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Paf commits to Net-Zero by 2040

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Paf’s climate goal is to reach Net-Zero emissions for the entire business by 2040. The target has now been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and it is in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.

The Nordic gaming company Paf will work actively to reach Net-Zero. This means that Paf will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 from 2019 emission levels. The remaining 10% of emissions will be addressed through neutralization and carbon offset.

“We are proud to be one of the very first in our industry to set ambitious Net-Zero targets. Having our targets approved by SBTi is an important milestone in our environmental responsibility work,” says Daniela Johansson, Deputy CEO & Chief Responsibility Officer at Paf.

A powerful commitment

Paf’s climate goal represents a strong and clear ambition to take responsibility for its environmental impact. Paf has already had its Near-Term target approved by SBTi: to reduce Paf’s direct emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 46% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

“Reaching Net-Zero is not something you can do alone and it requires a broad collaboration. We will work closely with our suppliers and partners to achieve this goal,” says Anna Ingman, Environmental Specialist at Paf.

To ensure that the climate goals are reached, climate work needs to be integrated into every aspect of the business. Engaging the entire supply chain strengthens the commitment and creates a common ground for sustainable development.

“Paf’s Net-Zero goal is an ambitious and important step in the right direction. We hope to inspire other companies to take responsibility for their emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future,” says Daniela Johansson.

Although it is not a requirement from SBTi, Paf plans to continue climate financing along the way.

This is SBTi

The Science Based Targets initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The initiative was launched in the context of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

SBTi offers companies a robust and scientific framework of climate targets and methodologies. The targets should be in line with what science says is needed to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

SBTi counts greenhouse gas emissions according to the GHG protocol which consists of:

Scope 1 / Direct emissions

Direct greenhouse gas emissions that come from sources owned or controlled by Paf (in Paf’s case company vehicles).

Scope 2 / Indirect emissions from purchased energy
Emissions from heating, cooling and production of electricity purchased by Paf.

Scope 3 / Indirect emissions from business activities
Indirect emissions caused by Paf’s activities such as business and customer travel, purchased technology, electricity consumption for physical games and server services, as well as capital goods, waste management and employee commuting to and from Paf’s offices. Scope 3 contains a total of 15 categories, eight of which are relevant to Paf’s operations.

Depending on their size, companies apply in different pathways to have their climate targets approved by SBTi. As Paf has fewer than 500 employees, the climate target was approved as an SBT-target for small and medium-sized enterprises.

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ComeOn Group crowned “Sports betting operator” of the year by EGR Nordics Awards

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ComeOn Group announced the news that they have been crowned “Sports betting operator” of the year at the EGR Nordics Awards that took place in Malta at The Westin Dragonara Resort on the 28th of February. The award recognises ComeOn’s ability to innovate and differentiate themselves in the sports betting field through excellent product offering and marketing strategy as well as demonstrated growth and operational excellence in the Nordic region.

The Group has previously communicated their increased strategic focus on their sportsbook business as a growth driver with a core vision to deliver top of the class entertainment experiences powered by an in-house proprietary sportsbook platform and trading capabilities. To add, in late 2023 the company announced the rebranding and repositioning of their flagship brand ComeOn! as a sports-first destination offering a tier-one betting experience that is both flexible and locally relevant to their customer base.

Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are thrilled to receive this recognition as it is a strong testament to our strategic investment in people, product and platform to realise our goal to double our sportsbook business in the coming three years. With the development of our own proprietary platform we have full control over not only innovation and technology but also the flexibility of the sportsbook products and services we offer. Our teams did an incredible job on product development, platform and trading and rebranding our flagship brand ComeOn! as a sports first brand. This all has played a central part of our vision to be a tier-one sports betting destination for our customers in all the markets we operate in.”

ComeOn Group has previously won EGR awards “In-house innovation” both 2022 and 2023 with their product WeSpin as well as “Affiliate Marketing Campaign” 2022.

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Paf company signed new deal as amusement games supplier

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The Nordic gaming company Paf has founded the Game Room company that specialises in amusement games in different formats and categories. The company has signed a deal to deliver amusement games to the shopping centre Redi in Helsinki.

Game Room is a company that focuses solely on amusement and entertainment games. The company was founded by Paf to resell Paf’s concept of amusement games aimed at all ages.

“Paf has for a long time been very good at amusement games because it is part of our physical game offering. Game Room takes that knowledge to the next level and broadens our current offering by providing complete amusement gaming solutions,” says Lasse Danielsson, Chief Operating Officer of Land & Ship.

Game Room Amusement Ab offers and develops all forms of physical amusement games, including racing games, sports games, VR games, claw machines, action games and interactive games such as air hockey.

“We have a clear objective to grow in the entertainment and amusement games industry. We are actively looking for new opportunities both on land and sea. We will invest heavily in this in the future, which will also be noticeable on board the ships where we have already established the concept,” says Lasse Danielsson.
Cooperation with shopping centre in Helsinki

Game Room has recently started a cooperation with Pikseli, which is located inside the Redi shopping centre in Helsinki. Pikseli already offers several variants of virtual reality games in their premises.

“We are really pleased that Pikseli has chosen to start a cooperation with us. We will deliver a nice overall concept with a good variety and range of gaming machines, says Malin From, Product Manager at Paf.

The amusement games from Game Room will be installed and available in Pikseli within the first quarter of 2024.

“We look forward to working with Game Room for our Pikseli store in Helsinki. We want to expand our business and offer more forms of games to customers, which we now have the opportunity to do,” says Jan Hursti, CEO and founder of Pikseli.

“We will install ten different amusement games in their premises in the Redi shopping centre. Thereafter, we will also be able to assist with ongoing service and updates,” says Jannik Svahnström, Head of New Sales at Paf.

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Paf and Tallink Grupp sign new multi-year agreement

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The Nordic gaming company Paf has signed a new multi-year cooperation agreement with the shipping company Tallink Grupp. The agreement marks the extension of a successful partnership, where Paf will continue to provide gaming entertainment onboard the company’s vessels.

“We are pleased to continue our long-standing history with Tallink Grupp. This partnership is an important step towards further improving the entertainment experience for our customers,” says Lasse Danielsson, Chief Operating Officer Land & Ship.

Tallink Grupp operates several passenger ships in the Northern Baltic Sea region under the Tallink and Silja Line brands.

Renewed gaming experience

Paf will renew and modernise the entertainment onboard Tallink Grupp’s ships, which operate under the Silja Line brand between Sweden, Åland and Finland. The upgrade includes new coinless machines, integrated with screens that further enhance the gaming experience.

“We will implement our ‘Customer Journey’ concept, which will be an important factor in improving the interaction with our players. The concept not only strengthens the gaming experience but also our communication about responsible gaming,” says Christian Lundell, Key Account Manager at Paf.

In addition, Paf will review the possibility of expanding the gaming experience with specific amusement games designed for adults.

Improved responsible gaming onboard

Paf has previously implemented updates that have improved responsible gaming onboard Tallink’s ships operating to and from Estonia. On these vessels, passengers are required to identify themselves with their boarding cards to be able to play on a slot machine.

“Through our cooperation with Paf, we have successfully achieved a higher standard for the gaming activities onboard. We especially value Paf’s work on responsible gaming and the improvements implemented on our Estonian-flagged ships. Our goal is to improve responsible gaming onboard all our ships together with Paf in the coming years,” says Kairi Maidla, Group Entertainment Director at Tallink Grupp.

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Kindred Observes Safer Gambling Week

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Kindred has shown its commitment to responsible gambling during the Safer Gambling Week. During the European Safer Gambling Week 2023 (13-19 November), Kindred pushed stakeholder collaboration in Sweden, arranging two workshops on responsible gambling with a broad group of stakeholders. The company also participated in a responsible gambling seminar and hosted a start-up meeting for a match-fixing project headed by the Swedish Gambling Authority.

The European Safer Gambling Week was a busy time for Kindred’s Swedish team, continuing local outreach efforts following a successful RG roundtable discussion at the Almedalen political week earlier this year. During Safer Gambling Week, Kindred and the treatment centre Spelfriheten invited influential stakeholders to a follow-up session at the Kindred Stockholm office. The week coincided with the Swedish regulator’s bi-annual responsible gambling forum for public agencies and organisations, where Kindred and Spelfriheten had the honour to contribute by leading a workshop session.

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CreedRoomz Gains Danish Licence for Live Casino Games

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CreedRoomz, a prominent player in the realm of live casino solutions, is delighted to announce its successful acquisition of a Danish licence for live casino operations.

This pivotal step not only expands CreedRoomz’s European footprint but also aligns with its commitment to upholding stringent regulatory standards and delivering superior gaming experiences.

Authorised by the Danish Gambling Authority, CreedRoomz is set to introduce its rich assortment of live casino games to the Danish audience. This includes a variety of engaging titles such as Richie Roulette, Roulette Aurum, Russian Poker, Switch Blackjack, traditional Roulette, Swift Roulette, Dragon Tiger, Asian Dragon Tiger, and Keno. This expansion is a significant stride in reinforcing CreedRoomz’s presence within the European market, emphasising its resolve to provide engaging, safe, and responsible gaming experiences.

“We are incredibly excited to bring our diverse range of live casino games to Denmark,” stated Sargis Poghosyan, VP of Casino at CreedRoomz. “Securing this licence marks a key milestone in our strategy to expand across Europe and reflects our dedication to meeting high regulatory standards. We are looking forward to introducing Danish players to our world-class live casino games and providing them with unparalleled gaming experiences.”

better-collective-announces-admission-of-its-shares-on-nasdaq-copenhagen

Better Collective Announces Admission of its Shares on Nasdaq Copenhagen

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Better Collective A/S has published an exemption document (the Exemption Document) in the form of a summary in connection with the admission of the Company’s shares to trading and official listing on Nasdaq Copenhagen in addition to the current listing on Nasdaq Stockholm (the Dual Listing). The publication of the Exemption Document provides an exemption from the obligation to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 1(5)(j) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the Prospectus Regulation), due to the Company’s existing listing status. The Exemption Document is not a “prospectus” (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) and it has not been approved by any regulatory authority in any jurisdiction. No offering of shares will be carried out in connection with the Dual Listing and the contemplated Dual Listing will not change the total number of shares outstanding in the Company.

The Exemption Document is available on the Company’s website, together with certain other documents, including such documents which have been incorporated by reference in the Exemption Document. Additionally, the Company has published a general description of the main differences between the Swedish and Danish corporate governance recommendations which is available on the Company’s website.

The Exemption Document does not, and does not purport to, contain all material information about the Company, and it does not contain an exhaustive description or list of the risks associated with the Company, the Company’s industry and business and the Dual Listing. The Exemption Document has been prepared to meet the requirements for the contents of such a document as set out in the Prospectus Regulation. Reference is further made to the section “Warnings” in the Exemption Document.

Nasdaq Approval and First Day of Trading

Nasdaq Copenhagen has conditionally approved Better Collective’s admission of its shares to trading and official listing on the regulated market Nasdaq Copenhagen, subject to the publication of this Exemption Document and the description of the main differences between the Swedish and Danish corporate governance recommendations.

As these conditions are now satisfied, the first day of trading of the Company’s shares on Nasdaq Copenhagen is expected to be 17 November 2023. The shares of the Company to be listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen will be traded in the ISIN code DK0060952240 and the ticker symbol for the Company’s shares on Nasdaq Copenhagen will be BETCO DKK. As the Dual Listing does not include any offer of shares or rights in the Company, shares of the Company can only be traded on Nasdaq Copenhagen when existing shareholders of Better Collective have transferred and exchanged their shares from Nasdaq Stockholm to Nasdaq Copenhagen.

The Company’s shares listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen will be listed and traded in DKK. The shares listed on Nasdaq Stockholm will remain listed and traded in SEK.

Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder & CEO at Better Collective, said: “I am very pleased that our application to dual list the shares in Better Collective on Nasdaq Copenhagen has now been approved. Since the announcement of our intention to dual list, we have received a lot of positive comments both from the investor side and group stakeholders more broadly, and I cannot wait to welcome more Danish investors onboard our vision to become the leading digital sports media group.”

Technical Transfer and Exchange from Nasdaq Stockholm to Nasdaq Copenhagen

Existing shareholders in Better Collective can request their respective custodian banks that the shareholder’s shares be transferred from the omnibus account in Euronext Securities Copenhagen held by Euroclear Sweden to the shareholder’s own account with Euronext Securities Copenhagen. Following the completion of such transfer and exchange, the shareholder will own shares in Better Collective that are tradeable on Nasdaq Copenhagen.

Better Collective has made available an application form for the transfer of shares from Nasdaq Stockholm to Nasdaq Copenhagen to its shareholders on the Company’s website. The application form can be completed and sent to the shareholder’s custodian bank.

Any costs charged by Euroclear Sweden in relation to the transfer and exchange will be paid by Better Collective, provided that the transfer and exchange is completed no later than on 15 December 2023. Shareholders shall consequently only pay any costs charged by their own custodian bank for the transfer and exchange.

Liquidity Provider

The Company has appointed Nordea Bank Abp as liquidity provider for the shares in the Company which will be listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen to ensure sufficient liquidity in the shares. Nordea will own a certain volume of Better Collective shares and its role is to facilitate trading in the Danish Better Collective shares by quoting prices, within a range considered acceptable, on either the buy or sell side in the market.

Background for the Dual Listing

On 28 September 2023, the Company announced its intention to dual list its shares on Nasdaq Copenhagen. The Company considers the Dual Listing a natural next step for the Company being founded and incorporated in Denmark and the Dual Listing is expected to further promote visibility in terms of employer branding as well as brand awareness.

Advisers

Danske Bank and Nordea have acted as Financial Advisers and Joint Global Coordinators on the Dual Listing. Bech-Bruun together with Setterwalls have acted as legal advisers to the Company and Plesner has acted as legal adviser to the Joint Global Coordinators.

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Veikkaus’ Change Negotiations Finalised – Personnel Structure to Change as Part of Growth Strategy

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Veikkaus continues to prepare for the upcoming change in the Finnish gambling system. It has been recorded in the Government Programme that Finland will adopt a partial multi-license system as of 1 January 2026.

“The upcoming changes in the system are a great opportunity for Veikkaus, but they also bring many changes to us at Veikkaus. Our personnel structure will be revised, and we will be focusing on our core business, working to strengthen our knowhow there,” Heli Lallukka, Veikkaus’ Executive Vice President of HR, said.

The change negotiations, which were launched at the beginning of September, and which concerned a total of 825 employees, have now been finalized. Veikkaus’ organisational structure will undergo changes that will support their strategy-based goals, i.e., to be the market leader in Finland in the future and an internationally competitive, growing gambling company.

“In the coming years, we will be making significant investments to strengthen our competitiveness. We already have top-level professionalism in the field, but in the future, we will also need knowhow from outside of the company. For example, we can offer uniquely brilliant career paths and multiple opportunities in the tech sector at present, as well as in the future,” Ms Lallukka said.

As part of the change, Veikkaus’ business operations are divided into three sections. SVP Nora Vähävirta will oversee the domestic business, which includes the games of chance, slot machines, and the company’s own arcades. SVP Jarkko Nordlund’s responsibilities in the domestic business will be the online casino and betting. The third sector covers the international business, led by SVP Jonas Reuter.

As a consequence of the change negotiations, about 185-215 Veikkaus’ employees will lose their jobs, whereas about 110-150 employees will see their terms of employment change materially.

The launch of the change negotiations was publicised about two months ago in September. At that point, it was estimated that a maximum of 240 employment relations would be terminated, whereas 195 employees would face changes in their terms of employment.

“Following constructive dialogue with the personnel representatives, we ended up with smaller final figures,” Ms Lallukka said.

The exact dates of the employment relations to end, as well as the material changes to the terms of employment, will be determined by the end of the year. Among the factors affecting them will be the employees’ decisions on whether they will accept the positions and titles offered, as well as potential internal transfers within the company.

Another outcome of the change negotiations will be that Casino Tampere will be closed after 9 December, together with 19 game arcades will be closed down on 22 December 2023.

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Ela Games Approved for B2B Sweden License

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ELA Games, a leading casino games provider to the regulated online gambling industry, is delighted to announce that it has been granted a B2B license in the key strategic market of Sweden.

Getting licensed by the Swedish Gambling Authority is another important stage in ELA Games’ strategic expansion across major European markets and the company looks forward to launching its casino games with the leading content aggregators in Sweden.

ELA Games will be building on this initial first step with new partnerships with licensed operators in Sweden.

‍Michael Cini, Business Owner at ELA Games, commented: “Being licensed in Sweden is a tremendous opportunity to continue our expansion across Europe’s regulated markets. We look forward to providing our games to Swedish players and working in close cooperation with the SGA and the many top level operators as we position ourselves as a key content provider in the market.”

As a games development studio, ELA Games focuses on producing high quality products that are stacked with strong gamification features, quality design and animation such as Vikings Wild Cash and Cash of Gods. They have already received amazing feedback from Swedish stakeholders and the studio looks forward to signing more partnerships and launching more games in the coming months.

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Spillemyndigheden: The Player ID’s Impact on Land-based Betting Operators and Their AML Obligations

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On 1 October 2023, Spillemyndigheden made it a requirement for land-based operators to identify all customers before bets can be purchased, with customers also issued a Player ID to which their account is linked.

The regulator said the new rule “impacts the gambling operators’ business model” and has subsequently called on such companies to assess whether their risk of being misused for money laundering and terrorist financing has changed.

“As a rule, a risk assessment must be reassessed at least once a year or otherwise in connection with significant changes in the business model,” the regulator said.

“The introduction of the Player ID may therefore cause the gambling operators to update their risk assessment and, on that basis, update their policies, business procedures and controls.”

Gambling operators must also consider “which limiting measures must be implemented in order to limit the risk of, for example, misuse of the Player ID.”