Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt has said regulated operators across Europe need to band together to blacklist suppliers found to be serving the illegal market and licensed firms in tandem.
Speaking to EGR, Fahlstedt attested the industry may not be able to wait for authorities to intervene and instead the onus should be on operators to cut ties with B2B firms that also support unlicensed bookmakers and casinos.
When asked what measures he believed would be of a universal benefit to the gambling industry across Europe, Fahlstedt replied: “What I would like to see is all the serious regulated online players in Europe come together and have a joint understanding.
“When we talk to payment and games providers, and one of those providers also serves a black market targeting any of the European markets we’re in, we all commit to not using that provider whatsoever.
“We need to unionise here because if we are waiting for authorities to do this for us, there’s a big risk we could be having this discussion in 20 years time and nothing has changed. There have been some moves in this direction, but I think we all feel the frustration.
“We could bunch up and demand that if a company wants to provide slot games or payments for the UK, Swiss, German, Swedish, Finnish markets for example, they cannot also serve the crypto casinos targeting those markets.
“If we all commit to instantly end the customer relationship with these guys, then we will force them to go black or white. They cannot go grey.”
Fahlstedt added that recent regulatory changes in the UK could serve as a catalyst for change moving forward, while putting the onus on larger operators to lead from the front.
Remote gaming duty in the UK almost doubled to 40% in April, with an increase in remote betting duty from 15% to 25% set to come into effect in April 2027. Further tax pressure in the form of a hike in machine games duty could also be in the offing.
This has led to several operators considering their positions in the market, with the likes of Betfred and the evoke-owned William Hill closing hundreds of retail locations across the country.
Data released by H2 Gambling Capital estimated stakes on the black market in the UK could hit £36bn by 2031, with the illegal market’s share of online betting predicted to reach 22% within five years.
“I think what’s happening in the UK could be the catalyst that gets this thing in motion because now it’s really getting tough,” Fahlstedt continued.
“We have some of the really big players exposed to the biggest market in Europe, which is the UK market, and now the gloves need to come off. It can’t be that the providers make as much money – maybe even more money – serving the industry outside and inside.
“It takes leadership from the giants of this industry, and it would be great to see that. Paf would certainly sign up for that, and I think it would be a great thing for the industry as a whole.”
Evolution, the live casino giant that was last week subject to a SEK132bn take-private offer from Candle Lake, agreed to a £4.75m settlement with the Gambling Commission after its games were found on six unlicensed sites targeting the UK.
The Stockholm-listed supplier was at risk of having its licence suspended, the Gambling Commission said, due to the severity of the violation.
However, Evolution highlighted it had acted “swiftly” to rectify the issue and cooperated with the regulator throughout the investigation.
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The post Regulated operators must “unionise” to oust black market suppliers, says Paf CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.
Christer Fahlstedt tells EGR “gloves need to come off” in the fight against the illegal market, while operators should unite on problem of providers straddling both sides of the sector
The post Regulated operators must “unionise” to oust black market suppliers, says Paf CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.