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The bidding has opened for two land-based casino licences that expire at the end of the year.

Portugal.- The national gaming regulator, Serviços de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), has launched a public tender for two land-based casino licences in Portugal. The current exclusive licences for Casino Figueira and Casino Estoril expire on December 31.

The licences for the two areas where land-based casinos are legal (Estoril and Figueira da Foz) had been extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now a new public tender will be held to select the next licensees. Submissions will remain open for 30 days

Applicants must be a public limited company with offices in an EU or European Economic Area country that is party to certain anti-money laundering, fraud and tax administrative cooperation agreements. Non-Portuguese operators will need to have a presence in Portugal.

The current operator of Casino Figueira in Figueira da Foz is the wood manufacturer Amorim, which bought the licence from Sociedade Figueira Praia. Casino Estoril near Lisbon is run by Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), owner of Macau casino operator SJM.

For the second quarter, Portuguese online gaming and betting revenue came in at €146.4m, which was a rise of 17.2 per cent year-on-year but a drop of 7.7 per cent against a very strong Q1.

Sports betting generated €64.7m and online gaming €81.7m. The Special Tax on Online Gaming (IEJO) returned €44.9m, compared to €38.8m in Q2 2021. Meanwhile, the number of new player registrations also fell in the quarter, dropping by 23.1 per cent.

In May, the SRIJ approved regulations allowing crash games in the country. Existing licensed operators can apply for permission to offer them.

These are games banked by the house that let customers play against the operator with a multiplier, which increases through the game from 1 to a maximum of 100. The idea is that players aim to pull their bet before the end of the game to recover their stake multiplied by the current multiplier if they manage to do so.

Earlier in the year, it implemented a new rule taking a hard line on live odds. Rule No.1/2022/SRIJ prohibits gambling operators from publishing live odds on sports events on any platform, physical or online, including on advertising boards at stadiums and arenas.

The display of live, up-to-date odds will be considered illegal advertising and could result in regulatory action, it said. The move follows the national legislature’s approval of new limits on gambling advertising last October. Other countries, including the Netherlands, have introduced similar measures

Endorphina Games will launch new slot content in Latin America through a partnership with Latamwin.

Press release.- Endorphina Games, the leading B2B online slots provider, will soon launch new slots content in Latin America with the help of Latamwin, a leading technology solution for online gaming platforms and businesses. This new partnership will be mutually beneficial as Endorphina will begin its expansion on the continent, while Latamwin successfully brings its players exciting new slots content.

Wilfred Adelsdorfer, CEO of Latamwin shares a few words about the new alliance: “It is a great pride for us that Endorphina joins Latamwin as a provider of our platform since it is a well-known company, which meets the best industry standards and also has a very attractive game portfolio. We are sure that our users will like this alliance, they will greatly enjoy this new integration.”

See also: Beware of fake Endorphina imposters and how it can hurt you

Zdenek Llosa, senior sales manager at Endorphina, also added a few words: “We are very excited to announce our latest partnership with experienced iGaming company Latamwin. We continue with our commitment to strengthen our position in South America and their experience in the market combined with our games will ensure that it is a win-win experience for all. We are happy to increase our audience with more regional players and let them enjoy our most popular tiles including the return of our Ninja and our new releases Fisher King, Cyber ​​Wolf and Book of Vlad.”

Endorphina releases its newest slot, Book of Vlad
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Talpa says it’s investigating the possibility of challenging the upcoming ban on gambling ads.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch media company Talpa Network, which owns TV, radio and social media channels, has said that it is looking into the possibility of lodging a legal challenge against the Netherlands’ upcoming ban on gambling ads. Talpa Network includes the TV channels SBS6, Net5 and Veronica.

Tom van Hulst of the TV marketing group Screenforce has also said that it was preparing a response to the ban on behalf of all of its participants, “including Talpa, RTL and Ster”.

The Dutch gambling ad ban is due to come into force at the start of 2023, prohibiting all untargeted ads for online gambling and casino gaming. It covers television, radio and both indoor and outdoor public spaces. Sports sponsorship will also be phased out over the next two years.

The ban was announced after politicians pushed for action following a surge in gambling advertising after the regulated market launched in October last year. The Netherlands has already introduced a ban on the use of role models in gambling advertising, a measure that was introduced at the start of July.

Malta had requested an extension of the stand-still period on the ban.

Belgium.- The European Commission has announced that it has extended the “standstill period” for Belgium’s ban on gambling advertising after receiving a requisition from Malta. The decision could delay the introduction of the ban, which would affect all gambling operations apart from the Belgian national lottery.

Belgium plans to introduce the ban via a royal decree. In its presentation to the EC, it argues that advertising “normalises gambling in society” and “presents it as socially and culturally acceptable behaviour and as a legitimate leisure activity”. It says this is detrimental to vulnerable groups such as minors and gambling addicts.

It said: “In the absence of a rule at the European Union level, member states are free to lay down their own rules in this area. With a view to improving player protection, the purpose of this decree is to limit the forms of advertising permitted in the field of gambling and betting and to impose rules on the content of such advertising.”

However, EU rules allow a standstill period in which other European states can challenge a country’s proposed legislation through the European Commission if they believe it breaches European Union rules on the free movement of goods and services. The hold on Belgium’s royal decree was to expire on August 9, but Malta has asked for an extension until September 9, which suggest it may be planning to challenge the legislation.

Justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborn has proposed the royal decree, which would ban almost all gambling advertising by the end of 2023 and any marketing in sports by the close of 2024. Equating gambling to ‘the new smoking’, Van Quickenborn wants a ban on advertising in print, TV, radio and online media – including social media – as well as posters in public places and personalised digital or post advertising.

The Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) has criticised the proposal, saying it would cause players difficulty when it comes to distinguishing legal from illegal operators. It highlighted a survey from UGent showing that one in three gaming operators that advertise on social media in Belgium are unlicensed and operating illegally.

Meanwhile, the Belgian National Lottery has responded to allegations that it effectively bought the proposed ban.

Fifteen of the favorite titles of the Bulgarian provider are now at disposal to Alphawin casino’s clients.

Press release.- The popular online casino operator Alphawin added EGT Digital’s gaming content to its portfolio.

Fifteen of the favorite titles of the Bulgarian provider along with the new Bell Link jackpot are waiting the visitors of alphawin.bg in order to provide them with a lot of entertainment and winnings,

“Our partnership with Alphawin once again strengthens EGT Digital’s strong position in the digital gaming market,” shared Tsvetomira Drumeva, Head of Sales at EGT Digital. “We are proud that they have chosen to work with us and I am confident that our games will contribute to making their casinos even more popular among the fans of the high-quality casino games.”

See also: EGT Digital’s games are live at Sesame online casinos

The new four-level jackpot solution Bell Link is already highly appreciated by the players. Its two stand-alone non-progressive and two linked progressive levels are offering many bonus spins, cash winnings and options for a multiplied win. Additionally it is provided with features such as the Reels Boost symbol, which unlocks a special mode with 20 positions on the reels for a really engaging bonus experience. The visitors of Alphawin online casinos will also have the chance to try top slots like 40 Super Hot, Flaming Hot, Shining Crown, Vampire Night.

Lyubomir Zaharinov, CEO of Alphawin, said that players definitely love EGT Digital’s gaming content and they were absolutely captivated by their high-quality graphics and features. He added that the tournament with the participation of all the provider’s titles which has been organized when starting the partnership had popularized them even more.

“I have every reason to believe that this collaboration will be very successful and I’m confident that there will be many more in the future,” concluded Mr. Zaharinov.

Jokerstar has picked up a licence to offer online slots throughout Germany.

Germany.- After a long delay, the online slot licences are positively flying out in Germany. Relative newcomer Jokerstar is the eighth business to gain a licence. It’s been approved to operate via jokerstar.de.

Jokerstar was founded by the land-based gaming hall operator Kling Automaten last year and is a smaller operator than most of those who have gained licences so far. Gauselmann Group already has several licences for its brands, while MyBet and Tipwin have also gained licences.

Novomatic’s subsidiary BluBet Operations gained a licence for its novoline.de domain last week. It already had a licence for its Mernov joint venture with Merkur.

Germany’s new online gambling legislation came into force on July 1 last year, introducing a tight regulatory regime for slots with a €1 stake limit and a 5.3 per cent tax on turnover. Licensing has been slow, with the first online slots licences not issued until earlier this year.

The first operator to receive a licence was Mernov, a joint venture between Merkur and Novomatic that has since changed its name to Deutsche Gesellschaft für Glücksspiel (DGGS). Licences followed for Tipwin and Mybet in June. The state of Saxony-Anhalt has since said that it has approved another nine operators but didn’t name them.

Saxony-Anhalt’s State Administration Office remains responsible for online slots and poker licensing until the new regulator Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL – The German Federal States’ Joint Gambling Authority) takes over on January 1, 2023.

With its licensing process taking so long, some eight applications have been withdrawn – including that from Kindred’s Unibet which has turned its back on Germany for now due to the slow licensing progress and the tight restrictions in the regulated market. Only one application has actually been rejected by the office.

The State Administration Office recently said it had referred 25 online gaming operators to the public prosecutor’s office for offering gaming without a licence in the last year. It said it had checked 871 websites and investigated 148 cases of illegal gambling and 90 cases of illegal gambling advertising.

Meanwhile, the GGL has already taken over enforcement duties, taking steps to begin to block IP addresses and payments to unlicensed operators. The regulator also plans to devise an early detection system for gambling harm and to create a centralised complaints and whistleblowing system that the public will be able to use to report gambling “irregularities”, advertising violations and suspicions of illegal gambling.

The investment and management company will provide advisory, business, and development services to PDX Slots’ North American operations.

US.- The investment and management company SCCG Management has signed an agreement with remote gaming server PDX Slots to provide advisory, business, and development services for its North American operations.

SCCG founder and CEO Stephen Crystal said: “We are very excited to partner with PDX Slots, their RGS solution is scalable and easy to build on, empowering developers to create games focused on optimizing retention in the regulated icasino market. We have a great presence in the online casino industry at SCCG. Our best-in-class resources and services, paired with PDX’s product, will fill a major gap in this growing industry.”

PDX Slots CEO Chris Housel added: “SCCG was a natural fit with our aligned goal of launching the next generation of retention oriented content in the North American market. Together we’re excited to help new studios go-live and to help operators better engage their players.”

Sports gamification company Low6 recently signed a partnership with SCCG Management to enable it to use the firm’s help in sourcing and facilitating sports betting operators that want to use its technology.

SCCG Management has also signed a deal with licensing service company, Innovum Technologies. The companies will launch InnovaLinq, a platform that simplifies licence application, renewal and reporting processes for the igaming and sports wagering industries.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism has a period of 120 business days to prepare regulations for the new law.

Peru.- A month after its approval by Congress, the Peruvian government has enacted Law 31,557, legalising online gambling and sports betting. The law has been published in the official gazette, El Peruano.

The law covers tax on remote games and sports betting and designates the competent administrative authority, applicable infractions and sanctions and the exercise of powers of supervision, control, inspection and sanctions.

See also: Jdigital calls for rethink on Spanish gambling advertising restrictions

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) will be the administrative authority at the national level that regulates, authorises, revokes, supervises and sanctions the exploitation of remote games and remote sports betting. It has 120 business days to prepare the regulations for the new law.

Details of the new law
The purposes of the new law are to

Guarantee that the operation of games and remote sports betting is conducted with integrity, honesty, transparency and equal treatment.
Protect vulnerable sectors of the population through access controls for minors and implementation of responsible gaming policies aimed at preventing the development of addictive behaviours.
Prevent the exploitation of remote gaming and remote sports betting from being used for the commission of crimes related to money laundering and financing of terrorism or for the commission of fraud, computer crimes and any other illicit purpose.
The Law bears the signatures of president Pedro Castillo Terrones and the head of the ministerial cabinet, Aníbal Torres Vásquez.

The approval takes online gambling in Uruguay one step closer to legalisation.

Uruguay.- The Uruguayan senate has passed a bill that would legalise online gambling in the South American country. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration. The move comes after Uruguay passed a bill banning offshore online gambling sites in 2017.

If the bill is passed, it will allow online gambling to be regulated by Uruguay’s General Directorate of Casinos, which currently regulates land-based gaming within the Ministry of Economy and Finance. A register would be created to monitor online gambling providers.

The bill also includes provisions for the creation of a fund that would direct between 5 and 8 per cent of income to gambling harm prevention and treatment. Meanwhile, financial penalties for breaches of regulations have been set between UYU$10,000 (€245) and UYU$100,000 (€2,450). Operators could also lose their licences for serious breaches. The law would come into effect a day after being approved by the executive.

Uruguay has a population of 3.47 million, with more than 40 per cent living in the capital Montevideo. Uruguay created a national lottery in 1819 and has land-based casinos and gaming halls.

Elsewhere in South America, Peru has legalised online gambling and sports betting. President Pedro Castillo signed Bill 31,557 into law this week. The legislation introduces a 12 per cent tax on net income to be shared among the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, and the Peruvian Sports Institute and the public treasury.

The approval takes online gambling in Uruguay one step closer to legalisation.

Uruguay.- The Uruguayan senate has passed a bill that would legalise online gambling in the South American country. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration. The move comes after Uruguay passed a bill banning offshore online gambling sites in 2017.

If the bill is passed, it will allow online gambling to be regulated by Uruguay’s General Directorate of Casinos, which currently regulates land-based gaming within the Ministry of Economy and Finance. A register would be created to monitor online gambling providers.

The bill also includes provisions for the creation of a fund that would direct between 5 and 8 per cent of income to gambling harm prevention and treatment. Meanwhile, financial penalties for breaches of regulations have been set between UYU$10,000 (€245) and UYU$100,000 (€2,450). Operators could also lose their licences for serious breaches. The law would come into effect a day after being approved by the executive.

Uruguay has a population of 3.47 million, with more than 40 per cent living in the capital Montevideo. Uruguay created a national lottery in 1819 and has land-based casinos and gaming halls.

Elsewhere in South America, Peru has legalised online gambling and sports betting. President Pedro Castillo signed Bill 31,557 into law this week. The legislation introduces a 12 per cent tax on net income to be shared among the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, and the Peruvian Sports Institute and the public treasury.