Gaming in the Nordics launch event highlights frontrunner status of Nordic markets

Our recent Gaming in the Nordics Launch Event, which took place at the Better Collective HQ in Copenhagen, highlighted the leading role of Nordic markets in Europe's iGaming ecosystem.

If you were there, thank you for attending!

In case you missed it, video recordings of key sessions will be made available soon. In the meantime, a photostream of the event is available here.

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.

“We are in a business where there is harm,” Lindwall said. “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.

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 our Gaming in the Nordics mailing list at www.gamingin.eu.

Stay tuned for further updates!