Compliance Archives

May 23, 2023

Underdog pens North America deal with GeoComply

Fantasy sports operator Underdog has selected fraud prevention solutions provider GeoComply as its geolocation supplier for North America.

Previously, Xpoint served as Underdog’s geolocation provider.

Under the terms of the deal, Underdog will access GeoComply’s Core suite and Solus product for its fantasy sports offering, as well as its planned sports betting operations.

GeoComply’s Core product is the supplier’s flagship geolocation service. Customers who have the licence to operate this product can also access the business’ range of fraud prevention tools to protect their operations from bonus abuse, identity theft and chargeback fraud.

The business’ Solus solution is a fantasy sports geolocation solution for web-based players. The system runs on HTML5 browsers, removing the need for players to download additional apps or plug-ins.

GeoComply praise deal

GeoComply vice-president of business development and licensing, Sam Basile, said the business was “thrilled” to be working wi..

May 2, 2023

German regulator classifies DFS as illegal gambling

German regulator Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) has classified “certain forms” of daily fantasy sports (DFS) as illegal gambling in Germany.

The classification occurred after GGL reviewed several forms of DFS, and concluded at a hearing that they could be classified as illegal gambling.

The regulator referred to Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling, which states that gambling must only be operated with the strict permission of the GGL.

GGL said that a “well-known” DFS provider ceased to operate in Germany after the hearing occured.

Ronald Benter, GGL board member, said that the decision had been made to protect German players from addiction and illegal gambling offerings.

“We find that our decisions are accepted by the providers and implemented promptly,” said Benter. “This protects consumers from illegal offers and the risk of betting and gambling addiction.”

GGL CEO Benjamin Schwanke added that keeping illegal gambling offerings at bay is a joint effort th..

March 31, 2023

Kentucky sports betting bill heads to governor’s desk

House Bill 551 – which would authorise sports wagering in the Bluegrass State – is heading to Governor Andy Beshear’s desk after clearing the Senate just hours before the deadline.

Beshear, a Democrat, has stated his intention to sign the bill, meaning that the outlook looks optimistic for legalised sports betting in Kentucky.

Lawmakers approved the legislation 26-12, with a 23-vote threshold for passage. The two-thirds majority requirement is a result of state rules regarding revenue generating laws being passed in a session not devoted to the budget.

There is a long tradition of horse racing in Kentucky

“After years of urging lawmakers to legalise sports betting, we finally did it! Today’s result shows that hard work pays off,” said Beshear on Twitter. “Kentuckians will soon be able to place their bets here and, for the first time, we are going to keep those dollars to support our roads and bridges, schools and communities.”

Read the full story on iGB North America

March 7, 2023

Duelling sports betting bills fail in Georgia

Two separate sports betting bills in Georgia have failed – in the state House and Senate.

This means that Georgia’s sports betting dream is dead until the 2024 Georgia legislative session at the earliest.

The Senate bill’s primary sponsor and Republican majority leader Bill Cowsert’s strategy was focused on amending the constitution of the state of Georgia to allow the legislature to pass laws.

The Senate effort aimed to amend Georgia’s constitution

In turn, this would have allowed for sports betting to be operated in the state.

Georgia currently prohibits the authorisation of gambling operations, with an enumerated exception for lotteries.

This bill – entitled Senate Resolution 140 – did not get the requisite two-thirds majority needed for an amendment of the state constitution, and so failed at 30-26 votes.

If the resolution had passed, sports betting would have appeared on the ballot by referendum in November 2024.

And while the amendments enabling legislation Senate Bill 17..

January 9, 2023

Gaming bill filed as Texas gears up for 2023 legislative session

The Texas legislature will consider a bill that would amend the state’s constitution to legalise casinos at a limited number of locations and set the stage to permit sports betting.

The proposed law – Senate Joint Resolution 17 – would devise the framework for a new body named the Texas Gaming Commission, which would supervise legalised gambling in Texas.

Casino gambling would be authorised at a “limited number of destination resorts and facilities” with the proceeds going towards tax relief and funding for education and public safety.

The amendment’s author is Houston-based state senator Carol Alvarado, a Democrat who initially pre-filed the bill on 14 November 2022.

Read full story on iGB North America

January 6, 2023

Ohio fines BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings $150k for ad violations

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) announced it is seeking a $150,000 (£126,000/€143,000) fine each from BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings for advertising violations.

According to the regulator, the three operators, or their affiliates, all ran sports betting ads on multiple platforms that were in violation of both Ohio law and administrative rules relating to advertising and promotions.

“The sports gaming industry has received multiple reminders of the rules and standards for advertising and promotions, yet continues to disregard Ohio law,” said OCCC executive director Matthew Schuler. “These repeated violations leave the Commission no choice but to pursue administrative action to bring operators into compliance. The Commission takes responsible gambling seriously – and expects the industry to value the same.”

Read the full story on iGB North America

January 6, 2023

Kentucky bill for online betting, poker and fantasy introduced

A bill that would permit online sports, poker and paid fantasy competitions in Kentucky has been introduced in the State House in the current legislative session.

House Bill 106 was introduced on 5 January 2023 and sponsored by representatives Derrick Graham, Cherlynn Stevenson and Rachel Roberts.

If passed, the bill would add 26 amendments to the current law and enact 13 new sections related to online sports, poker and fantasy gambling.

The bill would enable sports betting to be provided by online operators as well as allowing racing tracks to partner with online brands.

A licensed track can only partner up with one online operator, which can provide systems for gambling both on track and online.

Tracks may also offer sportsbooks at two separate locations that it owns or leases within 60 miles of the racing grounds that are not attached to the land of the track.

Sports that would be allowed to be gambled on include the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, NASCAR, MLS, NCAA, NAIA and other nation..

January 5, 2023

Massachusetts approves Barstool betting license, but will also investigate brand

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has voted to approve Penn Sports Interactive and its Barstool brand for a sports betting license, but only under certain conditions, including cooperation with an investigation.

The decision followed multiple public meetings between Penn representatives and the MGC where the commissioners grilled the Barstool-operator on several items. Among the topics under discussion was concerns over the Barstool brand and its controversial founder David Portnoy.

In particular, there were questions over the connection between the Barstool Sports, a media organisation founded by Portnoy, and the Barstool Sportsbook, the Penn-owned betting platform.

[Read full story on iGB North America]

January 3, 2023

Top Sport handed another fine in Lithuania

Lithuania’s Gambling Supervisory Authority has issued Top Sport with another fine after it was again found to have breached regulations in the country regarding CCTV at its retail betting facilities.

Top Sport was fined €15,000 (£13,273/$15,854) over the improper installation of a digital video recording system at a betting and slots location in Vilnius.

During an inspection, the Authority found that the image quality of videos was poor and the actions of employees working at the cash desk in the facility were not clearly visible in the footage.

The Authority also said that the way the video cameras were installed meant it was not always possible to see how much money was being paid in by and out to customers.

This, the regulator said, was in breach of Article 15, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Lithuanian Law on Gambling.

In addition, the Authority said certain parts of video recording at the betting facility were not saved, which constituted a further breach of regulations, namely P..

November 28, 2022

Dutch operators under tax investigation for pre-2021 activities

The Dutch government has published a memo revealing that – as of last year – eight operators were under tax investigation for their activities in the country before it regulated online gambling, with authorities planning to look into seven more.

The memo was dated 28 October 2021 – four weeks after the Dutch online gambling market launched. The memo was written by the Corporate Service for Professional Technology (CD VT) within the Tax and Customs Administration and was sent to “Dutch online gambling companies”.

It was revealed last week following a freedom of information request.

The memo said that – prior to the launch of regulated online gambling – a number of operators made money from the Netherlands that should have been subject to tax, but that these taxes were not paid.

These companies, it said, were in practice based in the Netherlands but on paper were listed as being from other countries in order to escape taxes.

In particular, the companies with unpaid tax bills were t..

November 22, 2022

Industry slams NYT sports betting coverage

On Sunday, the New York Times (NYT) published an article on sports betting lobbying efforts, which has been criticised by industry trade groups and individuals as including “several mischaracterisations”.

Titled “Cigars, Booze, Money: How a Lobbying Blitz Made Sports Betting Ubiquitous”, the article makes the argument that the gambling sector “got their way with lawmakers after showering them with donations, gifts and dubious arguments”.

This assertion has been criticised by a number of US-based trade organisations, who pointed to the already stringent regulatory environment and the industry-wide commitments to responsible gaming.

Criticised by trade bodies

In a statement published on LinkedIn, the American Gaming Association (AGA) said that the NYT had made “several mischaracterisations” in the article, and emphasised that there is a high standard for obtaining gaming licences in the US.

“As unapologetic advocates for our industry, the AGA engages with the New York Times and any..

November 15, 2022

SportNation and RedZone to cease trading in UK

Esports Entertainment Group (EEG)-owned brands SportNation and RedZone will cease trading in the UK from 30 November 2022.

SportNation and RedZone both said the sites were “closing for a variety of reasons including the economics of operating a small igaming business in the UK market”.

Users will be able to place bets and use their accounts will normal functionality until 30 November – after which they will be able to login to withdraw funds from 7 December, when the final closure is due to take effect.

Following this, there will be another seven-day period where the operator will process requests to withdraw funds of any amount over £1. From 14 December, SportNation and RedZone stated that “should any customer balances remain, we will continue to comply with requests for refunds of such balances to the extent required by law and in accordance with our terms and conditions”.

The operator has said that it intends to keep possession of customer data for five years following the clos..

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Tag: Compliance