Regulatory news. Week №32
🧑🏽💻 Brazil Completes Gambling Legislation Development
Although there are less than five months until the market launch and the application period for licenses ends on August 20, the Secretariat has only received 6 license requests so far. Among the new rules:
👉🏼 Game outcomes must be determined randomly, using random number and symbol generators.
👉🏼 Platforms must inform players about the stake multiplier, which may affect the size of the prize.
👉🏼 Before placing a bet, players must have access to a payout table that explains all the winning odds.
👉🏼 If a player is inactive for 30 minutes, they must be removed from the game.
👉🏼 Platforms must provide clear information about games, including bonus rules for online betting and prizes.
👉🏼 Influencers are also prohibited from promoting gambling as a “solution to financial problems or as a way to achieve personal success.”
🤪 State Duma Passes Law Banning Trash Streams
Earlier, it was proposed in Russia to classify bloggers promoting online casinos as similar to trash streamers. Now, the law provides for administrative and criminal penalties for distributing trash content, with fines ranging from ₽50,000 to ₽1 million.
🎩 US Authorities Call on CFTC to Ban Political Betting
In a letter, senators argued that such bets on platforms like Polymarket undermine public trust in the democratic election process. Polymarket has already collected over $500 million in bets related to US elections. More about election betting can be found here.
🤝 Thai State Council Releases Draft Law Legalizing Gambling Business
The draft law imposes a 17% tax on casino revenues. Operators will be able to obtain licenses valid for 30 years, with an option for a 10-year extension. The draft will soon be submitted to parliament for discussion and amendments.
📝 Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Proposes Amendments to Tighten Casino Regulation
Key amendments include expanding the powers of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), approving mobile gaming software, stricter criminal penalties related to gambling distribution, and requiring the Home Minister to approve changes in major shareholders within the gambling industry.
Regulation News in #cage. Week №32
🎉 The bankruptcy of the gambling company Dama N.V. in Curacao has been overturned by the General Jurisdiction Court. The gambling company demonstrated that it is financially healthy and reported that player claims have been resolved. Previously, the BitStarz casino had delayed payments to two clients from the UAE and Austria, totaling €816,800.
📈 In Russia, Roskomnadzor blocked nearly 132,000 sites with online casino advertisements in the first half of 2024. This is a 16% increase from last year and 117% more than the number of blocked resources in 2021. Since the inception of the Unified Register of Banned Information (2012), over 685,000 sites have been removed or blocked due to online casino advertisements. Additionally, Roskomnadzor imposed fines totaling ₽22 million on several foreign social networks for not removing materials containing online casino advertisements targeting Russian consumers.
📉 The largest distributor of Russian state lotteries, “Stoloto,” and F.A.C.C.T., a Russian technology developer for combating cybercrime, discovered and blocked 3,491 fraudulent resources impersonating popular state lotteries in the first half of 2024, including illegal use of the Stoloto brand. This includes 2,962 fraudulent websites, 343 fake posts, accounts, and groups on social networks, 35 messages in messengers, and 151 fake mobile apps. This is 53% more than the same period last year and 81.3% more than in the first six months of 2022.
💰💰 Parimatch paid over $26 million in unpaid taxes to the Ukrainian budget. The investigation believes that this situation arose from intentional tax evasion by the gambling company’s management for the period from 2021 to 2023.
🔎 KRAIL found no grounds to revoke the licenses of Vbet and PIN-UP. The Commission reviewed the companies “Ukr Game Technology” and “Vbet Ukraine” for connections with Russia but found no grounds for license revocation.
🫣 In Uzbekistan, 30 suspects in organizing illegal online casinos have been detained. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan, the suspects allegedly earned $900,000 illegally over the past three months.
🌟 A TikTok star has been arrested at Bangkok airport for operating an online casino. Thai police arrested 29-year-old blogger Chutima, known as Soda, for running the illegal gambling site Zigma911 with a turnover of over $112.8 million. Zigma911 was advertised on social media and offered games like baccarat, slots, lotteries, and sports betting. The blogger faces charges of violating computer, gambling, and money laundering laws.
🦆 Indonesia has banned the confidential search engine DuckDuckGo as part of its fight against gambling and pornography. Previously, Indonesia blocked the social media platform Reddit and the video hosting service Vimeo, and in June, the authorities restricted access to nearly 3 million online casino sites.
✍🏼 In the US, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has ordered Bet365 to compensate players over $500,000 for illegal changes in odds on player payouts.
👏 A federal court in Brazil has ordered the National Telecommunications Agency Anatel to unblock betting sites that had not obtained a license in Rio de Janeiro within 5 days.
Stay tuned for the latest and most relevant legal news from the gambling industry! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №31
💳 Russia Decides Against Banning Credit Card Use in Betting
The government deemed the proposed law banning the use of credit cards for betting to be pointless.
🔎 Starting July 25, Banks in Russia Must Monitor All Client Transactions
All operations suspected of being carried out without the client’s consent will be blocked. A single indicator from the newly expanded list is sufficient to trigger a block. The client now has two days to contest the payment. If the sender confirms that the transfer was made voluntarily, the financial institution will unblock the transaction; otherwise, the funds will be returned to the client’s account within 30 days (60 if it involves a cross-border transaction). If the bank cannot contact the sender, the funds will also be returned to the client.
⚔️ The War Against Streamers, Bloggers, and Influencers Promoting Casinos and Bookmakers Continues
This week, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy, Artem Metelev, proposed increasing the penalties for these individuals up to criminal responsibility.
🗽 NCLGS (National Council of Legislators from Gaming States) Prepares to Introduce a Bill to Legalize Online Gambling Across All States in the U.S.
NCLGS claims that iGaming generates much more revenue than betting, but legal complexities have slowed legalization. The bill will be available for public comment in August, with the final version expected in December. Morgan Stanley analysts predict that Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa could be the next states to legalize iGaming.
😲 Online Casinos in New Zealand Could Be Legal by 2026
The number of licenses will be limited and will be valid for three years. Operators will be able to function exclusively as casinos, without offering betting services. Advertising for brands will be allowed but with strict limitations, such as prohibiting sponsorship of events and influencers. The minimum age for players will be 18.
🎲 GCGRA (UAE Regulator) Develops Licensing Rules for Gambling Operators and Issues Its First Lottery License
Commercial gambling in the UAE will cover four areas: lotteries, online gambling, sports betting, and land-based casinos. The first and currently the only holder of a UAE license is the lottery operator The Game LLC.
💪🏽 Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports Granted New Powers to Oversee the iGaming Industry
Their responsibilities now include setting standards for operators, developing rules for monitoring the internet to detect illegal gambling, publishing a list of offshore operators without a Kazakhstani license, and much more.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
Regulation News in #cage. Week №31
⚽️ The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has issued warnings to two English Premier League football clubs, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. The warnings are due to their partnership with Kaiyun Sports, a gambling operator that does not hold a national gambling license. The UKGC has acted swiftly, as the website had previously been authorized to operate in the United Kingdom.
🔗 A federal court in Rio de Janeiro has ordered the blocking of over 300 websites belonging to illegal gambling operators.
🍏 The Ukrainian Gambling and Lottery Regulation Commission (KRAIL) has blocked 50 illegal casino apps from the Apple Store.
🤔🤷🏼 The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics has blocked 2.6 million gambling sites over the past year, claiming this action saved the country $2.8 billion. Additionally, the ministry announced that public access to gambling has been reduced by 50% in the past month. It would be interesting to see how this magical percentage was achieved.
Stay tuned for the latest and most relevant legal news from the gambling industry! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №30
🔪 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Announces the Shutdown of the Offshore Gaming Industry (POGO)
The cleanup will be carried out by PAGCOR, the local gambling regulator, by the end of the year. This move was expected, as the offshore gambling sector had been involved in major scandals related to financial fraud, money laundering, prostitution, kidnapping and human trafficking, torture, and murder.
⌨️ Germany Bans Streamers from Advertising Gambling
According to the regulator GGL, promoting gambling through streaming is particularly appealing to minors.
✍🏼 Montenegro to Reconsider the Ban on Electronic Payments in Gambling Introduced Earlier This Year
Currently, players are forced to fund their betting accounts with cash and through special terminals. The Betting Industry Trade Association, Montenegro Bet, prompted a reevaluation of the law’s effectiveness. They created a petition signed by 25,000 people.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
Regulation News in #cage. Week №30
👨🏻⚖️ A German court has ruled in favor of the local gambling regulator GGL in a lawsuit against a streamer. The court’s decision confirmed that German streamers based abroad are prohibited from advertising illegal online casinos in their home country.
🌟 Licensed operator JOI Gaming has received a warning for advertising its brand with celebrities, which is prohibited in the Netherlands. The photos with celebrities were taken and posted nearly a year ago. JOI Gaming must remove them immediately or face a fine of €50,000 per day, according to the KSA. For repeated violations, the fine could increase to €200,000 per day, with a maximum total of €1 million.
🤳🏽 Another case where the operator received only a warning: The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deemed that the £10 free bet advertisement from Geoff Banks Online violated the CAP Code due to lack of clarity. To use the bonus, players needed to receive and respond to a message from Geoff Banks Online by 5:00 PM on April 19, 2024.
✂️ The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) continues its fight against illegal online gambling and is asking Australian internet providers to block more sites. The new list includes Richard Casino and Wanted Win.
🚧 According to the Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR, 74% of illegal gambling sites in the country have been blocked — 5,793 out of 7,747.
Stay tuned for the latest and most relevant legal news from the gambling industry! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №29
It seems the heat has reached the politicians too — this week, they’re rather sparse on new laws☀️👨🏻⚖️
📈 Putin Signs Law Increasing Tax on Interactive Bets
The tax for bookmakers in Russia on processing centers will rise from ₽2.5−3 million to ₽9.5−10 million.
📋 Ireland to Create Self-Exclusion Register
This register will allow users to ban themselves from gambling. If an operator allows such a player access to their platform, they will face a hefty fine — up to €20 million or 10% of their turnover.
🧺 Curaçao Revises Anti-Money Laundering Rules
The update will come into effect on September 1, 2024. Operators will be required to have a dedicated AML officer and conduct thorough checks no later than when a player makes a transaction of €2,200. Curaçao licensees will also need to maintain more internal documents, policies, and practical guidelines.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
Regulation News in #cage. Week №29
👨⚖️ PARI fined for online advertising. The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) deemed the bookmaker’s advertisement inappropriate due to the use of people’s images in the ad (using a person’s image is prohibited in gambling and betting ads 🙎♀️🙍🏻♂️). This is the second marketing issue for PARI this year that has faced complaints from FAS.
💻 The Philippines has blocked 75% of illegal gambling sites. Out of 7,747 illegal platforms in the country, 5,793 have been shut down.
😱 Ukraine is also stepping up its efforts. According to our estimates, Ukraine leads among CIS countries in blocking gambling and gaming sites. This week, 11 more sites were blocked: 888starz, Cosmobet, Astekbet, Vulkan-777, F1casino, Bet2Fun, Stake, Roobet, Joker, Vulkan, and Chipstars. Additionally, KRAIL has begun a productive partnership with Meta to combat illegal gambling ads. In a month of cooperation, 24 illegal ads were blocked on Facebook and 65 on Instagram.
🔓 Kyiv court has unblocked Vbet’s accounts two months after their seizure, but only for paying salaries and taxes. The company is uncertain when it will be able to pay out customer funds and resume accepting deposits. Vbet is suspected of laundering criminal proceeds through drop schemes and cryptocurrency operations. Additionally, the bookmaker is suspected of circumventing sanctions by collaborating with Russia. From October 2023 to February 2024, the company allegedly transferred $10.7 million to partners associated with Fonbet and Betcity.
😳 Lithuania is also making headlines this week. The country has imposed a record €9.3 million fine on the crypto service Payeer for failing to comply with anti-Russian sanctions. The Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) stated that Payeer allowed Russian clients to “conduct transactions in rubles by transferring them from Russian banks that are under EU sanctions” 🇷🇺. FNTT demands that all existing accounts be closed. It is estimated that during the 1.5 years Payeer failed to comply with the law, it earned over €164 million with at least 213,000 clients.
Stay tuned for the latest and most relevant legal news from the gambling industry! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №28
🇰🇿 The President of Kazakhstan Signed a New Law, Which Includes:
👉 A ban on gambling participation for government officials, military personnel, law enforcement officers, and special service members. Violation of this law will result in dismissal. The ban also extends to individuals listed in the Unified Debtor Registry.
👉 Restrictions on advertising for bookmakers and totalizators. Advertising in outdoor formats, on vehicles, in mass media, videos, and films is prohibited.
👉 Lottery tickets cannot be sold within 100 meters of residential buildings, dormitories, cultural institutions, and social facilities.
📄📺 The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers Approved the Bill “On Improving Electronic Registers in the Gambling Sector”
This bill requires all gambling operators, both offline and online, to be listed in a unified public registry. The government aims to combat gray and black markets with this move.
📣 The Spanish Gambling Regulator DGOJ Has Mandated Gambling Operators to Join the Match-Fixing Prevention Program
The program is called the “Global Betting Market Investigation Service” or SIGMA. Utilizing this service and promptly reporting irregular or suspicious bets is now a mandatory condition for obtaining and maintaining a license.
🤦♂️ New Requirements for UK Operators Came Into Effect on July 1
Companies are now required to submit quarterly declarations. This change likely stems from the recent scandal involving bets on election dates.
🫣 New Deposit Limits Will Be Introduced in the Netherlands Starting October 1
The maximum limit will be €700 per month for players over 25 years old and €300 per month for players under 25. Operators that exceed these limits will face additional scrutiny. They are also required to regularly notify players about their remaining limits in their personal accounts.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №27
🙀 The Finnish Monopoly Could Collapse in Three Years
If the proposed bill is approved, starting in 2027, the state monopoly Veikkaus will retain its position only in the lottery and scratch card sectors.
📈 On July 1, Sweden Increased Its Gambling Tax from 18% to 22% of GGR
The Swedish government expects additional tax revenues of approximately €47 million per year.
🎥 July 1 Was Also Unfavorable for Dutch iGaming Operators
They are now prohibited from attracting players through advertising and sponsorship, with the exception of sports sponsorships. Currently, only online advertising is allowed, and operators must ensure that no more than 5% of their advertising reaches individuals under 24 years old. A year from now, on July 1, 2025, sponsorship of sporting events will also be banned.
🥇 The Island Nation of Vanuatu, Known for Being the First Jurisdiction to Offer Online Gambling Licenses in the 1990s, Has Updated Its Interactive Gaming Law
The new licensing system allows applications to be submitted exclusively online.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №26
💳 Ukraine Bans Gambling on Credit
This regulation, which applies to online casinos, came into effect on June 22, 2024.
💥 Canadian Province Alberta to Open a Regulated Online Gambling Market
The market will be similar to the system in Ontario but with some differences. The current operator, AGLC, which manages the online gaming brand PlayAlberta in the province, will not act as the regulator to avoid a conflict of interest. Alberta is likely to create a separate regulatory body, similar to Ontario’s approach. A specific launch date has not been set, but it is expected to happen as early as 2025.
🤦🏼 Kyrgyzstan Once Again Proposes to Ban Casinos
The reason is that the expected tax revenues are not matching the reality. In 2023, casino operators paid just over $1 million in taxes, which is only 2.86% of the initial forecast by Kyrgyz politicians.
😧 Lithuania Increases Gambling Tax Rate from 20% to 22%
The amendment will take effect in 2025. The government expects this move to bring an additional €4.4 million to the state budget. However, analysts are already predicting that some operators may exit the market, as even a 2% increase could be a significant burden.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
Regulatory news. Week №25
⚡️ Armenian Operators Now Required to Withhold 10% Tax on Winnings Over 5 Million Drams (€12,000).
For smaller amounts, players must calculate and pay a 5% income tax on their net winnings themselves.
This week also brought two regulatory updates from Russia, though, like Russian footballers, these are “not a sure thing”:
⚽️ A Bill Introduced in the Russian State Duma
The bill aims to close the last loophole in the use of game visualization by online betting operators.
⚽️ The Federation Council Approved a Law Granting Roskomnadzor the Right to Block Operator “Mirrors”
Update: The law granting Roskomnadzor this authority has now come into effect.
Stay tuned for the latest regulatory news from the world of gambling! 📰✨
