Latest News
A new report from the casino guide Casino.se: How the new gaming law has affected the Swedish gaming industry
A new report from the casino guide Casino.se highlights how the Swedish gaming industry has been affected since January 2019, when the government introduced a licensing market for gambling. The report reveals, among other things, that about 50,000 Swedes have used the self-shutdown service spelpaus.se, as well as a dramatic reduction in visitor traffic to the Swedish licensed companies. In addition, criticism is directed at the government’s recent legislative proposals with additional gaming regulations, which, according to the report, risk driving players to unregulated international gambling sites.
Casino.se, Sweden’s leading casino guide, today presents a new report on how the new gambling law from January 2019 has affected the Swedish gaming market and its players. The report, prepared by Casino.se together with the owner company XLMedia, highlights, among other things, changes in consumers’ gaming patterns, government revenues and expenses, as well as the growth of the private industry players, which are today part of Sweden’s regulated gaming market. The report also analyzes the future of the industry, as well as the risks associated with the government’s recent legislative proposals on lower maximum limits for deposits and bonuses, with the primary aim of countering gambling abuse during the corona crisis.
The new gambling law
The new Gaming Act from January 1, 2019, meant that Sweden was granted a licensing market for gambling, with the aim of excluding all the actors that are non-licensed and don’t pay tax in Sweden. According to Spelinspektionen, 98 companies today have active gaming licenses, where of as many as 71 are online. Among other things, the law requires that the companies on their site, clearly offer players three main opportunities to limit their gambling, in the form of the measures spelpaus.se, game limits and self-testing. The companies that do not comply with the rules risk, among other things, having their license revoked for up to two years.
Of the three measures mentioned above, spelpaus.se, which enables self-suspension from virtually all gambling in Sweden, has meant the most important change. In March 2020, according to the Gaming Inspection, nearly 50,000 Swedes had registered on spelpaus.se, of which 76 percent were men and 24 percent were women.
The economic development of the gaming industry
During the third quarter of 2019, the new gaming law had a noticeably negative effect on the Swedish gaming market as a whole. The total return for online gaming operators with Swedish licenses was SEK 3.35 billion, according to statistics from the Gaming Inspectorate, which was a decrease of SEK 120 million compared to the second quarter and SEK 70 million compared to the first quarter of the same year. 2019 was a relatively weak year for the gaming industry, with a total turnover of SEK 24.79 billion, which was only a modest increase from the previous year.
Reduced visitor traffic
New statistics from Casino.se and Google Trends reveal that several of the Swedish licensed gaming companies had significantly less visitor traffic to their sites in 2019 than in previous years. All in all, however, the Swedish licensed companies have so far been mostly satisfied with the development since the new law came into force.
“By having a regulated market, long-term sustainability and industry profits are secured. It benefits both consumers and operators,” says Stuart Simms, CEO of XLMedia, which runs Casino.se.
New bill risks driving players towards the unregulated gaming market
However, a cloud of concern has flared up now in May. It concerns the government’s new bill to introduce a maximum deposit limit of SEK 5,000 a week and a bonus ceiling of SEK 100 to limit gambling, especially during the corona crisis when many are sitting at home. The proposal has generated a massive protest storm from leading industry players, which has been noted in both international and Swedish press. One of the detractors is Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of the Industry Association for Online Games (BOS), who believes that these new regulations would counteract its purpose and harm the Swedish gaming industry.
“I react with surprise and consternation. All of these regulations, which may have honest ambitions to strengthen consumer protection, drive players away from the licensed market, ”Hoffstedt said in the report.
To read the full report, please click here.
Latest News
The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025
Outstanding games from Germany and a great show with many well-known personalities: the year’s best games made in Germany were honoured at the German Computer Game Awards 2025 (DCP) in Berlin. In the Palais am Funkturm, guests from the areas of culture, society, media, politics and the game industry celebrated the creative teams behind the high-quality games. The hosts Katrin Bauerfeind and Uke Bosse led the audience through the entertaining evening, which numerous viewers also followed via live stream.
The winner in the highest-profile category, “Best German Game,” was “Enshrouded” from the studio Keen Games. The coveted award was presented by Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Bär, who is responsible for computer and video games in the new Federal Government. The survival RPG game also won in the category “Best Innovation and Technology”. The award for “Studio of the Year” went to Megagon Industries from Berlin, the studio behind the successful “Lonely Mountains” games. The games community and DCP jury chose the streamer Stephan Bliemel, known as Steinwallen, “Player of the Year”. For over a decade, Steinwallen has impressively demonstrated in his video streams how history can be successfully imparted through games. Prize money totalling 800,000 euros was awarded in the framework of the DCP 2025.
The German Computer Game Awards were hosted by the German Federal Government and game – The German Games Industry Association.
“We congratulate all the award winners. Impressive variety, captivating stories and first-rate technologies: once again, on the grand stage of the German Computer Game Awards 2025, the enormous strength of German games studios was clear to see. Germany produces exciting games with world-market potential. These successes send a strong signal and show what Germany has to offer as a game production location. Together with the new Federal Government, we want to enable this creative and technological excellence to shine even more brightly on the international stage in the future,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.
Overview of all the winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025:
Best International Game (not endowed)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Best German Game (endowed with 100,000 euros)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)
The other nominees each receive 30,000:
• Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (Megagon Industries)
• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)
Best Family Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• PRIM (Common Colors / Application Systems Heidelberg)
Newcomer Award – Best Debut (endowed with 60,000 euros)
• Nordhold (Stunforge / Stunforge & HypeTrain Digital)
The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:
• Footgun: Underground (Turtle Knight Games / CobraTekku Games)
• Mindlock – The Apartment (Roof Cut Media / United Soft Media)
Newcomer Award – Best Prototype (endowed with 50,000 euros)
• Blob the Klex (Melena Dressel, Alejandro Rebolledo, Laura Octavianus / Hochschule Darmstadt)
The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:
• MapMap – A game about Maps (HAW Hamburg / Pipapo Games)
• Stuntboost (Julian Höltge, Tobias Kozel)
• Echoes of Mora (HTW Berlin / Meike Strippel et al.)
• Exhibit A (MDH München / Olivia Falke et al.)
Best Innovation and Technology (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)
Best Audio Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm et al.)
Best Game Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)
Best Graphic Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)
Best Mobile Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games)
Best Story (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Vampire Therapist (Little Bat Games)
Best Serious Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Deine Stimme (Sebastian Grünwald & Reality Twist / Bavarian State Centre for Political Education)
Studio of the Year (endowed with 50,000 euros)
• Megagon Industries (Berlin)
Player of the Year (not endowed)
• Steinwallen
Special Jury Award (endowed with a total of 10,000 euros; the two winners each receive 5000 euros)
• Flipper und Arcade Museum Seeligenstadt
• GAME:IN
The post The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Slotozilla is an industry-leading online casino and slot review platform. Since its inception, the company has published refreshed analyses covering iGaming operators and software – with the intent to provide accurate, informative data for all users.
Throughout 2024, Slotozilla collected relevant data pertaining to player usage of the platform. These insights unveiled clear illustrations of player preferences, gender distribution, age-related data and other appropriate gaming behaviour. The report outlines significant findings laid bare by Slotozilla’s year-long study.
Explosive Global Favourites: The Demo Slots That Dominated 2024
Clear regional preferences were brought to light during Slotozilla’s 2024 analysis, as Book of Ra dominated the European industry. Where’s the Gold represented Australia’s favourite slot, while Plinko, Wolf Run and Sizzling Hot garnered significant attention from a worldwide player base.
Sizzling Hot Deluxe earned plaudits within the French gaming arena – attaining nearly one-quarter of the nation’s demo playtime. Industry developers and operators should expect these slots to influence the iGaming scene in 2025 and beyond.
Beyond the Numbers: Surprising Engagement and Demographic Shifts Revealed
The previous year detailed a clear shift towards all-encompassing domination by particular titles and demographics. For example, Columbus proved a major hit among USA bettors – racking up an average playtime of 194.8 minutes. That figure sits far ahead of the next game in line, King of Atlantis, which garnered 72.5 minutes per average session from French users.
Similar lob-sided statistics exist when comparing gender-based play, as male German players form 73.91% of the nation’s users—potentially guiding marketing efforts.
Modern Industry Impact
Data collected by SlotoZilla evidences various marked industry shifts spanning several key demographics. The report’s holistic view of the modern iGaming industry highlights the increasing necessity for targeted marketing campaigns, relevant themes and boundary-pushing features.
Users located in Australia, Poland and Canada are notable in this regard – as players from all three vital nations tend to access online slots from the age of 25 onward. Strategies around this data are central to maintaining a robust industry.
The post Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned against further new tax rises on members, as it was confirmed Levy payments to the Horseracing Betting Levy Board are expected to increase for the fourth year in a row.
BGC members are expected to contribute a record £108m in Levy payments to the HBLB for last year, new figures reveal.
The figure, provided by the independent HBLB, is an increase of £3m on the previous year.
It is the fourth year in a row that Levy contributions have increased, from £97m in 2021/22, to £100m in 2022/2023, £105m in 2023/2024 and £108m in 2024/2025.
This increased contribution came despite a concerning fall in betting turnover, and amid threats of a further new tax hike on online sports betting.
The independent HBLB said average turnover per race was down by about 8% on 2023/24, representing a 15% fall on 2022/23 and 19% drop on 2021/22.
Meanwhile, earlier this month the Treasury announced a new tax consultation, proposing replacing the three current online betting and gaming tax rates, with a single new one, sparking fears for sports like racing.
Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst said: “For the fourth year running Levy contributions have increased to record levels, demonstrating the growing, long-term investment regulated betting provides British horseracing.
“But it is concerning to see once more that despite record Levy contributions, racing continues to struggle, both as a sport and as a betting product, with betting turnover down again year on year.
“BGC members remain committed fans of racing and recognise better than most the huge economic impact it makes in communities across the country.
“It’s now more important than ever this vital contribution is not undermined by further new tax rises through the creation of a single tax for online betting, which risks driving punters away from the sport, or into the arms of the growing, unsafe gambling black market.
“These parasite operators don’t pay tax, don’t care about safer gambling, and do not contribute a penny to the Levy. The BGC wants sustainable growth, for our members and for racing, but any new taxes would halt investment, hurt punters and harm racing.”
This fourth annual increase is a new record since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18.
The post BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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