Breaking news: Danish egaming licences awarded
Danish Gambling Authority announces first wave of operators to be granted licences - 38 awarded in total.
The Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) has awarded licences to the first wave of operators, who will now be able to launch in Denmark when the market opens on 1 January 2012.
The DGA was initially expected to delay the announcement by at least a day, but has been able to announce the licences on time as expected.
eGaming Review announced in October that the regulator had been “flooded” with licence applications, with 48 operators applying for a total of 68 licenses, more than double the number expected.
Bonnier Gaming, Betfair and Bet24 were one of the first operators to be informed that their applications had been successful with a total of 38 operators awarded full licences, including seven Danish companies that have been awarded income-restricted licences.
These income licenses are designed to help smaller Danish operators compete in the market with companies paying a smaller licence fee, having restrictions placed on gross gaming revenues. Once operators earn more than a certain amount of GGR, they are no longer eligible for the subsidised licence.
The DGA refused to reveal the identity of any operators who have not been awarded a licence, but senior technical advisor Kristian Wind revealed that these operators’ initial applications were unsuccessful because their infrastructure was not compliant with the technical specifications set out by the DGA: “Many of the unsuccessful applicants simply weren’t ready and will be allowed on the market at a later date if and when that is sorted“
These operators will have a period of several months to redevelop their systems, after which they will be reassessed. Should the systems be judged to meet the technical standards, the companies will then be awarded a licence.
Commenting on the licence awards, minister of taxation Thor Möger Pedersen said: “From January the gambling market will be orderly and we will ensure that holders of a betting and online casino licence to operate on the Danish market also contribute to the society. Danes as well as the many associations supported by the gambling market can be joyful.”
Annelie Berg of the Danish Gaming Association (DanGaming) decribed the DGA’s handling of the licensing process as “fantastic”: “Denmark is now the prime example for all countries in Europe when it comes processing new legislation.”
The list of licensees in full:
888 Denmark Limited
Apollo Entertainment Limited
Betfair International Limited
Betsson Malta Limited
Bonnier Gaming Malta Limited
Cashpoint Limited
Cryptologic Operations Limited (Interpoker)
Danbook Limited
Danske Licens Spil A/S
Ekstra Bladet Spil A/S
ElectraWorks Limited (bwin.party)
Entraction Operations Limited
Gnuf Limited (Betway)
Hillside (Gibraltar) Limited (Bet365)
Hillside (New Media) Limited (Bet365)
iGame Malta Limited
I-Gaming ApS
Interactive Sports Limited (Sportingbet, Centrebet and Paradise Poker)
Intouch Casino Limited (Mermaidbet)
Ladbrokes International Limited
Megapixel Entertainment Limited
Nordic Betting Limited (Bet24)
Nordic Odds Limited (NordicBet)
PKR Technologies Limited
Red Club Gaming Limited
Reel Denmark Limited (PokerStars)
Scandic Bookmakers Limited
Skill on Net Limited
SPILNU.DK A/S
Stanleybet International Limited
Unibet (Denmark) Limited
Income-restricted licensees:
Aller Media A/S
Casidio Limited
CTRL Mobile ApS
Dot Net Gaming Limited
Dumarca Gaming Limited
Swush.com ApS
THWeb Games ApS