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Maryland six casinos registered $162.7m in gaming revenue in June, up 0.8 per cent compared to the same month last year but down from May’s $178.8m.

US.- Maryland’s casinos registered $162.7m in gaming revenue in June, a slight increase of 0.8 per cent compared to June 2021. According to the report released by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission, the state’s six casinos’ gaming revenue decreased from May’s $178.8m.

More than $68.4m was contributed to the state, the majority of which goes to the state’s Education Trust Fund.

Leading the way for casino revenue was MGM National Harbor, which generated $68.4m – up 7.4 per cent year-on-year. Live! Casino & Hotel recorded $56m, down 4.2 per cent compared to June 2021.

Horseshoe Casino generated $17m while the state’s three smaller casinos, Ocean Downs, Hollywood Casino and Rocky Gap, all had June gaming revenue totals that were lower than in the same month last year.

Sports betting in Maryland
Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) has held a meeting to review proposed sports betting rules and applications for retail establishments and mobile operators. It comes after governor Larry Hogan urged the commission to “accelerate and intensify” its work to get mobile sports gambling up and running by September.

Hogan signed a bill to legalise online and retail sports betting in Maryland last year after voters approved sports betting through a November 2020 referendum. Retail betting has been available for six months, but online sports betting has not yet launched. Hogan has said he wanted to have mobile sports betting in time for the NFL season in September.

The commission may approve regulations and applications at its next meeting, which is scheduled for July 20. There will be 60 mobile and 30 retail licences available. Several steps remain before regulations are in place.

Once approved by the SWARC, the regulations need to be approved by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review. After that, the rules are subject to a 30-day public comment period. That may lead to additional tweaks to the rules before they’re ultimately implemented. There is still no definitive timeline for launch.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related harm will write to prime minister Boris Johnson about the matter.

UK.- Anti-gambling MPs appear to be preparing their response on the back of reports that the UK’s overhaul of gambling legislation will be watered down. Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related Harm have said they plan to write to Boris Johnson to voice concern about the gambling industry’s influence on Downing Street.

The group, led by Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith and Labour MP Carolyn Harris, will raise concerns about policy advisors with past links to the industry. They say they fear such advisors may be opposing tougher regulation.

Their concern comes after The Guardian newspaper reported that gambling operators had spent £280,000 on MPs, paying for trips to Wimbledon, Lord’s and the Euro 2020 football tournament plus fees for speaking engagements and second jobs. It highlighted cases of MPs speaking in parliament against gambling restrictions on the same day or soon after receiving hospitality from the industry.

Harris said: “It would be deeply concerning if unelected officials in No 10 with ties to gambling are now involved in making decisions about the contents of the government’s gambling white paper. Frankly, the people of this country deserve better and it would bring into question all the outcomes of this review that we have already waited far too long for.”

Proposed reforms to gambling legislation are believed to have now been drafted by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The prime minister will then decide whether to adopt the proposals, which the government still says it will publish “in the coming weeks”.

One proposal known to be on the table is for the Premier League to adopt a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship. Clubs will vote on whether they agree with the league’s proposal, but it’s not yet clear whether the government would definitely accept the compromise, which would let clubs continue to display gambling advertising elsewhere.

According to reports, the proposals will include a stake limit for online casinos and new affordability checks, but may not include a mandatory levy to fund treatment for gambling harm. According to The Guardian, several cabinet ministers along with Boris Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary, Andrew Griffith, and deputy chief of staff David Canzini, are unconvinced by the DCMS’s proposals, which could be what’s been holding things up for so long.

Griffith previously worked as chief financial officer of the Sky media group, which has a brand licensing deal with SkyBet. Sky sold a 20 per cent stake in the betting brand to Flutter while Griffith was at the company.

Meanwhile, Canzini has worked for the lobbying firm CT Group, which worked with Entain to create the gamblers’ advocacy group the Players’ Panel, whose launch caused controversy after members posted racist messages on Facebook.

The government has said that all of Griffith and Canzini’s interests were properly declared and that they had no financial interests in the gambling industry. It said Griffith had no links with Sky Group after leaving the company in July 2019.

Meanwhile The Guardian found 38 MPs received £280,000 in salaries, hospitality and fees for speaking engagements in the period before the review of gambling legislation. Earlier this year, Jonathan Gullis MP had to apologise for forgetting to declare tickets received for a football match before he read from a briefing written by Bet365 during a Westminster debate.

Other MPs to have received significant fees or hospitality from the sector include Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson, Shipley MP Philip Davies, Blackpool South MP Scott Benton and former gambling minister John Whittingdale.

iGB Live! opened Wednesday 6 July with organisers confident of celebrating a record-breaking edition of gaming’s fastest-growing B2B and affiliate in-person event.

Press release.- Industry professionals converged on the Amsterdam RAI to Connect, Converse and Convert alongside 190 sponsors and exhibitors occupying over 4,500 sqm of space.
Naomi Barton, Portfolio Director for the iGB brand said: “We are delighted to open the 2022 edition of iGB Live! and to welcome our international stakeholders to Amsterdam. We are looking forward to building on the success of the 2021 edition of iGB Live! and more recently April’s iGB Affiliate London as we consolidate the show’s status as one of the most influential in-person events in the gaming industry calendar.”

Reflecting on the dynamics of the show, she added: “This edition of iGB Live! is larger than the 2019 pre-pandemic edition when there was a greater concentration on smaller shell-scheme stands. In 2022 we have more exhibitors buying larger space-only stands, which underlines the growing status of the brand, a preparedness on behalf of the industry to invest in their presence and to view iGB Live! as an opportunity to showcase brands.

The legislature has approved a bipartisan deal to expand funding for the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

US.- Michigan’s legislators have reached a deal for the state’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which includes $7m in additional funding for the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB). This deal now heads to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk to await signature. It’s expected to take effect on October 1.

According to the deal, the new funding will support a comprehensive responsible gaming messaging campaign, direct citizens to services available for problem gambling and extend outreach to community organisations. The budget should address capital concerns and ensure the MGCB can continue its current level of service to charities without any increase in licensing fees.

Additional funding has been approved for new positions and IT support/ infrastructure to assist with the increase in internet gaming activity, internet sports betting, and fantasy contests. The funding will increase network storage capacity and network speeds at MGCB casino offices to support operations, including the transfer of large regulatory files.

MGCB executive director Henry Williams, said: “I would like to thank Governor Whitmer and the legislature for their leadership and a budget deal that recognizes the crucial role the MGCB plays in ensuring fair and honest gaming in the State of Michigan.”

Williams added: “Our 2023 budget emphasizes investments to help strengthen our mission and integrity, support local charities, and educate Michigan citizens on ways to enjoy gaming responsibly.”

The Malta Gaming Authority has issued a licence to allow National Lottery PLC to take over the running of the country’s lottery.

Malta.- The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has issued a new ten-year licence for Malta’s National Lottery. The regulator granted the licence to IZI Group’s National Lottery PLC, which replaces Maltco Lotteries Limited as the operator of the lottery.

The new operator was granted exclusive rights after the government’s Privatisation Unit issued a Request for Proposals in July last year. A concession agreement was signed by the Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands in March.

It’s the first time in 18 years that a fully Maltese-owned company has operated the lottery. It was the second attempt by IZI Group to win the licence after it participated in the last bid in 2012 but lost against Maltco Lotteries. Owned by Intralot, Associated Supplies Limited and The Players Group (24%), Maltco Lotteries has run the Malta National Lottery since its privatisation in 2003 but did not participate in the latest tender.

MGA chief executive Carl Brincat said: “The Authority is confident that the concessionaire shall dedicate all resources necessary to maintain the very highest level of operational and compliance standards, and as has already been made clear, will invest in taking care of its players and doing its utmost to avoid gaming-related harm.”

National Lottery PLC chief executive Johann Schembri said: “Today marks a new era for the National Lottery of Malta. The licence attained from the Malta Gaming Authority affirms the hard work that we have been undertaking and our commitment to deliver an innovative, forward-looking and above all, fair and transparent, national lottery service.”

Malta’s minister for the economy, European funds and lands Silvio Schembri said: “I’m sure that the new National Lottery licensee shall continue to enhance the popular National Lottery Games, such as the Lotto and Super 5, among others, as well as introduce other games which will further enrich the games portfolio.

“Together, we have ensured that National Lottery PLC will be committed to promoting, designing and putting into practice the principles of actively responsible gaming, while protecting the personal well-being of players. The national economic profit that translates from gambling should be given importance, but not at the expense of the player.”

Malta National Lottery rebranding
All existing lottery outlets displaying the Maltco brand are being rebranded as National Lottery while IZIBET will be the sports betting brand and product.

IZI Group chief commercial officer Franco De Gabriele said in May: “We are proud that after 18 years since the privatisation of the national lottery of Malta in 2004, the lottery will be operated for the first time by a wholly-owned Maltese company, whose mission is to provide the market with a service that is local, innovative and of the highest levels of quality.

“Our first decision was to re-establish ‘National Lottery’ as the corporate brand, restoring the name after a very long absence. This is the first step towards bringing back the national identity of this national concession, a service provided by the Maltese to the Maltese.”

National Lottery PLC has entered into deals with EveryMatrix and International Game Technology (IGT) for online games and technology.

Last month, the G7’s anti-money laundering (AML) watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed Malta from its “greylist” of untrustworthy jurisdictions. The decision was taken months after the FATF visited Malta to inspect reforms, including the country’s implementation of an AML action plan.

Meanwhile, the Malta Gaming Authority has banned former compliance officer Iosif Galea from acting as a director for any of the gaming businesses that it licences. He has been stripped of one current directorship.

It said it had notified Galea of the cancellation of any approvals for him to act as director for Maltese gaming licensees. He only held one such position at the time.

The Seimas has approved amendments to Lithuania’s gambling legislation.

Lithuania.- The Lithuanian legislature, the Seimas has approved new amendments to the country’s gambling and lottery and gaming tax legislation. The changes will allow the national regulator, the Gambling Supervisory Authority, to offer a specific licence for remote gambling.

The move will allow the government to split the requirements for remote gambling and land-based gambling, which are currently tied. Online gambling operators currently need municipal consent to tie in with a land-based gaming operator.

The new remote gaming licences will remove the need for online gambling operators to have a domiciled presence in Lithuania.

The amendment states that “The organisation of remote gambling, unlike land-based gambling, is not related to its execution in a specific territory (municipality). Remote gambling is carried out online throughout the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. Thus, it is not appropriate to require a municipality’s consent when issuing a permit for remote gambling.”

The changes mean that existing online gambling operators will need to transfer to specific remote licences. They will have two years to do so. The one-off fee for the new licences will be €500,000, as established in new amendments to the Lotteries and Tax Act. Operators that run both land-based and online gambling will pay €1m.

Lithuanian regulator closes proceeds loophole
The Gambling Supervisory Authority has taken steps to close a loophole in Lithuania’s Code of Administrative Offences (ANK) that prevented it from confiscating the proceeds of illegal acts or the tools used to commit them.

The regulator had realised that while article 34, paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the code allow tools used in an administrative offence and the proceeds of said offence to be confiscated, the measure applied only to individuals not to companies. It said that as a result, the regulator would not have been able to confiscate any proceeds of illegal gambling from companies – only from individuals.

It submitted an amendment to article 134 in 2021 in a bid to close the loophole and its proposal has now been approved and has entered into law.

Meanwhile, the regulator has been very active in enforcement action against operators for breaches of Lithuania’s ban on promoting gambling. It has issued several €25,000 fines to operators in recent months.

The Communications Authority has ordered mobile operators to stop issuing services to operators who have nor renewed their licences.

Kenya. The Communications Authority of Kenya has ordered mobile network operators to stop issuing ICT platforms and services, including USSDs, shortcodes, and paybill numbers to betting, gaming and lottery operators who have not renewed their Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) licences.

General Ezra Chiloba, director of the authority said the directive was in line with licence conditions on the provision of the licensed services. Gaming firms require their licences to be renewed by the BCLB, but it is requiring a list of other approvals that most operators do not currently meet.

Chiloba said: “To ensure that these communications services are used within the remits of regulatory framework, the authority directs operators that the use of licensed ICT platforms and services for provision of betting and gambling services shall only be by firms duly licensed by BCLB.

“Mobile operators are required to provide returns to the BCLB and the Authority detailing numbering resources allocated to licensed betting and gambling service providers on a monthly basis.

“Additionally, the MNOs shall be required to provide returns to the BCLB and the Authority detailing numbering resources (PayBill and USSDs), allocated to licensed betting and gambling services providers on a monthly basis.

Chiloba urged operators direct any consultations with the BCLB chairperson, Cyrus Maina. The BCLB is currently in the process of renewing gaming licences but is reportedly only allowing renewals for firms meeting the requirements set by the interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i.

Those criteria include clearance by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Financial Reporting Centre, CA and the Interagency security team as well as the Communications Authority. The majority of the betting, gaming and lottery firms have reportedly not met that list of criteria.

The BCLB conducted a report on compliance status and concluded: “The report reveals that the majority of these firms have not complied with the stated requirements,” it said. “Consequently, their applications were not successful.”

The BCLB says it has told operators that applications may be reconsidered if they are resubmitted after of the requirements have all been met.

May has ordered a crackdown on unlicensed gambling, asking the BCLB to create a list of unlicensed sites that the Communications Authority will then be instructed to block.

In May, the BCLB began an investigation into money gaming operators invest in the sponsorship of sports clubs and community projects amid rumours that betting companies were channeling funds to political parties rather than CSR activities. Chief executive Peter Mbugi ordered all gaming operators to disclose the activities, amounts, and beneficiaries of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending.

The Danish gambling regulator has found that the casino breached Denmark’s Money Laundering Act.

Denmark.- Spillemyndigheden, Denmark’s gambling regulator, has issued a series of reprimands against Casino Copenhagen in the country’s capital. It found the casino had committed several breaches of the Danish Money Laundering Act by failing to compile risk assessments, among other issues.

The first rebuke concerns risk assessments, which are a requirement under section 7, subsection 1 of the Money Laundering Act. The regulator said Casino Copenhagen had not adequately assessed customer types and payment methods.

Two more reprimands relate to the absence of written procedures on how business-related tasks should be executed. Its procedures on politically exposed persons and customer due diligence were incomplete and there was insufficient material to be able to check that adequate policies existed.

A further criticism was that to educate employees Casino Copenhagen used material that was too general and didn’t give enough information on anti-money laundering. Finally, it was found to have breached section 35 of the Money Laundering Act by failing to offer anonymity in its whistleblower scheme, something that could cause employees to avoid making reports.

The casino does not have the obligation to act on the majority of the reprimands since it’s already updated its risk assessment, procedures, teaching material and whistleblower scheme. It must, however, submit an updated risk assessment considering the assessment of confirmation of winnings. The regulator also warned over the seriousness of the offences.

Spillemyndigheden said: “The rules on risk assessment, business procedures, policies, teaching materials and whistleblower scheme are very basic in the Money Laundering Act, and violation of the rules is the clear starting point for an injunction or reprimand or, in serious or repeated cases, to police reporting.”

Earlier in the month, the regulator reported Tipwin to the police for breaches of Denmark’s money laundering rules. It says the German operator breached the Money Laundering Act by failing to prepare a risk assessment and to have written policies for retail betting.

Spillemyndigheden said Tipwin only prepared a risk assessment of retail betting sales from May 16 of this year and had no written AML procedures or controls for retail betting until May 25. The regulator also issued an injunction for breaches of rules on procedures for online casino and betting.

Last month, Spillemyndigheden warned bet365 for failing to complete due diligence checks on a young customer who deposited around DKK190,000 (€25,537) in their account over a year. The regulator said bet365 had insufficient knowledge of the player’s source of funds to be able to rule out criminal activity.

Saxony-Anhalt has approved online slot and poker licences for nine operators, taking the total to 12.

Germany.- Saxony-Anhalt-Anhalt’s State Administration Office has announced the approval of nine online slot and poker licences. It hasn’t named the operators that have been approved, but the new round of approvals will take the total number of licensees to 12.

Germany’s new gambling legislation came into force exactly a year ago, on July 1, 2021. Since then 71 applications for online slots and poker licences have been submitted, but only three licences had been granted to date, with Tipwin and Mybet joining Mernov last week as the only operators licensed.

With the process taking so long, some eight applications have actually been withdrawn – including that of 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 Sachsen-Anhalt’s State Administration Office, which remains the regulator responsible for online slots and poker licences until the new regulator Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL – The German Federal States’ Joint Gambling Authority) is up and running.

Reports against unlicensed operators
Meanwhile, the State Administration Office 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.

President of the Sachsen-Anhalt State Administration Office Thomas Pleye said: “Every new task presents everyone involved with larger and smaller challenges – especially when it comes to two different authorities that start at the same time with different requirements and tasks, but the same goal.”

“We can be very satisfied with the results so far and are now handing over both partial tasks and personnel and thus the symbolic baton to the GGL. I wish everyone involved continued success.”

Earlier this week, the GGL announced that it will begin to block IP addresses and payments to unlicensed operators as its enforcement policy.

Based in Saxony-Anhalt, the GGL was created under the federal treaty on gambling, which established a federal regulated online gambling market from last July. 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.

Bundestag representative Anne Poggemann overseeing the creation of the regulator. Ronald Benter and Benjamin Schwanke will lead the regulator as joint chief executives.

The GGL website launched in February and the regulator has said it will have 110 staff when fully formed. Until January 1, the executive of Hesse serve as the temporary body for German sports betting licences while Saxony-Anhalt is responsible for online casino and poker licences.

Table cames are subject to different regulations and are licensed by each individual state, with states allowed to maintain a monopoly or offer licences equal to the number of land-based casinos in its territory.

Romania’s Association of Remote Gambling Organisers, AOJND, says the levy would cause players to move to unlicensed operators.

Romania.- The online gaming industry association Asociatia Organizatorilor de Jocuri de Noroc la Distanta (AOJND) has heavily criticised proposals to impose a 40 per cent tax on gambling withdrawals in Romania. It warns that the move would lead players to use unlicensed operators.

The AOJND said the move would be likely to reduce Romania’s 90 per cent channelisation rate to the regulated market. It also noted that a migration of players to unlicensed sites could actually harm rather than boost government revenue.

It warns that online gambling operators could end up paying up to 50 per cent less in tax due to an overall reduction in business. It also noted that the majority of withdrawals were for small amounts.

AOJND president Odeta Nestor said: “Before adopting such a fiscal measure, a number of factors must be taken into account. Firstly, online gambling is primarily entertainment, not a source of revenue for players.

He added: “Basically, we are mostly talking about cases in which the player does not pursue the win at any cost but the pleasure of competing. In this way, online gambling is a source of reducing daily stress.

“I have often emphasised that Romania is a success story in terms of gambling legislation. But this situation depends on the ability of the authorities to maintain an attractive legislative and fiscal framework.”

Nestor called on the government to carry out industry-wide consultations to gain knowledge from the gaming sector itself before making any legislative changes, emphasising that the AOJND was willing to offer its expertise.

In March, Romania’s National Gambling Office ONJN blocked another 26 unlicensed gambling sites. The Romanian regulator has been regularly updating its list of blocked sites since it began in 2015 ahead of the introduction of regulated igaming.

The latest list of blocking orders featured Sloty.com and a1xSlot.