Appeals court sides with player against Dutch State Lottery over misleading advertising practices
The Appeals Court of Den Bosch has sided with a lottery player who demanded compensation from the Dutch State Lottery (Staatsloterij) over misleading advertising practices that occurred between 2000 and 2008.
In 2015, the Dutch Supreme Court found that the state-owned lottery operator had misled consumers by systematically misrepresenting the odds of winning a prize.
Although Staatsloterij already settled one class action lawsuit, costing the operator ca. €30m, at least one other class action suit (which has been mired in years-long legal controversy) is still pending.
Yesterday’s ruling from the Den Bosch court shows that Staatsloterij remains vulnerable to legal challenges over its past advertising practices and will likely be on the hook for additional compensation and penalty payments.
German sports betting licensing halted over transparency concerns
Last week, the Darmstadt Administrative Court halted Germany’s ongoing sports betting licensing process after the legality of the current procedure was challenged by Austrian operator Vierklee.
This court ruling concerns the current iteration of the State Gambling Treaty and should have no impact on the more fundamental overhaul of Germany’s gambling legislation that is projected to come into force on July 1, 2021.
Although the full court ruling has not yet been published, it is now clear that the Darmstadt Administrative Court found that the current licensing process was insufficiently transparent and did not offer equal opportunities to all interested parties.
A more extensive discussion of the court’s decision is available on the Gaming in Germany website.
Belgian Gambling Commission introduces €500 weekly deposit limit
The Belgian Gambling Commission (Kansspelcommissie) has introduced a mandatory €500 weekly deposit limit for online players in the country.
It has not been specified whether the new deposit limit is a temporary measure to deal with the social fallout of the Covid–19 pandemic.
In related news, the Belgian Gambling Commission appointed Magali Clavie as its new chairperson. Previously, Ms Clavie served as the president of Belgium’s High Council for Justice.
Upcoming events & webinars
The following events and webinars may be of interest to members of the GiH community.
Events
Due to current events, most events that were to take place before the summer have been postponed.
However, the following events are still on track to take place later in the year.
EASG 2020, the 13th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues, will take place in Oslo from 8 – 11 September. This year’s edition will focus on international differences in regulations and operations, as well as different approaches toward prevention, and treatment.
Betting on Sports America, the largest dedicated sports betting trade show in the world, returns to Meadowlands, New Jersey from 1 – 3 December.
The World Gaming Executive Summit will return to Barcelona from 7 – 9 December. Key themes on the agenda include AI, the future of land-based gaming, CSR, sustainable marketing, regulation updates, fantasy sports, and emerging marketing opportunities.
Webinars & virtual events
On April 9, the EGR Weekly Virtual Series continues with “North America focus: Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.”
Tune in on April 15 for Mindway AI‘s second responsible gaming webinar “The Brain: Making decisions or just seeking reward?”
On April 23, CDC Gaming Seminars will present the webinar “Understanding AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the Best Ways to Use It at Your Casino.”
Gaming in Holland launches new webinar series
On April 29 at 15:00 CET, Gaming in Holland will kick off its new monthly webinar series with its first installment “Getting ready for the Remote Gaming Act amidst a global pandemic.”
With the Dutch Remote Gaming Act still on track to enter into force on January 1, 2021, there will be plenty to discuss in the coming months.
Series characteristics
Every month
45 minutes
Expert panels
True audience engagement
Opportunities for sponsored messaging
Thematic focus
Each Gaming in Holland webinar will fit within one of four broader themes:
Legal & licensing
Compliance & RegTech
Marketing, media & business development
Social responsibility
We are looking forward to you joining us! More details to follow soon!
For more information, please contact Willem van Oort: willem@vanoort.com.
Other news
The Malta Gaming Authority has warned operators about the risks involved in offering wagers on esports, as traditional live sports matches are being canceled worldwide.
Svenska Spel chief executive Patrik Hofbauer and chairman Erik Strand have condemned operators that are offering markets on the Swedish lower league football teams following the suspension of all high-profile leagues and competitions.
Online gambling has been banned in Latvia with immediate effect for the duration of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
The UK Gambling Commission suspended the licenses of two online operators with immediate effect over self-exclusion failures.
LeoVegas has migrated 12 of its UK brands onto its own in-house platform.
Games console specialist Atari is launching an online crypto casino and its own cryptocurrency – the Atari Token.