Part 4: The position of Danske Spil
to the gambling authority.
“It is quite subtle,” he says,
pointing to such tactics as
advertising big lottery jackpots on
betting slips and the like.
Funch at EveryMatrix suggests
examples such as these remain
an issue. “It has been discussed
for six years now, but of course
Danske Spil is not changing,” he
says. “It is for the government to do
something, although it is obviously
unfair competition.” Funch is clear –
Danske Spil should not be allowed
to compete as it does as a quasi-
state operator.
Ronde is more circumspect,
pointing out that the government
has been saying for the past six
years or more that it would be
seeking to sell off the Licens Spil
arm at least.
“They have been announcing it
for so long but they are not doing
anything,” he says. “That would
change the market a bit if it was
sold. From what I’ve heard the
civil servants aren’t actually doing
anything right now. It’s more like
a principle but it has not been
followed through.”
The obvious point, he suggests,
is that a sell-off would “change the
market a bit.”
From Oddset to YouBet
As it is, change is happening with
regard to the Danske Spil offering.
In March this year the company
launched its new YouBet brand in
Danske Spil is not
changing. It is for the
government to do
something, although
it is obviously unfair
competition
Richardt Funch, EveryMatrix
conjunction with SBTech. Folmann
said the company would be
targeting customers who “demand
a deep sports and casino offering.”
Andrew Cochrane, chief
commercial officer at SBTech, said
Danske Spil was “looking for a new
brand to market and challenge
the international brands present in
Denmark. But this is not just about
branding and promoting a new site,
the product is also very important.”
As Ronde says, as it stands
Danske Licens Spil is working to
maximise profits “as they should”.
“From their perspective it is
business as usual,” he adds.
Weinreich says Danske Spil’s
efforts to re-position itself are an
admittance that it needs to adapt
quicker to the changed market
circumstances. “You are looking at
a company that was established
70 years ago,” he says. “It is a
super tanker and not very agile,
which is what they are trying to
work on.”
Denmark: Insights and data on Europe’s pioneer model for igaming regulation
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