Month: July 2022

Peter-Paul de Goeij, managing director of Dutch industry association NOGA, discusses how the industry will have to adapt to a wide-ranging ad ban that will come into effect at the start of next year. He notes that pressure in Parliament means it’s possible that this may not be the end of difficulties for the sector, as some factions push for even harsher laws.

iGB Speaks to Woerd about the Dutch market and how advertising options have changed the game for affiliates. As the second wave of licensees prepare to re-enter the Netherlands, are some going to lose market share?

Leach talks to iGB about the Gambling Act review and how it will change British betting and gaming in the future. iGB asks the big question, will the whitepaper settle the gambling debate?

Thomas speaks to iGB about the sports betting industry and how operators are inevitably going to move towards improved product as marketing spend declines, as well as how clever operators will know the power of cross-channel marketing when retaining customers.

Entain, Stats Perform, the International Betting Integrity Association and the All-In Diversity Project will work in collaboration with the German Sports University of Cologne to conduct the research.

The initiative will focus on the links between the popularity of women’s sports, betting on women’s sports and rising numbers of female sports bettors.

The group will work to publish its findings ahead of football’s Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand.

Confirmation of the new research project comes as the 2022 Uefa European Women’s Football Championship is taking place in England.

The tournament is currently at the quarter-final stage, with England, Spain, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, France and the Netherlands having progressed from the group stage.

The final will take place on 31 July at London’s Wembley Stadium. 

While retail sports betting launched in December of last year, no online licensees have yet been granted, with the process facing an indeterminate timeframe for completion.

The approval of the draft regulations by SWARC in its July meeting is an important step forward but there is still work to be done before online sportsbook launch.

The regulations will need to be sent to a legislative review commission followed by a 30-day period of public review. In addition, the final regulations will have to be published by the Maryland register.

Currently, operators interested in launching their online and mobile offerings in the state can apply on the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) to submit themselves to the mandatory background checks.

The MLGCA must clear an operator before SWARC can award it licence.

In June, Maryland governor, Larry Hogan, mounted pressure on SWARC to finalise the regulations in time for the launch of the NFL season on 8 September – noting the long and bureaucratic process from May 2021 when he signed HB 940 into law to permit sports betting.

“Marylanders have grown frustrated waiting for mobile sports wagering as they have watched it become available in state after state across the country, including our neighbouring jurisdictions of Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Washington DC,” said the governor.”

“I share their frustration, and I call upon you to immediately take the steps that I have outlined.”

The authority has also historically maintained a similar public register for illegal websites.

Dávid Lenčéš, the authority general director, emphasised the inventiveness of grey and black market operators in a statement explaining the new feature.   

“We prevent one illegal website from operating and another one is created immediately. The creativity of their operators has no limits,” said Lenčéš.

“They often try to motivate players with irresistible bonus offers, modern visuals, unlimited deposits, and in the case of foreign operators the perfect Slovak language. If players do not check the mandatory details of the website, they may have no reason to suspect that it is illegal content operating outside our country.”

“However, by playing on the illegal website, they are depriving themselves of the possibility of getting their winnings and their legal protection under the laws in force in the Slovak Republic,” Lenčéš added.

Lenčéš continued, explaining the risks that player’s taker when they gamble with an unlicensed operator.

“In the section ‘legal websites’ we publish all licensed websites of licensed entities. This means that all others not included in this list are illegal. Illegal websites can deprive players of their stakes and winnings and are available to risk groups for whom gambling can pose mental health.”

“With more easily obtain information about the legality of a website, we are point out to the scope for playing online gambling games, which are under the control of the valid Slovak legislation.”

In order to qualify for a place on the list, legal websites must fulfil the obligations set forth by the country’s Gambling Act.

“We have tools that allow remote supervision. If we find any violations, there are sanctioning procedures, possibly even removal of the license.”

The sanctions also apply to those who promote the illegal sites such as affiliates. The sanctions run from €50,000 (£43,000/ $51,000) for a human and up to €250,000 (£215,000/ $255,000) for those behind an AI promotion.

In June, the authority also launched an initiative to limit gambling advertisements in the Central European country.

The business said it initiated a review after discovering “instances of non-compliance with state and federal laws concerning the state in which tickets are procured”.

Following this review, the Lottery.com board “terminated the employment” of its president, treasurer and chief financial officer Ryan Dickinson earlier this month, appointing Harry Dhaliwal as interim CFO.

As part of the changeover, the business reviewed its cash balances, and discovered that it had “overstated its available unrestricted cash balance by approximately $30m and that, relatedly, in the prior fiscal year, it improperly recognised revenue in the same amount”.

“The company, in consultation with its outside advisors, is currently validating its preliminary conclusion, assessing any impact on previously issued financial reports, and has begun to institute appropriate remedial measures,” it added.

Alongside this notice, the business announced that chief revenue officer Matthew Clemenson had resigned with immediate effect.

Lottery.com’s share price has collapsed since a peak in November 2021. Once trading at $15.70 per share, shares were trading at $1.22 before the start of the revelations about financial irregularities. Its share price has now dropped further, closing yesterday (18 July) at $0.82 per share.

Frank talks to iGB about the compliance expected of European affiliates in the US market. Regulatory hurdles are made easier with proper planning. Frank says gaming licenses in the US are one of the most valuable assets for companies – so staying compliant is vital.

Collins speaks to iGB about GiG’s recent acquisition with Sportnco, and how reaching over 35 markets with an end-to-end solution has positioned GiG in the industry.