Operator News
Denmark – Denmark opens window for new land-based casino licences
By Phil - 30 October 2020
Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gaming Authority, has opened an application window for operators to apply for land-based casino licences.
The number of available licences isn’t yet known with the only detail being that licences will run for ten-years with casinos on board Danish ships also available. The deadline for applications is January 29, 2021.
Denmark is currently home to eight land-based casinos with two on ferries. A new casino will open in Copenhagen by the end of the year.
Local municipalities, government ministers and the Danish Maritime Authority will be involved in the approval process for interested operators. Since the Danish gambling market was partially liberalised in 2012, Denmark’s average spending on gambling products has generally been increasing. In 2018, the average Dane over the age of 18 spent about DKK 40.7 on gambling products a week and in 2019 the figure was DKK 40.4 in 2019 prices.
“It is interesting that we see a decline in the average spending on gambling products in Denmark for the first time in six years,” said acting director of the Danish Gambling Authority Jan Madsen. “However, it is still too soon to tell, whether it is a long-term development.”
The average spending on gambling products is the amount left when the stake in the game is deducted from the winnings. The amount is an expresion of the players’ losses and is referred to as the gross gaming revenue (GGR).
The decline is seen especially in the land-based sectors, which among other things counts games on gaming machines and land-based casinos. The betting sector, which has otherwise experienced significant growth since 2012, has also seen a slight decline from 2018 to 2019. Despite a continued increase in online casinos, this has not made up for a fall in the average spending on gambling products.
The Danish Gambling Authority continuously monitor the developments in the gambling market and publish quarterly statistics which are available on the Danish Gambling Authority’s website Spillemyndigheden.dk.
”It is one of the Danish Gambling Authority’s main tasks to monitor the development in the different gambling sectors. Knowledge about developments in the gambling market is essential to the Danish Gambling Authority, as it shows where the gambling market is heading and can, among other things, be used to improve responsible gambling efforts”, says Jan Madsen.
