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UK Gambling Commission - New Regulation

Published 11.05.2019  Author: J.D  Category: News



The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is still working on ways to better regulate the market to make the industry a safer place for consumers. The regulator published a new framework, after further investigation into the effects gambling can have on health, relationships and finances of young people.

Helen Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s Programme Director for Safer Gambling said: “Gaining a better understanding of the impact of gambling on children and young people is a key priority for the Commission. This newly released framework will provide critical insight into the range of harms that young people in Britain can experience and will help greatly in concentrating the National Strategy’s prevention and education initiatives where they will have the most impact.”

This isn’t the only news from UKGC, new rules have been put in place, with operators needing to verify the identity of players before they are able to place bets. The age of the customer as well as the personal details, such as name and location will need to be confirmed. Pre-existing players, who have not provided such details, will need to be prompted to and will need to be approved before being able to gamble with any funds that may already be on their account.

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The Stars Group Partnership with FOX Sports

Published 09.05.2019  Author: J.D  Category: News



The online gambling operator The Stars Group (TSG), including companies such as PokerStars, Sky Bet and Bet Easy, has struck gold with a partnership with Fox Sports. The new deal will allow for The Stars Group to offer sports betting products in American States that have legalised the activity.

Late last week, FOX Sports announced the arrival of FOX Bet, a “first of its kind national media and sports wagering partnership in the United States.” The intention is to launch a real-money betting app dubbed FOX Bet in states where sports betting is legalised. An additional product will be available worldwide, as a free-to-play game that awards users cash prizes for correctly predicting the outcomes of sporting events.

The deal will award TSG an exclusive 25-year license to use certain FOX Sports trademarks in “a range of immersive games and online sports wagering, and certain exclusive advertising and editorial integration rights on certain FOX Sports broadcast media and digital assets.”

FOX Corp will take a 4.99% stake in TSG through the newly issued common shares, which is estimated to be worth $236 million. The Stars Group stated that there is a 10-year window for FOX Sports to acquire up to 50% equity stake in TSG’s US-facing operations.

This isn’t the first major move TSG has recently made, in the closing months of 2018 – they acquired Sky Betting and Gaming, to expand their market into the UK. It’s just a matter of time before they take over the scene in the states’ newly legalised markets.

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Are Video Game Loot Boxes Considered Gambling?

Published 07.05.2019  Author: J.D  Category: News

An ongoing debate has circulated around whether or not video game loot boxes are considered a form of gambling. We have seen arguments provided from both sides of the market, with the scales being balanced up until now. However a recent study has found a “clear link” between gambling and loot boxes.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, finding “undeniable proof” that gamers who purchase loot boxes on a regular basis are more likely to ignores signs of gambling addiction.

The study took a sample of 257 individuals who were categorised into two groups, 144 online gamers from the US and 113 undergraduate students. Each person was given a questionnaire that included entries regarding loot boxes, the answers given for each question were tallied and compared against what’s considered to be basic criteria to determine problem gambling.

The majority of the participants acknowledged that they were gambling when using loot boxes, with 49.3% of the gaming group and 60.3% of the undergraduate group claiming that they would spend money on loot boxes in their free time.

Before the results of this study were published, in the closing days of April – we saw Belgium step forward and ban video game loot boxes. There's speculation that Belgium will be the tip of the iceberg, especially with Ireland publicly discussing a similar decision back in February.

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Casumo Acquires Five Year Danish License

Published 06.05.2019  Author: J.D  Category: News

Casumo have been given the green light on expanding into the Danish gambling market after being granted a five-year license from Spillemyndigheden, the local gambling authority. The operator is set to be taking a mobile-first approach in the newly regulated market, to try and solidify themselves ahead of the competition.

Oscar Simonsson, Co-Founder and CEO of Casumo, made it clear that the new license marks a milestone for the company, forming a detrimental part of their ongoing strategy to grow within the newly regulated markets.

Simonsson went on to add – “I’m confident that the Casumo brand will resonate well with the players in Denmark—those who want to experience a modern way of playing online casino. We have a very strong and unique product offering, which includes our very own custom-designed live casino studio, as well as the casino rewards system that Casumo pioneered in the industry when we launched in 2012.”

So far this year, we have seen a development in Casumo’s story, with them making a name for themselves in the Italian and Swedish market after being granted the relevant licenses. However, there was a conflict with the Dutch regulator after Casumo was found targeting players from the Netherlands, costing them €310,000.

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