Published 11.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
Since the start of the year, we have seen states all across America legalising Sports Betting to different degrees. Some states restricted the activity to local casinos, others allowed for mobile sports betting. However in Washington D.C, they are limited to the venues, as they don’t have casinos or any other locations that can offer sports betting. The current proposed law will allow for arenas, bars, restaurants and shop floor kiosks to offer sports betting services. In addition, the city will be able to develop a digital app for mobile betting too.
There are currently a short list of bars which are looking to apply for the license that will be required. Dirty Water Sports Bar, Wet Dog Tavern and Duffy’s Irish Pub are a few of the names who have applied to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to update their current licence to include sports betting.
There are two different licences which will available, Class A that allows for an operator to offer both physical and mobile sports betting. Alternatively a Class B licence would only allow for physical sports betting, which is typically used for small companies such as shops and bars
Nicole Jordan, Director of Marketing and Communications for D.C. Lottery said - “We’re working on finalising regulations for Class A and B. We have a 30-day comment period. We’ve received over 100 comments of things for us to consider in terms of changing some of the rules. Most of the comments are more for clarity purposes.”
Published 10.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
Finland’s State-run gambling monopoly Veikkaus has admitted their wrongdoing in their latest advertising campaign. The advert itself had an apparent therapist suggesting for individuals who are seeking thrills to try wagering on horse races.
The ad featured characters who were clear to be craving thrills and winning fortunes and wondering if their cravings were normal. A therapist took to the stage and stated that these impulses are normal and said that an outlet for “satisfying” these cravings would be to go to a racetrack, log onto the Veikkaus site and place a wager.
Veikkaus has said that they have temporarily pulled the advert from TV, radio, print, online, outdoor advertising and across social media. Along with this, they released a statement apologising for the “anger we have caused” and that they were “taking every effort” to prevent future mistakes of this nature
Most recently, Finland’s government announced that they will be implementing much stricter rules on gambling advertisements and that a close eye will be on Veikkaus’ “very aggressive” campaigns. They have also been under fire from the countries National Institute for Health and Welfare, which claimed the ads were “at odds with public health communication” and put them on the same level as other “harmful products” such as alcohol and tobacco.
Published 08.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has announced that they have issued a €350,000 fine to Electraworks Limited. The operator is based in Gibraltar and are responsible for the casino “bwin.com”.
Bwin.com has been found to be not only accepting, but targetting Dutch players without the required licence. The local operator, KSA has been investigating and found the casino to be offering sports betting as well as poker, blackjack and roulette. Under the current Gambling Act, it's not possible to obtain a licence in the country and with the actions of Bwin, its unlikely they will be considered in the future.
The regulator has kept themselves busy in the last few weeks, as they have been going round affiliate marketing websites and having gambling ads removed. The total tally of affected websites is 23, with more on the horizon. It’s said that this will become part of a routine from a local watchdog
In total, they had analysed 44 websites as part of the sample study and online gambling advertising appeared on 26 of them. Twenty of the sites stopped the illegal activity after the regulator had drawn attention to it, however a stubborn three rebelled and only removed the adverts after they were threatened with a fine. KSA has said that the remaining three websites are undergoing further investigation.
Published 06.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
Technical company giants, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are working on new policies that would require for game companies to disclose the odds on loot boxes. The announcement was made at the US Federal Trader Commission, in the Game Workshop which was discussing loot boxes in the industry.
Michael Warnecke, Chief Counsel of Entertainment Software Association (ESA), said that the changes are being discussed after recapping the previous attempts to address popular concerns around loot boxes. “These required disclosures will also apply to game updates if the update adds new loot box features. The precise timing of this disclosure requirement is still being worked out, but the console makers are targeting 2020 for the implementation of the policy.”
The Association listed the companies that have said they are committed to implementing these changes, including: Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Song Interactive Entertainment, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast
Michael Warnecke continued - “I’m happy to announce this morning that Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony indicated to ESA a commitment to new platform policies with respect to the use of paid loot boxes in games developed for their platform. Specifically, this would apply to new games and game updates that add loot box features. And it would require the disclosure of the relative rarity or probabilities of obtaining randomised virtual items in games that are available on their platforms.”
He added that a large number of the leading video game publishers also joined the efforts to implement similar measures at a publisher level to provide enhanced loot box information to allow them to make informed purchase decisions. “The major console makers are committing to new platform policies that will require paid loot boxes in games developed for their platforms to disclose information on the relative rarity or probability of obtaining randomised virtual items.”
Published 04.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
Five of the largest betting and gambling companies in the UK have announced that they are planning to create a new committee, with the intention of giving their internal insight into the best ways to spend government funding to create a safer gambling industry. The committee features Bet365, Sky Bet, William Hill, GVC and Flutter Entertainment, the owners of Paddy Power and Betfair.
A spokesperson for the five companies commented on the announcement - “We are absolutely committed to providing further funding toward treatment and other responsible gambling initiatives, and we believe the committee will identify and recommend how best to deploy effectively this investment. We believe this is an important step towards creating a safer gambling environment. We look forward to reviewing and implementing its recommendations later this year.”
The UK operators revealed that they have approached Lord Chadlington, a vocal campaigner on safe gambling, who in turn released the following statement - “The committee will consult widely to formulate its recommendations taking account in particular of the views of government, regulators, the third sector, gambling operators and those with lived experience. I am happy to accept the invitation to chair this committee particularly as the five gambling companies show commitment to implementing any reasonable recommendations it may make. I will announce the membership of the committee by mid-September.”
Previously, the companies announced they would be investing £67 million a year to take action
Published 03.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
New Zealand will be following in the footsteps of Australia’s banking company Macquarie, after they decided to stop their accountholders from using bank-issued credit cards to gamble. The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is considering a complete ban on credit cards.
Due to regulation, players from New Zealand have only been able to gamble through a system called TAB, which is also known as the New Zealand Racing Board and the New Zealand-run Lotto. However, recently this has been threatened by SkyCity Entertainment which announced that they will be launching an online casino.
The idea behind the credit card ban, is much like the Australian bank’s – to prevent locals from spending too much on unregulated sites. However it’s been argued that the best way to do so, would be to instead regulate the activity rather than to ban the use of credit cards entirely
Elsewhere in the world, the UK has been considering banning credit cards for a while. The UKGC has most recently announced that the will be holding a three-month consultation period beginning next month, with the intent to determine whether or not credit cards should be allowed when gambling.
Published 02.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
Roy Cooper, the North Carolina Governor has recently signed a bill which allows the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to offer sports betting in the two currently operating casinos. After being approved, the US state became the 19th to legalise sports betting.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) released a statement supporting the decision - “Legalising sports betting in North Carolina is a welcome step in the fight against the dangerous, illegal market. Providing North Carolinians with legal alternatives to illicit offshore operators will help safeguard consumers and the integrity of the games, advance responsible gaming initiatives and give state and federal law enforcement an advantage in combating illegal gambling
In addition, the House of Representatives have voted in favour of creating a new gambling commission, which will be responsible for regulating the industry. They proposed that the team would consist of nine members and their jurisdiction would include non-profit bingo and raffles.
Published 01.08.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission or IRGC, had a recent conference to discuss and vote on possible regulations for the upcoming sports betting industry. The proposed rules have been finalised and the gambling facilities that are eligible will be allowed to launch sports betting on the 15th of August.
The proposed rules received a unanimous vote, ensuring a smooth transition to the legality of the activity. The only element that was disputed was the operators who will be receiving licenses, out of the 19 proposed one did not make the cut.
Brian Ohorilko, from Iowa’s Gambling Commission said that they will be having meetings with the casinos over the course of the next two weeks and that the “meetings are intended to work through every control that’s required in the rules to give feedback to the operators. So they know if they are okay in certain areas — or there are areas where they still need to go back and beef up
Wes Ehrecke, CEO of Iowa’s Commission – “In the past, people either could bet on sports in Nevada, or they had to do so illegally through a bookmaker or an offshore website. Now, people can do so in a legalised manner.”
Published 31.07.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
NASCAR is currently working to build a sports gambling product and fully embrace the activity as sports betting has been gaining traction in America. Along with developing a new source of revenue, they are hoping that this will bring a new wave of excitement to an industry that has been on a slow decline for the past few years. Although NASCAR are engines at the ready, the sport’s governing body has concerns that integrity may suffer.
Scott Warfield, the Managing Director of NASCAR discussed in an interview that they are already partnered with Genius Sports and that the ability to bet on races will be available shortly. Warfield continued by saying - “The racing on Sundays is as good as it’s ever been. If you look at the stats, at the amount of passing, green flag passes, number of winners and teams in victory lane – it makes for super in-race betting options.”
The gambling products being developed by NASCAR and Genius Sports will give users real-time feeds and odds that sportsbooks across America can integrate into their front-facing system
NASCAR is trying to do as much as they can to keep wagers legitimate, stating that anyone who is involved in the organisation cannot bet on NASCAR. The ruling includes team owners, members of the crew, officials and of course the drivers. A fine of up to $250,000 along with a permanent ban from NASCAR can and will be enforced on anyone caught sharing information or breaking the rules.
Published 29.07.2019 Author: J.D Category: News
The UK Gambling Commission has revealed that seven bookmakers are strictly under review after they allowed a 16-year-old to place a bet. The gambling regulator stated that 17 sports betting operators were tested to see if they would accept a wager from a child. Many of the operators declined the bet, however seven unnamed bookmakers failed the test and are being investigated further. The licensees will more than likely receive a fine, with the potential of losing their license.
Richard Watson, Commission Executive Director said that these license reviews outline how strongly they feel about underage gambling and stated that every single gambling business must protect children from the activity. “Despite various educational attempts to raise standards by ourselves and the trade bodies, the on-course sector has historically performed poorly in both underage gambling test purchase exercises and Think 21 testing
The review received positive support, with David Connon, Lead Member for Public Protection at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead saying - “I am content that our officers led and organised this test purchasing. It is important that our residents, as well as visitors to the borough, are safe. It is not acceptable to take bets from young people and I am happy that strong action is taking place. I am happy that this hard work is paying off and the Gambling Commission are taking action against those bookmakers.”
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