Mobile casino game development studio Betixon has acquired a license from the UK Gambling Commission.
The UK’s gambling regulatory body granted the development studio with a casino software and games hosting license, allowing Betixon to break into the UK market as it embarks on its mission to operate in several regulated markets around the world.
As reported by Gambling Insider, Betixon already holds a class two gaming license from Romania and its games are certified in countries such as Lithuania, Italy, Colombia, and Estonia, but the studio is looking to launch in the continent’s bigger markets.
Betixon’s games, which includes video slots like Chicken Ninja and Book Of Sheba, will launch in the United Kingdom once the studio has finalised several agreements with big-name gambling operators.
According to Betixon’s website, the developer focuses on providing players with games that offer a “unique twist in design” and that are focused on a mobile experience. All games are developed with HTML5, which means they can be loaded in-browser without a problem.
Some of the developer’s video slots include Wild Fudge, Xmas Tales, Gemonex, Golden Era, Golden Maya, Gold Nuggets, Hollywood Pets, Lucky 3, Market Wonders, Pirates Of Graveland, Queen Of Dead, Rio Nights, Royal Kingdom, Safari Dreams, Sie Donkey, Tales Of Alyara, The Secret Of Holmes, and numerous more.
Lior Cohen, the Co-Founder and CTO of Betixon, said in a statement: “We are delighted to have received our UK Gambling Commission license. It not only demonstrates our ongoing strategy to increase our global footprint but also our commitment to working within regulated markets.
“We are extremely proud of our games portfolio, including our upcoming, first series of premium games Fortune Breakers, which will be jam-packed with intensive graphics and features. We can’t wait to share this with operators as we continue our stride into new markets.”
The news comes after the UK Gambling Commission revoked the gambling license of Silverbond Enterprises Limited, the owner of members-only venue Park Lane Casino in Mayfair, London.
It also comes after the Commission announced that it had lifted its suspension of Genesis Global Limited’s casino license. Back in July, the regulatory body has suspended the license after discovering a series of failings and forced the operator to close all UK-facing websites, but it has now been allowed to re-open them and continue operating in the United Kingdom.
The news also comes after the UK Gambling Commission published its first-ever National Strategic Assessment in which it addresses a series of issues regarding the gambling industry.
According to the UK Gambling Commission, the document, which was published over the weekend, uses the latest available evidence from a range of sources and case studies to assess the issues and risks of gambling to consumers and the general public.
The document also sets out the Commission’s priority actions in tackling said risks and issues while highlighting which areas the regulatory body has already made progress in to help make gambling safer.
Speaking about the document, Gambling Commission Chief Executive Neil McArthur said: “We will use our National Strategic Assessment as the foundation for prioritising our work over the coming months and years.
“We look forward to working with the government on the forthcoming review of the Gambling Act, and alongside that work, we will be working hard to address the issues that we have identified in our Strategic Assessment.”
“We have demonstrated that we are willing and able to respond quickly to emerging issues and risks and that we will use the full range of our powers to protect consumers. We have made considerable progress in many areas to make gambling safer – but we want to go further and faster.”
In addition to releasing its first National Strategic Assessment, the Commission has also published its Compliance and Enforcement Report which includes the various findings of the Commission’s extensive casework against license holders and details where it believes the gambling industry needs to improve standards.
The Commission’s 2020 report outlines what work the regulatory body has accomplished over the last twelve months, and it includes:
Speaking about the document, Neil McArthur said: “Holding an operating license or a personal license is a privilege, not a right, and we expect our licensees to protect consumers from harm and treat them fairly.
“Our latest report shows that where licensees fail to meet the standards we expect, we will take tough action, including the suspension and revocation of licenses. It also charts how we are shifting our focus towards personal management license holders – those in boardrooms and senior positions need to live up to their responsibilities and we will continue to hold people to account for failings they knew, or ought to have known, about.”
He added: “Everyone has a part to play to make gambling safer and learning the lessons from the failings identified in this report is one way of doing that.”
In addition to all of the work outlined in the report, the Commission also had a busy year introducing new regulations for gambling. Back in April, the organisation introduced new rules prohibiting credit cards from being used for gambling and announced new rules last month to chance how operators run their VIP schemes.
In October, the Commission worked with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) to introduce a new code of conduct in the design of play of slots, implementing a minimum spin speed and removing several features.
