Tag: Gaming regulation

Netherlands regulator KSA presents 2024 supervisory agenda

The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the gambling regulator in the Netherlands, has presented its supervisory agenda for 2024, citing four areas of focus.

Looking to achieve its mission of “safe gaming”, the KSA says it will increase its protection of vulnerable players in the Netherlands by looking to prevent addiction. The country took measures to do this in 2023, including the introduction of a ban on most forms of advertising.

The KSA is also looking to combat illegal online offerings, aiming for at least 90% of players to gamble with legal providers in the Netherlands. In a December article for iGB, Yield Sec chief executive Ismail Vali noted how the KSA’s current approach appeared to lack clear success in actual enforcement terms.

The KSA is vowing to further support partners, including the police and tax authorities, on investigations in the physical domain. The regulator hopes this will lead to less “undermining” between different organisations.

The KSA’s final area of emphasis is..

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Affordability checks: Everything you need to know

With parliament to debate the introduction of affordability checks today (26 February), here’s everything you need to know about the proposals so far.

The long-awaited release of the Gambling Act white paper in April was the most transformative review of UK gambling in 18 years. It marked a key landmark in how the market will be regulated in the future – with affordability checks a key part of that discussion.

The government has already introduced some measures, such as the establishment of stake limits for online slots. However, other resolutions are also being worked upon as the UK government and the Gambling Commission (GC) looks to ease concerns over gambling harms in the country.

The strongest industry response to these proposals has been towards the potential implementation of affordability checks. They have met fierce opposition from operators and trade bodies.

With parliament set to debate financial checks this week, let’s take a look at how we got here.

White paper’s rele..

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Sturgis’ review of Gambling Commission’s survey stoking the fire

The Gambling Commission (GC) recently lauded its Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), after it was endorsed by Professor Patrick Sturgis in an independent review. However, that backing is far from comprehensive, even from Sturgis himself.

Sturgis, a professor at the London School of Economics, did label the study “exemplary in all respects”. However, as has been the case in the past with the GC, its tendency to produce unreliable statistics was a noticeable theme for Sturgis, who cast doubt over the accuracy of the GSGB, which is due to be published this summer.

Sturgis said: “Until there is a better understanding of the errors affecting the new survey’s estimates of the prevalence of gambling and gambling harm, policymakers must treat them with due caution, being mindful to the fact there is a non-negligible risk that they substantially overstate the true level of gambling and gambling harm in the population.”

Hardly the glowing endorsement the GC has made out, Sturgis’ concer..

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Alabama gambling bills passed by the house

Alabama voters are a step closer to deciding whether sports betting will be legalised in the state after a bill was passed by lawmakers.

The Alabama house passed two bills on Thursday which envisage the expansion of commercial gambling in the state.

Bills HB151 and HB152, both sponsored by Representative Chris Blackshear, must still be passed by the state’s upper house. The former, as a constitutional amendment, also requires confirmation by the public and would be added to the ballot in November.

Governor Kay Ivey, who would then have to approve both bills, said in a statement on Thursday that the bills “in their current form” have her support.

“The proposal passed by the house will clean up and crack down on the rampant illegal gambling and will give Alabamians the opportunity to have their say on regulated, limited forms of gaming,” Ivey said.

What the gambling bills include

On Thursday, HB151 was passed 70-32 by the House, with HB152 passed 67-31. The House Economic Developme..

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IBIA partnership with Norway signals end of monopoly

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and the Norwegian Industry Association for Online Gaming (NBO) have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on regulation and betting integrity.

The organisations will work to establish a framework for cooperation to promote a safe and effective licensing and regulatory regime. Both the IBIA and Norway-facing NBO will work on specific betting integrity provisions.

The partnership comes with both the IBIA and NBO urging Norway to withdraw its gambling monopoly system. At present, Norsk Tipping has rights to online casino gaming and sports betting, while Norsk Rikstoto covers horse racing.

the european gaming and betting association has previously called on norway to end its monopoly system

However, Norway faces calls to drop this system and open up licensing to other approved operators. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is among several other organisations backing such a move.

Norway remain..

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Road to ICE 2024: Affordability checks looming large amid criticism

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

The Gambling Act review white paper was a huge landmark for the UK gambling industry. The white paper outlined how gambling should be regulated in the UK going forward. Key terms included consultations on stake limits, a mandatory statutory levy for operators and the introduction of an ombudsman.

However, affordability checks have continued to be one of the reviews’ most debated issues. While many in the industry agree with the white paper’s proposals, affordability checks were met with fierce opposition from operators and trade bodies.

The need for affordability checks

Many of the white paper’s proposals were made with the intention of protecting vulnerable groups. Gambling Commission research published in November revealed that one in 40 Britons is a problem gambler.

the long-awaited white paper was released in april 2023

Lucy Frazer, ..

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ATG CEO Skarplöth calls for differentiated tax following 4% rise proposal

Hasse Lord Skarplöth, the chief executive of Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG), has called for differentiated tax in response to the government announcing proposals to increase gambling tax by 4%.

In September, Sweden’s government (Regeringen) outlined plans to hike the gambling tax rate in the country from 18% to 22% of gross gaming revenue (GGR). If approved, the tax rise will come into effect in Sweden from 1 July 2024.

While Regeringen believes the move could bring in an additional SEK540.0m (£39.3m/€45.5m/$48.4m) in tax revenue each year, the proposals met with strong opposition from the industry, including the ATG.

In a blog, Skarplöth labelled Regeringen’s plans a “shock”, and called for taxes on horse and other sports betting to remain the same, while increasing those on igaming. Skarplöth cited examples of other European countries with differentiated gambling taxes as reasons for the Regeringen to rethink its proposals.

Skarplöth said: “It came as a shock, the proposal fo..

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UK affordability checks to be debated in February after successful petition

Affordability checks will be debated in the UK's parliament on 26 February, following a successful petition calling to stop their implementation.

The petition opposed the widespread introduction of financial checks outlined in the Gambling Act review white paper. Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale registered the petition in early November.

By the end of November, the petition had passed 100,000 signatures, the number required for parliament discussion. A debate has now been scheduled for 26 February after it was discussed in Westminster Hall last Tuesday.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), responded: “The fact that our survey reached the required 100,000 signatures threshold in just 27 days is powerful testament to the strength of feeling shared by bettors over the proposed checks.

“While we support the need to protect individuals from the risk of gambling-related harm it remains the case that millions of people enjoy betting..

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Episode 25: Predictions for gaming regulation in 2024

The World Series of Politics is back from its festive break with the lowdown on what sort of regulatory progress the gaming industry can expect in 2024.

Happy new year listeners! Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden are back to discuss a Festivus miracle in Brazil, as well as setting out their predictions for US sports betting growth and whether 2024 will finally be the breakthrough year for US igaming.

brazil has the potential to be huge, but integrated resorts are not part of the mix

We come back after Brazil sports betting and igaming finally makes it over the finish line, giving the industry an early Christmas present. The market has potential to be huge, Brendan Bussmann says, especially after the 18% tax rate was cut to 12% of GGR.

There’s one thing missing, he adds. Integrated resorts are not part of the mix. This could bring billions in revenue into the local economy and, after the sports betting saga, we know Brazil isn’t one for rapid progress.

Regulatory predictions for 20..

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Netherlands minister Weerwind announces new plans to counter problem gambling

The Netherlands minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind, has announced new measures that he hopes will protect players from problem gambling.

Weerwind’s letter comes in response to “worrying and undesirable developments” in the Netherlands’ gambling industry. With the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act not expected until 2024, Weerwind has decided to push on with the government’s new plans before then.

The new measures, announced on Thursday, include providers being required to contact players who have set a deposit limit of €350 (£303/$386). Operators should inform such players of the risks of gambling in such high amounts.

As reported by CasinoNieuws, Weerwind’s other proposals involve exhibiting financial amounts in euros and pushing for further research on overarching gaming limits.

In October, Weerwind announced a multi-year digital resilience campaign programme to combat fraud associated with online gambling.

In his letter, Weerwind said: “Everyone who wants to do s..

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MGA publishes performance report for H1 2023

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) released its Interim Performance Report for H1 2023 on Tuesday 19 December.

The report studies the MGA’s achievements over the first half of the year, as well as the performance of the Maltese gaming industry as a whole.

The MGA conducted 14 compliance audits over H1, as well as 85 desktop reviews. The regulator handed out nine administrative penalties, with a total financial penalty of €124,400 (£107,697/$136,345).

The MGA also carried out 11 Compliance Examinations on behalf of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU). During the same period, the FIAU imposed administrative penalties on three licensees based on violations discovered during examinations carried out in previous years. In total, these amounted to €599,420.

The MGA gave their assistance to 2,216 players who requested help, while 40 responsible gambling website checks were carried out. It issued 16 observation letters to highlight potential areas for improvement.

The MGA issued..

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Brazil’s senate votes to approve sports betting – igaming removed

Brazil's senate plenary voted yesterday (12 December) to approve the amendments to Bill 3,626/2023, which will regulate sports betting. However, igaming was removed from the bill.

Originally scheduled for 6 December, the vote was delayed due to a lack of available senators to vote.

The bill was presented by Senator Angelo Coronel to the senate yesterday evening. It contained the latest round of amendments following initial approval of the bill three weeks ago by Brazil’s Economic Affairs’ Commission.

While the bill faced significant opposition, three key highlights were focused on in yesterday’s voting session.

The first, and most notable, is that the senate voted to remove igaming from the bill. The amendment was presented by Senator Carlos Portinho, with 37 votes in favour of excluding igaming and 27 against.

In addition to the exclusion of igaming, the senate also voted to exclude virtual games and sports betting terminals. An amendment that would prohibit sports betti..

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