Europe

Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch Gambling Authority, has issued fines to LCS Limited and Blue High House for operating illegally in the Netherlands.

LCS Limited was handed a penalty fee of €2.07m in October 2023 having been found to offer Dutch players illegal games of chance via its Sons of Slots online casino brand in 2022.

However, the KSA found LCS Limited to have still been operating illegally in the Dutch market through another online casino brand, Yugibet. As a result, LCS has been handed a €165,000 penalty on top of the initial €2.07m fee.

Around the same time in October 2023, Panama-registered operator Blue High House was imposed a cease and desist order subject to penalty for offering illegal games of chance via Concrete Line, one of its online casino websites.

The KSA claims that these breaches have not ceased and has handed the operator a €129,000 fine while suggesting that another fine “may also be imposed”.

René Jansen, Chairman of the KSA: “An order subject to a p..

Germany’s Gambling Authority is hoping to evaluate the impact that gambling advertising on television and the internet has on problem gambling by launching a study into the issue.

Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, the nation’s gambling regulator, has launched the study to not only examine the effect of advertising and sponsorship, but also of ‘advertising reporting’ on all recipients, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.

Titled ‘Gambling advertising on television and on the Internet in the tension between channelling and addiction prevention’, the study will look into individual advertising measures, including TV spots and social media advertising, as well as special advertising measures such as bonus offers and other player acquisition tools.

The project will carry out an impact evaluation of the advertising provisions of the GlüStV, Germany’s State Treaty on Gambling introduced in 2021, with the GGL expecting to find out which provisions are suitable or can be ..

The European Gaming and Betting Association has welcomed the finalisation of the European Union’s new anti-money laundering framework, as the organisation believes the standardised rules and reporting requirements will benefit online gambling operators.

Approved by the European Parliament in April and by the European Council earlier this week, the final step of the EU legislative process, the AML package includes the establishment of the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority, the sixth AML Directive and a new AML regulation.

Based in Frankfurt, the AMLA will have “direct and indirect supervisory powers to ensure compliance with AML requirements, working in tandem with national AML authorities” and will also be “responsible for a large amount of technical and implementing rules that will directly apply to the online gambling sector”.

The sixth AML Directive will contain “national provisions on supervision and the powers of national AML authorities, including their access to requis..

Flutter Entertainment has unveiled the Flutter Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to meeting the company’s goal of improving 10 million lives by 2030.

Aligning with the operator’s Do More and Positive Impact Plan sustainability campaigns, the Flutter Foundation has established a base in Ceuta, Spain, where it will hope to support social action and generate positive change.

Dan Taylor, CEO of Flutter International, commented: “We are excited to see the start of the Flutter Foundation in Ceuta, and we aim today for this initiative to make a significant difference in communities, starting with Ceuta.”

As Flutter’s first foundation anywhere in the world, the organisation will focus on the community in Ceuta and has formalised two agreements to benefit the area.

These agreements have seen the organisation partner with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Youth to support disadvantaged families and promote gender equality in scientific careers, allocating €80,000 in sc..

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..

French gambling has been told to increase action and safeguards halting the excess spending from gambling consumers.

Médiateur des Jeux, France’s gambling mediator, united with the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) for a report that sought to shine a light on social responsibility shortcomings in the region.

The four key recommendationssaw Denys Millet, an honorary magistrate and France’s gambling mediator, state that currently French operators are “almost systematically” delaying or rejecting account suspension measures.

Millet emphasised that the measures should be implemented “as soon as the player does not respond to prevention messages, avoids any attempt to contact them or changes his gambling behaviour by increasing his deposits and bets, reflecting a clear loss of control that exposes him to heavy losses”.

This would make it possible to engage in a discussion with the gambler in order to provide better support and identify and support excessive or pathological gamblers.

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Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming authority, has issued Sarah Eternal SRL with an order subject to penalty for offering games of chance without a licence on its website, casinosky.

If Sarah Eternal does not stop its illegal offering permanently, the operator will be fined €280,000 per week, with a maximum fine of €840,000.

The authority noted that its inspectors investigated the casinosky website to see if it was accessible from the Netherlands and if they could make an account, deposit funds and gamble, which they said they could.

In addition, the KSA claimed that players can play even if they clearly stated on their account that they were from the Netherlands, hence an order subject to penalty has been imposed.

“Providers who do not have a license for the Dutch market must do everything they can to ensure that Dutch players cannot come to them to gamble, for example by setting up an IP block,” stated the authority.

“Inspectors from the Ksa could indeed go to the casinosky.co..