Intralot-owned sports betting operators Totolotek has become the first one to launch a virtual sports betting service on the territory of Poland. The release has been carried out in collaboration with Betradar, after Totolek has joined forces with the global leader in sports data and digital content provision in a partnership agreement.
The simulations which would first be available for local players include virtual football clubs, dog races and horse races. The next simulations to become available in May 2017 are the simulations of games played by national teams. Virtual tennis and basketball are also planned to be added to the virtual sports betting offering of Totolotek in Poland.
The virtual sports betting service launch comes after the preceding changes in the Polish Gambling legislation and regulatory framework, which were passed on December 15th 2016 brought into effect at the beginning of April. The legislation and regulatory amendments in the country provided gambling operators with the opportunity to organise betting on virtual events, which are a simulation of popular sports games. Under the changes in the legislation and regulatory framework, all players and teams need to be provided with their own statistics, features, skills, etc. Players and teams are also required to be given access to a thorough report of their previous games.
Currently, Totolotek’s offering of the virtual sports betting services is powered by the global leader in virtual betting services development and distribution Betradar.
The Chief Executive Officer of Totolek Adam Lamentowicz commented on the virtual sports betting service release, explaining that these services had been available for many years now in other countries, where players also found them very attractive. Mr. Lamentowicz explained that it was the right decision for Totolotek to take advantage of the most recent legislation amendments in Poland.
According to Totolotek CEO, the newest addition to the Polish gaming market would be found interesting by the local customers. He also highlighted the advantages of the virtual sports betting services, explaining they were more accessible than betting on real games.
Currently, the newly-regulated Polish online betting market has faced some difficulties, as the local Government has been blamed in creating more favourable conditions for its state-owned entity Totalizator Sportowy by basically making the conditions at the market less foreign operators-friendly. As a result, a number of leading international gaming and betting operators, including William Hill, bet365, Mr Green and Betfair have announced their intentions to stop taking players from Poland and subsequently leave the the country’s market.
With some of the largest players on a global scale leaving the Polish market, competition also changes. Totolotek would probably manage to be more competitive, but it remains to be seen if the virtual sports betting services would be enough to guarantee a successful future for the operator in one of the European countries where the gambling market has got regulated only recently.
- Author
Daniel Williams
