Hotline 2

What is Hotline 2?

“If a customer finds black market sites that have all their preferred betting and gaming options, convenience dictates they will transfer a broad range of their expenditure there. Consumer recycling means that banning or restricting key products has a broader distortive impact on the entire market,” the report noted.

Notably for highly engaging verticals light online slots, if players are receiving a smaller-than-expected RTP (return to player), or bonuses have been restricted, they could again transition to an illegal offering where there are no such restrictions.

As has been flagged in previous reports, Regulus highlighted that the top 1% of active customers accounts for almost 50% of black market revenue across Europe. This follows a similar trend across licensed gambling as the report highlights “online gambling is a consumer discretionary expenditure item. This means a large proportion of expenditure is concentrated into a relatively small number of players.”

What is Hotline 2?

Online betting & gaming technology provider OpenBet has announced a major leadership transition. According to the company, its current chief executive officer, Jordan Levin, will transition to the role of chairman. At the same time, the experienced Nikos Konstakis will step in as CEO.

According to OpenBet’s announcement, Konstakis is set to step into the CEO office at the end of the year. At the same time, Levin will transition to the chair role. In this position, he will continue to play a key role in shaping OpenBet’s long-term strategy.

For reference, Konstakis is no stranger to OpenBet’s business. He has been involved with the business for a while, serving as its president. In this role, he has been closely involved in “driving the operational and commercial execution of the business and shaping its strategic priorities.”

How to play Hotline 2

This requirement raised concerns among operators worried that the barriers to entry could have become more restrictive, But at a meeting on the policies last year the regulator assured licensees it was not enforcing a specific strict rule on this.

Speaking to iGB at the time, Bjorn Fuchs, chairman of VNLOK Fuchs noted “there was a sigh of relief going through the room when it was presented”.

Rather than a crackdown across the board, what emerged was a more regulated renewal framework.