Bojoko, a leading affiliate in the UK gambling market, say they have observed positive signs following the publication of the government’s gambling white paper.

Christoffer Ødegarden, Head of Casino at Bojoko, said: “We had hoped that the recovery would be faster, but the positive signs we have seen since the release of the government’s gambling white paper have been encouraging. While we are not seeing anywhere near the number of new operators as we were seeing in 2021, the significant stagnation we were seeing across most of 2022 and early 2023 is easing up.”

Ødegården stated that the clearest indicator of the decline can be seen in the number of new casino reviews published on their platform. In 2021, there were 18 new casino brands listed, which in 2022 was reduced to 8. Now, in 2023, with four months left to go, they have already published 6.

“These were very sad numbers, both for the industry and the players looking for new operators. We heard the same concern from partner after partner, namely that the lack of certainty as to what the white paper would recommend made it very hard to make new investments in the market,” added Ødegarden.

The UK government’s gambling white paper was released on the 27th of April, 2023, after a three-year journey marked by delays that interrupted its release on four occasions.

The Head of Casino at Bojoko continued: “The delays meant that a large number of companies felt like they were in limbo, and it was a very odd time for UK operators and affiliates alike. We believed in the UK market and believed that the recommendations would be sensible, so we decided to expand our operations in the UK, investing heavily in our sports betting vertical and launching a brand new bingo vertical.

“This allowed us to find new partners, though the brands we were collaborating with were not brand new on the market, and we saw that the negative trend also affected sports betting and bingo.”

Ødegarden places great importance on the role of the white paper in the increase of new operators.

He stated: “The white paper, in Bojoko’s view, presents a balanced framework that operators can follow. This newfound clarity provides a sense of security and predictability about where the industry is headed. This, in turn, makes investments safer, as there was no framework before the release.”

“We anticipate that more and more brands will emerge in the near future due to the balanced framework. Both operators and affiliates benefit from these changes, allowing for a more transparent and accountable gambling landscape,” concluded Ødegarden.

Interested readers can keep an eye on new operators entering the UK market through Bojoko as they list all new casino sites, as well as sports betting and bingo operators, on their website, complete with the day each operator is launched.