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Part 2 : Leading by example : How European land-based operators have engaged with igaming Building an omnichannel future for European casinos
LEADING BY EXAMPLE : HOW EUROPEAN LAND- BASED OPERATORS HAVE ENGAGED WITH IGAMING
Brick-and-mortar and online channels have traditionally existed far apart from each other . But with the events of the last year prompting change across the sector , the clamour to bring together land-based and online gaming is growing ever louder . By Nosa Omoigui
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@ ICE _ London
AS HERMANN PAMMINGER , head of public and European affairs at Casinos Austria and secretary general of the European Casino Association ( ECA ), points out , the urgency felt by land-based casinos to get involved in the online game is nothing new .
The internet boom of the late ‘ 90s created an opportunity for operators to explore online offerings . Fast forward to 2021 and not much has changed .
“ It dawned on all the land-based operators to create an online gaming product ,” says Pamminger .
“ The regulators had no experience with online business – it was something new for them as the only thing they knew were the existing casinos . They warned operators that going online was unregulated and they threatened to take away their licences .”
The threat from regulators created space for a new breed of online-only operators , which in turn delayed landbased businesses from moving in .
“ The ones that took the risk like Bwin just did it , came to the market and established their product ,” Pamminger adds . “ Now we ’ ve seen many years of online gaming . But the land-based
Building an omnichannel future for European casinos