Legal – FairOdds Network

July 29, 2024

Weekend Report: Kayshon Boutte’s “dumb decision” and Betway partner Man City

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB covers the news you may have missed over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week we’ve got news of Betway partnering with Premier League champions Manchester City, a bill to restrict online gambling advertising in New York and more.
NFL’s Kayshon Boutte glad to be back
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte spoke of his delight at being back to playing football after charges against him for gambling were dropped earlier this month.

Boutte was arrested in January over accusations he had placed over 8,900 bets while under the legal gambling age of 21 in his native Louisiana. However, the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division dropped those charges in July.

Speaking to reporters after the fourth day of Patriots’ training camp, Boutte labelled his actions as a “dumb decision”. He also said he was glad to be focusing on football again, admitting he needs to “stay away” from gambling.

Betway becomes global betting partner of ..

July 22, 2024

In Macau, most suspects bail out in illegal sports betting case

Prosecutors in Macau have indicted 59 people swept up in a sports betting sting earlier this month. All but two have been released on bail. The illicit operation purportedly reaped millions per week during the recent UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.
The Macau Public Prosecutions Office has indicted 59 people allegedly involved in an online sports betting ring. Two of the defendants remain under pre-trial detention. The rest have been released on bail, with orders not to leave the city.

A total of 93 people were arrested in the 2 July sting in Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong. Police seized MOP88.4m (£8.5m/€196.2m/US$11m) in cash and froze bank accounts containing MOP22.1m.

The websites, based outside Macau, took bets on football and basketball games. They reportedly generated about MOP72m per week during the recent UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.

Authorities estimate the illegal operation has pulled in more than MOP1.08bn since 2016.

Online gambling is illegal everywhere in China, including M..

April 11, 2024

New Jersey senator formally introduces bill to hike online tax to 30%

A New Jersey senator, John McKeon, has formally introduced his new bill to increase tax for online gambling and sports betting to 30%.

Currently, online gambling and sports betting are taxed at 15% and 13% of gross gaming revenue respectively.

Senate Bill 3064 was formally introduced on 8 April, after being filed last week. The bill was referred to the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee.

If enacted the bill would amend Section 17 of P.L.2013, c.27 (C.5:12-95.19), which specifies the online gambling tax amount. Section 7 of P.L.2018, c.33 (C.5:12A-16), which addresses sports wagering tax, would also be changed.

Should lawmakers approve the proposal, it would take effect on next 1 January that occurs after the date of enactment, per the bill text.

New Jersey gambling tax hike: How does it compare?

A 30% rate would put a significant burden on New Jersey’s 18 mobile sportsbooks, raising taxes to among the highest in the US. New York’s 51% spo..

April 3, 2024

Botafogo owner reported to Brazilian federal police over match-fixing claims

Senator Jorge Kajuru has requested Brazil's federal police to investigate John Textor, the owner of football club Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, after Textor made match-fixing allegations against the São Paulo and Palmeiras football teams.

Kajuru – a senator for the Brazilian state of Goiás – confirmed the report during a senate plenary meeting yesterday (2 April). He said he had outlined his concerns to the federal police in the form of a letter, which he encouraged others in the session to sign.

During the meeting Kajuru outlined Textor’s allegations. Textor had alleged that five players from the São Paulo football club had received bribes from Palmeiras in regards to the Brazilian Championship Series A game, where Palmeiras beat São Paulo 5-0. He also claimed to have evidence to support this.

Kajuru added that one month prior, Textor said he had a recording of a referee that had been collecting bribes.

Kajuru said that he had sent the claims to Andrei Rodrigues, director of..

March 25, 2024

Former BetCity owners fire €104 million demand back at Entain

BetCity's former owners have claimed Entain was not only aware of the KSA's investigations, but also severely impacted their earn-out.

The counterclaim against Entain has been submitted by BetCity’s former owners, which consists of various members of the Singels family. Also included are former CEO Melvin Bostelaar and former marketing director Robert Kooiman.

It comes in response to Entain’s original accusation that undeclared regulatory investigations at the time of the acquisition meant the Dutch-facing business was worth as much as €156m (£133m/$169m) less than assumed.

Entain acquired BetCity for €450m in January 2023, with the deal ultimately giving it access to the Dutch market. BetCity was one of the initial 10 licensees in the Netherlands.

However in January this year, Entain launched a compensation claim after details of two regulatory cases came to light. Entain said in the claim it was unaware of the investigations into BetCity when it acquired the business…

March 25, 2024

India government cracks down on celebrities advertising offshore gambling

India’s ministry of information and broadcasting has warned celebrities and influencers against advertising offshore online operators on social media, stating they could face penal action for doing so.

The ministry’s advisory explained that those with influence in India are prohibited from advertising illegal gambling operators in a surrogate manner. Those who do risk facing “rigorous scrutiny”.

Under the current system, the Indian government can issue notifications to intermediaries such as social media platforms to remove access to posts advertising illegal operators.

Beyond that, celebrities and influencers could also face proceedings under the 2019 Consumer Protection Act. This could lead to social media accounts being disabled, while further penal action can also be administered under applicable statutes.

The advisory highlighted the “significant financial and socio-economic implications of online betting” as reasons not to promote offshore operators.

CCPA warns celebrities o..

March 22, 2024

Defendant claims “character assassination” from DraftKings in preliminary injunction case

A former DraftKings employee has accused the company of “aggressive smearing” of his reputation in a response to attempts to block him from working with Fanatics.

Michael Hermalyn worked at DraftKings as senior vice-president of both its business development and growth departments, spending three and a half years with the company. Hermalyn then departed for Fanatics in February 2024, joining as president of VIP and head of its Los Angeles office.

DraftKings has since accused Hermalyn of stealing company secrets and soliciting customers and former colleagues.

In early February, at the request of DraftKings for a preliminary injunction, a federal judge placed a temporary order barring Hermalyn from utilising trade secrets, as well as soliciting customers or employees, in his new role.

However, Judge Julia Kobick of the United States District Court in the District of Massachusetts rejected DraftKings’ request to completely bar Hermalyn from working for Fanatics.

In response, Hermal..

March 20, 2024

Baseball star Ohtani’s lawyers: Interpreter stole for illegal sports betting

The Los Angeles Times claims lawyers for baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani are accusing the ballplayer's interpreter of stealing money and placing “bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation”.

The Los Angeles Times broke the story today (20 March) claiming baseball superstar Ohtani’s lawyers are accusing the ballplayer’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of “massive theft” for illegal sports betting.

According to the Times’ report, learning of the theft was incidental after Ohtani’s name turned up during an investigation into Michael Bowyer.

“Millions” of dollars involved in illegal sports betting investigation

Two sources told the newspaper that “millions of dollars” were involved. Federal agents “raided” Bowyer’s Orange County, California. home last year as part of an illegal sports betting investigation, and the Times discovered Ohtani’s name came up in that investigation.

According to an ESPN report, $4.5m was wired out of Ohtani’s acco..

March 19, 2024

Australia’s ACMA requests blocking of another eight gambling sites

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued blocking orders for a further eight websites after ruling they breached gambling laws in the country.

ACMA named Lucky7even, 50 Crowns, Rockwin, Bitdreams, Mr Pacho, Casino Infinity, Zota Bet and Spicyjackpots as sites to be blocked. It said each site was operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

The organisation did not go into detail about specific breaches of the Act. However, it did set out how it can take action if a website has committed a certain offence.

These actions include providing banned interactive gambling services to Australian players, such as online casinos, slots and in-play sports betting. ACMA may also request blocking if a website offers gambling without a licence, or publishes adverts for other unlicenced services.

While ACMA cannot actually block sites, it can request Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to do so.

Since ACMA made its first request in November 2019, s..

March 7, 2024

Montenegro’s electronic payments ban raises industry concerns

Amendments to Montenegro’s gambling laws that would ban the use of electronic payment methods are leading to concerns among the country’s gambling sector, with Montenegro Bet representative Jovana Klisić saying the industry is “at a crossroads”.

The amendment to Article 68f of Montenegro’s gambling law will see a variety of electronic payment methods, such as ebanking and mobile payments, disabled when it comes to depositing into betting accounts.

The changes now mean bettors in Montenegro have two options should they wish to bet online. Players can enter a betting shop and place a monetary cash wager which then transfers online funds into their accounts. Alternatively, players can pay via card, but only on a terminal in a betting shop.

The provisions have caused agitation in the Montenegrin industry, with gambling companies concerned over the amendment’s impact on business. A petition calling to halt the change received 25,000 signatures, around 8% of the country’s electorate, in j..

March 7, 2024

Austrac launches investigation into Bet365 over potential AML failings

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) has commenced an investigation into Bet365 over potential breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) laws.

Austrac ordered an audit of Bet365 in 2022, when it assessed its compliance with the AML/CTF Act 2006. The consideration of that audit has led Austrac to deem further investigation into Bet365’s affairs as necessary.

Austrac reserves the right to take action where non-compliance is found. The government-run financial intelligence agency has fines and other regulatory powers at its disposal.

“Corporate bookmakers must have robust systems in place to ensure they can manage and mitigate risks associated with money laundering and terrorism financing,” said Brendan Thomas, Austrac chief executive.

“Businesses without adequate processes in place to manage those risks leave themselves vulnerable to exploitation by criminals.”

Bet365 in potential hot water with Austrac

austrac reached..

March 5, 2024

EGBA lauds EU’s proposed introduction of digital identification

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has welcomed the European parliament’s approval of introducing a standardised electronic identification method called a “European Digital Identity” (e-ID).

The EGBA-endorsed move would oblige states in the European Union (EU) to issue an e-ID to citizens. This would allow them to authenticate their identity for online services. These e-IDs will be optional for citizens and businesses.

EGBA labelled the European parliament’s approval on Monday a “significant milestone” in providing a safer and more inclusive online environment for citizens in the EU. There were 335 votes in favour, 190 opposing the new regulations and 31 abstentions.

The proposed e-IDs will mean citizens would no longer have to resort to commercial providers to verify their online identification, something that has caused privacy and security concerns in the past.

The hope is that e-IDs will reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, enhancing security for the EU’..

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Tag: Legal