Welcome to the ICE 365 European Sports Betting series

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The ICE 365 content series continues with in-depth analysis of an evolving European sportsbook market, where regulatory change is moving into established jurisdictions such as Great Britain, Spain and Italy, as the likes of Germany and Sweden get started. 

This situation has seen a new model of regulation emerge in which regulators are more proactive in cracking down on any perceived wrongdoing, and more restrictive in how bookmakers promote their services and engage with customers.

ICE 365 covers these developments through the regulatory round-up series, as well as country-by-country analysis from a number of key established and emerging markets and discussions on retail and marketing.

Start watching the European Sports Betting series now. Content will be released daily throughout the week and into next.

Series highlights:

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• Seasoned executives from operators including Betfred, SKS365 and Superbet discuss how the channel can recover, refocus and rebuild in The future of retail (live today). This discussion covers the industry’s efforts to build the betting shop of the future, as well touching on developing omnichannel experiences and how M&A will reshape the market.

• When marketing strategies are being reshaped by regulatory developments, The future of sports betting marketing in an evolving Europe brings together Betsson and Propus Partners to discuss how operators strategies should therefore evolve.
• Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) can offer businesses worldwide a path to a listing on a US exchange. Tekkorp Digital Acquisition Corp chief executive Matt Davey and president Robin Chhabra explain the benefits in SPACs and sports betting: Perfect synergies.

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• In the wake of Germany issuing its first sports betting licences, and as the new State Treaty’s implementation date moves closer, it appeared years of legal wrangling were reaching a positive conclusion. But there are more twists and turns on the horizon, as experts from the country’s leading operator body, Deutscher Sportwettenverband, explain (live today). 

• Sweden has seen stringent new controls, such as limits on betting markets, disrupt operators’ growth strategies. The likes of Kindred, Betsson, LeoVegas and Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel discuss how these are harming efforts to channel players towards legal offerings. 

• Over in Great Britain, Europe’s most mature online market finds itself in a state of flux. Advertising restrictions are evolving and even the most popular products such as in-play betting find themselves subject to greater scrutiny than ever before. Reformists such as Gambling With Lives, operators including Kindred and regtech suppliers such as beBettor talk through these potential changes. 

• Spain, meanwhile, is also undergoing a significant reshaping of its sports betting market, with restrictions on marketing being challenged in the courts and the government showing no signs of slowing down its drive to make gambling safer. Operator association JDigital explains why it is leading the charge against what it sees as a de-facto ban on gambling advertising. 

• Finally, the Italian market, where the 2019 Dignity Decree brought an end to above-the-line advertising, saw brands disappear from football shirts, billboards and national media. Yet sports betting continues to perform strongly. Who are the big winners of this ad-free market? (coming April 7)

LEARN

• The European sports betting landscape continues to evolve, and Clarion Gaming has partnered the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) to provide expert analysis of developments in three territories. In the first part of this series, Dr Joerg Hofmann of law firm Melchers looks to condense years of legal debate and drama into five minutes, in an update on Germany (live today).  

• Next, Joe Kelly of A&L Goodbody discusses whether Ireland will follow Great Britain’s lead in reviewing and finally updating its gambling legislation. 

• The series then moves to Eastern Europe, with Jaka Repanšek of RePublis advising operators on how to navigate Slovenia’s regulatory framework. 

• Finally in the European Sports Betting series, iGB looks into the future of Great Britain’s retail betting market. At a time when bookies have spent most of the past year shuttered due to Covid-19, how does the sector recover, refocus and rebuild?

Previous series:

Tech Futures – This features video, insight pieces, features and webinars, all nicely rounded off with our Tech Futures survey & report. 

US Sports Betting – Bringing together state regulators, leading operators such as DraftKings, sports franchises and more, this provides insightful, intelligent and actionable analysis on the most exciting sport betting market worldwide.

Upcoming series:

Tribal Gaming, April

The focus shifts back to the US in April, with an exploration of the tribal gaming market. Native American gaming operations account for around half of all gaming revenue on the continent, and the Tribal Gaming series examines what role these operators play in an evolving and expanding market.

Esports, May

Next comes the Esports series, designed to give the gaming industry a better understanding of how and why this vertical will become a key feature of future growth strategies.