Unibet confirms Belgian licence application
Swedish operator joins bwin and La Dernière Heure in applying for a licence in the EU member state.
Unibet has become the latest egaming operator to apply for an operating licence in Belgium, and will look to offer an online sports betting product in the EU member state.
As with bwin, which applied for a Belgian licence last week, Unibet is only considering a sports betting licence.
Ewout Keelers, spokesman for the Swedish company, told eGaming Review that: “This is part of our group strategy, which inter alia is equally demonstrated by local licenses in France, Italy and Denmark.”
Unibet was among the first wave of operators to be awarded a licence in the newly-regulated Danish market, while its dot.fr site went live last month following the company’s acquisition of EurosportBet owner Solfive in December.
Several operators, including PokerStars and Partouche, have seen their licence applications approved by the Belgian Gaming Commission, while media group La Dernière Heure has joined bwin and Unibet in making an application of its own.
Earlier this year Peter Naessens, head of the regulatory unit at the BGC, confirmed that more licences could be awarded in the first half of 2012 as the country prepares to compile a blacklist of unlicensed sites.
(photo: Mike Hammerton)