The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB), Curaçao’s gaming regulatory body, has taken an important step in regulating the country’s online gambling by officially opening the application process for those operators looking for new online gambling licenses.

Latest online portal

From Friday, September 1, interested operators may access the GCB’s newly launched online portal, which provides guidance to new applicants on the licensing procedure. Once inside, they may fill out a license application form and see instructions and downloads, which are there to make sure everything goes smoothly. Additionally, submission of finalized applications will begin in November of this year.

The portal isn’t only open to the newest operators, but also to those who already own existing sub-licenses. However, those operators can operate unhindered and “under their current arrangements.” What’s more, the latest opening of the portal represents a preparation for the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK).

However, the latest licensing process does not “reform the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard, Curaçao’s existing legislation, but adds to it.”

Temporary license

As soon as the submission of finalized applications is completed by the end of November, those who have been officially accepted for a license will receive a temporary license from the aforementioned regulator. Additionally, this will be subject to the adoption of revised policies as well as procedures during a period of 6 months of its issuance.

However, the most important benefit is that those operators who have officially received the mentioned license will not have to apply again under the aforementioned LOK, because their position will be “transferred to the new authority.”

LOK to change the excising regulatory framework for online gambling

The goal of LOK is to update and simplify the regulatory framework for online gambling, ranking it with the best global standards and practices. In addition, it will present the newest licensing requirements, improved oversight to make sure the continued fairness and integrity of Curaçao’s online gambling segment, and compliance measures. In addition, this new law will certainly be “monumental for the market”, although it was once defined as “passive when it comes to regulation.” Relatedly, after it was pointed out that the newest, updated licensing standards could lead to the removal of excising operators from the region, the Minister of Finance of Curacao, Javier Silvania, commented that “he saw no issue with the matter.”

Because the country’s excising law requires operators to submit application for 1 out of 4 “existing master licensees” to obtain a sub-license, once the LOK comes into effect, the holders of the above sub-licenses will have a period of 3 months to file new application to the regulator to receive a “direct operator license.” 

Speaking about the details of the newest licensing process, Curaçao’s Finance Ministry legal advisor, Sixiènne Jansen, said at the iGB L!VE held in July: “The application process consists of three forms. Each of the forms will require relevant supporting documentation. The first is an online gaming application, in which the applicant will provide projections for business operations and strategic targets. The second is a personal declaration, detailing information about key figures involved in the business. A source of funds check will be carried out on any involved person with more than 10% control of the business. The final form consists of corporate and business disclosures.”

Source: “Curaçao opens license application portal”. IGB. September 1, 2023

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Betsson has withdrawn its application for a license in the Netherlands as the licensing process proved to be lengthy and costly.

Betsson used to operate in the Netherlands prior to the market’s regulation. Eventually, the country regulated online gambling, forcing Betsson to pull out from the market. Since the company had actively targeted Dutch customers prior to the regulation, it was subjected to a cooling-off period.

The operator planned to return and undertook the actions needed to secure a license. However, in its interim Q2 report, the company just announced that it has withdrawn its license. Betsson attributed the withdrawal to delays and resource allocation considerations.

The decision was based on significant delays in the licensing process and resource allocation considerations given the attractive current project pipeline for Betsson in other markets. The Group still maintains the possibility of reapplying for a license in the future.

Official Betsson statement

The Operator Is Not Ready to Give Up

Betsson had hoped that its decision to willingly pull out from the Netherlands would convince the Kansspelautoriteit to provide it with a license.

In a further show of its goodwill and desire to play by the rules, the company also closed its former Dutch brand Casino Winter in January this year.

Unfortunately for the operator, the process wasn’t as easy as it had hoped. However, Betsson still remains open to the idea of reapplying for a license in the future.

In an earlier conference call, Martin Öhman, Betsson’s chief financial officer, addressed the decision, promising that the company has not “shut the door” on the Netherlands.

Öhman explained that Betsson wanted to redirect the resources the application was taking elsewhere and capitalize on more promising opportunities. Still, the company remains optimistic about the Dutch market and may eventually reapply for a license.

As a result, Betsson will not be divesting any of the assets it has in the Netherlands.

Betsson’s Business Is Steadily Growing despite the Setback

Earlier today, Betsson published its Q2 report, highlighting its performance during the April-June period. In addition to significantly improving its metrics, the operator underlined some of its biggest deals during the period.

This included a sponsorship agreement with the Boca Juniors and the A1 Padel Swedish Master event.

In addition to that, the company successfully secured content from PA Betting Services and inked a distribution deal with Light & Wonder.

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The regulator’s executive director himself put into question the fact that an owner of the company is from Tel Aviv while others voiced concerns that the application review process was abnormally lengthy. Many are speculating that this could be the end for NeoGames’ Indiana license.

An Unresolved Issue is the Stumbling Stone

NeoGames is operational in The Hoosier State as a player account management (PAM) services provider for the Caesars Sportsbook. However, neither NeoGames nor Caesars has publicly addressed IGC’s concerns since the regulator’s meeting on March 9. During the meeting, it was made clear that the issue hasn’t been resolved in the three years since the application was first put forward.

What had happened, was that NeoGames received its temporary license three months after application, and the review process has basically been ongoing ever since, as a full license was never issued. The regulator’s current goal is to put forward a clear-cut action plan before June when NeoGames’ ongoing temporary license expires.

Thus, NeoGames’ permanent license is not only still elusive but it now seems even less likely it will ever be granted. Since the concerns that Indiana’s gambling regulator has with the company haven’t been resolved since the application, and the issue was raised yet again, there is still an option to move forward, however – at least in theory. It isn’t clear what NeoGames’ plans are, though.

Indiana’s Market is Preparing for Shifts

In the meantime, Indiana’s gambling market is having its own woes. Multiple analyses show that the most likely reason for January’s dip in betting handle was Ohio. As punters started flooding Ohio’s operations after the state went online, The Hoosier State reported $427.2 million in betting handle. The January 2022 results broke the $500 million mark, turning into a record success for the state.

Compared to December 2022’s $431.4 million, however, the January 2023 result wasn’t all that bad, marking only about a percentage point slide. This means that although Ohio did manage to allure many punters for its online launch, it can still be good news for the industry overall, as more players can now enjoy their favorite hobby.

Ohio’s January results were received well enough by many, though. As this was practically the first month of sports betting in the state, its $1.1 billion sports betting handle was extremely good news for the market’s outlook in The Buckeye State. Almost 99.1% of that was generated by mobile sports betting, leaving no doubt as to what the driving force for the state is.

It’s not a surprise, then, that out of the 33 states (plus DC) that have sports betting, 24 states (again, plus DC) offer mobile sports betting. Nebraska, Florida, and Maine are currently getting ready to implement sports wagers, and again – two of the three states are also going to launch online, with Nebraska being the one holding back.

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