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North Rhine-Westphalia will become only the second German state to licence online casino gaming.

North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous of Germany’s 16 federal states, has announced that it will grant five online casino licences under the country’s Fourth Interstate Gambling Treaty, which came into effect last July. It becomes only the second state to do so, following Schleswig-Holstein in the north.

Germany’s new federal gambling legislation allows online slots and sports betting but lets each individual state decide whether to grant licences to offer online casino table games. States can choose between granting a monopoly on online table games, normally falling to the state lottery, or to issue the same number of licences as the number of land-based casinos in the state.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Landtag has said it will offer five licences and that it has drawn up rules on player protection and taxes.

The executive of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt has launched the website for the country’s new federal regulator, Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL – The German Federal States’ Joint Gambling Authority).

The GGL says that 110 staff will be required by the agency and that it will soon announce 50 new job advertisements on its careers page. It must finalise its senior management and administrative structures in time to be fully operational for January 1 2023.

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Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies is set to vote today (23 February) on a long-awaited bill that would legalise various forms of gambling, both online and land-based.

The vote was initially scheduled for 22 February, but has been pushed back.

The bill – Bill 442/1191 – has been in the works for decades, having first been introduced more than 30 years ago and amended a number of times over the years to legalise a wider range of verticals such as online gaming.

It would allow for the establishment of casinos as part of integrated resorts in each of Brazil’s 26 states. São Paulo could have up to 3 casinos, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Bahia could have up to 2 casinos each and other Brazilian states could have 1 casino each. 

As well as table games, electronic gaming machines will be permitted at these resorts, which must return at least 80% of stakes as winnings.

No operator may be granted two licenses in the same state, or more than five overall.

Licensed entities must be incorporated under Brazilian law, with headquarters and management in the country; technically capable of conducting the activity; and financially and economically credible.

Online games of chance – though not betting which is being regulated separately – would be permitted, with both the federal government and states permitted to offer licences.

Bingo, meanwhile, will only be permitted in bingo halls, jockey clubs or football stadiums, with charitable games the only other form permitted. The popular – though illegal – game Jogo de Bicho would also be permitted, but closely monitored.

While licensed online gambling would be permitted, unlicensed foreign websites would be blocked, and servers for locally licensed igaming operators must be located in Brazil.

The use of credit to gamble online will not be permitted, and gambling winnings will be taxed at 15%.

Bill 442/1191 legislation also mandates that lottery proceeds will be used to fund social security programmes.

The bill will be considered in an extraordinary deliberative hearing today. If the bill is approved by the Chamber of Deputies then ratified by President Jair Bolsonaro, it would pass into law.

As well as this bill to permit a large number of forms of gambling, efforts have been made to legalise sports betting.

These have been extremely drawn out, and ongoing since 2018. A change in proposed regulation to a concession model instead of licensing was one of the reasons for a delay in the process.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro formally added sports betting to the country’s agenda in August 2020, signing a decree to add sports wagering to Brazil’s Investment Partnership Program (PPI) portfolio and national privatisation programme and appointing managers to lead the licensing process.

Last year, the Brazilian federal government approved changes which will see the country implement a tax system based on gross gaming revenue (GGR), rather than turnover.

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The “Brazil Betting Focus” industry report, created by BtoBet, is available for free.

Sportsbook platform provider BtoBet has published its latest industry report “Brazil Betting Focus”. It details the huge opportunities that this market keeps on hold once it opens up for business.

The report analyses the regulatory situation in Latin America’s biggest country, which many industry experts expect to be fully regulated by this year. And also provides detailed insights about player psychographics, and which content generates the greatest engagement.

BtoBet’s industry report provides in-depth statistics, focusing on:

Market overview
Sports betting vertical,
Player Preferences,
Player Profiles, and
Player Wallet-share.

The “Brazil Betting Focus” industry report is available for free and can be accessed on BtoBet.com.

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The Gambling Commission’s latest data report shows online gambling revenue fell by 6 per cent from the previous quarter.

The Gambling Commission has released its data on online gambling revenue for the three months from October 1 to December 31 2021, reporting a 6 per cent decline in gross gambling yield (GGY) to £120bn. The decline was due to a drop in real event betting GGY, which fell by 16 per cent sequentially.

Real event betting generated revenue of £460.7m, a perhaps unexpected fall considering that Q2 had featured several big sporting events, including the tail end of Euro 2020.

Meanwhile, online slots GGY rose by 1 per cent to £568.1m and GGY from other online casino games rose 4 per cent to £173.3m. Poker GGY reached £19.9m.

The Gambling Commission reported 32.7 million active accounts across all verticals and 20.24 billion bets – an increase of 4 per cent sequentially. The average session length in Q4 was 18.7 minutes, and 8.1 million sessions lasted under an hour.

For December alone, GGY reached £420.5m, with slots achieving their highest yield since May 2021 at £200.2m. Real-event betting generated £142m and other casino games £62.7m.

The Gambling Commission said: “We recognise that the country is now entering a different phase as we adjust to life after a series of restrictions. We continue to expect extra vigilance from operators as consumers are impacted in different ways by the circumstances brought on by the pandemic and the wider economic environment.

“Many people will still feel vulnerable as a result of the length of the pandemic period, further uncertainty about their personal or financial circumstances or readjusting budgets and time as life returns to normal with a wider set of finance drivers.”

Earlier this week, the Gambling Commission published its latest research on gambling experiences in Britain. It highlighted an increase in esports betting and differing findings on the impact of free bets and free slot spins on players.

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Bills that would reform land-based gambling in Singapore and establish a new regulator have passed their first readings in the country’s parliament today (14 February).

Under the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act 2022, Singapore’s Casino Regulatory Authority would be renamed the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore.

It would consist of up to 17 members, all of whom would be appointed by Singapore’s Minister of Home Affairs. Each can hold their position for up to 3 years.

If passed this bill would also amend the 2006 Casino Control Act by altering the definitions of “authorised person” and “authority” among a number of smaller amendments.

The Authority would have the right to distribute, renew and revoke licences. It would also have the right to issue fines in the instance of criminal conduct that violates the Gambling Control Act 2022.

If passed, this bill is set to be enforced from mid-2022.

Singapore’s Minister of Home Affairs (MHA) first announced plans to reconstruct gambling in the country in April 2020. This included plans to establish a single Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) instead of several bodies, including the Casino Regulatory Authority for casino gambling and the MHA’s Gambling Regulatory Unit for remote gambling and fruit machines.

Meanwhile, the Gambling Control Act would amend a number of sections in Singapore’s 2006 Casino Control Act, including adding definitions of what constitutes gambling and gambling operators in section 153(1) and excluded persons in section 165(6). Partaking in or offering illegal gambling services, including proxy betting, would be punishable with a fine of SGD$500,000 and a prison term of up to 7 years, while repeat offenders could receive a fine of SGD$700,000 and a prison term of up to 10 years.

Licences would be made available for several types of gambling activity including types of gaming machines, certain types of betting operations and lotteries and certain gambling facilities.

Those applying for a licence or a licence renewal would have to pay an unspecified application fee or renewal fee.

Licensees would be obligated to block excluded and underage individuals from entering a gambling institution and from partaking in gambling activities.

Both bills will have a second reading following the conclusion of Singapore’s full year 2021-2022 Estimates of Expenditure proceedings, which concern the country’s budget.

Last month Singapore’s parliament passed the Gambling Duties Act 2022, which could increase ordinary casino players revenue from 15% to 18%.

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Slovenia’s National Assembly has approved the second reading on amendments to the Gaming Act. A final vote on the proposed changes will be held in March.

Slovenia’s National Assembly has approved amendments to the country’s Gaming Act on their second reading. A final vote on the changes will be held in March.

The Gaming Act´s amendments aim to liberalise the gaming market, scrapping most curbs on casino ownership and employee licensing and allowing five lottery organisers rather than the current two.

The changes abolish the requirement that companies wishing to obtain a concession for classic games of chance and special games of chance in casinos have to be organised as joint-stock companies. It will no longer be required that the applicant for a concession for special games of chance be based in Slovenia either. Land-based presence will still be required for classic games of chance.

If the bill passes, it will establish a legal framework that will enable concessions to be granted on the basis of a public tender. The proposed changes will potentially open the door to the Slovenian gambling market to international operators and will ensure compliance with EU legislation.

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Governor Steve Sisolak has announced the immediate end of Nevada’s indoor mask mandate.

 Things are starting to get back to normal in Nevada casinos. Yesterday, governor Steve Sisolak announced that the state will no longer require face coverings in gaming venues or other indoor public places. The change is effective immediately.

Shortly after Sisolak’s press conference, Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman Brin Gibson issued a notice to Las Vegas casinos.

“Pursuant to governor Sisolak’s Emergency Directive 052, effective immediately, individuals are no longer required to wear a mask in public indoor settings in licensed gaming establishments, unless a local jurisdiction still imposes such a requirement,” Gibson said. “If a licensee is subject to a local jurisdiction’s requirement relating to masks, the Board expects full compliance from the licensee.”

Sisolak warned: “I want to be clear, the emergency is not over.” And he added: “The pandemic is not over. We’re still getting far too many cases, far too many hospitalizations, and far too many deaths.”

“I’m hopeful and confident, based on the data we have, we are in a good position to drop this and to give people back some freedom. Everyone wants to get back to their normal life … I mean, it’s been two years. I think the time has come,” the governor said.

The end of the mask mandate is welcome news to Las Vegas casinos. Despite record gaming revenues, during Q4 earnings calls casino executives said the mask mandate had kept some visitors from returning to Las Vegas.

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While land-based revenue declined, Lithuanian online gambling revenue was up by more than 70 per cent year-on-year.

Online gambling revenue in Lithuania soared by 71.5 per cent to €102.1m in 2021, easily outpacing the decline in land-based gaming revenue caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Overall gross gambling revenue rose 31.5 per cent year-on-year to €136.2m.

Online gambling customer spend was up from €1.02bn in 2020 to €1.63bn. Category A slot revenue almost doubled, reaching €59.6m. Online betting revenue generated €34.2m, up 29.4 per cent, and online table game revenue rose by 205.7 per cent to €5.8m. Category B slots generated €2.4m, up 94.8 per cent.

Meanwhile land-based gaming revenue was down 22.5 per cent year-on-year at €34m due to pandemic-related closures. Customer spend fell by a similar rate to €218.5m.

Category B slot machines, which have €0.50 per spin stake limits, accounted for the largest share of that at €14.8m. Table games generated €8.1m, down 20.5 per cent. Uncapped Category A slot machines generated €7m and retail betting €4.8m, down 28.6 per cent.

The numbers follow a similar pattern to that reported by Latvia. Figures published last week show that Latvian online gambling revenue almost doubled in 2021, reaching €109m.

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The site for the German Federal States’ Joint Gambling Authority is now online.

The executive of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt has announced the launch the website for the country’s new federal regulator, Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL – The German Federal States’ Joint Gambling Authority).

On its website, the GGL said that 110 staff will be required by the agency and that it will soon announce 50 new job advertisements on its careers page.

The GGL is not yet fully formed and must still finalise its senior management and administrative structures. Saxony Anhalt has said it expected the body to be fully operational by January 1 next year. Until then, the executive of Hesse will serve as the temporary body for German sports betting licences while Saxony-Anhalt is responsible for online casino and poker licences.

The north-eastern state was chosen to host the federal gaming supervisor in 2020 as part of the development of the new federal treaty on gambling, which established a federal regulated online gambling market from last July.

Bundestag representative Anne Poggemann is serving as the state’s first gambling minister and overseeing the creation of the GGL, which will have its headquarters in Halle in the south of Saxony Anhalt. Ronald Benter and Benjamin Schwanke will lead the regulator as joint chief executives. 

As well as licensing, the GGL will be responsible for maintaining databases monitoring player engagements and operator activities.

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Denmark’s gaming regulator Spillemyndigheden has submitted an updated certification system for online betting, online casino and land-based betting licensing to the European Commission.

This will become ‘version 2.0’ of Spillemyndigheden’s certification system, the regulator explained, following previous updates in 2015, 2018 and 2020.

The system outlines what conditions operators must meet to be issued licences, with rules tightened around data, testing and player protection.

The certification document was submitted to the European Commission on 25 January 2022. It must now enter a standstill period, which ends on 26 April 2022.

Changes will be implemented across a number of areas. A players’ status with Denmark’s Register of Voluntarily Excluded Players (ROFUS) will no longer be stored by licensees after it has been used for the original purpose.

In January, Spillemyndigheden reported that over 30,000 players had self-excluded with ROFUS.

Additionally, operators will no longer be required to submit quarterly reports on system changes to Spillemyndigheden.

Specifications also address the use of certain types of language. Requirements to display information on harmful gambling, the ROFUS register and other customer protection measures must be clearly displayed on the licencees’s site interface in accurate and clear language.

Adjustments will be made to the testing process. Current requirements for testing must adhere to certain International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) requirements, specifically ISO17020 or ISO17025.

ISO17020 holds requirements for different types of inspection bodies, while ISO17025 details the requirements testing and calibration labs.

If the European Commission ratifies the certification update, ISO17025 will remain while ISO17920 will be replaced by ISO17065, which has requirements for bodies certifying products and services.

If the updated certification system is ratified by the European Commission, there will be a transition period that ends on 1 January 2023.

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