GROWTH
Market Spotlight:Ireland
Most recent M&A transaction sees creation of Entain CEE and acquisition of SuperSport Entering the exciting Croatia market and creating cornerstone to capture growth opportunities across Central & Eastern Europe.
Croatia has a population of around 4m, and in the Central & Eastern European region is the 5th largest regulated gaming and sports betting market at estimated size of E350m €350m gross gaming revenue (GGR). Aside from homegrown market leaders, the market is highly fragmented with a number of small scale local operators.
Football is the most popular sport in the country, with the Croatia national team coming 2nd in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Handball, Basketball, Volleyball and Boxing are all popular sports in Croatia, whilst Croatian athletes have also seen successes in athletics and tennis.
Asides from sports betting, gamers in Croatia love to play blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and online slots.
In August, Entain announced its acquisition of SuperSport alongside the creation of Entain CEE. Expected to be completed in Q4 of 2022, the acquisition of SuperSport, will see Entain enter the fully regulated Croatian market, our first notable foothold in the exciting region of Central and Eastern Europe.
Video List
Party poker
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
We are currently developing these unique digital collectible assets for brands across the Entain group and Partypoker is set to launch its first official non-fungible tokens (NFTs) shortly, powered by Theta Labs. NFTs are unique, non-fungible certificates of authenticity of digital files, which could include items such as artwork, music, videos or tweets. Partypoker’s NFTs will showcase some of the most iconic video moments and tournament hands in the history of partypoker and partypoker LIVE.
Immersive experiences in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
Immersive experiences in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will be shown and developed at the Ennovate lab. These will include a pioneering VR multi-sports club experience, which is expected to launch shortly.
VR (Arcades)
We are set to bring immersive experiences to customers on the high street, converting two of our locations – in Manchester and Shoreditch – into new VR retail experience zones. Customers will soon be able to try out ground-breaking new experiences in immersive sports and interactive entertainment for themselves.
“Our goal is to bring the most exciting experiences in immersive sport, gaming and interactive entertainment to life as the metaverse takes shape. Working with partners we believe we can achieve great things faster, both for customers and to apply these technologies and skills to benefit wider society”
– Sandeep Tiku, Chief Operating Officer
“Before rebranding, BoostCasino didn’t have a unique selling point in either brand or product, making it impossible to attract new customers. We created a relatable, gender-neutral brand which has doubled customer acquisition.”
Greta Žudytė
Managing Director for Baltics Enlabs
BoostCasino and NinjaCasino also attract the highest number of female customers among Entain’s Estonian brands – 35% of the customer base. Overall, Entain customers in Estonia are around 70% male, and generally aged 26-35.
Enlabs newest offering, Nutz, is a casino-only, eye-catching, and vibrant brand. The local team is driving customer engagement and loyalty through a strong player proposition, product offering and a core understanding of what players are looking for in the local market. Demonstrating this was the brand’s ability to become profitable within four months of launching, with more than 1,000 unique active players joining in the first two months since launch.
Enlabs customers in Estonia love casino games, but sport is also a significant revenue stream in the sportsbook brands. European or World championships in football, basketball, tennis and ice hockey, are always busy times for our Estonian brands, with the most wagered-on leagues being NBA, NHL, Euroleague, Premier league, KHL, Champions League, Serie A, and Grand Slam tournaments. Entertainment events such as Eurovision also see a flurry of activity.
The market continues to see steady growth and continued to do so through the Covid-19 pandemic. Longer-term growth trends are partly attributable to the favourable regulatory environment. Online casinos and betting have been regulated since 2009, and all operators – whether online or land-based – are signed up to regulations including: a mandatory self-exclusion list, managed by the regulator; a maximum loss limit offered to all players; and a minimum age limit of 18 for betting and 21 for casinos, including poker. Gaming tax is set at 5% from GGR, one of the most attractive rates in the region.
“We make sure our products stand out with a unique and differentiated offer. This allows each of our four brands to reach their full potential – especially impressive in a competitive market.
Greta Žudytė
Managing Director for Baltics Enlabs
The Estonian market is continuing to develop and remains an exciting prospect for Entain brands in the region. The characteristics of this market are unique and therefore our strategy for growth must also be. Looking ahead, we see significant growth opportunity in pushing our diverse portfolio of local brands – given these are focused around the well-loved casino games in Estonia – whilst also maintaining the strong, differentiated product offering in our Optibet brand. Allowing all of our Estonian brands the opportunity to reach their full potential continues to be our main focus for standing out for customers in this market.
© Entain
