FRA reaction: Gambling Commission slammed by figures in and out of the industry

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Danish gambling GGR down YoY in April despite online casino growth

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Spillemyndigheden, the Danish gambling authority, has reported a year-over-year decline in gross gaming revenue across betting, gaming machines and land-based casinos in April, but an increase in online casino GGR.

Reporting figures for April 2024, the authority stated that GGR amounted to DKK 595m (€79.8m), down from the DKK 640m GGR during the same month last year.

In terms of GGR by sector, online casinos led the way with 45.85 per cent, followed by betting with 32.79 per cent, gaming machines with 16.11 per cent and land-based casinos with 5.26 per cent.

Online casinos in April generated DKK 273m in GGR, up 6.04 per cent from the DKK 257m reported during the same month the previous year.

Within the vertical, gaming machines had the largest share of total GGR at 76.26 per cent, followed by roulette at 7.27 per cent, blackjack at seven per cent, commission at 3.66 per cent, other at 3.17 per cent and bingo at 2.64 per cent.

Spillemyndigheden noted that betting operations in Apr..

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NOGA: Stricter legislation is ‘driving risk players’ to illegal operators

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Nederlandse Online Gambling Associatie, the Dutch online gambling association, believes the Netherlands’ forthcoming legislation is “driving risk players” to illegal providers.

The trade association highlighted the Online Gambling Barometer 2024, the fourth edition of a study conducted by market research agency IPSOS I&O showing the developments and trends of the Netherlands’ online gambling market.

NOGA initiated the Barometer and has been working with the VNLOK – Licensed Dutch Online Gaming Providers – since this year.

According to the research, 95 per cent of Dutch players who sometimes gamble do so with a licensed online operator, meeting the legislator’s target of 80 per cent.

However, nearly half of risk players – described by NOGA Director Peter-Paul de Goeij as players who sometimes lie about their gambling behaviour or bet more money than they intended – will not show proof of income to gamble online, which the association says is an indication that players are switching..

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NOGA: Unnecessary restrictions harm delicate balance of KOA market’s channelisation

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Dutch ministers have been urged to recognise the risks of imposing unnecessary restrictions on online gambling consumers, which could impact the channelisation of the KOA market.

The plea was made by NOGA, the Netherlands Online Gambling Association, which published new research by IPSOS on Dutch consumers’ sentiments and engagement with online gambling.

Striking insights were offered by the ‘Online Gambling Barometer 2024’, revealing concerns that consumers will switch to unlicensed operators if they are overburdened by new restrictions.

Of particular note, the headline finding of the Barometer reveals that “nearly half of at-risk gamblers are unwilling to show proof of income to gamble online.”

This response should concern ministers, as the Kamer continues its ongoing regulatory review of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA Act) – the legislative framework adopted in October 2021 to regulate the Netherlands’ online gambling marketplace.

NOGA maintains that the principal objective of KO..

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Integrity Compliance 360 launches reporting platform for athletes and coaches

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Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) is leveraging its partnership with RealResponse to launch a new product.

The Nevada-based technology and consultancy company announced on Tuesday the launch of Alert360, an anonymous reporting platform aimed at protecting players and coaches from gambling-related threats and harassment.

“The implementation of Alert360, powered by RealResponse, is another example of how we help our partners to stay one step ahead,” said IC360 CEO Matthew Holt. “An anonymous tip can help limit and prevent acts or threats of physical and emotional harm or intimidation while thwarting attempts to undermine the integrity of sports competitions.”

Alert360 users can use text messages, emails, and QR codes to report instances of harassment with all communications delivered through secure and private channels. IC360 also provides trained professionals and administrators to ensure seamless reporting.

IG360 and RealResponse launching Alert360 builds on previous services offere..

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Spelinspektionen fines Hacksaw and Panda Bluemoon for black market clients

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The Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, has handed warnings and sanction fees to Hacksaw Studios and Panda Bluemoon for providing gaming software to operators who don’t hold a Swedish licence.

Sweden’s Administrative Court has also annulled an injunction made by the authority in July 2023 against Zimpler AB as it has determined that the authority has no basis for issuing such an injunction.

Hacksaw Studios

Regarding Hacksaw Studios, Spelinspektionen has stated that the provider supplied gaming software to operators who didn’t have a Swedish licence and will therefore receive a warning and a SEK 2.6m (€226,300) sanction fee.

The authority mentioned that an inspection took place on January 10, 2024, of several websites run by companies that don’t have a licence to operate in the country. Hacksaw Studios was found to be a games supplier for two of the websites investigated, so an inspection into the supplier was initiated.

Within the authority’s decision, it is noted that H..

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Montenegro gambling in turmoil as e-payments ban is authorised 

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The government of Montenegro has been urged to explain why it has authorised amendments to impose a ban on electronic payments services for gambling.

Conflicts arise in the Balkans nation as the government has confirmed that it will “enact amendments to Gambling Laws” that will prohibit the use of modern payment systems for gambling.

The controversial amendments contravene EU competition rules by blocking e-banking, IPS, and mobile payment services such as PayPal and Apple Pay.

Controversy surrounds the government of Montenegro’s action plan to strengthen its anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance framework to meet the concerns outlined by MONEYVAL, the financial intelligence monitoring body of the Council of Europe.

Montenegro had been advised to “step up efforts to investigate and effectively prosecute money laundering and strengthen the supervision of high-risk non-financial businesses and professions”.

In response, the Ministry of Finance recommended imposing amendments to Art..

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BOS rejects technical terms of credit ban on Swedish gambling

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Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), Sweden’s online gambling trade association, has urged the government to rethink the framework applied to its comprehensive ban on gambling on credit.

The measure proposed by the Ministry of Finance will see Sweden adopt an outright ban on all forms of credit applied to gambling transactions.

Current laws prohibit all licensed operators from processing credit card transactions, as specified by the Gaming Act of 2018, the legislative framework which re-launched Sweden’s gambling market.

Yet amendments endorsed by the Ministry of Finance have proposed that an outright ban on all forms of credit-funded payments be applied to Swedish gambling.

As such, beyond credit card transactions, licensed operators would no longer be able to process any credit-based funds such as personal loans, deferred payments, and overdrafts.

The comprehensive ban on credit transactions forms part of a package of measures proposed by the Ministry, which called for greate..

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Swedish trade association pushes back on credit ban

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Branschföreningen för Onlinespel, Sweden’s online gambling trade association, urges the government to rethink its proposed comprehensive ban on gambling with credit.

The Ministry of Finance‘s proposal will enforce an outright ban on all forms of credit for gambling transactions.

Current laws prohibit licensed operators from processing credit card transactions as specified by the Gaming Act of 2018, which re-launched Sweden’s gambling market. The new amendments go further, banning all forms of credit-funded payments for gambling.

This means that beyond credit card transactions, licensed operators won’t be able to process any credit-based funds, including personal loans, deferred payments, and overdrafts.

The Ministry’s comprehensive ban on credit transactions is part of a package calling for greater enforcement powers for the Gambling Inspectorate, Spelinspektionen, and new duty of care requirements to prevent excessive gambling.

The government is moving forward with the legislativ..

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Sports wagering in the context of addictive disorders: results from a census-matched US sample

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This paper explores how diverse forms of sports wagering are related to engagement in and symptoms of addiction to a variety of behaviours and substances.  What are the associations between various forms of sports betting frequency (ie. traditional fantasy sports play, daily fantasy sports play, traditional sports betting, and e-sports betting) and frequency of various…

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