company’s core business, which it intends to expand in the future. In addition, ZEAL is continuously developing its portfolio: in the summer, for example, the company launched the first raffle of an existing property in Germany with Traumhausverlosung (English name: Dream House Raffle). ZEAL also appeals to younger target groups in particular with the freiheit+ charity lottery. Last year, ZEAL also launched an online games offering, which has been continuously expanded since then. ZEAL also operates the online presence of the ONCE charity lottery in Spain, a public organization for the blind, and invests in industry-specific start-ups via its ventures department ZEAL Ventures.
The post 25 years of ZEAL: A quarter century of online lottery in Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
NOVOMATIC once again honored with the “Business Superbrands Austria Award”
The world’s largest independent brand evaluation organization, Business Superbrands Brand Council, has once again recognized NOVOMATIC as one of Austria’s strongest brands for the year 2024/2025.
The prestigious award is given to brands that have built up an outstanding image in their market segment and clearly stand out from their competitors. After a pre-selection by the credit rating service provider Bisnode D&B, an independent panel of experts decides on the awarding of the title. NOVOMATIC’s exceptional brand strength and innovative power were convincing and underlined our success on both the domestic and international markets.
Stefan Krenn, Executive Board Member of NOVOMATIC AG, accepted the award from András Wiszkidenszky, Superbrands Regional Director, and emphasized: “This award underlines our strong market position and the continuous pursuit of innovation and excellence in the international gaming industry. At the same time, it is a sign of appreciation for the extraordinary commitment of our employees, who contribute to the success of the NOVOMATIC brand every day.”
András Wiszkidenszky added: “The Superbrand award underlines the economic appeal of the NOVOMATIC brand. Congratulations on the outstanding brand management and strong positioning that have made NOVOMATIC one of the strongest brands in Austria.”
The post NOVOMATIC once again honored with the “Business Superbrands Austria Award” appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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