Gaming regulation – Page 3

January 4, 2023

SkillOnNet & Bet-at-home get German slots licences as new regulator takes over

SkillOnNet and Bet-at-home have become the latest operators to be licensed for online slots in Germany, as its federal regulator takes full control of gambling in the country.

The licence issued to SkillOnNet enables the provider to offer online slot games across all of its brands in Germany.

Bet-at-home, meanwhile, was granted a licence for online slot games alongside an extension of its sports betting licence.

SkillOnNet has said that it will be focusing on using its German-facing brand, DrueckGluek.de, which has established a presence in the country since 2015 since gaining a licence to operate in Schleswig-Holstein under the old regulation system.

Michael Golembo, sales and marketing director for SkillOnNet said: “Having the official German licence means SkillOnNet players will be part of a fully regulated experience, feeling more confident, safe and secure, many for the first time.

“It’s also a recognition that we meet the high standards of the German licensing regime and are..

December 20, 2022

BetMGM granted Massachusetts betting licence, but with strings attached

BetMGM and MGM Springfield have both been granted sports betting licences from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), but conditions were attached to the licence of the former.

Issued with a category 1 sports wagering operator licence for Massachusetts, MGM Springfield is now allowed to operate betting at a land-based facility, as well as on up to two online platforms.

One of its online skins will be provided by BetMGM – an MGM-Entain joint venture – which was also awarded a temporary category 3 sports wagering operator licence. However, this came only under certain conditions.

BetMGM and MGM Springfield had initially applied individually for a Massachusetts sports betting licence. However, the relationship between the two entities created complications as MGM Springfield initially answered questions on the application with reference to BetMGM’s documentation.

As a result, the regulator delayed the vote on approving the licences until yesterday (19 December).

Massachusetts re..

November 23, 2022

Swedish monopolies carving out their place in the market

In the second part of Daniel O’Boyle’s deep dive into the changing role of Sweden’s gambling monopolies, ATG CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth and Svenska Spel CEO Patrik Hofbauer discuss how their businesses have evolved since re-regulation.

When the new Gambling Act came into force in 2019, Svenska Spel and AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) face licensed competition online for the first time. They underwent many changes themselves.

2019: a new era for Swedish gambling regulation

For Svenska Spel the changes were mostly aimed at preventing the business from using its former monopoly status to gain an unfair leg-up in online betting and gaming.

Sweden launched its regulated gambling market in January 2019

This necessitated major changes, Hofbauer recalls.

“The biggest change was to adjust the whole organisation and operations to be in line with the re-regulated gambling legislation. Today Svenska Spel operates as a group with three separate business areas.

“And an important factor in that was c..

November 15, 2022

Peru igaming regulations ban free bets, mandate supplier registration

Peru will ban free bets and demos, as well as mandating registration for suppliers, as part of its effort to regulate online gambling.

The detail comes as part of Peru’s efforts to regulate online betting and igaming. The country’s Congress unanimously voted for a bill to regulate the sectors in July, which was then signed into law in August, coming into effect 60 days later.

The law names the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru (Mincetur) as the country’s official gambling regulator.

As regulator, the body established a number of rules that will apply to operators in the market, including a ban on free bets and supplier registration requirements.

These rules are subject to a consultation, with stakeholders able to submit their opinions until 2 December.

Free bet ban

The regulations state that operators may not offer any type of remote betting or gaming for free, whether this is for promotional purposes or for education such as through a demo of a game.

If an operator ..

November 14, 2022

“No connection” between MGA and subjects of mafia investigation, regulator says

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has said that recent preliminary investigations into mafia associations with Malta-based gambling have found no links between the MGA and suspected individuals.

Reports in the media said the Italian authorities had contacted the MGA regarding how the mafia had been using websites owned by Maltese operators to offer unlicensed and illegal gambling.

A report published in the Times of Malta last November said individuals illegally collected money for bets in Italy using sites belonging to Maltese companies operating without a licence issued by the Italian authorities. This, it claimed, helped them to launder money from other illegal activities.

A follow-up then said that preliminary investigations had concluded last week and that a total of 34 individuals had been identified.

However, the MGA said that it had been established that there were no links between itself and those that had carried out the reported illegal activity.

“The MGA refers to repor..

November 9, 2022

Flutter CEO: Gambling Act white paper likely pushed back to 2023

Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson said that he thinks that the Gambling Act white paper is most likely to be delayed until next year, as he suspects new ministers will wish to “make their mark” on the document.

Speaking at Flutter’s Q3 earnings call, Jackson said he could not predict the the Gambling Act white paper timeline with any confidence, given that its release had repeatedly been pushed back by personnel changes in government and at the Gambling Commission. However, he said he would think its release was more likely to be in 2023 than this year.

“I don’t know if I can really comment on timing because I’ve tried to comment for the last two years and keep getting it wrong, so I might have lost some credibility there,” he said. “But I suspect it’ll end up coming out after Christmas as there isn’t much time now before Christmas.

“The new ministers I think will want to make their mark on it.”

Gambling Act review delays

The white paper is the next phase in the Gambling Act r..

October 31, 2022

Nigeria introduces new permit for offshore-licensed operators

Nigeria is set to introduce a new remote operator permit for offshore-licensed operators, allowing businesses to offer online gambling in Nigeria without a local presence.

Businesses will be eligible for a remote operator permit if they already hold a licence in another jurisdiction and wish to offer their services to Nigerian players.

It will allow operators to offer casino games, bingo, slots, sports betting and poker.

The permit will be valid for five years. Operators will pay an initial $100,000 to receive the permit, followed by fees of $50,000 in each of the next four years.

The Nigerian National Lottery Regulatory Commission will issue terms and conditions which permit-holders must adhere to.

Holders of the new permit will be allowed to offer their services in Nigeria and to advertise within the country in print media or via affiliate programmes.

Key to the new regime will be an updated tax collection system, powered by UK-based fintech company E-Technologies Global Limite..

October 26, 2022

Ontario report

iGB’s new report on Ontario offers exclusive insight into Canada’s most populous province – the first to regulate betting and igaming.

When the Ontario market opened in April this year, it wasn’t quite brand new ground.

Anyone in the industry could tell you that the grey market in Canada’s largest province had been thriving for quite some time.

Still, bringing the province from grey to white offers certainty and new opportunities for many.

Six months on, we have a sense of the spoils available. Operators – excluding the lottery – brought in a combined CA$267m in the three months ended 30 September.

The biggest challenge in the province, however, may be marketing rules. Operators can offer bonuses, but may not promote them. As Marese O’Hagan writes in our progress report, that’s been difficult, but it hasn’t seriously dampened excitement about the jurisdiction.

And for now, those complying with the rules still need to compete with some unlicensed brands, which continue to do busin..

October 21, 2022

Belgium’s €200 loss limit comes into force

Belgium’s new €200 weekly loss limit has officially come into effect, three months after a royal decree on the subject was published.

The lower limit was announced in July by a royal decree, having been put forward by minister of justice Vincent Van Quickenborne.

Previously, net deposits were limited to €500 per week, after an April 2020 decree.

The limit will continue to apply on a per-site basis, after attempts to introduce a “global” limit – to apply across all operators – fell through.

Players may request to have their limit raised, but only if they are not registered as defaulters with the Central Individual Credit Register of the National Bank.

“It is always possible for players to request a lower personal limit from the operators,” the Belgian Gaming Commission said. “To keep gambling fun, it is recommended to spend no more than 5% of income on gambling.”

Belgium is also hoping to implement a complete ban on all non-lottery gambling ads, a measure that has been the source ..

October 20, 2022

Gibraltar to replace one-size-fits-all licence fees with tiered system

Gibraltar is set to implement a new, tiered system for gambling licence fees, meaning that larger operators will pay more and smaller ones less, as part of a package of reforms for the point-of-supply market.

The British Overseas Territory launched a consultation on new licence fees, following its earlier proposal for a new Gambling Act.

Previously, operators of remote betting, remote gaming, other remote products, land-based gaming and retail betting each had to pay a £100,000 licence fee every year. B2B suppliers, meanwhile, were required to pay an £85,000 annual fee.

However, in its consultation, the government said that “licensing fees for startup operators and small operators who are building for growth can be a disproportionate cost in the early stages of the life cycle of the business”.

As a result, it opted for a new, tiered system for remote betting and gaming licences, based on annual gross gambling yield (GGY).

As operators need to apply for a separate licence for each..

October 10, 2022

World Series of Politics: Brazil, Indiana and Ontario

Just in time for G2E, iGB brings you episode five of the World Series of Politics, this week featuring Brazilian elections, Indiana online casino and Ontario's offshore issue.

We kick off by looking at Brazil, where the competing presidential candidates go into a run-off at the end of October.

This is likely to impact gambling across multiple channels. Not only sports betting may be on the line, but a reshuffling of the country’s lottery sector and even integrated resorts are being held back.

Indiana online casino is also up for discussion in this week’s episode, as US states look for new ways of finding revenue. Could this lead to a wave of igaming legislation in the remainder of 2022 and into early 2023, especially after commentators were disappointed by a lack of action in 2021?

It’s a question of tax, Brendan says. If they set the rate too high, states risk stifling the market before it can get going.

Remember, The World of Series of Politics is available on Apple Podcas..

September 16, 2022

Rumour Truss will scrap gambling review may be bad news, analyst warns

Regulus Partners analyst Dan Waugh warned against the industry celebrating rumours new prime minister Liz Truss would abandon the Gambling Act review, instead arguing the news may be “worst outcome for industry”.

A report from Guardian chief political correspondent Jessica Elgot concerning general government plans to scrap a number of legislative proposals noted “rumours” that the Gambling Act review was among the proposals that could be axed.

Long-delayed process

The Gambling Act review has been in motion since late 2020, having initially been on the Conservative Party manifesto in 2019.

However, various delays have meant that a white paper outlining the government’s wish list for reforms has still not been published.

A major factor in the repeated delays appeared to have been changes in personnel, with four different ministers having overseen the legislation since it began.

Chris Philp, who at the time was responsible for the review, said in his July resignation letter that th..

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Tag: Gaming regulation