ComeOn to depart “highly competitive” UK market
CEO Lahcene Merzoug points to operational uncertainty from large fines and declining symbolic value of UK licence
ComeOn has withdrawn from the UK market, citing the “highly competitive” nature of the sector and the declining “symbolic value” of a UK licence.
The Malta-based firm has held a UK licence since 2014 for brands like ComeOn, MobileBet and Get Lucky, with the firm still advertising on sites like Oddschecker as recently as this summer.
However ComeOn said today it was withdrawing to focus on “more favourable” markets. “The UK is a highly competitive mature market and the financial risks are great,” ComeOn CEO Lahcene Merzoug said.
“When you see that competitors receive large fines, it creates uncertainty, even though we have never had any violations ourselves. At the same time, the British gaming licence has lost its symbolic value.
“Before, you had to have a British licence if you were a serious company. Today, we have licences in many European markets and since the UK has never been a particularly large market for us, it makes sense that we focus on other markets,” Merzoug added.
ComeOn CEO Lahcene Merzoug
ComeOn currently has gaming licences in Sweden, Denmark, Malta and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as a betting licence in Poland.
The firm is currently appealing several fines from the Swedish Gambling Authority for taking bets on events involving under-18 players.
ComeOn is the latest firm to deprioritise the UK, joining the likes of Betsson and 188Bet.