Licensing Archives

August 30, 2023

Episode 21: The next step for Brazil

On the 21st episode of the World Series of Politics, hosts Brandt Iden and Brendan Bussmann are joined by Neil Montgomery, founding and managing partner at Montgomery & Associados and Hugo Baungartner, VP for global markets at Aposta Ganha to take an intercontinental deep dive into Brazil.

But before heading over to LatAm, our hosts discuss the progress made in Florida since episode 20 was released.

In the weeks since, West Flagler filed an en banc rehearing. Instead of dismissing this petition, the court has asked the Seminoles for a response – which is due on 31 August.

With so much red tape, it’s assumed that sports betting in Florida will not come any time soon. However, the idea that it could launch during the upcoming NFL season is not out of the realms of possibility.

What’s on the cards for Brazil?

Meanwhile, in Brazil, Neil Montgomery says “anything’s possible”.

The country regulated sports betting in July, after president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the Provisional..

August 30, 2023

Bet365 grabs Arizona licence

Stoke-based online gambling operator Bet365 has been cleared to offer sports betting in Arizona through one of the three remaining available tethered licences.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced it had authorised Bet365 for an event wagering licence through a market access agreement with the Ak-Chin Indian Community, a federally recognised tribe and one of the state’s 20 licence holders.

This marks the seventh state in which Bet365 has received a licence. The operator is already live in Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, Iowa and Colorado.

Also on Tuesday, Bet365 announced it had begun its pre-registration period in Kentucky with an eye towards a 28 September launch. This comes after receiving a temporary licence to operate in the Bluegrass State the week prior.

Bet365 will take the place of Fubo Sportsbook, which had previously operated in the state through Ak-Chin’s licence. In October 2022, the streaming provider announced it would be closing its sportsbook wi..

August 23, 2023

Dazn Bet granted German sports betting licence

Online sports betting and casino operator Dazn Bet has been authorised to offer sports betting in Germany.

Dazn Bet is owned by sports media streaming service Dazn. It was first formed in April 2022, as part of a partnership with Pragmatic Gaming. It was added to the sports betting section of Germany’s white list.

The operator joins the likes of Jackpot50, 888 and Tipico on the list.

Dazn Bet, which is registered in Malta, will operate under the Daznbet.de domain.

The white list came about with the establishment of Germany’s gambling regulator, Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL). The GGL was brought forth by Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling (GlüNeuRStv), which came into force in July 2021.

Germany’s gambling regulator

The GGL was established in July 2022. It officially took over all tasks from its predecessor, the Saxony-Anhalt State Administration Office, in January 2023.

Its responsibilities range from issuing licences to combatting illegal gambling in..

August 16, 2023

FL sports betting hits latest obstacle as rehearing petition filed

The relaunch of the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Bet online sportsbook may face another delay, as pari-mutuel betting operator West Flagler Associates files a petition calling for a rehearing of the case it lost on 30 June.

On 14 August, West Flagler submitted a petition for rehearing to the DC Circuit court, following the betting operator’s loss in the recent West Flagler Associates vs Haaland case.

This case cleared the path for the Seminoles to offer sports betting statewide in Florida, by confirming the state’s “hub-and-spoke” model sports from federal objections.

West Flagler file en banc rehearing

West Flagler’s filing called for an en banc rehearing. This means the case would be reheard by all judges on the bench at the DC Circuit Court, as opposed to the panel of three that heard the original case.

According to the Yale journal on regulation, a successful en banc rebench petition is a rare event in the DC Circuit.

the dc circuit rarely grants a en banc rebench petition

August 11, 2023

Bet365 and FanDuel among applicants for KY mobile betting licence

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has received applications for new mobile sports betting licences from seven operators including Bet365 and FanDuel.

Kentucky will open its legal online wagering market next month, as per a schedule agreed last month. This came after the governor, Andy Beshear, approved legal betting by signing off on House Bill 551 in April.

Retail wagering will go live on 7 September, with mobile following on 28 September.

Applications for licences in the state have been open for some time, with the KHRC receiving proposals from a number of major operators.

Joining Bet365 and FanDuel in applying for mobile licences are BetMGM, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings and Penn Sports Interactive.

Kentucky racetracks eye retail licences

In terms of retail permits, the KHRC said seven of the state’s licensed sportsbooks have put forward applications.

These include Churchill Downs in Louisville, Oak Grove Gaming and Racing in Oak Grove, Ellis Park in Henderson, The Re..

August 2, 2023

PlayUp accused of falsifying documents as Mintas case expands scope

Former PlayUp US CEO Laila Mintas’ updated suit against the troubled gaming operator and its global CEO Daniel Simic accuses the business of falsifying documents, as the legal action expands in scope to the Australian parent company.

The updated suit, which is seeking approximately $100m in damages, details previously unheard allegations including PlayUp falsifying the dates on Australian government paperwork.

Mintas also alleges PlayUp manufactured and manipulated other documents submitted in response to discovery requests and accuses the operator of improper conduct throughout the legal action. There is also the allegation of PlayUp running a “concerted campaign” to ruin the former executive’s reputation.

Simic accused of falsifying of documents

In the third amended counterclaim – the latest filing from the Mintas camp in the legal fight – PlayUp and Simic are accused of making “egregious discovery abuses such as the falsification of corporate documents”.

the suit alleges play..

May 23, 2023

MA regulator “frustrated” by DraftKings betting violations

Commissioners from state gambling regulator, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), said they were “frustrated” by DraftKings' betting violations.

DraftKings reported itself to the Commission after discovering it had offered bets on the tennis UTR pro-series, which is not an approved betting event in the state.

The MGC’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) looked into the case. The wagering took place over a 12-day period from 10 March to 22 March.

During this time, players placed 864 bets on three events for a total handle of $7,867. DraftKings said the reason the error took place was because of a “miscommunication” between its trading and trading compliance teams.

The fault occurred after the operator copied a list of tennis offerings from a different jurisdiction without verifying if the event was approved in Massachusetts.

After discovering the issue, the DraftKings returned stakes to the players who had placed a bet, as well as removed any winnings and return..

May 19, 2023

Soft2Bet lands betting and casino licences in Greece

Software solutions provider Soft2Bet has secured betting events and casino games remote gaming licences in Greece.

Issued by the Hellenic Gaming Commission’s Gaming Supervision and Control Commission (EEEP), the licences will enable Soft2Bet to roll out its online betting and casino products in the country.

The Greek licences follow recent approvals in Ireland, Denmark and Sweden, and form part of the provider’s wider growth plans in Europe.

Soft2Bet also said the approvals support its ongoing focus of operating in more regulated markets around the world.

“The issuance of our betting events and casino games remote gaming licences in Greece is a terrific step forward for us,” Soft2Bet’s group general counsel, David Yatom, said. “We view this as a springboard for further growth and are excited to pursue additional licence opportunities in the near future.

“Soft2Bet remains focused on and committed to expanding its operation and bringing our exceptional gaming experience to even fur..

May 4, 2023

New York greenlights $455m racing Belmont development

On 2 May, New York State lawmakers approved the FY2024 budget, which included funding for a $455m (£362.0m/€412.2m) loan to renovate and upgrade the Belmont Park race track.

Non-for-profit racetrack operator the New York Racing Association (NYRA) is charged with developing the project to build the new thoroughbred racing facility at Belmont Park.

The NYRA said that the “significant” construction development would have no cost to tax payers, due to being funded through loans that the operator is obliged to pay back to the state government.

Belmont Park’s existing grandstand and clubhouse are to be replaced with a new building, designed to “reflect the evolution” of racing and wagering since the site was last redeveloped in 1968.

In keeping with the declining popularity of racing in New York, the new construction is to be smaller, with the current 1.25 million square foot facility set to be replaced with a 275,000 square foot structure.

According to the NYRA, the new building is to..

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 10, 2023

Massachusetts’ mobile sports betting market goes live

The six online operators approved to launch mobile sports betting offerings in Massachusetts – FanDuel, DraftKings, WynnBet, Barstool, BetMGM and Caesars – have gone live in Massachusetts.

More than six months on from when then-governor Charlie Baker signed House Bill 5164 into law, players have begun placing bets from the six online operators licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) – joining the now majority of US states that have legalised the activity.

The rollout follows the launch of retail sports betting towards the end of January, that permitted any land-based casino or racetrack operator to apply for a licence.

“The debut of sports betting in Massachusetts has delivered an incredible amount of excitement and activity to our retail sportsbook at MGM Springfield,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “We’re proud to expand our best-in-class wagering experience statewide during one of sports’ biggest months of action.”

Role of sports fans

President of Caesars Digit..

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..

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Tag: Licensing