Playtech games live in licensed Czech online market
Playtech casino games are now available in the Czech Republic thanks to the content and software supplier’s partnership with Fortuna, the country’s first licensed online gaming operator.
Fortuna was last week awarded the first ever licence to operate online technical games by the Czech Ministry of Finance.
Fortuna, which was founded in Prague in 2009 and is an industry leader in Central and Eastern Europe, has since gone live with a large selection of Playtech’s online and mobile slot and table game content.
Since linking up in August 2016, the two companies have worked closely together to launch in Romania and plan to broaden the offering across further markets including Poland and Slovakia in the future.
“We are delighted to be the first supplier to go live in the Czech Republic with our pioneering omni-channel platform technology and best-performing casino content and to further expand Fortuna’s offering in this newly regulated market,” said Shimon Akad, Playtech’s chief operating officer.
“We pride ourselves on being leaders in regulated markets and today’s announcement highlights just how we always aim to lead the way.”
As of January 1, operators wishing to offer gambling services in the Czech Republic must first obtain a licence or face prosecution from the national regulator and police.
Companies also face tighter licensing processes, in addition to a new tax rate of 23% on gross gaming revenue for sports betting and lotteries, and 35% for RNG casino games, on top of a standard 19% corporate tax rate.
David Vanek, general manager, Fortuna CZ, said: “We are proud to be the first company in the Czech Republic to have met the demanding conditions defined by the new legislation and to be granted a licence as a result.
“Broadening our product range to complement our sports betting offering is a major priority. We are therefore very pleased that our customers will be the first to play online roulette and casino games in full compliance with Czech legislation.
“Granting this licence means that Fortuna has become the first multi-product (sports and games) gaming company in the Czech market. Our new online casino and aggressive games expansion is crucial to growing the business and means the Fortuna product offering will be comparable to some of Europe’s largest operators.
“Thanks to our close co-operation with Playtech, the industry’s leading online gaming technology company, we have a comprehensive range of best-performing products and the best gaming experience to offer our players.”
Related article: Czech court rules in favour of online gambling ISP blocking