The Gaming in the Nordics Launch Event, which recently took place at the Better Collective HQ in Copenhagen, highlighted the leading role of Nordic markets in Europe’s iGaming ecosystem.
Nordic pragmatism: Innovative regulation & operator compliance
During the event, Morten Ronde, CEO of the Danish Online Gambling Association and Partner at Nordic Legal, observed that – due to the combination of Scandinavian pragmatism and willingness to be early adopters – the Nordic markets will be where the next generation of innovative iGaming regulation will be first deployed.
Anders Dorph, Director of Danish regulator Spillemyndigheden, shared his views on operator compliance, the role of Big Tech, and player monitoring. Commenting on the advantages of a well-regulated market, Dorph noted that Danish-licensed operators “are all very eager to be compliant. […] The industry [in Denmark] wants to be compliant. And that is a fact.”
Characteristics of a healthy market: Player protection & market channelization
Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Betsson, and Jesper Kärrbrink, CEO of Immense Group, discussed the challenges and opportunities offered by the Nordic markets, and provided an operator perspective on the dos and don’ts of iGaming regulation.
Lindwall specifically listed the three prerequisites for having a healthy market with a high player channelization rate: 1) a competitive product; 2) meaningful player protections; and 3) real enforcement.
Lindwall also noted that gambling is inherently risky for some people and that high channelization rates are therefore of crucial importance if the goal is to protect players.
Lindwall said:
We are in a business where there is harm. We must admit this and reflect on this. We also need to be able to reach these players, which we can only do if they are inside of the regulated system.
Stakeholders & thought leaders
Other speakers, including Jesper Søgaard, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Better Collective; Birgitte Sand, CEO of Birgitte Sand & Associates; Pekka Ilmivalta, Head of Office at Nordic Legal – Finland; Josh Hodgson, COO of H2 Gambling Capital; Daniel Valiollahi, Acting Secretary General, BOS; Rasmus Kjaergaard, CEO of Mindway AI; Jeffrey Haas, Chair of Blask, as well as our day chair, Peter-Paul de Goeij, Managing Consultant at QuodBonum.se, also made important contributions to the afternoon.
Gaming in the Nordics founder, Willem van Oort commented:
I think the Gaming in the Nordics Launch Event was a fantastic success. The event featured key decision makers and thought leaders from the Nordics. I particularly enjoyed the fact that on several occasions there was a real meeting of the minds among the speakers and other participants. I am very much looking forward to repeating this experience next year on a larger scale.
Full conference from 2027 onwards
While the launch event was invitation-only, a full-size, annual Gaming in the Nordics Conference will be held in June in Copenhagen from 2027 onwards.
If you would like to receive news or updates on next year’s conference, please consider signing up to Gaming in the Nordics mailing list.
