Month: December 2022

Mobile betting will be legalised in areas within the physical boundaries of the tribal land. An addendum added to the compacts by the tribes to allow those types of games outside the borders of the reservations was not included in the final draft.

However, the text of agreements does contain language that would facilitate the long-term implantation of that goal, with provisions included that would allow the tribes to offer online gaming statewide if so authorised by state and federal law.

Future of statewide online gaming

In November, following the submission of the final drafts of the compacts for review, Burgum said that the power to grant tribal extension of online gaming statewide rested with the state house, not the governor’s mansion.  

“While we understand and appreciate the desire by some of the tribes to extend online gaming beyond their reservation boundaries, a clear legal path does not exist for the governor to grant such a broad expansion of gaming in the compact,” he said.

The governor also hinted that gaming could be on the agenda in the upcoming 2023 legislative session.  

“We plan to work with the legislature to bring all parties to the table and take a comprehensive look at gaming during the upcoming 2023 session, including sports betting, e-tabs and other gaming.”

The new agreements have been sent to the US Department of the Interior, and will have 45 days to approve or reject the signed compacts. If the department takes no action in that time, then the compacts will automatically go into effect.

New North Dakota compacts

The legal age of gambling on reservations is also to be lowered from 21 years to 19 years old. An exception will remain in place for those with a military ID, who will be able to place bets at 18.

Tribes will also be able to accept credit and debit cards for any reason, including cashless gaming and account wagering. Under the terms of the agreements, the state will conduct one annual casino inspection at the tribe’s expense, while any additional visits will be at the state’s expense. The cost of state regulatory activity reimbursed by the tribes cannot exceed $10,000 dollars per year.

The tribes also agreed to provide $25,000 each per year to support gambling addiction treatment, education and prevention services.

“We are deeply grateful to the tribal chairs and their representatives for their collaboration throughout these many months of negotiations, and we look forward to continuing the mutually beneficial gaming partnership between the state and the sovereign tribal nations with whom we share geography,” said Burgum.

The compacts happen in the context of the recent failure of the Californian tribes to authorise sports betting on tribal land.

The new-look Rofus website has been redesigned to make it easier for Danish players to self-exclude from gambling.

Spillemyndigheden said the revamped site is now simpler to navigate, but the functionality remains the same, with players still able access a wide range of help and support through Rofus.

The site was inaccessible for a short period yesterday (5 December) while the update was completed, but the service is now running again as normal.

Rofus launched back in 2012 and according to the most recent annual update published by Spillemyndigheden in January of this year, more than 30,000 have signed up to self-exclude from gambling.

At the time, Spillemyndigheden said approximately 4,000 people were signing up to Rofus every year. The 20-29 age group made up the bulk of those on the most recent list (30%), just ahead of the 30-39 bracket with 28%.

The regulator also noted that the majority of people registering with ROFUS are men, with 76% of all those on the list being male and 24% female.

Under the multi-year deal, which marks the first of its kind in the US for PokerStars, the online poker operator will serve as an official sponsor of the Red Wings.

PokerStars and Red Wings will work together to offer players the chance to win prizes such as signed memorabilia, merchandise and tickets, as well as a range of fan experiences.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The new facility will replace the existing Century Casino Caruthersville, the last remaining riverboat casino on open water in the state, while an adjacent 38-room hotel tower will also be built at the site.

The land-based casino will feature a gaming space with an initial 650 slot machines, with the potential to add an additional 160 terminals, as well as table games, a deli and a bar.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The YouGov survey found 71% of respondents believed warnings similar to those placed on cigarette packs would be ineffective at preventing gambling-related harm such as addiction, with only 3% saying they would be “very effective”.

Almost half of those who took part in the study also said banning popular promotions such as free bets would also not have any impact on problem gambling rates in Great Britain, compared to 8% who said a ban would be “very effective”.

Both measures have been touted by anti-industry pressure groups as the possible tools to prevent problem gambling and reduce gambling-related harm, the BGC noted.

Adverse consequences

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher added that these measures may even have adverse consequences.

“Problem gambling rates in the UK are low and have fallen, but still the anti-gambling lobby – prohibitionists who just want to ban things – are pushing for draconian measures which will only stigmatise those who enjoy a harmless flutter,” BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said.

“Measures like these, however well meaning, will only serve to drive punters from the regulated sector to the unsafe, unregulated gambling black market where the numbers betting have doubled in recent years and the amount staked is in the billions.

“Anti-gambling prohibitionists are determined to treat betting like tobacco and to treat punters like smokers – but these two things are worlds apart and should be regulated entirely differently.”

Gambling Act review

The survey comes as the British industry continues to await the results of the Gambling Act Review, which launched November 2020 but has faced a series of setbacks. 

A white paper on the subject was expected in late 2021, but this did not occur, with delays influenced partly by changes at the Gambling Commission.

The document appeared to be ready for publication in July, but its status was thrown into doubt by a string of government resignations, including that of the minister responsible for the review, Chris Philp. 

Soon after Philp stepped down, prime minister Boris Johnson announced he would also leave, which meant the document was pushed back until the new prime minister, Liz Truss, took charge.

However, Truss resigned after only 44 days in her post, which set the Gambling Act review back further. The new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, then appointed Paul Scully as the minister in charge of the review in a cabinet reshuffle, potentially delaying publication once again.

Bettors first had the opportunity to place fixed odds bets on 3 December, during the Mouttet Mile race at Jamaica’s Caymanas Park racetrack. Multiple betting stands have been set up at the track for this purpose.

This will be followed by a roll-out at Supreme Ventures’ 130 wagering outlets.

“The culture and passion for racing in Jamaica really needs to be seen to be believed,” said Dallas Baker, head of business development, US at BetMakers.

“Jamaica punches well above its weight when it comes to betting handle so we are in for some exciting times now that we have launched fixed odds betting in a second jurisdiction in the Americas.”

Baker added that the launch follows a rise in the popularity of racing, which he said had increased across the globe recently.

“Like all of our partner tracks, we are committed to the growth of racing and re-investment in the industry,” Baker continued. “As we have seen in Australia with the boom in racing handle over the fifteen years following the deregulation of fixed odds betting, new players are entering the industry, innovation and technology advancements are plentiful, and the customer experience is at an all-time high.”

“The team at Caymanas Park, headed by chairman Solomon Sharpe, are committed to the promotion of horse racing and we are very proud to join with them in efforts to grow racing for all participants in Jamaica.

“And whilst fixed odds betting is the starting point of BetMakers’ partnership with Supreme Ventures, this is the beginning of a multi-faceted relationship where both parties are committed to working together for the benefit of the industry.”

ThePogg publishes casino reviews while also acting as a registered alternative dispute resolution provider, having received approval from the Malta Gaming Authority for this service.

It was acquired by Brand Streamers earlier this year, but the business said that it now wished to sell ThePogg to focus more specifically on its US-facing streaming portfolio.

“The mission of Brand Streamers has always been to revolutionise gaming streaming in the US markets where we’ve already obtaining over 20 US licences,” Clas Dahlén of Brand Streamers Group said.

“To most effectively achieve this objective the board of directors has agreed that it would be advantageous to more tightly focus on our streaming objectives and restructure the business away from other areas.

ThePogg history

ThePOGG was founded in 2011 by Duncan Garvie, who went on to found BetBlocker. It then moved into the alternative dispute resolution in 2012, and has managed over 6.5k player complaints against online gambling companies, resulting in over $7.5 million having been returned to players.

“ThePogg.com has been a work of passion for me for over a decade,” Garvie said. “Integrity and trust have been at the core of everything I’ve worked to develop and I’m very very proud of the achievements that we’ve made.

“It’s now time to pass the torch on to someone who can take the brand to the next level.”

Garvie added that ThePogg has undertaken major work in the responsible gambling space, which he said has helped it become more trusted.

“Under my tenure ThePogg founded a Responsible Gambling charity that now helps tens of thousands of people every day and works with some of the biggest names in the gambling industry,” he said. “I am deeply proud of the brand, which is unparalleled in the industry in terms of trust an integrity.

“I look forward to working with the new owners to take the brand to the next level.”

Dahlén said that this unique position – as the only affiliate that is also officially approved to provide dispute resolution services – should make it a compelling acquisition target.

“To this end we are now talking to several parties about the potential sale of ThePogg,” he said. “ThePogg is an incredible asset, industry renowned and highly respected. The brand’s achievements in alternative dispute resolution and responsible gambling are not only unique but have established it as an authority resource without parallel in the sector.

“We have no doubt that demand for this property will be very high and are looking to find it a home with a new owner who has the resources and respect for the ethos of the brand that will allow it to flourish and reach its full potential.”

“We are open to conversations with all parties about the potential acquisition of ThePOGG, and will be ensuring that we fully explore all options before any decision is made.”

AskGamblers sale

The announcement comes while Catena Media brand AskGamblers is also up for sale, following a strategic review into the business.

iGB understands that Catena is soon to close the sale of the AskGamblers brand.

Esports Entertainment Group said that on 30 November the Nasdaq Hearing Panel granted EEG’s request to continue listing on the exchange, subject to a host of compliance requirements.

By 7 February 2023, the business must have a minimum bid price of $1.00 (£0.82/ €0.95) for a period of ten consecutive days in order to meet the Panel’s compliance criteria.

As of market close on 5 December, Esports Entertainment Group trades at $0.12 per share. This means that EEG will have less than two months to increase the business’s share price more than eightfold in order to be considered in compliance.  

In addition, the company must show evidence – by 31 March 2023 – that it has a minimum of $2.5m in stockholder equity. The business currently has a market capitalisation of $8.6m.

EEG will also have to comply will a number of other conditions and requirements that are not yet publicly disclosed.  

Reported Esports Entertainment Group CEO change

According to the Sharpr newsletter, the Esports Entertainment Group board has asked long-time CEO Grant Johnson to resign. While the operator has not officially confirmed Johnson’s departure, Sharpr noted that emails to his former company address now come back undelivered.

Esports Entertainment Group has faced a turbulent time in recent years, with brand closures, a debt default, and large operating losses. In May, within the business’s quarterly financial report, EEG said that there was “substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern for a least one year”.

In October, the group announced that it was effectively at the mercy of an unnamed creditor after the business defaulted on its debt.

This was followed by news in November that the business would be shutting its RedZone and Sport Nation brands in the UK market.

SportNation and RedZone both said the sites were “closing for a variety of reasons including the economics of operating a small igaming business in the UK market”.

In October last year, the KSA discovered that Holland Casino’s licensed and regulated igaming site contained links that when clicked on, led visitors to information about the operator’s physical casinos across the country.

KSA deemed this to be a breach of Article 4.2, paragraph 5, of the Dutch Remote Games of Chance Decree, in that an online licence holder may not place adverts on their website for services and goods other than those for which the licence was granted.

Holland Casino holds the monopoly licence in the Netherlands for operating land-based casinos. This licence is separate from the permit secured by the brand last year to also offer online gambling in the country.

KSA reached the decision some time ago but was unable to publish details of the ruling due to pending procedures, including appeals filed by Holland Casino.

However, Holland Casino accepted the ruling and has taken action to remove the links so that its igaming site is operating fully in line with regulations in the Netherlands. 

Other Netherlands online gambling breaches

The case follows a number of other recent rulings by KSA in reference to licence breaches by operators in the country.

Last month, KSA issued Toto Online with a fine of €400,000 for targeting advertising at young adults in the country. KSA said Toto Online – owned by Nederlandse Loterij – sent advertising messages to its entire customer base between 1 October 2021, the date the country opened its legal online gambling market, and 1 February this year.

Also last month, KSA took action against a number of other licensed operators after ruling they breached rules and regulations. The KSA said that the offences took place in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup.

Two operators were warned for offering bets on the number of yellow cards in football matches. Dutch law prohibits betting on certain events in games as they are regarded as being sensitive to match-fixing.  

Another operator was issued a warning for violating a ban on using roles models to promote gambling. A number of well-known Dutch people featured in an ad that promoted an event, with the operator’s logo featured throughout the advert.

KSA did not disclose the identities of these brands.

Gellatly has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, with a background in journalism, consulting and research.

The former Financial Times sports and gambling reporter – who also helped found iGamingBusiness – will become the third executive director in the history of the AGCC, replacing the outgoing Jorn Starck who has led the regulator since 2015.

“Andrew has established himself as a trusted voice in the global gambling industry,” said AGCC chair Lord Faulkner of Worcester. “His career has been built on independence, impartiality, and a deep knowledge of the sector.

“We look forward to Andrew representing the AGCC on the global stage, developing our strategy and ensuring our regulatory approach continues to meet the needs of licensees and operators.”

Gellatly said that it was an ideal time to join the regulator, due to new opportunities across the globe.

“As the global online gambling market becomes more diversified and complex, there could be no better time for me to join the Alderney Gambling Control Commission,” he said.

“Newly opening markets from Canada to Latin America are creating unprecedented opportunities for global-facing businesses, with new products and new delivery channels. I will be extending Alderney’s already established international profile as a collaborative, trusted and supportive regulator working with the highest quality brands and companies.”