DGA lauds black market crackdown in first annual report
Danish regulator claims illegal gambling represents just five per cent of the country's egaming market.
The Danish Gambling Authority has praised the contribution of players and operators in ensuring illegal gambling represents less than five percent of the dot.dk egaming market within its first year of operation.
The first dot.dk licences were issued in December 2011 ahead of the market officially opening the following month, and DGA director Birgitte Sand said: “I would like to emphasise the constructive cooperation with the many partners and stake holders that we are privileged to have in Denmark “ within the areas of gaming machines, land-based casinos and betting, non-profit associations, poker tournaments, monopolised games and online casinos.
“They have a strong desire to engage in dialogue and a genuine wish to act legally in Denmark, and this has played a significant role in the fight against their counterparts, the illegal gambling providers,” added Sand.
She also noted that Danish players can also take a great deal of the credit for the current state of the Danish gambling market,” adding: “One of the most powerful tools against the illegal gambling market is Danish players’ decision to play the games provided within a regulated framework.”
Last month saw the DGA publish its first annual figures, with quarter-on-quarter sports betting growth helping gross gaming revenues from the jurisdiction surpass DKK2bn (£230m) for FY 2012. Of the 58 licences issued to 39 licensees, just 13 brought in GGR of more than DKK25m during the year while 27 of the 58 saw revenues come in below DKK5m.
Sports betting now represents 15.7% of the Danish gaming market across online and land-based channels, with online casino contributing a further 11.6%.
Earlier this year, 25 licensed operators were given extensions to their initial one-year approvals, with 888 among the more notable absentees from the group. Meanwhile 20 unlicensed domains were ordered to be blocked by internet service providers over the course of the year, with bet-at-home and TitanPoker among the higher-profile operators affected.
The DGA held meetings with licensees in the second half of 2012, with the regulator noting that these individual meetings allowed operators to “Provide feedback, share their views and discuss specific problems.”
The report also saw the regulator comment on last October’s European Commission Action Plan on Online Gambling, in which the EC pledged to crack down on all regulatory regimes which fail to comply with EU law.
The DGA has revealed that it has attended meetings of the “expert group” set up following the action plan, noting the meetings focus on matters including EU law compliance, consumer protection and integrity in sport, and that “[the group’s] work is expected to be completed by 2015.”
Furthermore, 2012 saw the DGA enter into bilateral agreements with regulators in Malta and Jersey to augment existing agreements with Alderney, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man.