SBC News

The passage of Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Bill (GRB) has become further muddied, as conflicts emerge on the framework’s rules and determinations related to fundraising activities connected with gambling.

Concerns were raised to Minister of State, James Browne, who oversees the GRB’s agenda, to exclude charity draws and schemes from being included in the Bill’s framework.

An amendment, carrying a specific exemption for charity purposes, was proposed by Labour Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin but was rejected by Browne, who stated that the GRB must remain as it stands.

Browne cited that “excluding charities could remove important safeguards against the misuse of charitable status for gambling.”

Furthermore, the minister scolded deputies for attempting to modify the Bill at its review stage before proceeding to the Seanad (senate) to be determined as a law.

Deputies were reminded that amendments can only be considered during the ‘committee phase’ and therefore cannot be reintroduced durin..

Industry reformists at the House of Lords have stated that the Gambling Review’s White Paper falls significantly short on advertising policies and reforms to protect the public from harm.

This afternoon, the House of Lords hosted a short debate on the “Impact of gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship on problem gambling”, put forward by Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrats).

As the Chair of the Peers for Gambling Reform, Lord Foster is pleased that the majority of the group’s recommendations ‘in whole or part’ were included in the Gambling Review’s White Paper. However, “except for the Gambling Commission taking a closer look at bonus offers such as free bets and spins, and the Premiership’s voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsorships, the White Paper proposes very little on gambling advertising reforms.”

The scarcity of advertising policies saw Foster state that the White Paper had failed to achieve one of its primary objectives: rectifying the conditions of the 2005 Ga..

How to lead a company from an unpromising situation to market leadership is a secret most betting and gaming industry executives would love to learn. In Issue 30 of SBC Leaders magazine, FanDuel President Christian Genetski gives readers the inside track on how he and his colleagues managed to do just that.

In a revealing interview to mark Genetski’s imminent induction to the Sports Betting Hall of Fame during next month’s SBC Summit North America, he details not just the many positives of the FanDuel story, but also some of the greatest adversities it has faced.

“After the DraftKings merger was blocked by the FTC in August of 2017, FanDuel was pretty much out of money,” recalls Genetski. “So we had to immediately do an internal capital raise to keep the lights on and take in just enough money to say, ‘we’ve gotta sell the company, merge the company, or find a path to a much bigger capital infusion in the next nine months’.”

He also talks about his hugely important public affairs wo..

The Parliament of South Africa has received the ‘Remote Gambling Bill of 2024’, tabled by the Democratic Alliance (DA), considered the main opposition party to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) government.

Sponsored by MP Dean Macpherson, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Bill seeks to address South Africa’s inadequate regulatory framework governing online gambling activities. The DA has accused the ANC of “failing to provide adequate protection and regulation within the online gambling industry”.

As such, the DA has submitted the Remote Gambling Bill in response to the ANC government’s 16-year delay in enacting the National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008, which is necessary to regulate online gambling.

The DA stated: “After nearly 16 years, it has still not been brought into operation, meaning that a legal gap continues to exist in the industry. This is highly concerning given the massive strides and advances in online usage since then.”

The..

An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found 18 offshore websites breaching gambling laws in Australia during the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The 2023 sporting event saw gambling carried out via verticals such as online casinos and slot/gaming machines as well as betting on sporting events whilst play was under way, which is illegal in the country.

An overview of the 200 offshore gambling websites ahead of the World Cup, which Australia co-hosted with New Zealand, reveals that 21 were investigated by the authority due to directly targeting Australian punters.

Following the investigation, three of the offshore gambling websites withdrew from Australia, while the remaining 15 were blocked by internet providers following requests by the watchdog.

Carolyn Lidgerwood, ACMA’s online gambling lead, highlighted how many of the websites targeted Australian gamblers, stating: “Illegal gambling operations often take advantage of high-profile sporting events t..