Month: March 2022

Massion- who is based in the US – is also a non-executive director at Playtech, AGS and Artemis Strategic Investment Corp.

Before this, she had held a variety of roles elsewhere, including senior analyst at hedge fund Per Capital Management, director of gaming, lodging and leisure research at Hedgeye Risk Management and vice president of proprietary equities training at J.P. Morgan Securities.

The appointment comes after BetMakers made moves to expand in North America, assigning former Caesars Entertainment sports and online gaming head Christian Stuart to lead the charge earlier this year.

Massion’s annual remuneration fee will constitute AUD$100,000, which will include superannuation, retirement benefits or other types of tax contribution.

“I am very excited to be appointed to the BetMakers’ board and look forward to contributing as a part of the efforts to oversee the next phase of success that the company has clearly set out on its roadmap,” said Massion.

“BetMakers Technology Group is making a serious impression as a leader in the international B2B wagering world and I am especially pleased to be associated with the future development of that global growth story.”

BetMakers has issued Massion 498,339 rights to shares under its long-term incentive plan, which will constitute the first three years of her employment, in lieu of her annual director’s fee.

Last month BetMakers also appointed lawyer Rebekah Giles to the role of independent non-exec director.

“We are delighted to welcome Anna to the company’s board,” said Nick Chan, BetMakers chairman. “Her deep knowledge in global gaming, wagering, technology and investment communities, and her experience in related companies as a non-executive director and as chair of multiple board committees, make her an outstanding appointment.”

“Anna is based in the US, which is at the forefront of BetMakers’ global growth strategy, and where more than 50% of our company’s staff is now located. We are very excited that Anna has agreed to join our team at the board level as a non-executive director and strengthen our strategic and governance capabilities at an international level.”

Sloty.com and a site from 1xSlot were among the websites making the list. 888starz, 888starz1, 22bet1 and Casinogods were also listed, along with sites including Genesiscasino, Casinojoy, and Rantcasino.

Also blocked are Brazino777, two Vulkanvegas sites, Vegashero, and Pariscasino6.

The ONJN originally launched its blacklist back in in 2015, prior to the country opening its regulated online gaming market in the following year. It has regularly updated the list since, including in August 2020 when 20 websites were blacklisted.

Players in Romania looking to visit blocked sites will be redirected to a message reading, “Your access to this site has been restricted by the National Gambling Office” which then outlines the ONJN’s powers to create such a blacklist.

Senate Bills 643, 1046 and 1061 are all currently pending the Senate Appropriations Committee after being referred there during their last hearings.

Each of these bills will be heard by the Committee tomorrow (March 9).

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Under the agreement, which runs until the end of September 2024, IGT will deliver an integrated draw-based and instant ticket central system, as well as lottery terminals, a communications network and ongoing marketing.

IGT will also print instant tickets and provide all instants-related marketing consulting services, as well as trading advisory services for sports betting including risk management and odds setting.

The wider agreement also includes lottery game transactions and instant ticket distribution across 8,400 terminals throughout Mexico.

This covers the continuous development of new B2B retail channels; installation, repair, maintenance and monitoring of lottery terminals; retailer training; field service; call centre operations and hotline management; a fixed-odds sports betting retail network; and further marketing support.

“Lotenal has been evolving over the last few years, and this new contract with IGT ensures that we continue providing our players with the highest-quality and most engaging products,” Lotenal’s coordinator of advisors Mario Caballero Luna said. 

“We trust that IGT’s industry leadership along with its top-performing technology will serve us well in the coming years.”

IGT’s chief operating officer for global lottery Jay Gendron added: “IGT’s successful partnership with Lotenal spans three decades, and within that timeframe, we have generated positive sales results to benefit many good causes throughout the country.

“The addition of IGT’s trading advisory services and instant ticket printing as part of the latest contract, along with IGT’s advanced technology, will continue to be key drivers of the lottery’s progression.”

In an email to customers, the business said the brand – which operates in Great Britain – would be “closed to all customers” as of 31 March.

After this point, players would not be able to place bets, make deposits or cash out open bets.

All bets that are ruled to be winners before 28 April, 2023, however, will still be honoured with winnings paid in full. 

The website will remain available in order to process withdrawals until the end of 28 April, 2022.

Winnings after the site closes must be requested via the operator’s customer support team.

Mansion also operates the MansionCasino, Casino.com and SlotsHeaven sites, all of which focus on casino gaming rather than sports betting. The business said the closure of its sports betting site would help it focus more on casino.

“Mansion Group have decided to focus on our award-winning casino brands Casino.com, MansionCasino.com, and SlotsHeaven.com and continue to operate in the UK online casino market,” it said. 

In addition, the brand said it had been working on other markets, including pursuit of an online gaming licence in Ontario, which is set to open in April.

“There are other markets such as Spain, where we are operating with MansionCasino.es, and Canada where we are in the process of applying for a license for their flagship brand, Casino.com in the soon to be regulated Ontario market.”

The government first proposed introducing licences for business-to-business suppliers in January during a press conference by Minister for Social Security Ardalan Shekarabi. Under the rules, a gaming software licence would become mandatory for suppliers who offer their services to operators in Sweden. This, according to the Ministry, would help to shut down unlicensed gambling in the country.

At the time, the Ministry also suggested adjusting how gambling is marketed in Sweden to protect young people and those with gambling problems from being exposed to advertising, bringing in “stricter requirements for moderation”.

The Swedish government has now opened a consultation for how the new licensing system would work.

Under the proposed rules, the application fee for supplier licences would come to SEK120,000, while licence renewal fees for online operators would also be increased from SEK300,000 to SEK600,000.

“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 for such an application,” the government said. “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 at the previous application, which means that Spelinspektionen must test whether the new people and the organisation meet the set requirements.

“Against 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.”

The government also said that the new fee is still “relatively low”, particularly when compared to the size of the overall online gaming market. It said that total licence fees would only make up 0.03% of total turnover for the period in which they are valid.

“The proposed new level of the licence renewal fee is therefore not expected to affect companies to any great extent at an overall level,” it said.

In addition, Spelinspektionen may issue further regulations governing the terms of a B2B licence.

The government also revealed that it expected roughly 70 software licences to be issued at launch, and that the implementation of the licences and corresponding fees should have only 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,” it said.

If adopted, the rules would come into effect on 1 March, 2023, which is two months later than initially proposed.

The communication comes in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and resulting government sanctions.

The GC has reminded operators to ensure that any money laundering and terrorist financing procedures should contain provisions for mitigating the risk of dealing with sanctioned customers and jurasdictions – such as Russia.

The Commision has also warned operators that failure to take a risk-based approach could result in a breach of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, which in turn could lead to enforcement action against the business.

Any operarotors who may have breached sanctions laws have been told to report themselves to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation at the earliest opportunity.

In addition to the Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) also reminded operators in its jurisdiction about their conduct towards Russian businesses and urged operators to complete new background checks on customers.

A number of operators, developers and other businesses within the gambling industry have withdrawn their services from Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion.

Genius Sports Group has halted its commercial operations in Russia, while online operator LeoVegas has suspended betting on domestic sports in Russia and Belarus.

The MoU will mean the IBIA will take charge of protecting sports play, customers and regulated betting operators in Canada.

The agreement will also launch a number of collaborative projects for the IBIA and CGA, which will involve the promotion of integrity ventures and supporting the regulation of Canada’s betting market.

“Protecting the integrity of the betting market in Ontario, and indeed the wider Canadian market, is very important to IBIA and its members,” said Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA. “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.”

The IBIA announced the launch of its integrity service in the US and Canada in February. The association had recently received accreditation from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario as an independent integrity monitor.

“IBIA will be one of only a handful of sports integrity monitors recognized by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for licensed operators and we believe there is great value in deepening our relationship with the organization,” said Paul Burns, President and CEO of the CGA.

“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.”

Ontario is set to launch its igaming market on 4 April, ending a process that first launched in April 2019. This was when Ontario’s government announced plans to open the province’s online gaming market to private operators, developments on which began in November 2020.

The legislation passed in 2021.

Single event sports betting launched in Canada August, after Bill C-218 passed into law and was given Royal Assent.

The bill removed a paragraph of Canada’s Criminal Cod, which stipulated that bettors could only place wagers on three games or more.

Introduced in February, House Bill 4826 will expand West Virginia’s legal sports wagering market and allow consumers to bet on esports events.

The bill defines an esports event as an “electronic sport or competitive video game played as a game of skill for spectators”. Licensed sportsbooks may offer odds on any professional event that fits this category, provided it doesn’t breach other rules around betting on minors.

Last week the bill was passed by the House at the third reading and introduced to the Senate.
The sponsors of the bill included Moore Capito, Bennett Queen, Steve Westfall, Shawn Fluharty, Clay Riley, Daniel Linville and William Nestor.

West Virginia was one of the first US states to legalise sports betting in 2018, allowing both retail and online sports wagering within its initial market launch following the repeal of PASPA.

The sports data supplier and technology business said it will suspend commercial operations in both Russia and Belarus for the foreseeable future.

More than one million people have left Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country on 24 February.

“At all times our priority remains ensuring the safety and well-being of our colleagues, their

families and loved ones in the region,” Genius Sports said. “Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people.”

Last week, online gambling operator LeoVegas announced its was to suspend all betting on domestic Russian and Belarusian sports in response to the invasion.

Parimatch Tech also said that it would withdraw its franchise from Russia in response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Parimatch brand was founded in Ukraine in 1994 and the main development centre of Parimatch Tech is in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Last week also saw the launch of Gaming Industry for Ukraine, an initiative that aims to raise £250,000 for those affected by the war. So far, almost £180,000 has been raised, including £25,000 from Betsson Group.