CT Interactive signs a strategic partnership with LiveScore Bet to expand its presence in key markets

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fintech companies in Kazakhstan are urging greater scrutiny of a proposed law intended to regulate betting transactions in the country.

The submitted legislation, currently in its final reading, would form a monopoly entity, the Unified Accounting System (UAS), the firms said in a joint press release. The UAS would be used to determine market participants, process payments, maintain a single “electronic wallet” and make settlements with clients. A critical concern is that it could charge up to 1.5% in commissions on all market transactions, within a market where regulated transactions exceed KZT1.2tn ($2.6bn) annually.

Irina Davidenko, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s payments industry, commented: “The proposed legislation would be a step backwards for Kazakhstan, harming competition in the country’s vital payments sector and signaling to the outside world that necessary business reform is being driven by shadowy interests, rather than what’s right for industries and consumers.”

The proposal, partly billed as a public health move against problem gambling, resembles a previous initiative, the Betting Accounting Centre (BAC). It was shelved in 2021 after a scandal involving a deputy minister who was dismissed for accepting bribes from BAC lobbyists, according to the press release.

The lack of transparency on the UAS structure and ownership as outlined in the legislation is another aspect of the change that is seen by critics as troubling.

The reintroduction of a UAS model occurred as late as the second reading of the legislation. If passed by parliament, it will become law without the comprehensive impact analysis and scrutiny typical for such significant regulatory change.

Observers argue the new regulation duplicates existing regulatory functions already managed by Kazakh state bodies and was proposed without the cooperation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. The central bank has previously developed its own reform proposal that avoids introducing a monopolistic entity.

Opponents further contend that the regulation could cause “significant economic damage”. National Bank of Kazakhstan representatives and the payments industry have sounded alarm bells, but the issues have not been adequately addressed, the press release added.

The concerned fintech and payment companies want the legislation to be reconsidered. They are advocating for it to be sent back to the lower house of the legislature for a full regulatory impact analysis and thorough examination to ensure that it does not adversely affect industry or the economy.

Ilya Efimenko, commercial director of the payment organisation PayDala, said: “I appeal to the Senators, who need to know the true purpose of why the UAS has made a comeback in the bill.

“This is a re-emergence of the ‘Betting Accounting Center’ (BAC), a strikingly similar entity that was withdrawn before, and behind which, as the deputy from the Amanat party Elnur Beisenbayev said, are the powerful forces of ‘Old Kazakhstan.’

“Before our eyes, a monopolist, a private operator, is being created. The emergence of monopolies such as the UAS threatens the principles of a Fair Kazakhstan. Now everything is being done to break the financial system of Kazakhstan, recognized by experts as one of the best in Central Asia.”

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Playtech announced that it has successfully launched dedicated live casino tables exclusively for Betsson players.

As part of this exciting venture, Betsson is relocating its existing tables to Playtech’s state-of-the-art studio, providing players with an immersive and seamless gaming experience.

The studio includes captivating gameplay with cutting-edge technology, hosted by native-speaking, English, Portuguese, Greek and Spanish dealers, where players can expect top-tier entertainment across a range of popular games.

The initial release features 10 dedicated tables such as; Blackjack and Roulette with more tables to follow.

Jamie Busby, Head of Live Casino at Betsson, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Playtech Live team to create an immersive and seamless gaming experience for valued players. Our longstanding and successful partnership with the Playtech team has been instrumental in our journey. The introduction of these dedicated tables further enriches our game offerings, providing our customers with an exceptional gaming experience.”

Ariel Hayat, Playtech Live Executive, said: “We’re thrilled to introduce the new dedicated tables for Betsson, and we’re confident that their players will thoroughly enjoy all of the new Blackjack games. Betsson is an important partner for us and and this launch will undoubtedly continue to contribute to our continued success. As partners, we remain committed to fostering a safe, sustainable, and responsible gaming environment for the players.​”

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The next-generation content aggregator St8.io has agreed a partnership with Playtech that sees content from the supplier added to the St8 aggregation platform for the first time.

Playtech games – including titles Oink Oink Oink™, Gold hit: Lil’ Demon™, Fire Blaze: Sky Queen Megaways™, Mega Fire Blaze Roulette Live, Age of the Gods™ Live Jackpot Roulette and Cash Collect Roulette Live – will now be available to St8’s operator partners, significantly boosting an already impressive portfolio.

St8 and Playtech are working together closely to ensure a robust and feature-rich integration, so operators can enjoy functionality including St8 Thumbnails, where they can pick from a selection of custom thumbnails for each game.

“Our commitment to operators is to deliver the best selection of games in the most seamless way possible, and adding Playtech content to our portfolio helps us further this mission,” said St8.io CEO Vladimir Negine. “This is another top tier games supplier joining St8, and we’ll be working closely with the Playtech team to ensure we continue to build upon this partnership.”

St8 takes a different approach to content aggregation, replacing legacy technology and manual work with automation. It means both operators and game suppliers save time and resources while achieving deep integrations with more possibilities for customisation.