Sports betting regulation – Page 5

January 24, 2024

Road to ICE 2024: Affordability checks looming large amid criticism

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

The Gambling Act review white paper was a huge landmark for the UK gambling industry. The white paper outlined how gambling should be regulated in the UK going forward. Key terms included consultations on stake limits, a mandatory statutory levy for operators and the introduction of an ombudsman.

However, affordability checks have continued to be one of the reviews’ most debated issues. While many in the industry agree with the white paper’s proposals, affordability checks were met with fierce opposition from operators and trade bodies.

The need for affordability checks

Many of the white paper’s proposals were made with the intention of protecting vulnerable groups. Gambling Commission research published in November revealed that one in 40 Britons is a problem gambler.

the long-awaited white paper was released in april 2023

Lucy Frazer, ..

January 15, 2024

UK affordability checks to be debated in February after successful petition

Affordability checks will be debated in the UK's parliament on 26 February, following a successful petition calling to stop their implementation.

The petition opposed the widespread introduction of financial checks outlined in the Gambling Act review white paper. Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale registered the petition in early November.

By the end of November, the petition had passed 100,000 signatures, the number required for parliament discussion. A debate has now been scheduled for 26 February after it was discussed in Westminster Hall last Tuesday.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), responded: “The fact that our survey reached the required 100,000 signatures threshold in just 27 days is powerful testament to the strength of feeling shared by bettors over the proposed checks.

“While we support the need to protect individuals from the risk of gambling-related harm it remains the case that millions of people enjoy betting..

January 11, 2024

Sports Betting Alliance opposes California sports betting ballots

The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), a group of leading US gambling operators, has declared its opposition to two sports betting ballots in California, saying it will not financially support either initiative.

Both ballots would give tribes exclusive rights to offer retail and online sports betting in California. They were filed with the state’s attorney-general in October 2023.

CALIFORNIA’S SPORTS BETTING BALLOTS WERE FILED WITH THE STATE’S ATTORNEY-GENERAL IN OCTOBER 2023

The two ballots name Reeve Collins, co-founder and CEO of Pala Interactive, as the contact for media inquiries. Pala Interactive was founded by the Pala Band of Mission Indians in 2013. It was acquired by Boyd Gaming in November 2022.

Authors of the ballots have been seeking financial support for signature gathering from sports betting operators. However, SBA members – BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Sportsbooks – have said they will not provide funding.

SBA blasts proposed ballots

SBA spokesperson Nat..

January 11, 2024

North Carolina sports betting launch edges closer as internal controls deadline set

North Carolina has taken a step closer to launching legal sports betting after the US state’s lottery commission set a deadline of 26 January for operators to submit their internal controls.

Operators applying for a sports betting licence in North Carolina must send over proposed controls by this date. The North Carolina State Lottery said this helps ensure the applicant is ready to launch on the market’s opening day.

The deadline was set during a Commission meeting staged yesterday (10 January). During the same meeting, the Commission approved processes and documents advising applicants on submitting internal controls for approval.

Each licensed operator must receive approval of internal controls before offering bets in North Carolina.

Uncertainty remains over opening date

the north carolina application process launched at the start of december

North Carolina is yet to set a launch date for legal sports betting, although it is expected to be in March 2024. Commission chair Ripl..

January 10, 2024

Road to ICE 2024: Sports betting advertising coming under fire

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

2024 is set to be an intriguing year for sports betting, particularly when it comes to advertising, where operators’ marketing is set to come under more scrutiny than ever before.

This will be particularly prominent in the United Kingdom. The culture, media and sport (CMS) committee recently called for a reduction in sports betting advertising to protect children.

The white paper, published in April 2023, intended to outline how gambling should be regulated in the UK. However, it received criticism for its lack of measures on how to tackle advertising. The CMS committee is pushing for more to be done in 2024 than was outlined in the white paper.

Pressure to reduce sports betting advertising could also prove a common theme across Europe this year. France, Belgium and the Netherlands all took steps in 2023 to reduce the amount of visible gam..

January 10, 2024

Georgia sports betting bill returns to senate

A bill seeking to legalise sports betting in Georgia has been recommitted to the US state’s senate.

Senate Bill 172 was submitted in Georgia in February last year by State Senator Bill Cowsert. It went up against a rival bill, HB380, that also sought to regulate and legalise sports betting in the state.

The bill made it as far as a third reading in the senate. It was shelved in August but has now returned as sponsors seek to push through the bill and launch legal wagering.

The latest version of SB172 is very much unchanged in its core goal. Measures set out in the bill are near enough identical to last year’s version, with proposals covering matters such as licence fees and tax.

No limit on licences issued in Georgia

SB172 comprises several licence types, with each having different fees. The Georgia Sports Betting Commission would oversee the awarding of licences.

A type one sports betting licence covers wagering through an online sports betting provider. This would command an..

January 8, 2024

Corinthians signs record R$370m deal with VaideBet

Corinthians has announced a R$370m (£59.8m/€69.4m/$75.9m) deal with VaideBet, the biggest ever sponsorship in Brazilian football history.

One of the biggest clubs in Brazil, as well as South America, Corinthians will have VaideBet as its front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three years. The partnership is VaideBet’s first move into the football market.

The agreement comes in the wake of the approval of Bill 3,626/2023, with sports betting soon to be legal in the country.

Corinthians president Augusto Melo said: “We are very happy to bring Corinthians the biggest sponsorship in the history of Brazilian football. We have always stressed that Corinthians has the biggest brand in South American football and one of the biggest in world.”

Andre Murilo, chief financial officer of VaideBet, added: “Sponsoring Corinthians is sponsoring not only one of the main institutions in Brazil, but also a club with a very beautiful history and a fan base that is admittedly passionate, engaged and uniqu..

January 4, 2024

GambleAware CEO “welcomes” statutory UK industry levy

GambleAware’s chief executive Zoe Osmond “welcomes” the establishment of a statutory industry levy, believing it will help to fund gambling harms research.

Proposed as one of a host of measures in the Gambling Act white paper, the new levy would be set as a 1% fee on gross gambling yield for online gambling operators. Traditional betting shops and casinos will pay a proposed fee of around 0.4%.

The government says the levy would raise an estimated £100m (€115.5m/$121.7m) per year.

The operators would pay the levy to the Gambling Commission. The hope is this will ensure all licensed operators in the UK pay their fair share. The current voluntary levy system allows operators to pay a chosen sum.

With the consultation on the statutory levy ending in mid-December, Osmond has hailed its introduction, saying: “GambleAware welcomes the introduction of a statutory industry levy to fund gambling harms research, prevention and treatment (RPT).

“This is something we have long called for and..

January 3, 2024

Episode 25: Predictions for gaming regulation in 2024

The World Series of Politics is back from its festive break with the lowdown on what sort of regulatory progress the gaming industry can expect in 2024.

Happy new year listeners! Brendan Bussmann and Brandt Iden are back to discuss a Festivus miracle in Brazil, as well as setting out their predictions for US sports betting growth and whether 2024 will finally be the breakthrough year for US igaming.

brazil has the potential to be huge, but integrated resorts are not part of the mix

We come back after Brazil sports betting and igaming finally makes it over the finish line, giving the industry an early Christmas present. The market has potential to be huge, Brendan Bussmann says, especially after the 18% tax rate was cut to 12% of GGR.

There’s one thing missing, he adds. Integrated resorts are not part of the mix. This could bring billions in revenue into the local economy and, after the sports betting saga, we know Brazil isn’t one for rapid progress.

Regulatory predictions for 20..

December 22, 2023

Netherlands minister Weerwind announces new plans to counter problem gambling

The Netherlands minister for legal protection, Franc Weerwind, has announced new measures that he hopes will protect players from problem gambling.

Weerwind’s letter comes in response to “worrying and undesirable developments” in the Netherlands’ gambling industry. With the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act not expected until 2024, Weerwind has decided to push on with the government’s new plans before then.

The new measures, announced on Thursday, include providers being required to contact players who have set a deposit limit of €350 (£303/$386). Operators should inform such players of the risks of gambling in such high amounts.

As reported by CasinoNieuws, Weerwind’s other proposals involve exhibiting financial amounts in euros and pushing for further research on overarching gaming limits.

In October, Weerwind announced a multi-year digital resilience campaign programme to combat fraud associated with online gambling.

In his letter, Weerwind said: “Everyone who wants to do s..

December 22, 2023

Brazil’s chamber of deputies gives final approval to regulate gambling – igaming included

Brazil's chamber of deputies voted yesterday (21 December) to approve Bill 3,626/2023, which will regulate sports betting. Igaming has also been added back into the bill after removal by the senate.

Brazil’s chamber of deputies has now voted to approve online gambling, giving the final green light for the market to be regulated in 2024.

Yesterday evening’s vote on 21 December follows the senate plenary approving Bill 3,626/2023 on Tuesday 12 December last week.

Now that the Bill has been approved by the chamber of deputies, it will be passed onto the office of the president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, for final approval.

Brazil’s gambling regulation: the final process

While the bill for Brazil’s online gambling regulation was previously approved by the chamber of deputies in September, the chamber was required to vote again to agree on the changes made to the bill by the senate last week.

Bill 3,626/23 was APPROVED BY THE SENATE PLENARY LAST WEEK

Senator Angelo Corone..

December 21, 2023

UK MPs call for reduction in football gambling adverts to protect children

UK MPs have called on the Premier League and other sports governing bodies to reduce the amount of gambling adverts visible in stadiums.

Thursday’s report from the culture, media and sport (CMS) committee states the decrease in visible gambling promotion would help to “minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising”.

MPs have also recommended there should be a push to dedicate more space to safer gambling promotion.

However, the report did highlight that a different perspective should be taken with horse and greyhound racing. This is due to their intrinsic links with gambling.

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the CMS committee, stated: “More should be done to shield both children and people who have experienced problem gambling from what often seems like a bombardment of advertising branding at football and other sporting events.”

CMS committee wants to go further than white paper’s suggestions

The white paper, published in April, proposed a number of ways in which gambl..

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Tag: Sports betting regulation