Skywind Group has extended into the Italian market after the content developer became partners with Snaitech, a Playtech-owned operator.
An important gambling market
Snaitech can now access Skywind’s portfolio of over 280 games, spanning across various categories. These include individual and branded video slots, plus arcade titles and table games. All of the developer’s content will be optimised for players in Italy.
The two companies will also work on a responsible gambling strategy, to ensure the safety of players in this market.
Oren Cohen Schwarz, Managing Director of Skywind, said: “Italy is important for both local and global operators.
“The market enjoys year-on-year revenue increases and we’re pleased to have extended our reach and enable our partners to offer our games and engagement tools here.”
In October, Playtech revealed that Snaitech performed beyond expectations in Q3 2019. The entire business, including Snaitech, grew 12% year-on-year for revenue from B2B operations.
Will affiliates be able to promote Snaitech?
Earlier this year, a number of regulatory changes in Italy saw affiliate marketing banned as part of them. It doesn’t look like that’ll change in the near future, while the market is getting tighter.
It’s planned that the number of licensed operators here will decrease from 85 to 50 by 2023. As part of this, new proposed licence costs will skyrocket to €2 million. The likes of William Hill, who paid €200,000 for their current permits, would have to pay this new price as these expire at the end of 2022.
In addition to affiliate marketing being stopped, authorities in Italy have stopped other forms of gambling ads too. Both influencer marketing and the distribution of branded items or advertorials are included in this.
