Self-exclusion service Gamban has expanded outside of the UK for the first time ever under a brand new partnership.
The gambling service, which allows users to self-exclude themselves from all gambling websites, is set to launch outside of the UK for the first time after agreeing to a partnership with Norway’s Norsk Tipping gambling operator.
Under the partnership, players registered with Norsk Tipping gambling websites will be allowed to use Gamban’s software for free. Users will be given the choice of self-excluding from gambling sites for 180 days or one, three or five years.
Like in the UK, the service will work across all gambling websites, and apps within Norway and Gamban will allow users not registered with gambling websites to use the blocking service too.
As reported by iGamingBusiness, Gamban is one of the many responsible gambling measures implemented by Norsk Tipping. Another includes mandatory loss limits of which the website last month reduced to a maximum of 25% on high-risk games.
Bjørn Helge Hoffmann, the Head of Responsible Gaming at Norsk Tipping, said in a statement: “Gamban is a valuable supplement to Norsk Tipping’s own exclusion systems. The filter makes it possible for us to offer extended protection to customers who want to block access to all gaming offers on the internet – both regulated and unregulated.”
Norsk Tipping is one of the two only betting operators licensed to offer online gambling in Norway, the second being Norsk Rikstoto. Both operators own several websites, and all are subject to temporary restrictions, with players limited to only losing a maximum of NOK 7,500 per month in December and January and a maximum of NOK 2,000 per day.
The news comes after Gamban announced a new partnership with GamSTOP and GamCare to provide its self-exclusion service for free to anyone experiencing gambling-related harm. Users already paying for the service can now also claim it for free under the partnership, with more details here.
Continuing with the international casino news, gambling operator LeoVegas has announced that it will be launching its British Pink Casino website overseas in Canada, joining the several other gambling brands the operator runs in the country.
The move marks the first move Pink Casino has been launched outside of the UK, but the operator believes that the website, which it says offers “world-class entertainment” and a “safe gaming experience”, will benefit from the experiences and knowledge LeoVegas has gained to this day.
As reported by SBC Americas, Pink Casino’s launch is also part of LeoVegas’ strategy in using existing brands and resources to deliver profitable growth, and the launch comes after LeoVegas migrated its brands from the Bede Gaming Platform to the operator’s own proprietary gaming platform in April, providing LeoVegas with greater control and freedom.
Gustaf Hagman, the Chief Executive at LeoVegas, said in a statement: “It is super exciting to continue expanding in North America. This is a superb way to use our strong brands and deliver profitable growth.
“I look forward to offering the Canadian market even more gaming fun and entertainment in the form of Pink Casino.”
In our review of Pink Casino for the UK, we found the casino to be a great website for users to game at with lots of praise aimed at the website’s generous no deposit bonus. However, we did criticise it for its high bonus wagering requirement and lack of accepted payment options.
Meanwhile, it’s been reported this week that leading game developer NetEnt has been issued an injunction preventing the organisation from making mass redundancies as the firm merges with Evolution following the latter’s acquisition of NetEnt.
The injunction was filed by the General Workers’ Union Malta (GWU) to Malta’s Superior Courts as the GWU, which represents almost all of NetEnt’s employees in the country, requested an injection to prevent the company from terminating employees.
As reported by CasinoBeats, the GWU has argued that NetEnt failed to “notify and consult” a redundancy scenario under the terms of European and local laws and accused both NetEnt and Evolution of “anti-union tactic” which it claims “prevent an effective consultation fo employees at a critical moment when they are facing potential redundancy days before Christmas”.
The GWU in its application to Malta’s Superior Courts stated that NetEnt had negotiated a termination package with an “employee representative” who the GWU claims was “dismissive” of the employees’ pleas and whose appointment breached governing regulations.
Issuing an injunction, Malta’s Superior Courts charged NetEnt and owner Evolution with a “break of EU transfer of undertakings rules”, and the courts are expected to hear NetEnt and Evolution’s arguments at a sitting on December 17th.
In a statement to CasinoBeats, a representative for GWU said: “Thanks to the court’s intervention following our urgent request, 324 illegal dismissals have now been put on hold. We will continue to insist that NetEnt and Evolution Gaming honour their consultation obligations in full, and we will do our utmost to ensure that jobs are saved, and, where that is not possible, that appropriate compensation is paid.”
The news comes after live casino game developer Evolution, previously known as Evolution Gaming, was given the green light to acquire NetEnt by the UK earlier this month following a two-month-long investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
As we reported at the beginning of December, Evolution has started its integration of NetEnt and has already shut down NetEnt’s live casino services. The popular game developer will reportedly operate under the Evolution brand alongside Ezugi and Red Tiger Gaming, the latter of which was acquired by NetEnt in 2019.
