Denmark Ready For Online Gambling
01/01/2012 : D verification glitch aside, a new era starts for Danish internet gambling on January 1 2012
From January 1 2012 Danish online punters will hopefully have more competitive and diverse offerings available to them as the market opens up after years of restriction and monopolised gambling.
It won't quite be the full Monty, however; ID verification technical delays will mean that the full implementation of the new regulatory framework under the Danish Gambling Authority will not take place until February 1st. In the meantime operators will be expected to use their usual verification measures and precautions.
Sports betters will particularly benefit from a more competitive environment; under the old monopoly the state typically pocketed a 20 percent margin, compared to the more attractive eight percent usually available in a competitive market like the UK.
Internet casino players will benefit from more competitive promo offers and a wider choice of games and online venues.
Unlicensed operators can expect short shrift from the Danish authorities now that a regulated and more open market is in place. Danish tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen, has warned that his government will follow the US example and block illegal internet operators seeking to service Danish gamblers.
“The orderly market means, among other things, that all gambling operators without a licence from 1 January 2012 risk that their website or payments will be blocked,” he recently stated.
His warning has been heeded by at least some online gambling operators, among them Britain's Coral, which recently advised its Danish members that it would be stopping their service.
Denmark's 20 percent tax on gross income should bring in handsome returns from the 38 companies that have so far been granted a total of 55 licenses. Some 19 of those companies will offer sports betting – of the remainder, 13 are exclusively online casinos.
The 19 companies that have obtained licences to provide Danish sports betting are: Betfair, Betsson, Bonnier Gaming, Cashpoint, DanBook, Danske Licens, ElectraWorks, Entraction Operations, Hillside, iGame, Interactive Sports, InTouch Casino, Ladbrokes International, Nordic Betting, Nordic Odds, PKR Technologies, Scandic Bookmakers, Stanleybet International and Unibet.
