Betsson is pulling its Betsafe brand from the Danish market, ahead of next year’s incoming tax increases.
Earlier this week, the Betsafe.dk homepage told players that “the site is closed”. It also mentioned that because of this, players “will no longer be able to play” on here.
Betsson not leaving completely
Despite ceasing its operations for Betsafe, Betsson isn’t leaving the Danish market altogether. It has invited players to wager with its other brands here: Nordic Bet and Casino.dk. Meanwhile, players waiting for funds have been told to get in touch with customer support.
Pontus Lindwall, Betsson CEO, spoke to the media in its headquarter city of Stockholm after this news. He told Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri that tax rates were the primary reason for departure.
In the same article, Lindwall mentioned that Betsson had chosen to focus its spending on “those brands that we should have” within Denmark.
Changes to the Danish gambling landscape
Towards the end of last year, the Danish government announced that operators would need to pay more in tax going forward. The current rate of 20% GGR for online brands, which has been present since the market opened in 2012, will rise to 28% next year.
It was mentioned that an extra 20 million Danish Kroner – around £2.28 million – would be generated from this move. The money will go towards national services, such as healthcare, education and the welfare system.
In addition to tax hikes, deposit limits have also come into play here. As of January 2020, this will be mandatory for all players. They can do this by either month, week or day. Operators must enable players to set these limits from their websites.
As part of these new changes, brands are also obliged to provide a link to ROFUS – the country’s self-exclusion list. Support must also be offered to problem gamblers.
