EGBA Recommends Improvements to German Draft State Gambling Treaty
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has announced several recommendations for improvements to Germanys proposed online gambling regulations.
While the new draft State Treaty on Gambling Regulation will be an important step forward, significant restrictions with regard to product offering, multi-product operations, and marketing remain.
EGBA secretary general Maarten Haijer will also be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Gaming in Germany Conference on the updated State Treaty on Gambling Regulation that is expected to come into force on July 1, 2021.
The Gaming in Germany Conference will take place on March 24-25 at Franfurt International Airport. Registration is now open.
Meanwhile, The Regional Council of Darmstadt, the Hessian body responsible for handling the current federal sports betting licensing process, has revealed that 30 operators have now filed their applications, with another 20 providing serious expressions of interest.
It remains unclear, however, when the first sports betting licenses will actually be issued. The current sports betting regulation is scheduled to be replaced by the new State Treaty on Gambling Regulation from July 1, 2021 – with licenses issued under the current State Treaty remaining valid until 31 December 2022.
Spanish Government Announces Severe Gambling Advertising Restrictions
On Monday, the Spanish government has published its long-awaited draft Royal Decree on gambling advertising.
According to Alberto Garzón, Minister of Consumer Affairs, the new advertising rules will be strictest in the EU; and 80% of current advertising would be illegal under the new regulations.
Despite Garzón’s claims, the new regulations – while considerably stricter than the previous rules – are not as draconian as many initially feared, various legal experts said.
Nonetheless, the new measures include significant restrictions on the broadcast of gambling ads. Social media ads are restricted to portals that have an age filtering solution in order to prevent minors from being targeted.
Gambling ads may also not feature famous individuals or celebrities, or actors who may be mistaken for minors. In addition, bonuses and related promotional offers will be capped at €100.
Furthermore, licensed operators must develop a comprehensive social responsibility policy. Consumers must be adequately informed regarding win chances, costs, and risks, as well as (self) exclusion, parental controls, and deposit limits.
Implementation of the Royal Decree is currently scheduled for June 2020.
Upcoming Events
The following events may be of interest to members of the GiH community.
GamblingCompliance Global Regulatory Awards 2020, which celebrate excellence in compliance and responsible gambling initiatives, will be awarded on 22 April, 2020 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Central London.
The World Gaming Executive Summit will return to Barcelona from 30 June – 2 July, 2020. Key themes on the agenda include AI, the future of land-based gaming, CSR, sustainable marketing, regulation updates, fantasy sports, and emerging marketing opportunities.
Netherlands Gambling Authority to Hold Information Sessions on CRUKS
This March, the Netherlands Gambling Authority will host four information sessions on CRUKS, the Dutch national exclusion register.
The information sessions are scheduled for March 17, 19, 23, and 30 and will be taking place in Utrecht.
These upcoming information sessions are intended for land-based operators. Prospective online operators will be informed at a later stage. The land-based sector will have to start using CRUKS from January 1, 2020 onward – six months ahead of the scheduled opening of the regulated online market on July 1, 2021.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority started the public tendering procedure for the future operational management of CRUKS in late January. The regulator expects to award the contract in May with the first technical tests taking place before the summer.
Other News
Fairshare Nederland is ready to take the next step in expanding its presence on the Dutch lottery market, says Managing Director Roelant Reizevoort.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority is looking to hire an administrative law lawyer.
The leadership of Belgium’s gambling regulator is being investigated for ethics violations, including corruption and abuse of power.
In an article in The Lancet, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF argue that the well-being of today’s children is being threatened by, among other things, “predatory commercial practices,” which includes online gambling.
In 2019, market channelization in the regulated Swedish online market was at least 78%, figures released by Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen show.
Sports betting provider Kambi has been elected as the latest member of Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), Sweden’s igaming operator trade association.
Malta-based affiliate marketing giant Catena Media has posted a €10.5m loss in earnings after tax for full-year 2019, a 134% decrease on the previous year.
Better Collective’s revenue grew by 67% to €67.4m ($72.8m) for 2019.
Between February 2018 and January 2020, the top five leading gambling affiliates have lost over 70% in stock market value.
A Maltese court will hear witnesses testify against betting company Tipico over an alleged forgery in 2018, in fresh challenge proceedings filed by a former franchise partner.
William Hill announced that it will terminate its near decade-long partnership with the Scottish Football Association at the conclusion of the current season.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has cancelled Dorobet’s B2C gaming service license after ruling that the online gambling operator breached rules related to regulatory payments.
The state-owned Bulgarian Sports Totalisator (BST) has been granted a monopoly over lottery products in the country, after a bill filed in January this year passed into law.
Caesars Entertainment Corporation reported a slight increase in revenue for 2019, though fair value changes in its convertible notes led to the operator posting a $1.20bn net loss for the year.
The number of Brazilian fixed-odds sports betting licenses could be restricted to just 30 under a new regulatory model unveiled by SECAP (Secretaria Nacional de Politicas Pública, Planificación, Energía y Lotería).
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