Online gambling operator Mansion Group has been issued a new UK gambling license.
Last September, word spread that Mansion was pulling out of the UK market as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) prepared to implement its new licensing regime, including the much-loathed 15% online point of consumption tax (POCT). Mansion quickly clarified that the withdrawal applied only to its poker vertical, and that it had applied for a new UKGC license.
On Monday, Mansion Europe Holdings Ltd. announced that it has received the UKGC’s seal of approval. Mansion Group CEO Sagi Lahav, who took over from Guy Gussarsky last month, called the new UK license “an important milestone in our strategy of acquiring gaming licenses in key markets.”
Lahav said Mansion “welcomed the additional security and transparency that this gives our players” despite the “additional challenges that regulation poses.” Last September, Mansion laid off a large number of staff at its Gibraltar HQ and shifted some of its operations to Bulgaria to prepare itself for the financial impact of the new POCT.
Plans are now afoot to boost UK marketing for Mansion’s five casino brands: Casino.com, MansionCasino.com, Club777.com, LesACasino.com and SlotsHeaven.com. Lahav said Mansion’s attention would now shift to Italy, where it planned to launch a tailored version of Casino.com ‘in the coming month.”
12BET RETURNS TO UK SPORTS BETTING MARKET
Meanwhile, online Asian handicap sports betting operator 12Bet has relaunched its UK sportsbook eight months after partially ditching the market over licensing concerns. 12Bet had left its casino operations intact while it applied for a new UKGC online sports betting license. Having since met with the UKGC’s approval, 12Bet relaunched its European-focused sportsbook earlier this month.
12Bet’s new product is powered by TGP (The Gaming Platform) Europe and features over 6k live football events per month, with an average of 60 markets per event. 12Bet CEO Rory Anderson celebrated 12Bet expanding its offering beyond its mainstay Asian handicap business and said Income Access would provide 12Bet’s new affiliate program.
