Yolo Group, the international gambling crypto-first powerhouse, led by Tim Heath, is going to undertake significant changes to its operational model, leading to brand consolidation, a shift in market strategy, and an all-out assault on key jurisdictions.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Yolo Group spoke about the company’s next chapter, detailing the events that led to its present-day success first.
Yolo Group wants to work with domestic regulators and bring its crypto experience locally
The company will notably cease the operations of Bitcasino and Sportsbet.io as individual brands and merge them into the newly christened Yolo.com online casino and sportsbook platform.
Yet, this is not a rebranding. It’s an open statement that while the company relied on Curaçao’s licensing model to secure its early-day success, the world has moved on, and so have regulators, as the statement reads.
As such, Yolo Group is now breaking away with the model that allowed it to operate as both a licensed entity but also a grey area operator in certain jurisdictions. Yolo Group described these markets as "pre-regulated markets."
"Furthermore, it has become abundantly clear that domestic regulators who are offering licenses are not keen on other group operations continuing to operate in pre-regulated markets," the statement read.
However, the company is confident that this pivotal moment is an important crossroad for it, and has not hesitated to lay out the only two options possible: "Do we go left, or do we go right?"
The focus moving forward will be on bringing crypto casinos to regulated domestic markets, meaning that the company will work with national regulators such as the UK Gambling Commission, Spelinspektionen, and so on to introduce specific jurisdictional versions of its platforms and not rely on the Curaçao licensing model any longer.
"That’s why we’ve decided it’s time for our next chapter: to bring the best of what we’ve built into Tier-1 regulated markets. This isn’t about walking away from the past," the company said, outlining its future strategy.
"It’s about taking everything we’ve learned, everything we’ve pioneered, and applying it in environments where operators, regulators, and players can work together, creating a stronger and more sustainable ecosystem for everyone," Yolo Group added.
Writing Yolo Group’s next chapter and exploring the digital and physical frontiers
Yolo Group is also working on launching a digital arm for its land-based casino in Estonia – Bombay Casino – which is another venture that the company stands proudly by. Yolo Group is committed to, in its own words, connecting land-based excellence with digital innovation, creating even more innovative experiences for players.
"I couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come, and I couldn’t be more excited about where we’re going. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has been part of Sportsbet.io and Bitcasino.io- it's been a crazy ride to the moon. I am, however, very much looking forward to Yolo’s next chapter," Heath said.
Importantly, Yolo Group is edging closer to securing two B2B Vendor licenses in the United Arab Emirates and the local regulator, the GCGRA. The company is also going to look and expand into already-identified markets, including Finland, Sweden, and Canada.
