Betsson sells Turkish database to new B2B partner
Swedish operator exits Turkey but signs five year B2B deal with Realm - the first operator to go live on its new gaming platform.
Just two days after announcing the creation of a new software development company in India, Betsson has exited one of its existing markets by selling its Turkish database, the company has announced.
Malta-based Realm Entertainment has said it will acquire Betsson’s Turkish database for 1.9m (£1.6m) while at the same time signing a five-year B2B deal with the Swedish operator’s Business Solutions division to provide it with a complete gaming portal once Realm has secured an online gaming license on the island.
Despite exiting the Turkish market, the gaming portal set up by Betsson’s agreement with Realm will be translated into Turkish, as well as English, Dutch, German, Spanish and Greek and include poker, casino and sportsbook services. Under the terms of the agreement, Realm will be the first operator to go live on Betsson’s new gaming platform. Betsson launched its B2B arm in February this year.
Pontus Lindwall, Betsson CEO, said his company would work on the “technical side of things”, and that the deal could pave the way for future developments. “With this new platform we can deliver a complete gaming portal including a sportsbook of world-class quality to many potential clients, which is a part of our B2B-strategy.”
He added that the agreement with Realm would “certainly be good for other deals. Once we get this up and running it will be a good showcase for other markets.”
With the movement away from Turkey and the developments in India, Betsson is looking to distance itself from a number of what Lindwall calls “typical home markets” as part of the company’s new B2B strategy.
Betsson was also busy in Sweden yesterday, re-opening its Shoppsen betting shop for the third time in two years in Stockholm in a move described by Lindwall as “a statement in the debate about free movement in the EU.”
Under the terms of a 2008 injunction from the Swedish Gaming Board, none of Betsson’s logos can appear in the shop, but that did not stop customers returning to the retail outlet and offering their support . This is the third time the shop has been re-opened in two years following a succession of enforced closures.
Lindwall explained: “People came in and said congratulations and thank you for struggling for this. It is a good sign that we have this reaction among the general public about what we do.
“It is obvious that the gaming we offer from Malta is legal and just as clear it is legal for any Swedish person to take part, but the courts say that it’s illegal for us to inform them about this,” he said.
“Since it is legal to offer gaming services to Betsson’s customers, we will continue fighting for the Swedish consumer’s right to a free choice of games which should be given.”