Danske Spil urges new regulations in Denmark

The Denmark state-owned company Danske Spil has released a plan that aims to improve player protection standards in the territory.

Denmark.- Danish giant Danske Spil has released a plan that aims at improving player protection standards in Denmark. The state-owned company claims that the current rules that are in place in Denmark are not adequate.

While the company highlighted that Denmark has one of the best gaming regulations in the world, it said that the current rules don’t fully protect vulnerable players and minors.

Danske Spil discussed Spillemyndigheden’ recent report, which showed a 35% rise in self-exclusions in the last two years. The company said that this shows that rules need to be strengthened.

Susanne Mørch Koch, CEO of Danske Spil, said: “It’s in everyone’s to have a gaming market where gaming remains the entertainment it should be. And although we, as a gambling provider, have a large number of fences to prevent and protect vulnerable players, we unfortunately find that today there are too many who fall through the protection network that has been set up.

“Therefore, we believe it is necessary to tighten the net and regulate the gaming market further. And in order for it to work, it requires the same rules for all gaming providers in Denmark.”

Online gaming drives Denmark’s growth in 2019

Last year, online casino’s performance helped the overall industry in Denmark achieve good results. Total revenue in Denmark totalled €879 million, representing a 1.8% increase from 2018. Sports betting accounted for €334 million or 38.1% of the total, but it represents a 1% setback from the previous year. In the fourth quarter, it registered a 6.5% decline, completing the last three quarters in revenue decreases.

Online casinos’ gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose 8.1% to €311.8 million and was the only vertical to register a year-on-year increase in 2019. Every quarter posted an increase, but the second quarter was the top performer with an 18% revenue rise.

Slots accounted for 72.2% of the total revenue, way ahead of roulette’s 10.4% and blackjack’s 8.3%. Bingo accounted for €12.7 million in 2019. The land-based sector saw revenue decline 1.7% to €46.5 million.