Livestream Affiliate Spotlight Part 2, Product and Regulation, with Tobias Svensen, CEO, CasinoGrounds
As the iGaming landscape continues to evolve, new trends in product and regulation will begin to emerge also. In part two of our catch up with Tobias Svensen, CEO of CasinoGrounds, he talks us through his viewpoint on regulatory issues and new product trends that will shape the future of our market.
As part of the continuous challenge of improving industry standards, affiliate association RAIG have recently proposed a licensing framework for all affiliates. Do you think licensing affiliates would help to improve the iGaming industry going forward?
“One part of me really believes that this is the way to go, to set a legal or compliance framework for all to adhere to.
The most key part is actually having consequences. Affiliates traditionally have gone very much under the radar, and all the responsibility has gone to the operators.
However, we have seen in recent years that this is slowly changing. For example, the UKGC making operators responsible for what the affiliate does. This gives the operators a bigger incentive to regulate through their affiliate.
In general, I’m very positive about the proposed regulation as CasinoGrounds takes pride in doing whatever we can to stay as compliant as possible.
As a more established brand and a part of the LeoVegas group, we like to do things by the book.
On a general note, I’m super positive to have a set framework for affiliates. I would be more than happy to participate.
Another consideration is also about who is going to define the rules. We’ve seen examples of regulations where the restrictions, in my opinion, don’t make much sense.
Often the wrong areas get restricted which essentially move players towards the black market.
I’ve been seeing this in the UK for a long time. We’re seeing it in Sweden, especially with the new restrictions. And now we’re seeing further extremes in Germany, who are restricting the actual player experience.
This is a dangerous way to think about regulation.
I would much rather have a proper sit-down, where all the relevant stakeholders have an open discussion and figure out something sustainable and ethical.”
Live casino, in particular, has seen a great rise in popularity. Now with the land-based casino’s not being able to operate anywhere near usual capacity, does it have the potential to take over the market, in terms of revenue, in the future?
“Yes and no. The fact that the landbased operations are not able to operate normally, I think that’s definitely one driver of change in the terms of user behaviour.
I think we’re seeing behaviour change in a lot of different industries as a result out of the lockdown.
When it comes to live casino, the frequent users of the land based casino have a very strong connection with the establishment.
I think it’s hard to get most of them online, but when online is the only option, some of them are willing to learn out of necessity.
It’s an opportunity, but I think change takes time.
I don’t think it’s something that will happen immediately, but I do think given the times we are in, technology is rapidly stepping up. Unlimited data, for example, has been fairly common for the last five years.
You also have other markets that are catching up to this, and now suddenly going from a family computer to having four smartphone devices each.
I think there’s definitely an opportunity for live casino providers operators to take the market.”
Editor’s Note: Tobias clearly is in favour of a future regulated framework that includes affiliates but warns that without real consequences for lawbreakers, no progress will be made.
As always, the most obvious danger is in creating higher demand for black market services, but as Tobias suggests, if the key stakeholders can have a ‘Proper sit down’ then they will be able to create a framework that is both sustainable and ethical. This has the potential to clear the way for promising new gaming verticals, such as Live Casino, to realise their potential as market-leading products.
