Law and Regulations

Netherlands regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) announced a strategic partnership deal with Facebook social media platform in order to tackle more effective illegal lotteries. For some time now, the Ksa has been receiving reports about illegal online lotteries, which are mainly organized via Facebook. These are known as ‘dipping’. KSA started thirteen …

The British gambling regulator UKGC has set a fine of £2.8 million for BoyleSports over money laundering failures. During an investigation by the regulator, Boylesports Enterprise was found to have breached Commission rules aimed at preventing money laundering on its Boylesports.com and Boylecasino.com websites. According to the statement UKGC released …

The pressure from Netherlands was too heavy for Curacao, the constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curacao’s economy is dependent on Netherlands especially the past months during which the European country has been providing the island nation with “liquidity support” to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 …

Spain’s minister of consumer affairs Alberto Garzon informed sporting clubs sponsored by gambling firms to cancel their contracts before the end of the season in anticipation of a new law on gambling advertising! According to Reuters the minister informs the clubs that contracts with gambling companies will be prohibited once …

William Hill is expanding its footprint in Spain, since its subsidiary Mr Grand got certified from Spain’s gambling regulator DGOJ (Dirección General del Ordenación del Juego). William Hill is already active in the Iberian country, mainly as a sportsbook, and it seems that Mr Green is coming to strengthen its …

Genesis Global’s licence suspension was lifted by the UK Gambling Commission. The company has been given the green light to resume operating in the UK market for their online casino brands Casino Gods, Casoola Casino, Kassu Casino, Spela, Casino Joy, Pelaa, Vegas Hero, Sloty, and SpinIt.  Genesis Global CEO Ariel …

The Regional Council of Darmstadt awarded its first sports betting licences. The operators secured those first licences are the four GVC Holdings brands bwin, SportingBet, Ladbrokes and Gamebookers, Gauselmann Group’s Cashpoint brand and Tipwin. GVC’s CEO Shay Segev commented: “The award of these licences is great news for GVC, bringing …

After accusations that the iGaming sector is an easy target for money laundering, Lithuania’s authorities published new and stricter Know-Your-Customer (KYC) guidelines for gaming operators.  Lithuania’s Ministry of Finance and its Gambling Supervision Service said the new guidelines outline factors that gambling and lottery companies should seriously consider when assessing …

The British Gambling Commission (UKGC) joined forces with leading social media platform Facebook to create guidance aimed at limiting the number of gambling-related adverts users see when visiting their social media account. According to UKGC’s announcement the guidance explains the different ways in which Facebook’s safety tools and settings can …

Ukraine’s government announced their plan to establish a Gambling Commission in order to regulate the gambling and lotteries market of the former Soviet Union country. The new commission will be launched by November 2020 according to the Cabinet of Ministers which approved the plan. The Gambling Commission will issue licenses, …

Last June French gambling regulator L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) took officially the responsibility of licensing operators in France from ARJEL. The new regulator announced that renewed the licenses of 10 online sportsbooks, reaching a total of 14 since it took over.  In France there are 19 licensed operators which …

Ireland’s justice minister Helen McEntee admitted the launch of the country’s new gambling regulator will be delayed. “I hope to bring proposals in that regard to the Government next year” she said prolonging the wait for at least until 2021.  The new regulator was one aspect of Ireland’s Gaming and …

Google Inc., Google Ireland Limited and Google Italy is being investigated by Italian communications authority AgCom for potential breach of gambling advertising ban displaying of gambling ads on top of their page. AgCom will decide whether or not the tech company has breached Italy’s online gambling ad ban. The Lega-5Star …

The Gambling Commission has today, 28 August, launched the competition to award the fourth National Lottery licence. The UKGC will announce the preferred applicant in September 2021. The National Lottery is one of the world’s largest lotteries and the current (third) licence is due to expire in 2023. Since launching …

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) unveiled some tough new measures aimed at further preventing under-18s from seeing gambling adverts online. The new code, which will come into force on 1 October, shows BGC’s determination to drive up standards within the betting and gaming industry. The standards body, which represents …

Controversial Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is privatizing sports betting and opens the market to interested investors. The Brazilian president signed a decree formally adding sports betting to the country’s Investment Partnership Program (PPI) portfolio and national privatization program, while handing state-owned bank Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) …

British Gambling Commission (UKGC) trying to raise public awareness of safer gambling control tools, facilities and support groups as GambleAware and GamCare, launched a new campaign called “9 ways to keep yourself safe when gambling”.  The UKGC also reminds audiences of their rights to ask for a “timeout from gambling” …

Online gambling remains illegal in the Netherlands and is expected to launch its regulated market in one year, but this didn’t stop the Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit to issue 14 warnings to operators that used the Covid-19 pandemic in adverts promoting gambling! According to the KSA, it has so far recorded …

Russian sports betting laws are expected to change. The Bill 647044-7 which was presented on the Russian Duma on April has amended “federal regulations on activities for the regulation and conduct of gambling” and will allow the Russian government to implement higher taxes and further increase the financial obligations of …

After a series of scandals the Bulgarian legislature approved the second reading of a bill that will abolish the troubled existing gambling regulator. At the same time, according to the bill, the role will be handed to the National Revenue Agency, while there will be introduced new capital requirements for …