Swedish gaming giant confirms its ongoing commitment to regulated markets globally and raises concerns over the circumventing of existing legal frameworks regarding so-called ‘sweepstakes casinos
Play’n GO has announced that the company’s unmatched portfolio of games will never be supplied to so-called ‘sweepstakes casinos’.
Play’n GO CEO and co-founder Johan Törnqvist said: “Sweepstakes casinos do not operate inside a regulated framework and that’s not something we support. Our commitment to regulated markets is absolute. We will never supply our games to sweepstakes casinos.”
The announcement comes as so-called sweepstakes casinos are increasingly under scrutiny by regulators and lawmakers, especially in the US.
Shawn Fluharty, head of government affairs for Play’n GO, added: “Sweepstakes casinos threaten the regulated market model that many of us in the industry have worked so hard to achieve, which protects players first and foremost, and delivers much-needed revenue to jurisdictions.
“Regulators across the US in particular are rightfully beginning to crack down on these unregulated operations. And I can say with confidence that regulators have long memories – anyone doing business with sweepstakes casinos today will find it very difficult to do business in a future regulated market.
“Additionally, lawmakers certainly have an interest in protecting licensees and state revenues going forward.”
Play’n GO has been a vocal advocate for increased regulation in the online gaming space for many years.
The company was the first supplier in the industry to publicly rule out producing ‘bonus buy’ games, now banned by the UK and Dutch regulators and under discussion by many other regulators too.
In a further sign of the increasingly rapid divergence between regulated and unregulated spaces within the industry, Play’n GO was recently recognised as a priority partner by German casino operator Tipico.
The partnership programme sees Tipico give Play’n GO games increased visibility and promotional spaces while, crucially, removing games entirely produced by other suppliers who serve both the regulated and black market in Germany.
Magnus Olsson, chief commercial officer of Play’n GO, commented: “It’s no secret that with this decision – much like with our stance towards Bonus Buy games – we have been, and continue to leave a lot of money on the table. But everyone in the industry has a choice about what kind of industry we want.
“We want to see a fully regulated and sustainable industry that protects players, promotes innovation, and ensures that we actually have an industry in the future.
“We are starting to see both regulators and operators, such as with Tipico in Germany, recognise that the future of the industry is through regulation. It’s time for other suppliers to do their part too and I’m delighted to see Play’n GO leading the way once again.”