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Last year, the DRC’s Minister of Finance Doudou Fwamba estimated iGaming operators generated around $1.7 billion in annual revenue, yet contributed approximately $1 million in taxes.

A CEO of a prominent operator in the DRC last year told iGB the tax system largely operates on a declaration basis of how much operators report to the government.

“Operators do pay, yes, but they pay whatever suits them,” they said. “In other words, we effectively pay what benefits us. All the while, the state has no means of monitoring its regulatory policies.”

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The only market to report a loss for B2B during the period was the UK, down 8% to €59 million. Playtech said the market was impacted by “certain customer-specific changes and increased Remote Gaming Duty”.

Europe, excluding the UK, grew 2%. Overall, regulated revenue for B2B accounted for 83% of overall revenue across the segment, marking 21% growth, compared to unregulated.

Speaking during the follow-up analyst call, Playtech CEO Mor Weizer said regulated revenue would continue to grow, although the company would “continue to support those markets that we believe over time will become regulated”.

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“So we just see creating one of the biggest groups in the world in gaming terms. And we’ll be sharing the long-term plan that Lottomatica has, which is very attractive. So I mean, the risk is minor, and we feel very well protected and joining this long-term plan will be a plus to our people.”

Lottomatica will absorb Cirsa through an EU cross-border merger, with Lottomatica as the surviving entity.

Angelozzi was asked about previous cross-border M&A that had failed to deliver on initial expectations and why he felt this time was different.