News

The KSA has granted an 18th Dutch gambling licence, allowing 711 BV to offer online slots in the Netherlands.

Belgium’s 711 BV has become the latest online gambling operator to pick up a five-year Dutch licence from the Netherlands’ gambling regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

Becoming the sixteenth online gambling licensee in the new Dutch online gambling market, 711 will offer online slots. It has not yet been confirmed what domain 711 will operate in the country.

Last week, Betca BV and Novamedia gained Dutch online gambling licences. They followed on the heels of Zebetting, which gained a licence last month. More licences are still expected in the next few weeks.

The Dutch online gambling market launched in October with only ten licensees. The KSA has since issued a further eight licences, with JOI Gaming having three.

Meanwhile, the KSA has revealed that more than 10,000 people have registered with the Netherlands’ gambling self-exclusion scheme, Cruks, since it went live. Cruks excludes players from gambling online, or at land-based slot machines and casinos, with exclusion periods starting at six months.

Players can sign up voluntarily but can also be registered by a relative or a gambling operator, pending approval by the KSA.

Spelinspektionen’s interim report on Sweden’s temporary Covid-19 online casino limits has suggested stricter limits “may be preferable” in the future.

The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has published its interim report on the impact of the country’s temporary online casino restrictions which were imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. It found that the impact of the measures was impossible to determine but still said it would support their use in the future.

Sweden imposed a SEK 5,000 (€471) deposit limit and SEK 100 (€10) bonus limit from July 2020 until November last year. It also placed a limit on login time for online gaming. The measures were introduced due to fears that Sweden’s Covid-19 lockdown could cause an increase in problem gaming.

While Spelinspektionen initially criticised the measures as unworkable, it later said it would not oppose a reintroduction of limits in the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases earlier this year. The plan to reintroduce online casino deposit limits was eventually abandoned, but now the regulator says it will support their use “in the event of future crisis”.

The regulator said the measures introduced in 2020 had strengths and weaknesses but that it was impossible to fully determine the impact they had made due to the fact that Sweden’s regulated online casino market only opened 18 months before they were introduced.

Stricter online casino limits “may be preferable”
However, Spelinspektionen said it believed that for many players the SEK 5,000 limit was too high, and that there were players who spent less than this amount but still gambled “in an unhealthy way”.

It suggested that if the need for limits arises in the future, stricter requirements “may be preferable”. When the government proposed reintroducing restrictions, it wanted to impose a lower limit of SEK 4,000.

While operators apposed the deposit cap from the outset, the regulator noted that surveys suggested the public was generally in favour of the measures. A “Games about money and health” survey of 4,178 people found that 60 per cent supported them. A Svenska Spel study found that 52 per cent of its customers agreed with the measures.

However, the regulator also recognised that a study by Stockholm University concluded that that there was no increase in either online gambling or problem gambling during the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s government has approved proposals for new safer gambling and consumer protection measures, including new limits on advertising and measures against unlicensed operators.

Under the proposals, there will be mandatory licensing of third-party games and software providers that service Swedish licensed operators and online casino games will be moderated, with the riskiest being subject to enhanced measures to protect young and vulnerable audiences.

The 3rd Annual SPiCE India 2022 will take place from 23 – 25 March 2022 at Goa Marriott Resort & Spa in Goa.

Press release.- There is only one week remaining until the 3rd Annual SPiCE (Strategic Platform for iGaming Conference & Exhibition) India. The conference organized by Eventus International is going to take place at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa from 23 – 25 March 2022.

Following the successful first two editions, SPiCE India 2022 will focus on:

How companies can maximise their growth potential
Explore the innovations and progress made in the industry
Take stock of the rapidly changing regulatory landscape
Understand the challenges and opportunities in the industry
Yudi Soetjiptadi, Managing Director, Eventus International, says, “SPiCE is long overdue due to the restrictions the pandemic has brought forth over the last 2 years. However, now we are ready to come together once again. India is ready and opened its borders to the world, and the world is ready to reunite again in Goa. The wait is finally over, and it’s time to meet, talk shop and relax in the stunning location that is Goa, India.”

To add even more flavour to SPiCE India 2022, Eventus International introduces the following world class exhibitors:

Valueleaf
Valueleaf is a global parallel agency & affiliate network that helps leading brands across the globe grow their Real Money Gaming (RMG) businesses. It provides precise analytics and technology that ensures that clients have a hassle-free experience in creating and running performance marketing digital campaigns.

Whistle
Whistle is a global mobile marketing platform that helps marketers of Real Money Gaming (RMG) businesses execute targeted campaigns and optimize cost through in-depth learnings and analytics.

The mobile messaging service, available on Whistle’s smart portal, allows legally compliant RMG clients in India and abroad, to stimulate gaming interest among customers through promotions and deals. Through MarTech innovations, Whistle has made messaging marketing simple and accessible to all.

Income88
Income88 is a rapidly expanding affiliate program since its launch in 2015. Since then, Income88 has developed its network into a leading affiliate provider partnered with brands operating in Asia’s most robust markets like China, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Income88 offers several benefits to its affiliates. Some of these include competitive commission plans with up to 50 per cent revenue share, no negative carry-over for the succeeding month, no minimum number of active players, and many more.

SA Gaming
SA Gaming is a leading online entertainment platform provider in Asia. Making use of state-of-the-art technology, it offers a full spectrum of Live Games including Baccarat and many more.

Every product is developed by professionals with diligence, and comes with trustworthy support services. SA Gaming’s products are very popular amongst players around the world. They are the winner of the “Asian Platform Provider of the Year” in Malta Gaming Awards and “Live Casino of the Year” at IGA 2020.

PaymentINR.com
PaymentINR.com is a payments and banking technology company that enables businesses in India to collect payments online and make payouts. It supports high volume transactions with instant settlement (T+0), Competitive MDRs and fast chargeback resolution for our clients.

With its user-friendly dashboard, people keep a track of their payments, or get 24×7 support agent to assist them with queries.

The Trinidad and Tobago Gambling Control Commission will monitor gambling activities in the Caribbean nation.

Trinidad and Tobago.- Finance minister Colm Imbert has announced the launch a new regulator, the Gambling Control Commission (GCC), to govern and monitor gambling activities in Trinidad and Tobago.

Stephan Tang Nian, a senior government banking and anti-money laundering (AML) advisor, will chair the regulator’s board of directors.

The GCC is expected to carry out major gambling reforms in the dual-island nation, and particularly to address social concerns over a “proliferation of private member clubs providing casino-style games.”

Its creation was mandated by the approval of the country’s Gambling Control Bill last year. The bill requires the commission create a framework to improve the protection of minors and launch a fund for problem gambling rehabilitation.

It reads: “It is expected that the commission will establish a licensing framework which will aid in minimising the potential for money laundering and terrorist financing due to the stringent criteria that will have to be met in order to obtain a licence to work in the gaming and betting sectors.

“It is recognised that these sectors have the potential to contribute meaningfully and positively to the national economy, if regulated effectively, by creating employment, not only in the sector but in other downstream sectors, thereby creating greater tax revenues.”

Tech and cyber-securities expert Steven Thomas, the managing director at local supplier Prodigy Software, will serve as the commission’s deputy chairman. Both Tang Nian and Thomas will serve four-year terms. The other board members comprise experts in business, gambling, AML, IT and law.

The KSA has issued another two online gaming licences, taking the number of licensees in the Netherlands to 15.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) gradually continues to issue licences for the Netherlands’ newly regulated igaming market. The latest operators to gain Dutch online gaming licences are Betca BV and Novamedia.

The new licences takes the total number of licensees in the Dutch market to 15 and the number of licences to 17 after Zebetting gained a licence last month. JOI Gaming has three licences. Only ten licensees launched when the Dutch igaming market went live on October 2 last year.

They were bet365, Tombola, Play North, the land-based casino operator Holland Casino, state lottery Nederlandse Loterij’s Toto Online brand, Janshen Hahnraths Group with FPO Nederland, Italy’s Betent, Belgium’s Bingoal, NSUS Malta, which runs GGPoker.eu, and LiveScore Malta.

The KSA has said that it intends to issue more licences. A number of major players are expected to gain licences following the end of the Netherlands’ cooling off period for those that were previously active in the unregulated market.

Alabama’s legislative committee has approved two bills that would allow casino gaming, sports betting and the creation of a state lottery.

The two gambling bills introduced by Alabama state senator Greg Albritton have been approved by a senate committee and will now move forward for debate. Senate Bill 293, a constitutional amendment, and Senate Bill 294, which has details on the proposed law, would create an Alabama state lottery and allow other gaming options.

They would also establish a Alabama Education Lottery and a Gambling Commission to supervise and regulate a state lottery, as well as allow casino-style games, sports betting, bingo, and raffles to be conducted subject to licensure by the commission.

The number of licensed casinos would be limited to five locations across the state. Two satellite casinos would offer a limited number of electronic gaming machines. The bill puts forward a 20 per cent tax rate on the net gambling revenues for casinos and sports betting.

Sports betting operator licences would allow an operator to host “one or more individually branded, Internet sports betting platforms”. The licence fee for internet sports wagering operators would be $100,000.

Sports betting licensees would be able to partner with managed services providers as long as that provider is also licensed by the Commission. The managed services provider licence would also have a $100,000 fee.

Casino gaming licensees would be allowed to offer slot machines, video lottery terminals, pari-mutuel wagering games, horse races, card games, dice games, roulette and bingo, among other games.

The bill was assigned to the state Committee on Tourism, which reported favourably after proposing two amendments. It will now move back to the Senate floor, where Senators will consider the amendments before voting on the bill itself.

Senator Albritton wants to see the legislation on the Senate calendar soon and expects the bills to move quickly through the Alabama Senate.

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Some senators see the gambling bill as unlikely to be addressed in 2022.

Brazil.- Although Brazil’s Gambling Regulatory Framework has already been approved by the Deputies and has made it to the Senate for treatment, it won’t e a priority for the Upper House and may not be addressed in what is an election year in Brazil.

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco has said in a statement that the proposal will follow the normal procedures of the Chamber, but many parliamentarians say the project needs more discussion and will not make quick process in the Senate.

The project has been openly rejected by President Jair Bolsonaro but does not present a clear opposition vs. government scenario. Currently there is no consensus on the bill among Bolsonaro’s supporters, nor among critics of the current government.

The leader of the PSD in the Senate, Nelsinho Trad, stated: “The issue requires a broad and deep debate, and we will dedicate ourselves to studying the project within the PSD.”

Senator Paulo Paim (PT-RS), who opposes the Bolsonaro government, said that the PT has not yet deliberated on the matter. He said: “I think it is very difficult. And I think if we vote this year, everyone will lose. This topic deserves more discussion.”

Senator Esperidião Amin, whose party makes up Bolsonaro’s base in parliament, said that he “does not see sympathy” with the proposal. He said: “I do not consider making this project a priority. So I haven’t even paod attention to it.”

Senator Izalci Lucas stated: “This is not the time to approve a project with this content. It is time to fight the pandemic, and to discuss the elections.”

Those who do have a position radically against the project are the members of the evangelical caucus, who are preparing to battle in the Senate when it’s time to deal with the bill. “The evangelical caucus is united around this,” a religious deputy told Gazeta do Povo.

PowerData conducted a survey of 3,000 people to gain an overview of the opinion of Brazilians on the proposal to regulate casinos, bingo, animal games and online games. The results were even, with 48 per cent were against the bill and 43 per cent in favour.
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Players in Nile City Casino enjoyed the EGT General cabinets with complete with impressive visual capabilities and several features.

Since February the players in Nile City Casino located in the hotel Fairmont Nile City in the capital Cairo can enjoy the unique experience provided by the G50 J2 St. 

The Slant Top version of the single 50-inch J-curved display slot machine is a superb, tech-forward entertainment machine, complete with impressive visual capabilities, ergonomic design, intuitive controls and several features.

“This is the first-ever installation of our General cabinets in Cairo and we believe they will turn out to be an immediate success. The early results from the first couple of weeks show great interest from the players. The beautiful design and the impressive visual capabilities of G50 J2 St have certainly attracted the attention of the guests of the casino”, says Biserka Draganova, Sales Manager – The Balkans and Egypt.

As game mixes, the General cabinets in Nile City Casino will offer to the players the games from the well-known and proven game mixes – Fruit General, Gold Collection and Red General. The new G50 J2 St machines are also connected to the Premium Link server.

“Egypt is a relatively new market for Euro Games Technology and we are looking forward to extending our partnership with the operators here. We are very thankful to Nile City Casino for trusting in G50 J2 St. We believe that the cabinets will show enviable results and this deal would be just the beginning of a great business relationship between EGT and Nile City Casino”, added Biserka Draganova

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Sweden is looking to introduce mandatory gambling software licences while raising renewal fees for operators to cover regulatory costs.

Sweden.- The Swedish government has provided more details of its plans to overhaul its gaming licensing regime. The government intends to introduce mandatory gaming software licences for companies that supply gambling operators in Sweden and to raise licence renewal fees for operators.

According to the Social Security Ministry, the proposal to introduce B2B supplier licences is intended as a measure to control unlicensed gambling in the country. It has suggested that the licence fee would be SEK120,000 (€11,170) and that around 70 software licences would be issued initially.

The government has launched a consultation on how the system would work, with the regime expected to come into effect on March 1 next year. It said it expected the licence procedure and fees to have no more than a “marginal effect” on competition.

“The proposals are not considered to have any other effects of significance for the licence or licensee’s working conditions, competitiveness or conditions in general,” the government said.

Gaming licence renewal fee to double
Meanwhile, the government plans to double gaming operator licence renewal fees from SEK300,000 to SEK600,000 (€55,000) in order to fund the national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen. According to the regulator’s annual report published last week, Spelinspektionen received SEK7.3m in application fees in 2021, but the cost of processing the applications was SEK21.5m.

The government stressed that the proposed fee is still “relatively low” for the size of Sweden’s online gaming market and would not seriously affect operators. It said that all licence fees would only reach 0.03 per cent of total turnover.

The government said: “The current fee for renewing a licence for both commercial online gaming and betting does not take into account the Swedish Gaming Inspectorate’s actual costs. In principle, the same processing measures need to be taken in the case of a renewal of a licence as in the case of a new application.

“Among other things, all checks must be carried out again in the event of a licence renewal. In addition, the gaming companies’ organisation and staff are seldom the same as on the previous application, which means that Spelinspektionen must test whether the new people and organisation meet requirements.

“With this background, Spelinspektionen’s costs for processing an application for renewal of a licence are judged to be only marginally lower than its costs for processing a new application.”

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Supreme Administrative Court has agreed to hear an appeal on a sanction imposed on an online gambling operator by Spelinspektionen. The regulator appealed to the court after lower courts reduced the size of a fine it issued against Genesis Global in 2019 for self-exclusion violations.
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The Canadian Gaming Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Betting Integrity Association.

The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). The goal of the MoU is to provide a framework for cooperation and coordination on betting and related integrity issues and to protect the Ontario and wider Canadian market from corruption.

The two trade associations have agreed to explore and establish cooperative projects and partnership working in areas of mutual interest. The CGA and IBIA will be equal partners in those projects, which may involve a wide range of activities, including promoting the commercial and related integrity interests of the associations’ members, and establishing a viable regulated betting market with high channeling rates and integrity protection measures. Many existing IBIA operators are also members of the CGA.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Protecting the integrity of the betting market in Ontario, and indeed the wider Canadian market, is very important to IBIA and its members. We will be seeking to engage with a wide range of key stakeholders on betting and integrity related issues and see the CGA as a pivotal partner in the achievement of that goal. 

“The CGA has been a driving force behind the evolution of regulated betting in Canada and IBIA views it as a valued and critical partner in the continued development of the sector and in placing sporting and betting integrity at the forefront of that.”

Paul Burns, president and CEO of the CGA, commented: “IBIA will be one of only a handful of sports integrity monitors recognised by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for licensed operators, and we believe there is great value in deepening our relationship with the organisation. 

“As the CGA looks ahead to the opening of Ontario’s iGaming market and the expansion of sports betting products and services across Canada in 2022, the protection of athletes and integrity of sports betting is a key priority.”

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has launched its integrity monitoring services in the United States and Canada. The integrity body has already obtained licences in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Wyoming, and more are pending. The launch is supported by major operators FanDuel and DraftKings.

Currently IBIA’s integrity system monitors 60 per cent of the US online betting market. The system can detect and report suspicious betting transactions and behaviors through customer data analysis.

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