Competition in the UK Bingo Market Set to Intensify

Authentic Gaming, a European gambling services firm, is set to start operations in the United Kingdom after the government agreed to its expansion plans. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) gave a license approval to Authentic Gaming so that it can operate its live bingo games in the country. The United Kingdom is a huge and potential market for Authentic Gaming.

It has applied for an operation license considering the value of the industry. It received a nod from the UKGC and now it is ready to enter the UK bingo games market. Authentic Gaming is known for its wide range of live bingo and casino games. Its flagship Authentic Roulette product is streamed live from casino floors across the world. It offers “a portfolio packaged with cutting-edge and engaging live roulette games.” Some of its casino resorts offering live games include; the live arena auto roulette in Malta, Foxwood resort casino in the United States of America, the platinum casino located at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bucharest, the royal casino in Denmark, the Saint-Vincent casino in Italy, and Casino international Batumi located at the Hilton hotel in Georgia.

With the entry of Authentic Gaming, UK bingo market will become competitive. Already, firms such as Mecca Bingo, paddy power bingo, and sun bingo among others are operating in the country. The UK bingo player will have a wider variety to choose from and hopefully, the market will grow. An increase in the number of bingo sites will trigger the development of more compelling adverts as the firms seek to make profits. Authentic gaming distinguishes itself with the focus on regulated markets. Its commitment to regulated betting shows its commitment to eradicating problem betting. Its entry into the UK market is an effort to leverage on the existing need for responsible betting to develop loyal customers.

Authentic Gaming’s entry into the country will mark the first time its live dealer games will be availed to UK players. The firm has been working with UK-licensed gambling operators and specifically LeoVegas and Mr. Green. Its operations in the country are therefore expected to grow fast owing to its already existing market which accounts for nearly half of its client base.

The company is hopeful that entry into the UK market will strengthen its business and make it better positioned going into the future. Commenting on the issuance of the operating license, Jona Delin, the Chief Executive Officer of Authentic Gaming argued that the UK market is a crucial one for the company as it pursues a strategy of expanding to regulated markets. Considering that half of the firm’s client base already has UKGC license, Delin said, “We are eager to bring our games to market – we know they will be a huge hit in the UK players.”

Expressing the firm’s commitment to worthwhile experiences in betting, the CEO said, “We are dedicated to taking the live casino experience level, and making it as thrilling and authentic as possible.”We look forward to taking our first wagers from UK players, and showing them just how spectacular and live gaming can be with Authentic Gaming,” he said. The firm is upbeat about bringing its products and bingo games in the UK market.

 

Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo Drop by 22 percent in Revenue as the Industry Become Stricter

Rank Group, a leading gambling company in the United Kingdom, has reported a 41% decline in its profits for the financial year ended June 2018. The firm blamed stricter checks and a drop in bingo and casino customers for the drop. It has, however, vowed to put in place a turnaround plan that will see it increase its profits in the coming years.

The group registered a pre-tax drop of 41.4% to £46.7 million for the year that ended on 30th June 2018. At the same time, its revenue dropped by 2.3% to £691 million for the period.

While releasing the report, Rank Group described the previous financial year as a “challenging year.” The group blamed “a disappointing performance” that is registered in its Grosvenor Casinos business which experienced a 6.1% drop in revenues to £373 million in the accounting period.

According to the group, several factors caused the poor performance. First, it blamed the new guidelines that were published by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission in September last year. The “enhanced due diligence” requirements for the customers require that more stringent checks are done on punters. As a result, the number of casino goers has declined.

Business was also stalled by the adverse weather conditions that were experienced at the start of the year. Many casino and bingo lovers were forced to stay at home due to the weather and this in return led to a decrease in revenue for the group.

Its Mecca Bingo division registered a 7.9% decline in customer visits over the year. As a result, the division’s revenue dropped by 22.6% to £208.1 million. The operating profits for Mecca declined by 4.3%. However, Rank Group reported that the fall was smaller than expected and attributed the good performance to improved cost controls.

The group also blamed lower win margins for high rollers as a factor reducing traffic to its business. Alongside the poor operating environment, the firm made impairment charges of £26.9 million. The company termed the charges as “exceptional” and included the closure of a casino in Bradford and under performance of five other casinos.

Following the announcement, the group’s shares fell by 6.1% in the London stock exchange. Ed Monk, who is an associate director at Fidelity Personal Investing share dealing platform said that the company’s profit warning in early April coupled with the consistent rise in dividend has eased the situation.

However, the group’s digital business grew by 9% to £122.5 million. The results are indicative that punters were increasingly opting for online betting. Though there was growth in the digital platform, the company reported that there was a slowdown in the second half of the financial year. The slowdown was attributed to the new customer requirements.

John O’Reilly, an industry veteran, and the group’s chief executive said that the company is focusing on a turnaround plan after its decline in profits. “We are now moving quickly to identify key priorities which will begin to realize the significant potential that I have seen first-hand since joining the group in early May.”

He outlined the steps the group was taking by saying “We are taking steps to increase our focus on the customer, to accelerate growth in the digital business, to drive cost efficiencies across the business and to strengthen our organizational capabilities.”

 

Paddy Power Betfair Performs out Spectacularly this Year

Paddy Power Betfair, a leading gambling company, has announced a 7% spike in its annual revenue. This increase covers the six-month duration that commences from January 1st to June 30th. The 7% increase translates to £867 million (€966 million).

Other than the raw increase in the total revenue, there were also increases in other aspects of the income. For instance, the underlying earnings prior to the interest, depreciation, taxation, and amortization increased by 1%. The increased translated to £217 million in terms of constant currency.

According to the same interim results, the profit before tax of the gambling giant rose by 4%. It hit the £106 million mark in the same six-month period. These results coincide with the first two weeks of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They do reflect a strong show of resilience on the part of the company as a whole.

As regards these developments, Peter Jackson, the Chief Executive Officer of Paddy Power Betfair, had these to say: “We have been busy and successful over the last couple of months here.” “In those months, we have made some meaningful strides and progress in our pursuit of the strategic priorities. Our trading in the second quarter was particularly great. All our brands and operating divisions contributed positively to our double-digit growth in revenue.”

He went on to say: “Our revenue from the online betting division grow by 13% in the second quarter.” “In Australia, our revenue rose by 19% in the same time frame notwithstanding the significant tax headwinds.”

The American branch of the group, on the other hand, experienced a 20% increase in revenue in the said duration. The company further stated that it did welcome the decision by the government of the United Kingdom to lower the stakes on the fixed odds betting terminals. It argued that the negative sentiments that were meted out to these terminals had an adverse negative impact on the performance of the company.

Going forward, the group anticipates the earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization to lie within the range of £460 million and £480 million, prior to the impact of US sports betting.

It acknowledges this as a reflection of the trading momentum. It further expects the revenue performance to even rise after the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The group is however apprehensive of the upcoming additional Australian taxes.

To further solidify this success streak, the group has decided to put in place appropriate expansion measures. Its subsidiary, FanDuel, has entered into an agreement with the Boyd Gaming. This agreement is designed to bolster the co-operation of the two firms in the sports betting marketing of the United States.

These strategies have further been given a boost by a Supreme Court earlier this year that struck down a 1992 federal law that restricted the acts of sports betting. This decision has vested the leeway of regulating betting to the individual states that constitute the Union.

It waits to be seen the extent that these mergers, joint ventures, and acquisitions are going to impact the revenue inflows of the betting firm.

 

Gaming Commission’s Moves to put an End to some of the Misleading Adverts Conducted by Bingo Operators

Consumer protection is a core concern to UK gaming Commision, they have made it crystal clear to bingo company that is set to undertake some serious scrutiny into their games advertisement programmes. This scrutiny is meant to track any element of false advertisement entailing their existing bonuses and promotions.

These new rules are meant to effectively protect all their customers from being duped by some of the enticing Bingo advertisements. The commission is set to impose as many fines as possible to any Bingo site in the UK that will be found guilty of breach of consumer law and set advertisement rules.

Such breaches may entail them carrying out an advertisement that is more appealing to children who have not yet attained the age of the majority together with carrying out misleading advertising campaigns.

The rules will take effect on 31st October of this year. In addition to this, the commission is set to effect an 8-week deadline that will see all the casino operators have sorted out their all customers complaints.

These new rules also seek to punish those Bingo company sites that are prone to sending spam promotion SMS and emails to their esteemed customers. These companies as of 31st October will be expected to strictly follow the UK codes of advertisement whenever they provide efficient customers complain resolution process.

Actions fighting breach of consumer law will be easily affected by the new rules. Such breaches include false promising bonuses and promotions together with restrictions that are very unreasonable. Through the aid of sites such, consumers are guaranteed to come up with the best choices as the website regularly give reviews on online Bingo operations based in the UK.

The Commission’s CEO made it clear on press statement that they are set to protect the interest of customers and Bingo company as their core priority. He further states that the new changes will make customers be safe from misleading and irresponsible adverts.

Punter’s justice founder, in addition, commended the commision for finally coming to recognize the need for stringent measures in the gaming industry. He further states that it is just a matter of time for them to establish whether the new measures will make it possible for gamblers to receive prompt justice over unfair treatments by gaming sites.

In 2016, with the assistance of CMA, the commission had carried out some detailed investigations to see whether these gambling sites were fairly treating their esteemed customers.

These investigations found some Bingo company sites guilty of going on contrary to what consumer law stated. In effect to this, CMA sought legal intervention against the firms that had the fault of breach of consumer law.

For the past years, ASA in partnership with UKGC had found some of the Bingo sites guilty of having adverts that are more appealing to children. These adverts were found to possess pages with graphics that are more enticing to children. A good example is on the scenario expressed by Coral interaction where they used a childish wizard image in the name of promoting a game called lucky wizards.

 

Dagenham Mecca Bingo Player Wins 1.6 Million Pounds Jackpot

On August 9th Mecca Bingo betting site announced this time jackpot winner. The winner who turned out to be a single parent is the latest winner of the Dagenham Mecca Bingo ultimate jackpot which made the winner’s net worth rapid rise to £1.6 million rich within a fraction of a second.

The jackpot winner, who wished to remain anonymous, claims to have been a Mecca Bingo player for some years. Although she has been winning several bets, this time it was the undeniably the largest win ever.

Just like all other times the player randomly decided to play the game of The Mighty Tusk on Meccabingo.com with only a stake of one 40p spin. It was a life-changing moment for the winner.

The winner also planned to buy a new home for the family as well as taking them for a family trip. It is very rare for someone to emerge a jackpot winner, actually to most is described as luck.

Before the lucky winner decided what to do with such an amount of unexpected cash, she seemed not to have believed she is the one who won claiming that “I’m still in shock, I haven’t slept a wink since winning! “ The lucky winner claimed the winning news struck as a surprise because she could not believe at one point in her life she could win a jackpot. Her expectations to win have been shallow, but thanks be to God she can now use the lump sum to change the life of the entire family.

The luck winners said “You hear about others winning this kind of money in the news, but you never think it could happen to you. I’m a single parent to five children, and this incredible amount of money is certainly going to improve my life, but more importantly theirs!”

Caroline Webb, the Mecca Bingo betting site spokesperson, congratulated the winner saying that “We hope the winner has a successful house hunt and enjoys the fruits of their new-found millionaire lifestyle with their family!”

With that money she could easily buy a lavish home for the whole family members, own a car and also still have some more money to invest elsewhere. Not everyone happens to win the jackpot as well nobody knows who is going to win the jackpot and at what time. Therefore if you are an online gambler, maybe you should keep trying your luck you may never know when your time is. However, just a free tip of advice, do not bet or gamble online with an expectation to win the jackpot because having such expectations in gambling will lead to disappointments or even depression. Jackpot wins only come as luck to the selected few if you happen to win the prize be grateful to God because that’s a blessing that many are wishing and praying to get.

We are happy for the parent who won the jackpot and wishes the family a happy new lifestyle. Hoping that they will make good use of the millions and better their lives than they are currently.

 

UK Parents Express Concerns over World Cup Gambling Adverts

During the recent FIFA World Cup, numerous television viewers across the UK complained of too many adverts that centered on gambling. Independent studies have as a matter of fact deduced that a combined 90 minutes of betting-related adverts were beamed to the UK screens throughout the four-week tournament.

This did not go well with most parents and caregivers in the nation. In light of this, well over 115 complaints were lodged to the UK advertising watchdog by viewers across the nation at that time. Most of the complaints were about the frequency of the adverts, the exposure of the same to small children, and the pressure tactics that were employed to push through the betting agenda.

Most parents expressed concerns that these adverts tend to make gambling appear a normal or acceptable way of life. They also decried the enticing and pressure language that the betting firms used to push their message. These, they claimed, included such terms as ‘Bet Now,’ and ‘bet in play, now!’ among others.

Under the prevailing terms of references, no gambling adverts are to be screen before the watershed moments of 9 PM onwards. The same case applies to programs or channels that are exclusively dedicated to children entertainment. Moreover, such firms are prohibited from using tactics and languages that are designed to coerce people to gamble. These rules do not, however, prohibit firms from promoting live odds when matches are in progress.

There was also a general consensus among the viewers that these adverts ate some of the time that was allocated to the FIFA matches. They subsequently asked the UK’s advertising watchdog, Advertising Standards Authority, to step in and rein on the menace.

After the formal receipt of these complains, the UK’s advertising watchdog decided to embark on independent investigations. At the moment, the watchdog agency is evaluating those complaints to ascertain whether they indeed meet the threshold that is necessary for a formal investigation.

The watchdog is also set to determine whether those tactics that were used by the various betting firms violated the stipulated UK advertising codes. Of particular interest to the watchdog agency will be whether the tactics went against the new rules that were established in February to combat problem gambling.

It will be interesting to note the subsequent course of action that the watchdog shall take. This is because FIFA matches do not fall under the jurisdiction of the watchdog. Because of this, watchdog agency lacks the mandate to penalize or enforce such rules on the program.

The watchdog shall most likely follow in the footsteps of other watchdogs world over. They might tighten the noose on gambling adverts and the revenues that are derived from advertising. This is to hinder the popularity and the adoption of gambling as a whole.

Italy, for instance, has taken the lead in doing so. The nation’s Minister for Labour and Economic Development, Luigi Di Maio, has already proposed to ban all forms of gambling advertisements. The only exceptions to this rule, he stated, will be the companies that already have advertising contracts.

Australia has also banned any form of advertising during the day, even for live sports. This shall greatly reduce the number of persons who will most likely view the adverts, keep small children off such adverts, and contribute towards combating problem gambling.

The jury is out. It waits to be seen the kinds of recommendations that the watchdog shall propose. It also waits to be seen the reactions and responses that the various stakeholders shall put forth. This is also interesting considering the liberalized nature of much of the UK’s business sectors.

 

Gaming Tax Online: UK Government Plans to Increase in 2019

The UK government has passed a bill that is set to increase the point of consumption (POC) tax to all online gaming platforms as of 2019. Since the UK government has an obligation to level the playground for both its citizen who gambles as well as the online gambling companies, therefore they decided to raise the POC earlier before they initiate their earlier proposed fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) maximum limits that are scheduled to start on April 2020.

gambling taxThe owners of online casinos seem not to be satisfied by the government’s decision claiming that it will limit on their profits. The government will announce the new POC tax rate before the end of this year.

These new changes on the gambling industry have resulted due to an investigation that was carried out in October 2016 by the competition and markets authority (CMA) to ensure that these gambling companies operate responsibly in accordance to the consumer protection law.

As a result of this investigation, new rules have been suggested in order to create fairness and protect problem gamblers in the gambling sector. On May 2017, the government said that is intending to lower the limits for maximum stakes on FOBT to £2 from the currently set price £100. These FOBT limits pose as a major setback for the online casinos in terms of profits and job loss that is expected to hit them immediately after its implementation.

In 2016 about £4.7 billion gross revenue was generated from the online gambling sector in which this was an approximate of 34% of all money that generated in the gambling economy. With that said if an immediate FOBT implementation will have to take place, the central government will also be affected since it will have reduced the amounts of revenues expected to be collected from online gambling. In addition to that, the issue of FOBTs limits raised major concerns from all shareholders because of its side effects to the overall economy. Due to the treasury concerns about unemployment levels and reduction in revenues, they opted for a raise in the POC taxes and postponing the implementation on FOBT limits.

Other countries like France, Spain, and Australia have already implemented a high tax rate on gambling companies, but as at now, the POC tax in the United Kingdom stays at a 15% rate. Some critics claim that it is a selfish move by the government in the fear that there might be a loss in the budget so raising tax was a way of guaranteeing high revenues before initiating the FOBT limits.

The rise in tax will affect all online casinos whether operating from inside or outside the country as long as your players are from within the UK. It is very evident that this will, in turn, have to make these online gambling firms to raise prices of their odds. Therefore, the effects of increasing the tax will as well be felt by online gamblers since their customers will be the ones financing their burden. The two-year delay between the implementation of the FOBT limits and the POC tax increase would be necessary in avoiding massive instant loss of jobs or closure of the online gambling sites.

The CMA and the gambling commission are in the forefront to ensure all online gambling firms are aware of these new regulations and are ready to monitor all operations as from next year to ensure all online gambling firms comply with these regulations. The government treasury argued that the increase in POC duty would be the key solution to cover any negative impact brought about by the FOBT regulations such as protecting jobs of its citizens who work for online gambling firms and stopping the machines ruining lives of problem gamblers.

The Best Way on How to Play Online Bingo

Bingo

Online bingo is becoming one of the most popular games in the UK. There was a prehistoric moment in time where bingo was played in smaller town halls and communities with small groups of people.

BingoThanks to the internet, bingo is available to everyone across the globe. Online bingo’s success is derived from the combination of a fun and casual game with the online social world. Any type of online game and social networks enables people to meet and greet different types of people from across the globe; these people essentially share the same common interests from one hobby.

The Best Online Bingo Sites

Let’s admit one thing; there are a lot of bingo sites available. The trick question that someone new might ask themselves, what is the best site available? Of course some sites are better than others. With that being said, the criteria of a good bingo site are based on your personal needs. The average bingo player looks for in a bingo site is community, gaming options, and bonuses. If you are new to playing bingo, it is best to start out with a no deposit website. These types of websites are the most popular because you can play the game without costing you any money and you can still win cash and other great prizes. Free bingo sites are also great to learn how to play and see what other bingo sites have to offer.

Another aspect of a good bingo site is gaming options. The old saying variety is the spice of life applies to this.

A good bingo site offers, but not limited to games such as:

  • 75 ball American bingo
  • 90 ball bingo
  • Speed rounds

Bonuses and Promotions

Many online bingo sites offer bonuses for its new and loyal members on their sites. A good site offers bonuses ranging from 100% or higher first deposit bonuses. Promotional offers also help with free extra cash to carry over for extended periods of time.

Community

The type of bingo that people are playing in the online community definitely adds to the atmosphere. If you virtually can see people having a good time, chatting with each other, and enjoying their company; chances are, you are in a good place to start playing.

Playing online bingo can be a fun and exciting online social experience. Whether you are a new player or a veteran; there is something for everyone when playing online bingo. With the right mixture of cash, friends, and the right site you are almost guaranteed to have a wonderful time.

 

Gambling Advertisements During World Cup Coverage Brings Criticism

The recently concluded 2018 World Cup in Russia saw an unprecedented amount of television advertising for the gambling industry. While it may have netted ITV a considerable windfall, with a 30-second spot costing as much as £350,000, the television network is now facing a barrage of criticism.

englandResearchers under the auspices of The University of Sheffield monitored the entire television advertising breakdown during World Cup telecasts. Even the bottom figure of 17% of adverts being for Internet-based casinos and bookmakers is enough to bring the ire of many detractors.

It reported a figure of £2.5 billion having been bet in the UK on the World Cup. With England reaching the semifinal, the constant presence of gambling-related ads found an immense market for established and potential customers.

The commercials were shown with such frequency as to surpass such traditionally strong advertising segments as the alcohol and fast-food brand industries. Astoundingly, gambling ads accounted for nearly four times those of the fast-food brands. A major factor in ITV’s ability to be able to place gambling advertising on programming for the World Cup is the provision in the UK that exempts live sports events from the usual pre-9pm restriction on gambling advertisements. With no stricture on the time of day, the audience could not be limited to a particular target segment of viewers. This meant children, young adults, and even those to whom wagering was never an interest, could be exposed, and potentially enticed by the adverts.

A statement from the chief executive of GambleAware stated that this sort of advertising leads to the “normalization” of sports gambling, and gambling in general. TheTimes points out a tripling in the number of wagers made by women just since the last World Cup.

The concerns of GambleAware Marc Etches go to the very root of creating new gamblers from children and teens throughout the UK. The interweaving of advertisements with sport and video games dilutes the interest in the activity itself and changes the focus onto the idea that one can make money off the outcome of these activities. Labour party deputy, Tom Watson, has joined in with GambleAware in calling for a mandated levy on the gambling industry. With a view to shielding children from potentially harmful advertising on video games, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) has banned advertisements from ProgressPlay, which were seen as specifically targeted children and young people.

Whether ITV’s gambit proves to be more detrimental than it was profitable remains to be seen. Campaigners have been previously disappointed by lack of government regulation over gambling advertising. Bookmakers and online gambling entities experienced a profitable run over the weeks of the recent World Cup. However, with an estimated 400,000 problem gamblers in the UK, the campaigners are determined to stem this trend in advertising. Despite a widening demographic of those who gamble on such major events as the World Cup, it is likely that many viewers find the proliferation of ads goading them on to wager not really to their liking. Online casinos have increased their advertising budget by nearly 100% since 2012. It remains to be seen if they have reached the point of market saturation and, more essentially, public tolerance.