Lawmakers in New Jersey have become the latest to take aim at the sweepstakes vertical through legislative attempts to completely prohibit sweepstakes in the state.

Previously, Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese introduced Assembly Bill 5196 that looked to introduce a regulatory framework around the sweepstake sector. However, this bill fell short, leading to the introduction of Assembly Bill 5447 this week.

A key difference between the two bills is the lack of definition of sweepstake casinos in Bill 5447, with the latest efforts from Calabrese seeking to prohibit sweepstake games that imitate casino games.

It does also represent something of a shift in gear for Calabrese in New Jersey, which had previously been open to the idea of incorporating sweepstakes into the regulatory framework for casinos.

The latest efforts from Calabrese caused a stir from the sector, with the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) emphasising it “firmly opposes” the latest bill, describing it ..

The recent case against Paddy Power looks set to have far-reaching implications for the gambling industry – Tom Grant, Consultant at law firm Poppleston Allen, shares some vital lessons for operators

‘The House always wins’ increasingly appears to be a truism that doesn’t always apply – particularly when it comes to consumer claims against gaming operators.

The latest is a case that looks to have thrown what hitherto seemed ironclad agreements between operators and players into question as the High Court granted summary judgment in favour of claimant Corinne Durber, who sought to recover £1m+ against Paddy Power.

To summarise the case, Durber won the Monster Jackpot of £1,097,132.71 when playing the Wild Hatter game on Paddy Power’s website.

Or so she thought.

Despite the onscreen win, Paddy Power did not pay her the Monster Jackpot and, instead, offered just more than £20,000 on the basis that there was a mapping error which should have displayed that she had won the Daily Jac..

Further delays in Thailand have left the market in limbo after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra put the brakes on the final decision surrounding the regulation’s fine print.

It comes after recent political back and forth over various issues in the bill, most significantly whether domestic players will have access to the casinos.

Most recently, a reported U-turn from officials in the country saw the legislation shift away from essentially excluding the vast majority of Thai citizens from gambling venues.

The surprising proposals had come after numerous warnings over the potential social impact of the bill, including from an unlikely source in Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It led to Thai officials implementing a rule that meant that citizens would need at least $1.5m in assets to access casinos in the country.

It was recently touted that these plans would be curbed however, as Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat cited the importance of thwarting the black market when ..

Pressure over Bill 55 continues as EU courts have been challenged to increase scrutinisation of the impact of the bill and its protection of Maltese companies.

Central to criticism of the bill is that it lacks transparency and doesn’t align with the EU framework and law.

One of the most vocal critics was the German regulator, the GGL, which put its case forward to the European Commission in a bid to push them to re-examine the law and its effectiveness alongside domestic and EU frameworks.

Previously, the GGL has stated: “We are of the opinion that this law should not be compatible with European requirements for the recognition of decisions (Regulation (EU) 1215/2002).

“However, the final assessment of this question is not the responsibility of the GGL. We have informed the federal states of our assessment and are otherwise in contact with the relevant authorities.”

In a more recent development, the bill was brought back under the microscope as Maltese courts ruled in two separa..

The fallout of the damning audit of Romania’s National Office of Gambling (ONJN) has entered Parliament’s arena as Gheorghe-Gabriel Gheorghe, President of the ONJN refuses to be interrogated by ministers.

The governance of Romanian gambling has been rocked, by an audit of the ONJN by the Court of Accounts (CCR), which shone a light on tax liabilities of between 3.3 billion and 4.3 billion lei (€630m to €900m).

On 4 March, Gheorghe’s was summoned to explain ONJN failings to an IT committee led by Ciprian Rus, Senator of the Romania Union Party (USR) . Gheorghe refused to attend stating that the USR held no accountability to call for a committee inquiry

USR took issue with the case and underlined that ONJN leadership ensures that it provides an explanation to Parliament, led by USR Senator Ciprian Rus, Chair of the IT Committee.

Senator Rus stated: “ONJN is subordinate to the Romanian Government and, according to the Constitution and the laws in force, is accountable to parliamentar..