Until the end of 2011 the gambling market was controlled federally by 16 Lander States which have all adhered to the national banning of online gaming throughout the country. This stance has recently sustained much criticism for its protection of the national governmental monopoly on sports betting and lottery gaming which have excluded operators from the German Market.

The northern most State of Schleswig-Holstein has in the latter part of 2011 taken its first bold step towards the deregulation of the current system, adopting its own online gambling legislation that has been approved and praised by the European Commission. This Gambling Act will come into force on 1 January 2012, paving the way for licensed business to officially commence from March 2012.

In conjunction with the Ministry of Schleswig-Holstein and leading law firms Melchers and Hambach & Hambach, Awedacity is delighted to be hosting a one day forum to discuss the key requirements of the Ordinance which will define each step of the application and technical process needed to be completed before submission to the Ministry. Read More.

Setting the scene for the day, Birgitte Sands, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority, delivered an inspirational keynote speech which highlighted the main forthcoming challenges going forward.  A high importance was placed on the drawing on inspiration from other neighbouring states to assist in the formulation of both a balanced and pragmatically designed online gambling infrastructure together with the need to maintain good ethical standards for players.

The extremely well attended and timely forum hosted by Awedacity Ltd on 3^rd October 2011, focused in on the fundamental areas of relevance for operators both pre and post licensing.  The day was of particular relevance for businesses eager to enter the market from January 2012 and obtain an initial on year license, as the deadline of noon October 17^th draws ever closer.

A proportion of the technical standards that will need to be submitted by 01 November 2011 mirror the standards laid down in Alderney, so operators licensed in this jurisdiction will be benefited due to Denmark’s mutual signed agreement.  An informative dialogue was also provided on the enforcement aspect of the certification process once licences have been granted, with the DGA carrying out targeted and in some cases real time audits on their licensees with AML and CTF requirement streams being on the agenda in the not too distant future. Other areas covered during the day’s discussions were the new legislative structure, licensing restrictions, data protection and advertising.

As the conference drew to a close, Mr Wes Himes of Policy Action formally announced the launch of the “Danish Online Gambling Organisation” whose group members already include Bet 365, Unibet, Betfair and Sportingbet.  The organisation will act as a single voice for the online gambling industry, develop codes of practice and play a key role in supporting a well-regulated market in Denmark.

Rory Credland, Director of Awedacity added:  “We were truly delighted to play such a pivotal role in orchestrating this landmark gathering which represented a unique opportunity for direct dialogue with both the Regulator and leading gaming law specialists.  The DGA have worked tirelessly to progress to where we see them today, being bold enough to place a high importance on continually challenging and engaging with the successes and lessons to be learnt from their European counterparts.

For any business seeking further direction on the application process, the DGA have now translated into English some very useful guides, FAQ’s and valuable information on www.skat.dk

With a short but intensive filing process now about to commence for the online gambling community, regulators and legal experts gather in Copenhagen on 03 October, 2011 as guidance will finally be provided on a raft of complex legal and technical requirements that must be completed before a license will be granted.

The timing of the forum could not be more pertinent, due to an announcement out today stating that any operators wishing to expand into the Danish market from the beginning of 2012 will need to submit their applications no later than midnight on October 17^th 2011.

The Danish Gambling Authority will publically address the industry for the first time and answer key questions surrounding their application process. The Regulator’s Chief Advisor, Morten Rønde, said “The DGA looks forward to finally being able to get into details about all the legal aspects of licensing of online gambling operators and is anticipating a great attendance from industry stakeholders.”

The gathering, hosted by Awedacity will focus on key issues such as the technical infrastructure needed to comply, certification streams for gaming & wagering, mutual agreements and the benefits of information sharing, and how your application will be handled once received by the Danish Gambling Authority.

Heather Woodward, Awedacity’s Regulatory Research Analyst said “With less than four weeks left to go for operators to submit their applications to trade, our conference represents a truly unique opportunity for dialogue with the regulator on the key requirements needed to be adhered to in order for all interested parties to successfully complete the application process.  We are expecting a very large crowd as Denmark is a much sought after market for the gambling community.”

For more information, please visit: www.denmarkonlinegaming.com

The buoyancy of the European smartphone market in 2012 cannot be questioned with large scale online operators talking openly about the staggering rises in mobile betting volumes and principal researchers predicting the mobile gambling industry to be worth 27.5 billion within the next two years.

Awedacity’s Director Julie Garvin said “With the steady growth in consumer smartphone adoption ever more apparent, mobile users are becoming increasingly comfortable with m-commerce and its capabilities.  The need for a forum for those wishing to engage in this highly lucrative delivery channel is clear and there really is no more time to waste for those looking for a foothold in.”

The gathering especially designed for the sports betting, poker and casino world will take place on Monday May 16 2011 at the Waldorf Hilton, London and promises to deliver to every attendee practical tips on the adoption and usage of downloadable gaming apps. There will be a full exploration of the key benefits new browser applications have to offer business that are ready to be directed onto a whole new level of engagement with its customer base.

Windsor Holden, Principal Analyst from Juniper Research and Chairman on the day commented “It is fair to say that the surge in adoption in consumer smartphones has provided the catalyst to reinvigorate mobile gambling; it has also delivered an opportunity to enable the gambling industry both to increase its returns from its existing clientele and to reach demographics that have previously been untapped by other channels, whether physical or digital.”

Representatives from leading betting operators William Hill, Ladbrokes and Betfair will be attending as speakers to discuss just why smartphone technology is a sure bet to increase mobile gaming and customer activity imparting their experiences to date in the market together with cutting edge web developers, researchers and manufacturing experts at the very top of their game.

As the popularity of mobile gambling increases, so does the demand for innovation – the industry is moving forward and it is time for all to move with it.

For further information or to view further details about this time critical forum click here.

The pragmatically constructed programme provided unbiased perspectives from top level regulators of seven jurisdictions across Europe to a non public circle of participants of German regulators, policy makers and parliamentarians from the 16 Leander States. Dr Joerg Hofmann of leading law firm Melchers provided a pivotal role in chairing the symposium and facilitated the cross border discussions between the panellists and German audience. Its goal was to transfer pure knowledge and experiences from regulator of such jurisdictions which already have a regulated internet gaming market or just about to establish one.

Setting the scene for the days discussions to a full to capacity event, Deputy Prime Minister of Hesse & Hessian Minister of Justice, Integration and Europe Mr Joerg-Uwe Hahn delivered a keynote speech to participants who were throughout the day given the opportunity to engage in thought provoking debates on issues such as taxation, social responsibility and technical concerns when regulating an online market.

Mr Hahn highlighted the main forthcoming challenges that lie ahead and emphasised that Germany were drawing inspiration from neighbouring states to assist in the formulation of an internally cohesive & wholly robust online gambling infrastructure.

Complimenting the minister’s presentation, author of the EU Green Paper, Mr Erik Vagnhammar from the European Commission provided vision and transparency for the total harmonisation of gaming in Europe.

The audience were overwhelmed by the transfer of information with the delivery of such time critical discussions. A member of the steering group, Mr Phil Barow, Managing Director of GLI Europe said: “This event was designed to provide unbiased opinions on the effective regulation of internet gaming to German policy makers. With participation from regulators of iGaming markets from across Europe, we have created an open forum and discussion on the possibilities for the German policy makers to consider as they look at the current interstate gaming treaties.”

Julie Garvin, Director of Awedacity added:  “We were truly delighted to play such a pivotal role in orchestrating this groundbreaking gathering. We will now be extending these discussions to the online gambling community and will announce the next forum shortly.”

For a full line up of the day’s discussions and content please go to the Awedacity website www.awedacity.co.uk

Waldorf Hilton, London