Month: April 2024

Since a 2019 ordinance, all operators in France must submit an annual plan to prevent “excessive” and underage gambling. The ANJ then reviews those action plans. The aim is to increase dialogue between operators and the regulator on the issue.

The ANJ observed that the market has made palpable progress on preventing excessive gambling. Actions have been taken to raise awareness, such as messages to players and dashboards.

Protection standards for identification and support for problem gamblers has increased. The number of at-risk players identified and then supported has risen. The majority of operators implementing improved support measures and excluding players who have been identified as most vulnerable to commercial rewards has also gone up.

ANJ: Problem gambling still too high in France

However, despite the “substantial progress”, the ANJ also stated that problem gambling is still too prevalent. The ANJ cited a 2021 Games Observatory study which estimated 1.4 million players to be at risk in France, with almost 400,000 at a pathological level.

The French regulator highlighted its 2024-2026 strategic plan, which prioritised the reduction of excessive gambling and the protection of minors. As a result, the ANJ called upon operators to increase efforts to heighten identification of problem players and support measures.

The ANJ mandated that operators must detect and intervene as early as possible. Support measures must also be diversified to adapt them to the level of risk identified. Additionally, operators are expected to apply a risk assessment before they market offers.

The ANJ also stated that La Française des Jeux (FDJ), which holds exclusive lottery and retail betting rights in France, as well as its horse racing equivalent Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU), must strengthen control of points of sale to ensure compliance with the ban on sales to minors.

The ANJ reminded operators to increase vigilance on problem gambling and minors ahead of a sporting summer that includes Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games, the latter of which will be held in Paris.

On the topic of underage gambling, the ANJ noted that operators had made actions to prevent attempts by minors to circumvent the gambling ban on those aged under 18.

ANJ calls on casinos and racing companies to do more

While the ANJ found progress on responsible gambling from approved and monopoly operators, it noted stagnation in efforts across casinos, gaming clubs and racing companies coordinated by the National Horse Racing Federation (FNCH).

According to the ANJ, casinos and gaming clubs made €2.7bn (£2.31bn/$2.93bn) in turnover during 2023. 74% of casinos had a higher gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2023 than in 2019.

The ANJ stated there has been heterogeneity in compliance levels for casinos and gaming clubs. While some establishments were showing regular progress, others have changed little since 2021.

The ANJ approved most actions plans, but rejected those of two casinos and one gaming club. To aid the situation, the ANJ sent all establishments a guide on how to improve their efforts.

Racing companies who are under the supervision of the FNCH were also criticised. Their requirements have remained the same since 2023 due to low implementation of measures relating to the “insufficient” identification and support of problem gamblers, particularly in regards to information systems at racetracks.

The Spanish Royal Decree 958/2020 entered into force in November 2020. The regulations looked to reduce minors’ exposure to gambling advertising in Spain by banning aspects such as sponsorship deals with operators.

The measures faced backlash from the industry, with the Spanish Digital Gaming Association (Jdigital) launching an appeal against the Royal Decree. This appeal was rejected in November 2023 by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

In reviewing the law, however, the Supreme Court has now annulled several of the measures outlined in the Royal Decree, partially upholding the appeal.

As a result, multiple measures have been overturned, including article 13, which relates to targeting advertising towards new customers.

This means that Spanish operators will be allowed to market to players who have had an account for less than 30 days. Operators can now also advertise in establishments designated for the sale of lottery games and which are accessible by the public.

Article 15, which prohibits the appearance of celebrities in advertising, has also been annulled. Previously, those of “public relevance and notoriety”, both real and fictional, were prohibited from appearing in commercial communications.

Additionally, section 1 of article 23, and section 3 of article 25, which prohibited gambling adverts on video sharing platforms (such as YouTube), have been annulled.

Sections 2 and 3 of article 26 were also included in the Supreme Court’s decision. As a result, operators will be allowed to advertise on social media to all users over the age of 18.

Several measures “lacked legal coverage”

Spain’s Supreme Court deemed that a number of the Royal Decree measures lacked legal basis and therefore should be overturned.

Royal Decree 958/2020 mandated that advertising on TV and radio, including on YouTube, was restricted to the hours of 1am to 5am. Operator brands were also limited to only targeting promotions towards existing social media followers.

Other restrictions included online age-gating, as well as the prohibition of promotional bonuses. This, however, was exempt if advertising was targeted to verified customers. In 2021, Spain also banned the use of celebrities in gambling advertising, as well as sport sponsorships.

A new law was then passed in October 2022 to further restrict ads by restricting certain communications in advertising. This included references to social status, physical health, economic stability or mental health.

The depiction of money or luxury goods in advertising was also prohibited. It is also illegal to suggest that family and friendships should come second to gambling.

In announcing its ruling against some of those measures, the Supreme Court said: “The ruling considers that advertising is part of the freedom of business and is subject to limits.

“However, such limits and prohibitions, insofar as they also affect the exercise of a lawful business activity, must have sufficient legal coverage, without being able to be regulated by independent regulatory standards unrelated to the criteria and limits set by the legislator.”

What is still banned in Spain?

Article 12 on sports sponsorship was not listed in the annulments. This means that it is still prohibited for operators to advertise, or use branding for events, goods and services that can be viewed by minors. Operators are still also banned from sponsoring sporting events or broadcasts. Sponsorship activities that relate to a sports facility are also still prohibited.

Supreme Court’s decision catches some by surprise

The Supreme Court’s ruling will provide a big boost for Spanish operators and their customer acquisition efforts.

LOYRA Abogados, a Spanish law firm specialising in gaming, were part of the landmark ruling, assisting one of the plaintiffs. Patricia Lalanda, a partner at the firm, says she didn’t expect the news.

“When we received the judgment, the ruling of partial upholding of the appeal, annulling some of the most relevant articles of Royal Decree 958/2020 on commercial gaming communications, we were very surprised,” Lalanda told iGB.

“After the order of the Constitutional Court basically saying that with the reform of Law 13/2011 on the regulation of gambling, the object of the question of constitutionality had disappeared, everything indicated that the Supreme Court would go along the same line. But nothing could be further from the truth; the sentence is conclusive.”

Despite the numerous annulments, the decision not to scrap restrictions such as sport sponsorships and time limits mean Spanish operators are still unable to advertise completely freely.

However, Lalanda feels the Supreme Court’s overturned measures should be sufficient enough that further attempts to force more annulments fail to gain traction.

“I do not believe that it is now in the interest of the gaming industry or others affected to open new avenues of struggle against the limitations that are still in force.”

The trading halt was requested today (10 April), with BlueBet contacting the ASX over the matter. This halt, BlueBet said, is only temporary and it aims to begin trading again before the end of the week.

BlueBet said this is necessary pending an announcement about a “material acquisition” and equity capital raising transaction. The halt is also in response to a price query letter from the ASX after it contacted the change about the trading pause.

The trading halt will continue until BlueBet publishes a further update to the market, or at the start of trading on 12 April whichever occurs first. 

BlueBet is not disclosing any further information about the possible acquisition at this time.

BlueBet eying Betr merger?

While details of the potential acquisition are limited, reports in the Australian media suggest it could involve a merger with Betr.

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) reports Betr could sign an all-scrip merger deal with BlueBet. 

Betr was previously backed by News Corp but is now run by a consortium of investors, led by Matt Tripp. The veteran bookmaker previously led BetEasy as CEO, overseeing its transformation into an online operator.

This is not the first time a possible merger between BlueBet and Betr has been mentioned. Back in January, AFR said talks were at a preliminary stage for the brands potentially joining forces.

Neither BlueBet nor Betr have commented on the reports, although the trading halt suggests a deal could be close.

Net loss widens for BlueBet in H1

The reports come on the back of a mixed first half for BlueBet. 

For the six months to 31 December, revenue increased by 12.6% year-on-year to AU$27.8m (£14.5 m/€16.9m/US$18.2m). BlueBet said this was driven by record wagering turnover of $319.5m for the half.

The period saw BlueBet grow its Australian business, with revenue up 13.0% to $27.9m, with turnover also up 6.9% to $298.7m.

In North America, BlueBet posted a loss of $131,000 for H1. However, turnover jumped by 1,050.0% to $20.7m. Active customers also increased during H1 in line with expansion into new states.

Spending was higher across the business, with this offsetting revenue growth and leading to a $10.4m net loss, compared to $9.9m in the previous year. 

Brazil’s ministry of finance published the new ordinance in Brazil’s Official Gazette of the Union. It outlines how the regulations approved in Bill 3,626 will be implemented in the coming months, with an aim to be completely implemented by the end of July 2024.

The order established the Regulatory Policy of the Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA), a ministry of finance body which will structure and publish the incoming regulation as per the guidelines.

The body will aim to provide clarity on the legal aspects of the regulation and prioritise the most pressing measures for enactment.

“This measure’s main objective is to systematically structure the regulatory agenda for fixed-odd betting in the country and represents a considerable advance in the management and supervision of this sector,” said the ministry of finance in a statement.

“The ordinance offers legal security, guarantees predictability and efficiency to the regulatory process and thus solidifies the foundations for a stable and reliable betting environment in Brazil.”

Roll-out organised by priority

The regulation will be announced in four stages, organised by priority:

Stage one – until end of April 2024Stage two – until end of May 2024Stage three – until end of June 2024Stage four – until end of July 2024

During the first stage, regulations will be published regarding the technical, payment and security requirements operators must follow. Rules on how operators can apply for licences to operate fixed-odds betting will also be published in April.

During the second stage, the SPA will publish its anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing policies. It will also publish rules regarding the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other types of fraud. Rules that operators must follow to guarantee bettor’s rights and comply with legal provisions will also be published.

Stage three will see SPA announce the technical and security requirements for online gaming. Procedures for monitoring gambling advertising will also be made within this stage.

The final stage will outline procedures for allocating industry contributions to socially responsible causes.

Brazil’s industry pleased to see movement

After a years-long wait to define and implement online gambling in Brazil, the industry is keen to see progress. Hugo Baungartner, VP of global markets at Aposta Ganha, said the ministry of finance’s schedule is practical – if other government departments play ball.

“The schedule is reasonable and doable,” said Baungartner. “The [ministry of finance] just have to assure that all other government departments are on the same page and don’t block the process.”

However, he is apprehensive about how the fixed-odds concept will be defined.

Concern surrounding certain aspects of the bill will not be uncommon, as the industry has waited some time for movement in this space. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signing Bill 3,626 into law in December 2023 represented the beginning of a new era for online gaming and sports betting in Brazil.

The bill faced battles on the road to ratification. An attempt to remove igaming from the bill altogether was rejected in November, then approved in December. Igaming was soon re-added by the chamber of deputies.

Controversy also raged over the proposed tax rate. The rate was initially set at 18% of gross gaming revenue (GGR). However, this would have actually been 30.82% when relevant taxes were taken into account. This was lowered to 12% in November.

Maryland has reported a 21.3% increase in sports betting handle for March, reaching $536.7m (£427.7m/€499.6m) for the month.

Sports betting handle for Maryland in March was also up 39% year-on-year from the $386m in bets taken in the same month last year.

Sports betting: the numbers

Maryland handle for February was 18.8% behind January’s total of $545m despite the Super Bowl early in the month. However, that drop could also be attributed to the shorter month of February and the NBA All-Star break that ran between 16-21 February.

Mobile accounted for $522.1m in handle, 97.3% of the monthly total. Retail was responsible for $14.6m of the figure.

March’s handle total took Maryland to $4.07bn for the fiscal year to date. This was up 104.8% on the same period last year’s figure of $1.99bn.

It was a good month for bettors in Maryland, with a hold of just 8.4% for operators. This was down from 12.3% in the same month last year. However, contributions to the state went up 16.7% month-on-month to $4.9m from $4.2m in February.

Maryland’s sports betting operators paid $491.6m in prizes, up over $150m on February’s figure of $338.4m.

Maryland casino up month-on-month with BetMGM leading the way

Maryland’s casinos generated revenue of $178.1m during March, an 11.9% increase on February’s total of $159.2m, and also up 0.9% from the same month last year.

BetMGM’s MGM National Harbor led the way with $75.1m in revenue, boasting a clear lead over second-placed Live! Casino & Hotel and FanDuel, which recorded $64.8m in revenue.

Horseshoe Casino lagged behind in third with $17.3m, while Hollywood Casino and Ocean Downs Casino generated revenues of $8.5m and $7.5m respectively.

Casinos contributed $76.5m to the state in March, an increase of 2.6% year-on-year and ahead of February’s total of $67.8m.

No online casino in Maryland for 2024

On 26 March, a Maryland online casino bill debuted in a senate committee after passing the house, Unfortunately, a litany of unresolved issues came with the introduction.

The bill passed the house by a 92-43 majority on 14 March. However, its senate introduction sparked debate about potential blockers such as fears of brick-and-mortar cannibalisation and an increase in gambling addiction.

HB 1319 would allow for statewide online casino in a state that has a mature retail casino market and which introduced digital sports betting in November 2022.

If online wagering is any indication, online casino has the potential to be highly successful. Maryland is already ranked among the top states for sports betting handle despite being the 14th biggest state by population to launch wagering and set a record for its first five days.

Time however, ran out for the bill. After the bill it passed the house on 14 March and reached the senate two days later, the general assembly adjourned on 8 April with no action on gambling.

The loss, as the gambling industry will see it, is the second key one this session. Ten days earlier, the Georgia general assembly ended its term without legalising digital sports betting. That meant the two states projected to have the best chance at a gambling expansion in 2024 will now see no movement.

While interest and discussion weren’t limited to March, as far back as last autumn, operators, vendors, suppliers, consultants, lawmakers and many others in the US gambling landscape were shouting about the prospect of Maryland legalising online casino.

On Monday (8 April) those prospects went out without a peep when the general assembly adjourned with no action on gambling.

Failed Maryland gambling expansion second key loss in 2024

The loss, as the gambling industry will see it, is the second key one this session. Ten days earlier, the Georgia general assembly ended its term without legalising digital sports betting. That meant the two states projected to have the best chance at a gambling expansion failed to produce.

In Georgia, lawmakers remain bogged down in how to spend proceeds rather than whether or not to support the legislation. Negotiating went on nearly until the final minutes of the session.

In Maryland, had lawmakers considered online gambling on the final day, it would have been to send a referendum to voters to determine whether or not they want it – but with no framework.

Legislators legalised sports betting the same way and came back after voters approved in November 2020 to hammer out details and develop regulations.

Across the country, few opportunities for gambling expansion remain alive in state legislatures. Some of the ones that do have little possibility of passing.

Hopes in Minnesota became far more complicated last week when the state’s racing commission passed regulations to allow for historical horse racing.

Considered by many a violation of the state’s promise of gambling exclusivity to its tribes, that decision resulted in several new gambling bills in the legislature that expressly ban HHR.

HHR discussion steals time from gambling expansion talk

The time that lawmakers will spend prohibiting HHR and tangling with the gaming commission is time taken away from negotiating a deal that could allow for statewide online sports betting.

Zack Stephenson, the house sports betting sponsor and chair of the Commerce Policy and Finance Committee, responded to the racing commission by filing a bill that explicitly prohibits HHR.

That was initially scheduled to be heard in Commerce on Monday (8 April) but, after the introduction, the committee broke for a floor session. Stephenson’s bill, and one filed in the senate, will be heard in committees on 9 April.

At a meeting following the racing commission’s decision last week, Stephenson said, “That’s a total non-starter. It will not happen. It will not be part of a sports betting deal. Bright red line in the sand.”

Track representatives say Stephenson’s bill feels “retaliatory”. Running Aces’ VP of marketing and operations Aaron Dedessem told KAAL TV: “This is a ridiculous bill that, if implemented, will put us out of business.”

Gambling expansion bills still floating around in these states

Here’s a look at other states where some form of gambling expansion isn’t dead yet, but isn’t really alive, either:

Alabama

In state that doesn’t even have a lottery, the comprehensive package of bills that would have legalised lottery, up to 10 retail casinos and physical and digital sports betting, is now sitting with a conference committee.

Tasked with bridging gaps in the tax rate, how to handle the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ gambling exclusivity and other key issues. The legislature is set to adjourn on 20 May.

Maine

With less than a week left in the session, two bills that would give the state’s four tribes control on online casino and shut out two existing brick-and-mortars – Churchill Downs, Inc, and Penn Entertainment – both came out of committee with “divided report(s)”. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on 17 April.

Mississippi

Last week the senate gaming committee held a meeting that was literally less than two minutes long and passed a strike-all version of a sports betting bill in an effort to keep the conversation in Jackson going. Two related bills died in committee late last week. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on 5 May.

Missouri

At least one of the myriad sports betting bills has moved onto the house’s “informal perfection calendar”, which means it can be discussed on the floor. But there remains little consensus in Missouri and one senator continues to want to tie legal wagering to legal video lottery machines, something that has previously been a non-starter.

The state’s pro sports teams are attempting an end-around by gathering signatures for a sports betting initiative that would go on the November ballot.

That truly could be the most realistic shot for an expansion of gambling anywhere that is still in play. The legislative session ends on 17 May and the pro teams have until early May to collect the needed 171,592 verified signatures to get on the ballot.

The appointment is effective immediately. As CMO at Super Group, Barber will be based in London.

Barber joins Super Group after more than 13 years with Kindred. There, she served in various senior marketing-related roles including director of branding marketing and head of affiliates. 

She was most recently CMO of the operator before stepping down and leaving the business in September 2023. Barber left Kindred alongside chief commercial officer Anne-Jaap Snijders. 

Confirmation of both departures came just days after it was announced that CEO Henrik Tjärnström and chief financial officer Johan Wilsby would also be leaving the business.

Barber announced her new role at Super Group on LinkedIn. She said: “I’m excited to share some news – I’m starting a new position as CMO at Super Group. I am thrilled to join this innovative team and looking forward to the exciting challenges ahead.”

Super Group enjoys record 2023

Barber, who also spoke at ICE 2024, joins Super Group on the back of a record 2023 for the operator. 

During the past year, Super Group generated €1.40bn (£1.20bn/$1.52bn), a new annual high. This also exceeded guidance of €1.35bn, increasing 11% year-on-year from €1.3bn in 2022.

However, Super Group also noted a significant decline in profit before tax, with this falling 92.2% to €16.8m. The operator attributed the decline to non-cash charges of €64.6m. 

Of this, €28.6m came from the January 2023 acquisition of online sports betting and igaming business Digital Gaming Corporation. On the flip side this allowed Super Group to enter the US at the start of the year.

Operational EBITDA was down from €208.5m to €197.3m in 2023. Meanwhile, unrestricted cash fell €12.9m at €241.9m, which Super Group said again was due to the DGC acquisition.

Super Group offloads DGC B2B division

Prior to announcing the results, Super Group also made public anther major development – the sale of the B2B assets of DGC to Games Global.

The deal completed in February, exactly one year after an agreement was first reached. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed by either party.

DGC B2B is active in several US states including Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio and Louisiana.

Super Group CEO Neal Menashe said the sale allows the operator to focus on its global B2C growth.

The deal, agreed in August 2022, sees NYRA Content Management Solutions, a subsidiary of the NYRA, acquiring the stake. Financial terms of the United Tote sale were not disclosed by CDI. 

United Tote primarily supplies totalisator systems, services and equipment. It also provides a range of technology services to process bets and pay-outs and pari-mutuel tote services.

The original deal said CDI would work with NYRA to provide a pari-mutuel solution through United Tote to reach customers. It was also agreed the United Tote pari-mutuel settlements business would be excluded from the sale and remain with CDI.

NYRA is a not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse racing tracks in New York. These include Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens; Belmont Park in Elmont; and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs.

Record revenue for CDI in 2023

The sale comes on the back of CDI reporting record financial results for 2023. During the 12 months to 31 December 2023, revenue reached a record $2.46bn (£1.94bn/€2.27bn), up 36.0%.

Revenue was up across all business areas. However, it was CDI’s live and historical racing segment where this growth was most apparent. This means the division surpassed the gaming business to become CDI’s primary source of revenue.

While record revenue was the headline figure, adjusted EBITDA was also 39.0% higher at $1.02bn, a new annual high for CDI.

However, increased spending pushed net profit down 5.0% year-on-year to $417.3m.

CDI details new historical racing venues

Alongside the results, CDI also announced plans to open new facilities in both Virginia and Kentucky.

Phase one of The Rose Gaming Resort in Virginia has been approved and is now scheduled to open in September. It will feature 1,650 historical racing machines, a hotel and food and beverage options. 

Meanwhile, plans are in place to also open Owensboro Racing & Gaming in Kentucky in Q1 of 2025. The facility will house 600 historical racing machines, a retail sportsbook, simulcast wagering and multiple food and beverage offerings.

Sapp joins the Rush Street Interactive executive leadership team and reports directly to CEO Richard Schwartz. The appointment represents his first role in the gambling industry.

He assumes the newly created role after almost three years as head of growth for virtual reality game Rec Room. Sapp also spent three and a half years working for video games developer Jam City.

Earlier in his career, Sapp had a spell at the WB Games San Francisco division of Warner Brothers. Here, he served as director for digital publishing, covering user acquisition, analytics and monetisation.

Sapp has also worked for social and mobile apps business Tapjoy and EMI Music Publishing, while he founded music discovery site FuzzedOut.com. In addition, he has been a start-up advisor and investor for the past eight years.

Sapp aims to continue momentum at RSI

Speaking about his appointment, Sapp said he was pleased to be joining RSI at what he said is an exciting time for the business.

“I am thrilled to join Rush Street Interactive at a time when the company has such strong momentum,” Sapp said. “RSI’s customer-first focus really resonated with me as a marketer who understands what it takes to succeed in a competitive mobile landscape.

“I look forward to leveraging my experience and expertise to drive forward our marketing initiatives during RSI’s next phase of growth and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers.”

CEO Schwartz also hailed the appointment, saying Sapp will support the company’s ongoing growth plans.

“As we continue to grow and expand across the Americas, a marketing leader with Brian’s unique blend of gaming and mobile experience, strategic insight and creativity will be additive to the team as we shape the future of our brand and continue to innovate our customer first experience,” Schwartz said. 

“We are thrilled to welcome him aboard to lead our marketing strategy, team and operations.” 

Rush Street Interactive exceeds earnings target for 2023

The appointment comes after RSI last month revealed it exceeded earnings targets for 2023, helped by a record fourth quarter.

Revenue jumped 16.7% year-on-year to $691.2m (£546.1m/€636.7m). This was at the upper range of $630.0m to $700.1m guidance issued in early 2023.

While RSI remained at a net loss for the full year, the $18.3m loss was far lower than $38.6m in 2022. In addition, adjusted EBITDA came in at a positive for the year, beyond RSI’s hopes of just a positive second half.

RSI also took the opportunity to talk about possible expansion in 2024. This will centre on the US and Canada, with the business monitoring several markets.

Areas of interest include New York, Maryland and Illinois, as well as provinces in Canada such as Alberta.

From the 194 applications, 152 licences were granted by KRAIL in Ukraine. 138 of these were licences for gaming machines, while three were for the provision of gambling services.

Additionally, nine licences were issued for gaming tables. There was also one licence each for online casino and a gaming table with a roulette wheel.

Two applications were unsuccessful due to insufficient information on the necessary documents, while KRAIL also made a decision to refuse one licence application.

Ukraine to consider banning soldiers from gambling

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced he would consider banning armed forces from online gambling after a petition from a Ukrainian soldier.

The plan for restrictions was revealed during the Ukraine president’s evening address to the country’s citizens on 2 April.

The government is now preparing to “tighten control” over the online gambling industry in the country in order to “help protect the interests of society”.

The soldier’s petition aimed to draw attention “to the harm that the gambling business causes to the Ukrainian army and Ukrainian society”, such as putting them into debt.

The soldier called for gambling and access to online casinos to be banned for military personnel by martial law.

Ukraine’s KRAIL cracking down on black market

Ukraine has made a concerted effort in the last couple of years to clamp down on black market operators. In August 2023, KRAIL said nearly three-quarters of unlicensed operators blocked access to their websites in the country having been contacted by the organisation.

According to KRAIL, 72.3% of sites halted operations in Ukraine following intervention by the regulator. This covered the period from 25 January 2022 to 8 August 2023.

In February this year, Ukraine’s Economic Security Bureau seized UAH700m (£14.8m/€17.3m/$18.6m) from an unnamed leading gambling operator for tax evasion.

Yet, despite KRAIL’s work in Ukraine, its future is up in the air. In May 2023, the deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, submitted draft law proposing KRAIL is dissolved and replaced with a new executive body.

Fedorov highlighted the regulator’s struggles with issuing gambling licences in a timely manner.

KRAIL operates as a collegial body with a chairman and six members. Its meetings, including on licence applications, are only valid if five members are present.

However, after the country’s invasion by Russian armed forces, some KRAIL members were called up for military service. This made it difficult to continue KRAIL meetings and led to delays in regulatory work such as approving licence applications.