Danske Spil introduces new ID requirements
Compliance with age limits has been a key area for the company.
Denmark.- Danske Spil has introduced new identification requirements for betting in kiosks and supermarkets. The company said that it now demands more than 3000 dealers to ask individuals to show identification cards before they can play. The card is likely to be ready by 2020.
The cards can be electronic or physical, and Danske Spil will invest time in the next few months to get the necessary IT support to ensure that the new ID requirements are in line with the company’s customer experience standards.
“The card is a further step in Danske Spil’ work with responsibility to ensure that games at Danske Spil are not sold to young people under 18 or abused by criminals for money laundering,” said the company in a statement.
CEO Susanne Mørch Koch said: “Danske Spil is Denmark’s gaming company and we won’t tolerate uncertainty as to whether our offering can be reached by children and young people or be abused to launder illegal money.
“We already carry out extensive checks on betting in kiosks and we work closely with the police to track suspicious people who might have criminal intent, but we can’t live with the doubt as to whether a criminal goes under our radar.”
Moreover, she explained that compliance with age limits has been a key area for the company, and with the playing card they have an important tool in hand. “Gambling is for adults and not for children,” she said.
The impact on the company’s finances
“It is not possible to accurately calculate the negative consequence of introducing the game card. It is to be expected that part of the spontaneous game will go away and that it will cost us a significant three-digit million on our turnover at least in the short run. We have to take that write-down simply because we do not want to accept the alternative,” explained the CEO.
Gambling revenue falls
Gambling in the third quarter accounts for €215 million, which is approximately €3 million less when compared to the €218 million in 2018.
Online casino registered a 4% increase in revenues to €75.8 million, but the figure is also a 10.6% decline when compared to the previous quarter. Around 73% of that revenue comes from online slots, which generated €55.7 million.
As good as the online casino performance was, it didn’t manage to offset land-based casinos’ poor quarter. The vertical generated €10.9 million, which is virtually flat from 2018.
Sports betting was once again the top scorer in the market and accounted for 39% to €84 million. However, the figure represents a 3.8% year-on-year decline. Mobile was the most popular channel as it totalled 50.2% of all revenue during the quarter.
