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The Finnish Government has approved amendments to the country’s Lotteries Act to reduce the negative effects of gambling and strengthen the state monopoly more effectively, including the possibility to block payment transactions.

The stated aim of the reform is to prevent harm caused by gambling and to combat marketing by unlicensed operators, and to drive demand for gambling towards licensed activities under the Lotteries Act.

The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2022 after the President of the Republic approved the bill Wednesday (Dec. 22).

This will see the player identification requirement extended from gaming machines to cover all forms of gambling, a strengthening of the National Police Board’s approach to unlawful marketing, and efforts to prevent harm through more considered placement of slot machines.

State monopoly operator Veikkaus introduced compulsory identification at decentralised slot machines in January 2021 and in its own game rooms in July, with the requirement to identify players now set to be extended to all Veikkaus games in future.

Compulsory identification will be introduced in stages, with all gambling requiring identification by 2024 at the latest.

The Act also lays down provisions on the use of game and player data collected as a result of the identification requirement. Veikkaus is obliged to process data to identify harmful gambling, with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare granted the rights to obtain data from Veikkaus for the purpose of assessing and monitoring the negative impacts of gambling.

The reformed Lotteries Act also further specifies the marketing content allowed for Veikkaus, which must be considered to be “moderate”. The marketing of particularly harmful games of chance, such as slot games, will be prohibited.

According to the Act, all advertising by Veikkaus must include information on the age limit for gambling and information on tools available to control gambling, as well as support services for problem gamblers.

The marketing of sports betting, which is currently prohibited, will be allowed to direct gambling towards the monopoly operator. The amendment also applies to totalisator betting games, for which marketing is also currently prohibited.

As a new tool, the National Police Board can propose to the Market Court that an administrative penalty payment be imposed for marketing that violates the Lotteries Act.

Another new instrument included in the Act is payment blocking, which will be targeted at gambling companies that direct their marketing to mainland Finland in violation of the Lotteries Act, and whose marketing has been prohibited by the National Police Board.

The regulation on the blocking of payment transactions will enter into force at the beginning of 2023.

Finally, the legislative reform will allow Veikkaus to establish a subsidiary for activities other than gambling, including B2B activities.

The subsidiary will focus on providing gambling products and services to other companies, but will not be allowed to provide gambling services to consumers.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed the state’s sports betting legislation into law.

The approval legalises and regulates sports betting online and at land-based sportsbooks, via self-service betting kiosks, and through the state lottery, and introduces an exclusion list to protect vulnerable gamblers.

An initial 25 Type A licenses will be available for online betting, 40 Type B licenses for sports gaming facilities, and 20 Type C licenses for self-service betting kiosks in licensed liquor establishments

License issuance fees range from $500,000 to $3.3m, with the highest fee applicable to second mobile management service provider licenses. HB29 passed the Ohio legislature in early December and was signed into law by Governor DeWine on Wednesday December 22.

Gamingintelligence

Canadian provincial lottery operator Loto-Québec has reported a 57.5 per cent increase in total revenue to CAD$1.08bn for the first half of its 2021/22 financial year.

The company said that the H1 results were “very positive” as most of its activities only resumed operations at the end of the first quarter under restrictions.

Growth was driven by the lottery sector, which recorded its best half-year performance since Loto-Québec’s inception, with revenue climbing 53 per cent year-on-year to $513.8m between 1 April and 27 September 2021. Revenue from draw-based lottery games rose 59 per cent to $362.7m, while instant games revenue rose 37 per cent to $136.1m and revenue from event-based betting climbed 76 per cent to $15.0m.

While lottery retailers were open throughout the six-month period, the conversion to online sales continued with iLottery sales up 6 per cent at $64.7m.

Revenue from casinos and gaming halls climbed 70 per cent to $305.3m following their gradual reopening in mid-June, with Land-based casino revenue 150 per cent higher year-on-year at $161.7m, while online casino revenue was up 19.5 per cent at $126.2m and gaming halls revenue rose 83 per cent to $17.4m.

Revenue from gaming establishments increased by 53 per cent to $266.6m, with revenue from bars rising 54 per cent to $263.0m and revenue from Bingo and Kinzo climbing 9 per cent to $3.6m. In the comparable period last year, all gaming establishments were completed suspended for the entire first quarter of 2020/21.

“At the halfway point of the fiscal year, our revenues have exceeded 75 per cent of their pre-pandemic level, and about 90% since July,” said Loto-Québec president and CEO Jean-François Bergeron. “Lotteries have achieved record sales. “This success shows that after more than 50 years, interest in this product category remains high for draw-based lottery games as well as for instant games and sports betting.”

During the six-month period, Loto-Québec introduced several new products to its players, including a new MEGA 360 lottery game and single-event sports betting, which became legal on 27 August.

During H1, total cost of sales increased by 49 per cent to $200.9m, with lottery costs up 57 per cent at $103.0m, casino costs climbing 22 per cent to $29.8m, and gaming establishments costs rising 53 per cent to $68.1m.

The company reduced operating expenses by 20 per cent to $294.8m during the period as personnel expenses fell by 35 per cent to $124.3m, helping Loto-Québec generate net income of $584.0m for the period, compared to net income of $181.2m a year ago.

Pennsylvania’s regulated betting and gaming market hit a new record monthly high in November as total revenue increased by 52 per cent compared to last year to $432.5m.

Total gaming and sports betting revenue increased by 1.5 per cent versus the previous record high in October 2021, with the sports betting segment recording the biggest growth as revenue rose 70 per cent to a new record monthly high.

PENNSYLVANIA GAMBLING REVENUE COMPARISON: NOVEMBER 2021 (US$)
November 2021 November 2020 % Change
Retail Slots 185.5m 129.5m 43%
Retail Table Games 82.9m 52.3m 58%
iGaming Slots 63.5m 39.4m 61%
iGaming Table Games 27.7m 18.0m 54%
iGaming Poker 2.8m 2.4m 14%
Sports Betting 63.7m 37.4m 70%
Fantasy Contests 3.4m 3.0m 11%
Video Gaming Terminals 3.2m 2.3m 41%
TOTAL 432.5m 284.3m 52%
Revenue from land-based slot machines were up by 43 per cent year-on-year at $185.5m in November, with Parx Casino generating the most from retail slots as revenue increased by 15 per cent to $31.6m, ahead of Wind Creek Bethlehem’s $22.6m and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s $21.1m.

Land-based table games revenue grew 58 per cent versus a year ago to $82.9m, with Wind Creek Bethlehem leading the way with revenue of $19.0m, ahead of Parx Casino’s $17.7m and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s $9.7m.

Revenue from the iGaming sector increased by 57 per cent year-on-year to $93.9m, with online slots revenue up 61 per cent at $63.5m, while online table games revenue rose 54 per cent to $27.7m and online poker revenue climbed 14 per cent to $2.8m.

The biggest iGaming operator in November remained Hollywood Casino at Penn National as revenue soared 138 per cent compared to a year ago to $37.4m. Rivers Casino Philadelphia saw iGaming revenue increased 46 per cent to $24.2m, while Valley Forge Casino Resort’s iGaming revenue rose 59 per cent to $16.5m.

The state’s licensed sportsbook operators collected record handle of $761.6m in November, generating sports betting revenue of $63.7m during the month, comprising online revenue of $55.0m and retail revenue of $8.6m.
Valley Forge Casino Resort (and partner FanDuel) remained market leader for sports betting with handle of $242.0m and revenue of $29.2m, ahead of Hollywood Casino at the Meadows’ (Barstool Sports) handle of $217.0m and revenue of $12.0m.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National (Barstool Sports) generated sports betting handle of $76.0m during the month and revenue of $7.2m, while Parx Casino collected $26.1m in handle and $3.4m in revenue.

Fantasy sports revenue increased by 11 per cent to $3.4m, with the market continuing to be led by DraftKings and FanDuel, which accounted for $2.0m and $1.3m in revenue respectively.
Revenue from video gaming terminals grew by 41 per cent to $2.0m, with 59 truck stop facilities operational at the end of the month.
Overall in November, there was a new market leader as betting and gaming revenue from Hollywood Casino at Penn National rose 79 per cent to $60.1m. The next biggest operator was Valley Forge Casino Resort at $57.1m, ahead of previous market leader Parx Casino’s $56.3m.
Total combined tax revenue collected from all gambling initiatives amounted to $171.9m in November, comprising $94.3m from retail slots, $13.4m from retail table games, $39.1m from iGaming, $22.9m from sports betting, $1.7m from VGTs, and $503,713 from fantasy contests.

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker has signed legislation amending various bills related to sports betting, horse racing, casinos and video gaming terminals.

The adopted legislation will eliminate the in-person account registration requirement for online sports betting by March 5, 2022, and changes the renewal period for a supplier license from one year to four years.

After the initial four-year term, supplier licenses will be subject to an annual license fee of $150,000.

The amendments also allow existing manufacturer, distributor, or supplier licensees under the Video Gaming Act, or suppliers under the Sports Wagering Act, to secure additional supplier licensure under the Illinois Gambling Act without additional Board investigation or approval.

The definition of a Sports Facility has been amended to lower the minimum seating capacity from 17,000 to 10,000 seats in a municipality with a population of more than one million, allowing these facilities to apply for Master Sports Wagering licenses.

Betting on sports events involving an Illinois collegiate team will be legalised until July 1, 2023, with such bets limited to Tier 1 wagers (final score or outcome) that are placed in-person and not via the internet.

Other amendments include offering a new standardbred racing organization license to a racetrack located in Cook County, and allowing qualified fraternal and veterans organisations to apply for licenses to host video gaming terminals at their establishments.

HB3136 was approved by both legislative houses on October 28 and signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker on December 17.

Gamingintelligence

Spain’s regulated online betting and gaming market saw total gross gaming revenue (GGR) fall by 5 per cent to €182.7m during the third quarter of 2021.

The year-on-year decline followed a 29 per cent drop in sports betting GGR to €59.2m, partially offset by a 22 per cent increase in online casino GGR to €100.3m, which included a 31 per cent increase in slots GGR and a 22 per cent rise in live roulette GGR.

Online poker GGR fell by 15 per cent to €19,6m, with a 23 per cent decline in poker tournament GGR offsetting a 7 per cent increase in poker cash GGR.

Online bingo GGR dropped 10 per cent year-on-year to €3.5m for the quarter, while GGR from contests declined by 91 per cent to just €0.1m.

Average monthly active customers in Q3 rose by 4 per cent compared to the previous year to 915,259, with the monthly average of new accounts falling 48 per cent to 173,224.

Total marketing spend by licensed operators fell compared to a year ago, comprising advertising expenses of €36.2m, promotion expenses of €43.3m, affiliate costs of €8.9m, and sponsorship costs of €1.6m.

The New York State Gaming Commission has received 30 responses to its Request for Information from parties interested in the three available casino licenses in the state.

The New York gambling regulator received proposals from casino operators MGM Resorts International, UE Resorts International (formerly Okada Manila), Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Rush Street Gaming, The Water Club, Hard Rock International, Bally’s, and Shinnecock Indian Nation, which hopes to open a casino on tribal land on Long Island.

All but two responses from casino operators were fully redacted, with Rush Street calling on the Commission to establish a transparent application process with a level playing field for applicants.

The submission from The Water Club proposes a “Monte Carlo-style casino” in midtown Manhattan which would offer table games and no slot machines.

Among the remaining 22 submissions, a further five were fully redacted, while eight were supportive of the bid by MGM Resort’s Empire City Casino. They include the New Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Westchester County Executive, Office of the Mayor of Mount Vernon, Office of the Mayor of Yonkers, Business Council of Westchester, United Way of Westchester and Putman, Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body, and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York.  

The Standardbred Owners Association of New York expressed support for the MGM bid but did raise concerns about the current state of racing operations at Yonkers Raceway, while District 28 N.Y.C. Council was supportive of the bid by Resorts World New York City in Queens.

Four respondents were opposed to any casino at Citi Field Stadium due to traffic and congestion problems, while the likes of the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council were supportive of any new casino.

The RFI sought information from parties interested in developing and/or operating gaming facilities in the state and closed on December 10. The New York State Gaming Commission must now submit a report to the Governor and state legislature on the result of the RFI process within six months.

Gaminglntelligence

Michigan’s regulated online sports betting and iGaming market reached new heights in November 2021 as total gross receipts reached $161.7m.

Total gross receipts from the state’s 14 licensed operators rose by 21 per cent compared to the previous record month, with gross monthly sports betting receipts climbing to a record $54.1m and iGaming contributing $107.6m in gross receipts.

MICHIGAN IGAMING AND ONLINE SPORTS BETTING GROSS RECEIPTS: NOVEMBER 2021 (US$)

iGaming Online Sports Betting TOTAL
MGM Grand Detroit 40,116,304 12,690,868 52,807,172
MotorCity Casino 16,784,718 18,334,574 35,119,292
Bay Mills Indian Community 16,833,955 13,123,232 29,957,187
Greektown Casino 4,647,189 2,969,893 7,618,082
Little River Band of Ottawa Indians 7,041,413 529,442 7,570,855
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community 5,806,912 106,824 5,913,736
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa 2,376,566 3,474,688 5,851,254
Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians 4,154,309 393,828 4,548,137
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians 2,543,797 514,418 3,058,215
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa 801,055 1,636,392 2,437,447
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians 2,371,632 38,696 2,410,328
Hannahville Indian Community 1,408,985 155,282 1,564,267
Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians 1,452,859 105,030 1,557,889
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Pottawatomi Indians 1,253,308 46,863 1,300,171
TOTAL 107,593,002 54,120,030 161,713,032

iGaming receipts surpassed $100m for the third consecutive month in November, but were 2 per cent short of the monthly record of $109.7m in October.

MGM Grand Detroit (BetMGM) continued to lead the iGaming market with gross receipts of $40.1m, well ahead of Bay Mills Indian Community (DraftKings) and MotorCity Casino (FanDuel), which both generated iGaming gross receipts of $16.8m.

The next biggest iGaming operator was Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (BetRivers) at $7.0m, followed by Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (Golden Nugget Online Gaming) at $5.8m.

Greektown Casino (Barstool Sports) collected iGaming gross receipts of $4.6m in November, ahead of Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (WynnBet) $4.2m, and Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians’ (The Stars Group) $2.5m. 

November online sports betting handle grew by 2 per cent month-on-month to a record $473.8m, generating record gross sports betting receipts of $54.1m, up 68 per cent from the previous record in March.

MotorCity Casino maintained its market leadership position in Michigan with online sports betting receipts of $18.3m, ahead of Bay Mills Indian Community’s $13.1m, MGM Grand’s $12.7m and Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa’s $3.5m.

Overall, operators generated adjusted gross receipts (after free play incentives) of $96.3m from iGaming, a fall of 3 per cent compared to the previous month, and $34.5 from online sports betting, up from $4.7m in the previous month.

The state’s 14 licensed operators delivered $21.4m in taxes and payments to the state in November, comprising $19.8m from iGaming and $1.6m from online sports betting.

The three Detroit commercial casinos reported city wagering taxes and municipal services fees of $6.2m, comprising iGaming taxes and fees of $5.3m and online sports betting taxes and fees of $926,598. In addition, tribal operators reported $2.2m in wagering payments to the tribes’ governing bodies.

From the 22 January launch through November, total gross receipts from Michigan’s licensed operators totalled $1.25bn, comprising $992.2m from iGaming and $257.4m from online sports betting.

Gamingintelligence

New Jersey’s licensed casinos and racetracks have recorded a 52 per cent increase in total betting and gaming revenue to $439.6m in November 2021.

The biggest growth in November was in sports betting as revenue soared 127 per cent year-on-year to $114.8m, equivalent to more than a quarter of the total market, while revenue from iGaming grew 28.5 per cent to $118.0m.

This comprised a 29 per cent increase in online casino revenue to $115.8m, which offset an 8 per cent fall in online poker revenue to $2.2m.

In the land-based sector, casino win rose 41 per cent year-on-year to $206.9m as slot machine win increased by 52 per cent to $154.7m, and table game win increased by 17 per cent to $52.2m.

NEW JERSEY GAMING REVENUE: NOVEMBER 2021 (US$)
Casinos Land-Based iGaming Sports Betting TOTAL
Bally’s 11,167,937 622,875 164,912 11,954,724
Borgata 48,314,880 33,735,211 7,773,891 89,823,982
Caesars 16,295,411 — 891,405 17,186,816
Caesars Interactive — 9,752,127 — 9,752,127
Golden Nugget 11,945,670 — 38,418 11,984,088
GNOG — 31,764,632 174,112 31,938,744
Hard Rock 37,299,080 4,859,460 1,333,563 43,492,103
Harrah’s 22,478,648 — 101,694 22,580,342
Ocean Casino 28,493,998 1,622,976 830,334 30,947,308
Resorts 12,145,895 — 81,818 12,227,713
Resorts Digital — 27,843,533 22,448,197 50,291,730
Tropicana 18,746,626 7,752,284 3,644,951 30,143,861
Racetracks

Freehold Raceway — — 7,927,171 7,927,171
Meadowlands — — 64,399,740 64,399,740
Monmouth Park — — 4,978,520 4,978,520
TOTAL 206,887,145 117,953,098 114,788,726 439,628,969

Borgata again led the way in the iGaming market as revenue increased by 44 per cent to $33.7m, ahead of Golden Nugget Online Gaming’s $31.8m, which increased by 22 per cent versus a year ago.

Resorts Digital was the next biggest iGaming operator as revenue increased by 33 per cent to $27.8m, while Caesars Interactive revenue climbed 21 per cent to $9.8m and Tropicana’s iGaming revenue rose 27 per cent to $7.8m.

Hard Rock was only operator to post a decline in iGaming revenue in November, down 22.5 per cent at $4.9m, while for the second consecutive month the biggest growth came from Ocean Casino as iGaming revenue rose 71 per cent to $1.6m. Bally’s recently launched iGaming offering contributed further revenue of $622,875 during the month.

The state’s 14 licensed sports betting operators collected total handle of $1.26bn in November, comprising $1.14bn from online betting and $114.0m from retail, generating sports betting revenue of $114.8m.

Racetrack Meadowlands continued to account for the bulk of the total as sports betting revenue increased by 160 per cent to $64.4m, significantly ahead of Resort Digital’s $22.4m, which was up 53 per cent versus a year ago.

The next biggest sportsbook operator was Freehold Raceway at $7.9m, ahead of Borgata’s $7.8m, Monmouth Park’s $5.0m, Tropicana’s $3.6m, Hard Rock’s $1.3m and Caesars $0.9m.

Revenue from the land-based casino sector grew by 41 per cent to $206.9m, with market leader Borgata seeing revenue increase 32 per cent to $48.3m, ahead of Hard Rock’s $37.3m, Ocean Casino’s $28.5m, Harrah’s $22.5m and Tropicana’s $18.7m.

Across all betting and gaming products, the biggest operator in November was Borgata as revenue rose 44 per cent to $89.8m, ahead of Resorts’ combined $62.5m, Golden Nugget’s $43.9m and Hard Rock’s $43.5m.

For the first eleven months of 2021, New Jersey’s total gaming revenue increased by 69 per cent to $4.33bn. This comprised a 42 per cent increase in iGaming revenue to $1.23bn, a 128 per cent rise in sports betting revenue to $756.7m, and a 72 per cent increase in land-based casino revenue to $2.34bn.

Gamingintelligence

The Netherlands House of Representatives adopted a number of motions Thursday aimed at curbing gambling advertising and increasing consumer protections.

Lawmakers considered 10 gambling-related motions, seven of which were ultimately adopted.

The House rejected a motion to allow lotteries to use a different safer gambling message than other gambling operators to reflect the lower risk of lottery products, although it did adopt a motion calling on the government to make a distinction between high-risk and low-risk games in future changes to regulations.

A motion to prohibit credit and loan companies from displaying targeted ads to people who have visited a gambling website was also adopted, although the Minister for Legal Protection, Sander Dekker, said that he would like to see evidence to support this claim.

“The submitter has apparently noticed or heard this, but of course we have to check that carefully first,” he said. “If this happens, I would also find it highly undesirable. It would then be reasonable to act against it.”

Lawmakers also adopted a motion calling on the government to investigate the extent to which young people have started to gamble online as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to ban untargeted advertising of “high-risk” games of chance.

The proposed ban on advertising high risk games is in response to the surge in gambling advertising in the Netherlands since the re-regulation of the market in October, with lawmakers noting that the purpose of gambling advertising regulations is to channel consumers to legal offerings, not to increase participation in gambling.

Members of parliament also considered a proposal to require operators to prominently display a responsible gambling message and link to the CRUKS self-exclusion system on their homepages and when starting a new game, and for players registering on the system to be contacted by a care provider.

This motion was adopted, as was a motion to require players to set their own online spending limits.

The author of the motion explained that the proposal is based on scientific research carried out in Britain, which found that players who are given the option to set their own spending limit choose a limit that is up to 50 per cent lower than default spending limits that apply to all players.

The final adopted motion calls on the government to align online advertising regulations with those for broadcast media, with gambling advertising prohibited between the hours of 6am and 9pm.

The House rejected a motion calling on the government to ban transfers to online gaming accounts from third-party accounts on the basis that this is already prohibited under the Gambling Act. It also rejected a motion calling on Minister Dekker to ask commercial broadcasters to prohibit gambling advertising during international sporting events involving Dutch teams.

Dekker explained to the House that he knew from his time as Secretary of State for Media that such a proposal would be unworkable, given the independence of the media, and also noted the voluntary advertising code adopted a day earlier by VNLOK, the trade association for licensed iGaming operators in the Netherlands.

This code would initially be in force until March 1, 2023, with a review of gambling advertising planned for October 2022. The code applies the broadcast advertising restriction times to online advertising and sets a maximum of three broadcast gambling ads per commercial break (high-risk games), with ads limited to a maximum of 30 seconds.

Advertising in programmes and channels that have more than 25 per cent reach among young adults and minors would be banned, as would outdoor advertising in the vicinity of schools, amusement parks, addiction treatment centres or hospitals.

The code also prohibits operators from offering bonuses to players aged 18 to 24, and sets a maximum bonus amount of €250.

Minister Dekker concluded Thursday’s debate by warning operators to reign in gambling advertising or face the consequences.

“I think everyone understands, especially the providers, that when it comes to advertising, there are great political concerns, if not resentment, and that we are just on the verge of when politicians say: we think it’s enough, we intervene,” Dekker said. “The warning to the sector is therefore: keep that in mind. I’d rather they sort it out themselves, among themselves, and think about moderation.”

“I don’t know whether it should go as far as you ask in the motion to ban advertising, but the fact that people are really bombarded with advertisements about online gambling, I think, sooner or later, this will lead to the House intervening,” Dekker warned. “So I say to the sector, avoid that moment. I immediately make that call. Show moderation.”