Publication date: 01 Dec 2022
The last month of autumn has brought many interesting changes to the global betting and gambling market. In various countries, new officials are doing more and more to legalize gambling in the wake of the elections. And where laws have already been passed to allow casinos and betting shops to operate legally and make money, more and more records are being set for money to flow in. A new selection from 3SNET, “How to promote betting and gambling around the world” gathers all the news on what’s changed in November 2022.
And that’s the good news! For example, social media is becoming more and more tolerant. In November 2022, the Meta Corporation* has published new rules for online gambling advertising. Targeting under 18 years old is prohibited, as well as advertising in those GEOs where online gambling is banned. The list of countries where gambling ads can be targeted includes Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and USA.
*(Meta is recognized as extremist in Russia, its Facebook and Instagram services are blocked).
- TikTok has launched its first display of bookmaker ads. “Trial period” betting ads from Sportbet betting brokerage will target Australian users over the age of 21 and will be “strictly monitored”.
- In November, the Linkedin platform team published some useful tips on creating and promoting messages to help in promoting betting and gambling.
How does the election affect the gambling market?
In Brazil, the new president intends to legalize online gambling! In October 2022, Brazilians have elected Lula da Silva as their new president. He has already expressed his desire to legalize sports betting and gambling as well as announced the preparation of a bill to that effect. The previous president, Jair Bolsonaro, was strongly against gambling. Despite the lack of regulatory laws, the Brazilian gambling market attracts major players (e.g., bet365 and Entain). The main reason is the huge number of football fans in the country.
In Thailand, on the other hand, the discussion of casino legalization is on hold until the elections to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly. They will not take place until 7 May 2023.
“I think there is now real bipartisan support for casino legalization. Polls have been conducted showing that the vast majority of people in Thailand would not object to the presence of a casino,” said Spectrum Asia CEO Paul Bromberg. As a reminder, in early December 2021, Thailand’s National Assembly established an emergency committee on casino legalization. Later, it was proposed to open five casinos in the country, they are expected to be taxed at 30% tax rate.
Also in November, a large illegal network that had been operating for more than 10 years was exposed in Thailand. Previously, the managers of online gambling network Fat Fast had been detained. However, it soon emerged that the franchise was only managing the finances of another, larger network. As a result, 500 online casino sites were suspended by police during the Hanuman operation.
In Sweden, the Committee on Culture decided to reject a suggestion to introduce stricter rules on gambling advertising. Imposing various restrictions, officials said, “risks undermining the regulated market for those entities that have a free license, pay Swedish tax and maintain a high level of consumer protection and that, under the adjusted requirements, cannot sell their products on a larger scale.”
Meanwhile, the committee expressed its agreement with the proposal to introduce B2B supplier licenses. This is probably the most visible part of the bill, preventing licensed suppliers from working with black market operators.
The culture committee’s report is one of the first major gambling-related actions taken by Sweden’s new legislature since the 2022 elections. After the election, BOS general secretary Gustav Hoffstedt expressed hope that the new government would be more industry-friendly, especially on issues such as bonuses. It is worth noting that Sweden currently has a limit of one bonus per player.
How are gambling and betting sites being blocked?
Russia has summed up the results of its efforts to restrict access to prohibited information for the third quarter of 2022. During this time, Roskomnadzor has blocked or removed almost 90,000 web pages. In particular, about 20,000 materials with gambling were blocked. This is 25% more than in the third quarter of 2021.
In Australia, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) continues to block access to gambling websites. Winning Days, 21Bit Casino, Oshi Casino, Lucky Elf Casino, NeoSpin, Lets Lucky, Boho Casino, Ripper Casino and BC.Game were accused of breaking the law in November 2022. As a reminder, the massive blocking of gambling and betting sites in Australia began in November 2019, with 642 gambling sites already closed since then.
How to promote gambling and betting in the CIS: legislative news
Kazakhstan plans to adopt a new law and take betting in bookmakers’ offices under control. The Ministry of Culture and Sports has prepared a bill “On Approval of the rules for receiving, recording and storing information on accepted bets (including electronic) for each participant in the bet, odds on betting options, winnings and payouts on them, as well as transferring it to other persons”. It is assumed that betting companies and sweepstakes companies will be obliged to accept bets and pay out winnings through the relevant cashier’s office. This data as well as the name and TIN of the player will be transmitted to the Betting Accounting Centre.
- In November 2022, a new review by 3SNET on casinos and betting in the CIS countries was released: How to promote gambling and betting in Tajikistan?
In Belarus, gambling licenses will be issued through a single e-services portal. The changes will come into force from January 2023.
How much money is made from gambling around the world?
In Spain, gambling market revenues are still far from returning to pre-pandemic levels. According to the State Business Council for Gambling (Cejuego), total gambling sector revenue for 2021 was €9.28bn. This is a decrease compared to 2019, when revenue reached €10.273bn. The total revenue of online gambling operators for 2021 was €825 million.
At the same time, according to experts from the state lottery and betting company Selae, in 2023, Spain will spend on gambling € 9.22 bln. The projected figures are made in the country’s budget for the next fiscal year. Recall that in the second quarter of 2022, Spain’s income from online gambling has dropped by 5% to € 203.9 million.
Moreover, Spain has earned €84 million in six months on fines for various gambling violations from operators.
In the United States, one more state has officially allowed the acceptance of online sports betting. Since 23 November, Barstool, BetRivers, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet have been accepting sports betting in the state of Maryland. The online sports betting market is expected to bring in up to $30 million in revenue next year, rising to nearly $100 million by 2027.
The state of Texas is also starting to legalize casinos and sports betting. According to the new bill, the state will create the Gambling Commission, which will become the regulatory body. Tax revenues from gambling are proposed to be used for education and public safety.
Meanwhile, according to a report by the American Gaming Association (AGA), the combined revenue from slot machines, table games and betting shops of land-based casinos, as well as online betting in the US in the third quarter of 2022 was $15.17 billion. Online gambling revenue was $1.21 billion. This was an all-time record revenue, surpassing the second quarter (was $14.81 billion) by 2% and the same period last year by 8.8%. Record revenue was reported in 16 jurisdictions, including Nevada, New York, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Overall, in the first nine months of 2022, total gambling revenue reached $35.94 bln, an 8.1% increase over the same period in 2021.
In Poland, the turnover of licensed bookmakers for 2021 was around PLN 11 billion ( €2.34 billion). Compared to 2020, the turnover increased by 52.8%. Such data is contained in the financial statements of the BC. At present, 23 betting companies have approval of the Ministry of Finance to organize sports betting in Poland. Only five of them earned over PLN 1 million last year: STS, Fortuna, Betfan, forBET Zakłady Bukmacherskie and Cherry Online Polska. BestBet, BEM Operations Ltd and Fun Projekt also reported profitable operations.
“The lack of profit of most market players is among other things due to high taxes and additional fees, which cannot be found in other countries. A very significant impact on the market is also caused by the grey zone, the level of which is around 50%,” said Pawel Sikora, president of Graj Legalnie, the Polish Games Association (PGA).
Ukraine has reported revenues from the sale of licenses in the first 10 months of 2022. According to the Commission for Regulation on Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL), the revenue amounted to €23.5 million. Since January 2021, KRAIL’s total profits have increased by 91.6%.
Gambling and betting in Africa: where are the most gamblers?
In Africa, the gambling market will exceed $5.6 billion by 2030. According to Astute Analytica, a consultancy company, the African gambling market will be worth $3.048 billion in 2021. Analysts estimate that the market will grow at an average annual rate of 6.99% until the end of the decade. The forecast is primarily based on the popularity of gambling apps and the growing spread of smartphones. The dominance of the African gambling market is maintained by South Africa, with a market valued at $2.42 bln. It is projected to grow to $4.5 billion by 2030. Read more from the experts’ report, Why is the African gambling and betting market growing?
- New bookmakers entered the African market in November 2022. BC Bet365 has opened up the acceptance of sports betting in Ghana, on the eve of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as football is extremely popular in this country. Entain is launching its own bwin betting platform in Zimbabwe. According to a company spokesperson, it is an obvious choice for a first launch in Africa due to the country’s stable economy and regulatory framework.
Kenya has conducted a study and found the most gambling residents. According to the Central Bank, the National Bureau of Statistics and the Financial Sector Authority, Nakuru County has 25.6% of its adult residents fond of gambling and betting. West Pokot County is in second place (25%) and Nyandarua County is in third place (23.7 %). Then the top five counties with the most gambling residents in Kenya are Busia (22.3%), Trans Nzoia (20.9%) and Siaya (19.3%). Nairobi County (where the state capital is located) was only the seventh with 19%. Machakos (18.5%), Mombasa (17.8%) and Murang’a (17.0%) were also in the top ten.
