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Greek iGaming regulations exclude blacklisted operators
Michigan legalises online gaming and sports betting
Illinois begins sports betting licensing process
Proposed German Gambling Treaty Draws Praise and Scorn
The new draft of the German State Treaty on Gambling, which was provisionally approved by the country’s 16 states over the weekend, has been met with bemusement by politicians and the industry.
The draft includes unanimously welcomed proposals such as establishing a national gambling regulator for the first time with wide powers to police the market and combat unlicensed operators, together with proposals that critics say demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of modern consumers and technology.
The proposed treaty would end Germany’s long-running but ineffective prohibition of online casino gaming by allowing a national regulator to issue online casino licenses to operators, but also allows each state to decide what online gaming is allowed.
The draft restricts online gaming to slots and poker and gives states authority to approve other casino games such as roulette and blackjack, while live sports betting would only be allowed on very limited markets such as the next goal.
“The decision to finally abolish the ban on online gambling and issue permits for virtual slot machines is a long overdue step in the right direction,” said Dr. Dirk Quermann, president of the German online casino association Deutscher Online Casinoverband (DOCV).
“But why then are other online casino games like roulette once again treated differently on the internet. It is difficult to understand the federal state’s boundaries.”
Quermann added that giving individual states authority over online casino games will only create new state monopolies in a digital world, but stressed that he would have to carefully examine the detail of the proposal before making a final assessment.
That sentiment was echoed by German sports betting association Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV).
“The federal states have presented a highly complex, almost 70-page regulatory framework that first requires our intensive analysis to determine its full scope,” said DSWV president Mathias Dahms.
Dahms welcomed the progress towards better regulation of the market explained that his early conclusion is that the restriction on live betting endangers the goal of channelling consumers to a legal and regulated offering because 60 per cent of all betting is in-play live betting.
“Disappointed consumers will turn to black market offerings that don’t comply with legal requirements,” he warned.
He also questioned whether the proposed cross-operator €1,000 a month deposit limit for players would achieve its goal of reducing problem gambling, and said that the proposed five-minute wait time for players switching sites “completely ignores the reality of life for consumers in the digital age”.
There was also a mixed response from lawmakers, with Schleswig-Holstein state chancellery secretary Dirk Schrödter (CDU) hailing the agreement as a breakthrough and a really good result, while a CDU spokesperson conceded that there is a need for improvement, particularly around live betting. The CDU’s partner in pushing for a better regulated gambling market went further, warning that no deal is better than a bad deal.
“It should remain our goal to get nationwide gambling regulations. But that is not possible at any cost,” said Jan Marcus Rossa, the FDP spokesperson for gaming policy.
“We Free Democrats welcome the fact that nationwide regulations for online gambling are finally emerging. Without question this is an important step in the right direction, paving the way for future suppression of the illegal online gambling market in Germany.
“However, we must not overlook the fact that the current draft does not meet our expectations in all areas and falls short of the state parliament resolution of 2017.”
Schleswig-Holstein broke away from the State Treaty in 2017 to pursue its own gambling policy that already includes live betting and online casino.
“This applies in particular to the topics of monopoly, access restrictions and online casino as well as the goal of achieving equal regulatory treatment for all online forms of gambling,” Rossa said. “We are critical of the treatment of live betting and data protection aspects of the proposed cross-provider player accounts (€1,000 limit files).”
The FDP is urging the Schleswig-Holstein parliament to quickly consider the proposal and make changes during the upcoming consultation process to align the proposed state treaty with the regulations of the state, or else continue alone.
A spokesman for the Schleswig-Holsetin parliamentary group of Alliance 90 / The Greens added: “The breakthrough in the state negotiations is a huge step towards successful regulation.
“Liberalisation combined with strict but balanced regulation could enable us to achieve what other countries like Denmark have already done: to largely displace illegal offers in favour of a safe and regulated gambling offer.”
Gaming Intelligence
Washington State looks to progress sports betting legislation
LAWMAKERS IN WASHINGTON STATE HAVE INTRODUCED TWO DIFFERENT BILLS TO AUTHORIZE SPORTS BETTING IN THE STATE.
The first bill HB2478 (companion bill S6277) was introduced by Representative Brandon Vick late last week and would authorize sports betting at tribal casinos, card rooms and racetracks.
Under the proposed bill, an operator may accept bets on sports events from players over the age of 18 that are physically present in a retail sports betting lounge, or via self-service betting machines or an online sports pool.
Each tribal casino and sports betting licensee may provide no more than one branded sports betting website, which may have an accompanying mobile application bearing the same brand for an online sports pool.
A sports pool must be operated in a retail sports betting lounge located at the tribal casino, card room, or racetrack complex, while operators can only launch online once a retail betting lounge has commenced operation.
Licensed operators may provide promotional credits, incentives, bonuses, complimentaries, or similar benefits designed to induce sports betters to wager. The server or other equipment used by licensees to accept wagers at a sports pool or online sports pool must be located in that tribal casino, card room, or racetrack complex.
The Washington state gambling commission will have the authority to charge a card room and a racetrack a fee for the issuance of a sports wagering license in an amount of $500,000 for the initial issuance and “a reasonable fee” in the case of a renewal.
Every tribal casino and sports betting licensee will pay a tax of 10 per cent of net gaming revenue to the state.
A second bill HB2683 (companion bill SB6394) would authorize sports betting on a very limited basis by restricting it to tribal casinos in the state.
Upon the request of a federally recognized Indian tribe in the state, the tribe’s class III gaming compact must be amended pursuant to the Indian gaming regulatory act.
This will authorize the tribe to conduct and operate sports wagering on federal Indian lands, provided the amendment addresses how sports wagering will be conducted, operated, and regulated.
Both bills, HB2478 and HB2683, have been read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce & Gaming for further approval.
Gaming Intelligence
New York mobile sports betting bill passes first committee
Senator Joseph Addabbo’s bill to authorise online sports betting in New York gained unanimous support from the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Monday.
Senator Addabbo’s bill would allow the state’s commercial and tribal casinos to partner with an agent to offer internet-based sports betting to players in New York.
Mobile or internet-based sports betting would be taxed at a rate of 12 per cent of gross revenue compared to 8.5 per cent for retail betting, and commercial operators would be required to use geolocation technology to ensure that mobile betting is not available in a native American tribe’s exclusive geographic area without consent.
The bill (S17D) also requires operators to provide parental controls to prevent minors from accessing a sports betting platform, and a self-exclusion programme for players to opt out of sports betting, and also sets a $250,000 lifetime deposit limit.
Players would be authorised to open and fund mobile sports betting accounts either in-person at a casino, through an affiliate, or remotely through the sports betting platform.
S17D was filed on January 9th and passed the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Monday by a vote of 7-0. It now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.
Gaming Intelligence
Australia’s ACMA moves to block nine more illegal iGaming sites
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is continuing its fight against unlicensed online offshore gambling websites with moves to block nine further sites.
The ACMA is set to request Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block nine illegal iGaming sites, and has urged Australian users of these sites to withdraw their money immediately.
Last November Emu Casino became the first online casino to be blocked in Australia. It has since exited the Australian market and is allowing customers to withdraw funds through its customer support.
The latest operators to be blocked include Roo Casino, GW Casino, Wager Beat, Joe Fortune, Ignition Casino, Casino Dingo, AU Slots, Top Bet and XBet.
The ACMA confirmed that more than 79 complaints were submitted about the sites, which have been targeting Australian players in breach of the country’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
More than 90 illegal operators have pulled out of the Australian market since 2017, when the ACMA started enforcing new illegal offshore gambling rules.
Gaming Intelligence
Yggdrasil secures B2B licence approval in Isle of Man
Casino games developer Yggdrasil has been granted a B2B software licence by the Isle of Man Supervision Commission.
The approval allows Yggdrasil to offer its portfolio of games and software to licensed operators in the jurisdiction, and adds to the supplier’s existing seven licences across the UK, Malta, Gibraltar and Romania.
“Ever since we began the business, we have been highly regulated and highly compliant in every major gaming jurisdiction,” said Yggdrasil chief executive Fredrik Elmqvist. “We take great pride in adhering to regulatory best practice and place great emphasis on compliance and responsible gaming across all our products.
“We’re delighted to add the Isle of Man to this prestigious regulatory roster, our eighth B2B licence, and I’m sure many more will follow in the years to come.”
Gaming Intelligence
Greek iGaming regulations exclude blacklisted operators
Recently blacklisted online gaming operators in Greece will be excluded from the initial licensing process under proposed regulations.
The rules to govern the regulated Greek online gaming market were notified to the European Commission last week following the adoption of new online gaming legislation in October, which will see operators fully licensed and regulated in Greece for the first time.
Seven-year Greek licenses will be available for online betting (Type 1 License) and online casino games (Type 2 License) at a cost of €3m and €2m respectively, although operators that have appeared on the Hellenic Gaming Commission’s (HGC) blacklist of illegal operators in the year prior to application will be ineligible for licensure.
The HGC only blacklisted four websites in 2019, but is expected to expand this before the start of the new licensing process. The four sites blacklisted in 2019 are 1x2bet.gr, betballa.gr, fonbet.gr and 1×2-netbet.gr, with a total of 2,632 domains blacklisted since the introduction of the list in 2013.
The proposed Type 1 license regulations allow betting on sporting events, virtual sports, other events, and random number generator-determined events, excluding youth sports, event betting and betting on an outcome determined by another form of gambling, such as lottery betting.
Operators will also be prohibited from offering bets that have been banned by a sports governing body or competent authority such as the Hellenic Football Federation, and exchange betting is prohibited outright.
The maximum wagering amount is set at €500,000 for online betting, although players may request an increase to the threshold, while RNG-determined online casino games will be subject to a maximum bet of €2 per spin and prize of €5,000 in any one game cycle, excluding jackpots.
Jackpots may only be offered under a Type 2 license and must only be available within Greece, with jackpot operations strictly limited to games from the same manufacturer. The rules also prohibit jackpot pooling between licensees and cap jackpot prizes at a maximum of €500,000.
The proposed regulations also address game and systems certification, mandatory responsible gambling tools such as self-assessment and self-exclusion functionality and deposit limits, and rules regarding payment processing and data protection.
The technical and game regulations were notified to the European Commission on 31 December and are subject to a standstill period expiring on 1 April, 2020.
Gaming Intelligence
Michigan legalises online gaming and sports betting
Michigan’s sports betting and online gaming legislation was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday.
The package of bills relating to fantasy sports contests, sports betting and online gaming is expected to bring in $19m in new revenue to the state, which will bolster the School Aid Fund by $4.8m and provide an additional $4m to the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund.
The bills (HB 4307 – 4312; 4323; 4173; 4916 – 4918) allow the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) to issue licenses for online and mobile casinos games and sports betting, which may be offered by licensed Detroit or Tribal casinos, and also establish a legal framework to regulate fantasy sports contests.
“My top priority in signing this legislation was protecting and investing in the School Aid Fund, because our students deserve leaders who put their education first,” Governor Whitmer said.
“Thanks in part to the hard work and leadership of Senator Hertel and Representative Warren, these bills will put more dollars in Michigan classrooms and increase funding for firefighters battling cancer. This is a real bipartisan win for our state.”
The approval comes a year after former Governor Rick Snyder vetoed a similar package of bills over concerns about their impact on the state’s iLottery revenue, which benefits the School Aid Fund.
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