SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has now made its casino platform live in Serbia through Betsson’s brand, Rizk.
As GiG makes its debut launch in the Balkan country, the news follows an announcement in June of a similar launch for Rizk in Germany after approval from the Gluecksspiel (GGL).
The latest expansion builds on a partnership that has grown to now serve 10 regulated markets across Europe and Latin America, since Betsson acquired the brand from GiG back in 2020 following the divestment of its Zecure Gaming division.
Andrew Valenzia, Commercial Director of Zecure Gaming at Betsson Group, commented: “I am optimistic that Rizk will be successful in Serbia, an exciting market for us at Betsson Group. I would like to express my gratitude to all the teams involved for their dedication and hard work in making this market entry possible.”
Online gaming revenue from the country is expected to generate close to €120m in 2023, GiG detailed, with an annual growth rate of over 8% over the next four years (according to H2 gambling data).
Furthermore, GiG has praised its ‘user centric, and scalable approach’ which allows operators to create a bespoke and localised product, leveraging personalisation and maximising acquisition and retention opportunities.
It was also this week that Betsson disclosed the latest stage of its European expansion after being granted a licence for the regulated Serbian online casino ecosystem.
On this, Pontus Lindwall, President and CEO for Betsson, said: “I am proud to welcome Serbia as yet another locally regulated market for Betsson. Our vision is to offer the best customer experience possible and through the brand Rizk we are now ready to deliver a best-in-class online casino offering in Serbia.”
On the latest deal, Marcel Elfersy, Chief Commercial Officer at GiG, added: “Our relati1onship with the team at Betsson continues to offer exciting new opportunities as we expand further into new and emerging markets together.”
“Serbia and the wider CEE region is an important focus of growth for us, having built a full suite of tailorable platform and sportsbook solutions well suited to meet and exceed the expectations that leading operators have from their platform partners.”
In recent weeks, GiG also extended its media and marketing compliance services for Merkur, the flagship brand of the German heritage gambling firm, Gauselmann Group.
The extension of automated affiliate marketing services and media compliance monitoring tools was necessary for Merkur and its online brands to be fully compliant with the regulatory changes of the Fourth Interstate Treaty (GlüNeuRStv) market.
