SCCG Weekly Newsletter Volume 29

STEPHEN CRYSTAL TRAVELS TO WISCONSIN, ALABAMA, CANADA

Stephen Crystal is traveling to Wisconsin for the week of March 1st, with trips to Alabama and Canada to follow, where he will be meeting with clients and partners.

If you are interested in reaching out to Stephen Crystal regarding these trips, please contact him directly at stephen.crystal@sccgmanagement.com.

Overview of Relevant Canadian Legislation

Private Bill C-218 vs. Government Bill C-13

Two bills propose to enable single-game sports betting in Canada. The first Bill C-218 is a private member's bill introduced on February 25, 2020, by Saskatoon-Grasswood Conservative MP Kevin Waugh. The second reading and bill debate occurred on February 5, 2021, and occurred on Wednesday, February 10, passing 303-15. The strength of the vote notwithstanding, private member's bills are less likely to succeed due to their procedural complexity.

Bills championed, however, by the government in power are more likely to succeed, and government bill, C-13, has the same result as C218: single-game Canada sports betting made legal through its removal as a prohibited activity under Canada's criminal code.

The Canadian Legislative Process: Bills into Laws

In Canada, there are three readings of the bill. The first reading is to the House of Commons or Senate, after which it is printed. The second reading occurs in the same chamber where it was first read, and with a successful vote, sends it to study by a committee or subcommittee. Once referred to a committee or subcommittee, the group reviews the bill, and witnesses and experts may be called in to testify the bill's specifics. The committee's work is a report sent to Parliament with recommended changes or amendments, which are debated and voted on by Parliament.

If the House of Commons puts the bill forward, the amended bill is debated, and if it passes a vote, it is sent to the Senate for consideration. The appointed Senate members have historically been a rubber stamp for legislation but have become slightly less so in recent years.

Current Assessment of the Legislation

While the Canadian Parliament's approval to decriminalize single-game sports betting from Canada's criminal code is likely, the regulatory work needs to be done, as well as ancillary consumer and market protection mechanisms. If the single-game sports betting advocates in Canada have their way, we could have legal single-game betting by the start of the next NFL season.

WELCOME TO YOUR ROUNDUP OF EUROPEAN IGAMING NEWS

Jake Pollard

Our European weekly iGaming feature article summarizes the thoughts of Jake Pollard, an experienced journalist and editor who has covered the online gaming and betting industry for many years. He has written for the leading media outlets as well as operators and suppliers in the igaming space. His areas of focus are wide-ranging and include regulatory developments in the US, emerging markets in South America and how European countries are adapting to a decade of igaming regulation.

U.S. and Japan make up for Catena's EU revenue drop

There is much talk of how the U.S. is the only place to be for igaming growth and potential. Catena Media, which runs U.S. affiliate sites like Legal Sports Report and state-specific sites like PlayNJ/Colorado/Michigan, once again illustrated the somewhat pessimistic outlook in Europe when it published its latest annual results. It said a combination of regulatory uncertainty in key markets like Germany and sporting cancellations had been offset by growth in online casinos and strong volumes in newer markets such as the U.S and Japan.

Organic search drove most of Catena's revenues, which rose 8.6% to $116m on the 2019-20 period. And while sports betting gets a lot of coverage, $83m of that total revenue came from casinos, $28.1m from sports betting, and $4.8m from financial services. Acting CEO Goran Blomberg added that the opening of regulated igaming in Michigan and Virginia had driven U.S. revenues up 58% in the past month. Michael Daly, currently head of Catena's U.S. business, will take over as chief executive on 1 March.

EU reputational matters

iGaming Business ran an interesting roundtable this week with several legal and regulatory executives from the UK, Sweden, and the U.S. discussing the industry outlook for the rest of the year. Of note were comments made by the chief executive of Sweden's igaming trade group Gustaf Hoffstedt.

He said: "We operate in an industry with a low reputation, (…) the problem has deepened. That is somewhat of a contradiction since most jurisdictions have gone from monopolies to regulated markets, and as a consequence, our legal right to exist and operate has been strengthened. Low reputation causes, among other undesirable things, a high political risk – a risk that can evolve in tax raises and regulations that disrupt the market."

Hoffstedt's comments identify the contradictions running through many European markets currently. Many of them have strong regulatory frameworks with operators keen to act and advertise responsibly. Still, the atmosphere in many countries is tense and febrile when it comes to discussing industry topics.

Opportunity knocks when verticals are not regulated

Speaking of regulating certain verticals, U.S. observers will be familiar with the complaints that lack of regulation creates the perfect environment for unregulated operators. France decided not to regulate online casino in 2010, and the result, according to financial newspaper Les Echos (in French), is an illegal market worth more than $1bn, with around 1.4 million French consumers or 13% of the total number of online gamblers in France, taking part.

"The world is waiting for the expansion of legalized gaming in Brazil", an interview with Stephen Crystal

The year 2021 began with great national and international expectations about the conclusion of the regulatory process for betting and the possibility of legalizing other types of gambling in Brazil. The global industry is paying attention to advances in the process, and SCCG Management, founded by Stephen A. Crystal, is one such example.

Click the button below to read the full interview, "The world is waiting for the expansion of legalized gaming in Brazil", on SCCGManagement.com

SCCG Management Partners with MediaTroopers to bring Experienced iGaming Marketing Agency Talent and Services to the USA

Click here to read the full press release on SCCGManagement.com