UK online i-gaming market keeps growing with the recent additions from betMGM (one of the new online casinos in the UK) and GG bet site. The GG.bet has been launched in the UK as the popularity of betting on esports continues to grow. A new deal with Rednines Gaming has led to their latest expansion.
Rednines Gaming is no stranger to operating in the UK. In the past, they ran the Dr. Bet brand. That saw players able to enjoy not just their online casino but betting on sport too.
GG.bet has a presence in many areas around the globe. They operate in South America, Asia, and other countries in Europe. The company is licensed in the UK, Malta and Curacao.
Users of the Dr.Bet online casino will be automatically directed to the new British website. This means that any customer accounts and their active cash balances will be safe and able to be used on GGbet.
“When transferred, they will be able to enjoy a site that doesn’t just offer them the chance to bet on esports. There will be sports events to place bets on as well as a highly impressive online casino. That includes the inclusion of a live casino which is something that has become an integral part of any online site” - said BritishGambler spokesperson, online gambling guide.
Players are able to bet in an environment that’s as close as you can get to being in a land-based one. There are live dealers and also hosts for the game shows that are also available to play.
As you can imagine, these became popular during the COVID pandemic. Land-based casinos were regularly closed and that saw players heading online to play casino games. It wasn’t just digital casinos that benefited in some way from the pandemic.
The number of sporting events was drastically reduced. This left bookmakers looking for events to be offering odds on. Esports filled that gap and the number of events covered online suddenly began to increase dramatically.
It wasn’t long before gamblers were visiting online betting sites eager to bet on esports. Not even in boxing could they bet on a first blood market but that soon became commonplace for these new games.
There are over 30 esports disciplines available on GG.bet. Top games such as ‘Fortnite,’ ‘CS:GO,’ ‘League of Legends’ and ‘Dota 2’ will all be available. Up to 350 markets will be on offer to place wagers on.
The popularity of esports has continued with an expansion of 47% being seen in the past three years.
The past couple of years have seen GG.bet form partnerships with European tournaments. This included PGL events in both Antwerp and Stockholm. They also sponsor esports teams NAVI and Team Vitality. Also, they have a partnership with Bayes Esports. Their deal with the live data provider was extended in February 2023.
The CEO of GG.bet’s UK operation is Sergi Mischchenko and he stressed that the launch is “an important step for the development of our company.”
He knows that being successful in the gambling industry in the UK won’t be easy. It’s a highly competitive market and the aim is to “continue operating under a strong international brand” which will hopefully “allow us to stand out among other bookmakers.”
It’s not just the fact that breaking the UK market is a difficult task. This year has finally seen the publication of the UK Government’s White Paper on gambling reform. There had been continual delays due to the problems seen in Downing Street that took place in 2022.
Since 2019 when the last General Election took place in the UK, there has been a pledge to reform the UK’s gambling laws. The main focus of these changes is online casinos and sportsbooks. That’s because the last major legislation came into force 14 years ago and that was before the arrival of the internet and the way it has changed the gambling industry,
The White Paper makes several proposals and some won’t help GG.bet and other digital casinos. This includes the payment of a compulsory levy for online casinos. Other proposals include reduced stake limits on casino games. This could be as low as £2 and is predicted to hit online gambling profits if introduced. Stricter affordability checks are also proposed to prove that gamblers can afford the amounts they are wagering and losing at casinos.
It is expected that it may be a fair while before the proposal may become law. They may well make life tougher for the casino industry so it might be a difficult time ahead for companies such as GG.bet.