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Behind the Success of the Growing European Online Gambling Market

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Due to all types of restrictions on social gathering and physical attendance in many brick-and-mortar businesses, the global online gaming and gambling markets have ballooned in 2020. As gambling becomes more and more of an online activity, markets such as the European Union are projected to grow at about 10% per year, and increase to nearly US$35.5 billion by 2022, up nearly 32% from its 2018 numbers. Globally, the online gambling market is projected to reach US$160 billion by 2026. The European market is seen as far more regulated than any other, with the Western side catching up to the Eastern market revenue-wise. But for a diverse group of developers and their platforms, there are companies already licensed to operate in the EU that are reaping the rewards of their market position on the continent, including Bragg Gaming Group, Glue Mobile, Activision Blizzard, Century Casino Inc., and Enthusiast Gaming.

Through its subsidiary ORYX Gaming, Bragg Gaming Group recently announced its entry into the lucrative Swiss market, after signing a content deal with leading operator mycasino.ch by Grand Casino Luzern.

It’s worth noting that as recently as 2019, online gaming was illegal in Switzerland, and all access to unlicensed sites and apps were to be blocked. But a new gambling law from July 2019 enabled land-based casinos to launch online operations.

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Since then, the Swiss regulated online market quickly gained traction. The latest official figures from the country’s regulator showed that online gaming licensees generated CHF23.5M (more than US$26 million) in just the first partial year of being live.

It’s notable that ORYX/Bragg’s partner Grand Casino Luzern‘s brand mycasino.ch generated CHF8.9M (nearly US$10 million) in revenues in 2019—accounting for nearly 38% of the total Swiss online gaming market.

“We have had a strong start to our online operations and are constantly looking for fresh and exciting content to enhance the experience for our growing customer base. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with ORYX moving forward,” said Wolfgang Bliem, CEO of Grand Casino Luzern. “Our main objective is to provide our Swiss players with pure entertainment at the highest level, and we believe ORYX’s portfolio of games can help us achieve just that. We are pleased to be the first operator in the country to offer the games through ORYX and are confident that the games will be huge hits with our players.”

Through ORYX GAMING, Bragg is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), as well as the Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN) and is compliant, certified, or approved in 18 other major jurisdictions.

“The Swiss online market is one that we have had an eye on since the new legislation entered into force in 2019 and we are thrilled to finally make our debut,” said Matevz Mazij, Managing Director of ORYX Gaming. “Grand Casino Luzern makes a perfect partner for us as one of the most established operators in the market with a strong online brand and we look forward to working together to build our presence in the country.”

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Prior to the Swiss announcement, Bragg Gaming Group announced an exceptional revenue growth of 72% in Q3 2020. Bragg continued to focus on expanding its global footprint, onboarding 14 new customers in the quarter alone. Beyond Switzerland, they’re also in advanced discussions with new customers across multiple other licensed jurisdictions in Europe and Latin America.

Built upon its portfolio of assets that includes the ORYX Gaming subsidiary, Bragg Gaming Group is positioned as an innovative B2B online gaming facilitator, providing turnkey solutions including an omni-channel retail, online, and mobile iGaming platform to clients such as Grand Casino Luzern. Bragg’s games are played and enjoyed in countries around the world, and the company is set to sponsor this year’s prestigious World Gaming Executive Summit (WGES)—one of Europe’s most exclusive iGaming conferences.

At another virtual conference held on Dec 9, Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) will be sending its CEO and COO to participate in one-on-one meetings and a fireside chat at the UBS Global TMT Virtual Conference.

Unlike online casino games, Glu Mobile’s primary assets are “freemium” mobile games—games that are free to download, but incentivize players to spend more money for downloadable content and upgrades. The business model has proven quite successful, as shares of Glu Mobile have risen 43.88% over the past quarter, and are up 76.88% in the last year. The company’s revenue reached a record high US$158.50 million, beating the estimate of US$136.30 million, resulting in a year-over-year growth of 48%.

Much like Glu, Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) saw its revenues grow in 2020, by an expected rate of 28%. This year’s lockdowns and increased time at home has given Activision Blizzard its biggest base of engaged players to date. The company expects that its next major Call of Duty release will only add more to the bottom line—and push sales in Q4 to $2 billion, and net bookings of $2.7 billion.

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“There are few entertainment franchises that generate over $1 billion in annual net bookings,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “And today, we operate three of them: Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. And each has clear opportunity for sustained growth.”

The lack of physical traffic in Europe appears to be hurting groups such as Century Casino Inc. (NASDAQ:CNTY), which cited its casinos in Poland having a softer Q3 2020. While casinos in smaller cities around the country (drawing more local patrons) are doing well, their two larger casinos in the Polish capital of Warsaw are being softened because of the lack of tourists and business travelers. However, the global casino entertainment company has already begun to move on internet sports betting, such as in October partnering with Tipico for gaming in Colorado. Tipico originally started in Europe in 2004, and is the leading sports betting provider in Germany.

The popularity of online gaming and esports continues to be aided by the work of the world’s largest social network of communities for gamers and esports fans, Enthusiast Gaming (TSX:EGLX). With a reach of over 300 million gaming enthusiasts on a monthly basis, and hosts of the largest mobile gaming event in Europe, Pocket Gamer Connects, Enthusiast Gaming has seen strong growth in 2020—including 36% growth of total advertising revenue, including programmatic advertising revenue growth of 28%.

Because of the nature of their business, Enthusiast’s events have not been as harmed as the more brick-and-mortar centered groups, such as Century Casino. Its latest EGLX 2020 online gaming festival was watched by over 12 million fans, while streaming a total of 53 hours of content over four days from November 10-13.

As the European online gaming and gambling markets continue to grow, companies like Bragg Gaming Group look to be in a good position to take advantage of the gains.

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SOURCE Microsmallcap.com

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Win a Fruity Fortune in BGaming’s Bonanza Trillion

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Rapidly expanding content provider serves up a juicy sequel in Bonanza Trillion

Popular iGaming content provider BGaming is excited to announce the launch of Bonanza Trillion, the highly anticipated sequel to the hit slot, Bonanza Billion.

The game builds on the success of its predecessor while also upping the ante with a range of captivating features, enhanced visuals, and higher volatility.

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Bonanza Trillion upgrades the classic fruit and crystal theme that players loved from the original title. The slot offers a fresh and vibrant design, complemented by an upbeat soundtrack that is perfectly suited to modern mobile gaming trends.

It is not just the game’s visuals that are going to dazzle players, with the cascading slot offering improved mechanics and exciting new bonuses. The accumulating multiplier feature is the key highlight, with the free spins games accessed via the buy bonus featuring starting boosts of 50x and 100x.

BGaming has also improved the math model for Bonanza Trillion, serving up an attractive RTP of 97.17% and balancing it out with the x5,000 maximum win.

Julia Alekseeva, CPO at BGaming, said, “Bonanza Billion was such a runaway hit with our players that we would have been foolish to pass on the chance of making a sequel.

Bonanza Trillion manages to honour what made the original such a hit, while also expanding on it in every way. It is bigger, offers more creative gameplay, and serves up a more engaging experience. We are confident the game will further solidify the Bonanza series as one of our best.”

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The post Win a Fruity Fortune in BGaming’s Bonanza Trillion appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BEGE Awards Nominations Now Open – Celebrating 16 Years of Industry Excellence!

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We are excited to announce that the nominations for the 16th edition of the prestigious BEGE Awards are officially open! As a key highlight of the Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Exhibition (BEGE), the largest and most influential event for gambling professionals in Eastern Europe, the awards continue to recognize outstanding achievements, innovation, and leadership within the gaming industry.

The BEGE Awards serve as a distinguished platform for industry pioneers – from gaming equipment and software developers to land-based and online operators, affiliates, payment service providers, media, and industry associations. Each year, the awards spotlight the most innovative solutions, strategies, and technologies shaping the future of gambling both in Europe and globally.

Over the past years, the BEGE Awards have become synonymous with excellence, celebrating companies and individuals who push the boundaries of innovation and set new standards in the gaming sector.

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This year’s ceremony promises to be even more memorable as we mark the 16th anniversary of the awards. The event will take place on November 26th at the Megami Club, Sofia, followed by an amazing night at the BEGE Party. It will be an exceptional gathering of industry leaders, innovators, and visionaries, once again celebrating the very best in gaming.

We invite all qualifying companies and professionals to submit their entries and join us in celebrating excellence in the gaming industry. This year the categories are divided into five key groups: Online B2B, Online B2C, Land-based B2B, Land-based B2C, and Industry.

For nominations and further information, visit: https://www.balkangamingexpo.com/register-for-bege-awards-2025/

Submission Deadline: 1st of October

Let’s make the 16th edition of the BEGE Awards the most remarkable yet. Together, we shape the future of gaming!

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The post BEGE Awards Nominations Now Open – Celebrating 16 Years of Industry Excellence! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Zimpler Live With Swish As First Payment Institution Ever

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For the first time, businesses can now offer Swish without signing their own bank agreements. Zimpler’s new direct connection simplifies and speeds up onboarding across industries.

Zimpler, a leading Swedish company in Pay-by-bank solutions, today launches Swish Handel (Swish Commerce) and Swish Utbetalningar (Swish Payouts) for its partners. The company becomes the first non-bank operator ever to integrate directly with Getswish, the company behind Sweden’s most widely used payment method. For the first time ever, Swish can now be offered directly through a payment institution, without applying through a bank.

“This is a turning point for the Swedish payments market. By opening Swish beyond the banks, we are not just simplifying payments, we are reshaping how businesses can access one of the most trusted payment methods in Europe”, says Johan Strand, CEO of Zimpler.

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“This is also an important step in the stability of the Swedish financial ecosystem, which has recently seen recurring disturbances and downtime. Through our focus on the Swedish market and our long experience of payment infrastructure, we can improve the customer journey with a more stable and reliable payment experience.” Strand adds.

Until now, access to Swish has required a direct banking relationship, a costly and time-consuming process that excluded many companies, especially in regulated industries and for international businesses. With Zimpler’s direct participation, businesses of all sizes can now access Swish faster, at lower cost, and with greater stability.

Swish also highlights the significance of the step:
“Swish has always been about speed, security, and ease of use. By opening up to Zimpler, we can now reach more companies and industries than before. This is an important step to meet the growing demand for flexible and secure payments,” says Urban Höglund, CEO of Getswish.

Market impact

  • Increased stability: As more providers can offer Swish, dependence on individual banks decreases and the resilience of the financial ecosystem increases
  • Focus drives quality: Unlike banks, specialized providers can focus entirely on the service, delivering higher service levels for both end customers and businesses
  • Lower costs and faster onboarding: Businesses can now avoid lengthy onboarding processes
  • Access to Sweden’s largest payment network: 8.7 million Swedes and 300,000 companies use Swish
  • Wider application: International and regulated businesses can now offer Swish to their Swedish customers
  • Future expansion: Zimpler may also act as a Swish provider for other payment service providers, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape

The launch also signals a broader shift in Sweden’s financial ecosystem. With account-to-account (A2A) payments growing rapidly across Europe, Swish’s opening to new types of operators could accelerate competition with card networks and change the role of banks in the payment ecosystem.

The post Zimpler Live With Swish As First Payment Institution Ever appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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