Betsson Group to shed workers as it streamlines operation

The Betsson group will be shedding 160 employees across its organisation as it seeks to “restructure and streamline”  the organisation.

The Swedish gaming company is the biggest gaming company based in Malta, employing over 1,000 people in Malta alone.

 “In cooperation with the operational management team, we have started to implement actions to improve operations. The restructured organisation will be more streamlined with clearer responsibilities, which I believe will improve its efficiency over time”, Pontus Lindwall, CEO Betsson AB said in a statement.

The company said the changes would be implemented in January 2018 and would save the company between €5-6 million annually.

Reacting to the news, parliamentary secretary Silvio Schembri, who is responsible for financial services and the digital economy, expressed his satisfaction at Bettson’s “announcement and commitment towards the Maltese jurisdiction and the reaffirmation of its intent to maintain its headquarters in Malta”.

“Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri has taken note of Bettson AG’s plans to reorganise the Bettson Group for its future growth plans and its aim to be more agile and efficient in its operations following years of accelerated growth and acquisition of multiple brands and companies,” read a statement from the secretariat.

It added the gaming industry had registered double-digit growth amounting to 11.6% last year, and was expected to maintain similar levels in the coming years.

“The industry employs more than 9,000 people and today we are in a situation where any redundancies in Malta will be immediately absorbed by other operators when taking into account the hundreds of vacancies available within the gaming industry,” said Schembri.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bettson AG for their trust in the Maltese jurisdiction and wish them well for their future business plans.”