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Compliance Updates

Rada Misses December Vote on Ukraine Gambling Law’s Tax Code

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The Verkhovna Rada has missed its final opportunity to vote on the tax framework required to complete the outstanding technical arrangements of Ukraine’s Gambling Law.

Closing its hearings on Friday 17 December, the Rada held no vote on Bill 2713 – a proposal backed by Ukraine’s Committee on Finance that finalises the tax framework of the Gambling Law.

The vote on Bill 2713 was due to have taken place during November sittings, however, proceedings were rescheduled to a December date – frustrating Ukraine gambling stakeholders that have seen no precedent take place on the matter.

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The majority backed proposal sets a flat 10% industry tax rate to be applied across all regulated gambling verticals, whilst further eliminating the previously approved “triple lock licensing fees” that would have been adopted by the Gambling Law.

The mandate of the Gambling Law was approved back in August 2020, ending Ukraine’s decade-long gambling prohibition. Though approved, the Gambling Law lacked outstanding requirements on technical provisions and taxation that required a separate assessment and vote by the Rada.

Since granting the Gambling Law’s federal approval, the Rada has missed multiple deadlines to pass Bill 2713, as its assembly chose to review all gambling tax proposals despite 2713 having the support of Ukraine’s Committee of Finance, Customs and Taxes.

Observing developments, CIS igaming consultancy 4H Agency, stated that Bill 2713 hearings had been put back once again as Rada contended with a logjam of end of year hearings as the government contends the headline issues – COVID-19 Omicron resources and arising Russian military tensions.

“We are constantly monitoring the situation with everything that concerns gambling regulations in Ukraine and today we were expecting it to finally unfold into something more meaningful than another delay,” said Ilya Machavariani, Senior Partner at 4H Agency

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“Unfortunately, the Parliament has ran out of time to hear the Bill 2713 today. We’ll see if it finally gets to the voting in two weeks’ time. At the moment, the prospects of that are rather grim.”

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Compliance Updates

Novibet Announces Digital Compliance Partnership with W2 by FullCircl

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Novibet, a global leader in online betting, has announced that it has selected FullCircl’s identity solutions platform, W2, as its new digital compliance partner. The partnership will help Novibet meet regulatory compliance requirements and ensure its customers gamble in a safe and secure environment.

The solution W2 has designed for Novibet strikes the perfect balance between compliance and customer engagement. A suite of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) solutions provides the bookmaker with access to global sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), and watchlist data from key jurisdictions across South America, North America, and the EU, through a single API access point. Screening millions of records per month for Novibet prevents money laundering at initial onboarding stage, through ongoing monitoring, and at point of transaction. This ensures a swift journey for Novibet’s ever-growing customer base, whilst protecting its reputation.

Giannis Papastamou, Head of Customer Compliance & Group MLRO at Novibet, said: “W2 came highly recommended by DTI Solutions, a leading cyber security integrator to the gambling industry. This collaboration underscores our dedication to maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance and ongoing player protection while delivering a seamless and secure gaming experience for our customers. Based on what we’ve seen so far, we’re already keen to explore ways to integrate more of the W2 product suite into our platform.”

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Jess Whitehouse, Head of Customer Success, Identity Solutions at FullCircl commented: “We are delighted that Novibet has selected W2 by FullCircl. We’re providing them with a best practice approach to gambling compliance, including non-intrusive identity verification checks that balance the need for customer due diligence (CDD) with frictionless onboarding and superior player experience. I would also like to thank our trusted partner DTI for their role in bringing this partnership to fruition.”

The post Novibet Announces Digital Compliance Partnership with W2 by FullCircl appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

PGA of America Joins AGA’s Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ Campaign

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The PGA of America is partnering with the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign to promote responsible sports wagering.

Announced ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship—May 16-19 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY—the partnership will feature co-branded responsible gaming content, educational materials and strategic activations across PGA of America’s digital and social platforms.

“As the PGA of America welcomes ESPN BET as the Official Sports Betting Sponsor of the 106th PGA Championship, it is core to our values to ensure golf fans have the right tools in their bag to bet responsibly,” said PGA of America Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Price. “Activating AGA’s Have A Game Plan campaign during this year’s PGA Championship and beyond will be an integral part of our strategy as interest in golf wagering grows.”

Launched in 2019, Have A Game Plan brings legal gaming operators, sports teams, leagues, media companies and other organizations together around a common consumer education message, focusing on the core principles of responsible wagering:

  • Set a budget and stick to it.
  • Keep it social—sports betting is a form of entertainment for adults.
  • Know the odds.
  • Play with legal, regulated operators.

“We look forward to our partnership with the PGA of America amplifying Have A Game Plan’s principles with golf enthusiasts and bettors across the country,” said AGA Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications Joe Maloney. “Together, we’re driving the message home: set a budget, stick to it, and wager responsibly.”

Other league Have A Game Plan partners include the MLB, NASCAR, NBA, PGA TOUR, NHL and WNBA. For more information about the Have A Game Plan initiative and resources on responsible gambling, visit HaveAGamePlan.org.

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Compliance Updates

A New Analysis by EGBA Reveals Notable Shift Towards Multi-licensing for Online Gambling Across Europe

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A new analysis by EGBA concludes that 27 out of 31 European countries employ some form of multi-licensing for online gambling, with an overwhelming majority implementing a full multi-licensing approach.

In recent years, Europe has experienced a remarkable transformation in online gambling regulation. Just fifteen years ago, the landscape was vastly different. Most European countries lacked dedicated regulations for online gambling or operated under exclusive rights models where only state-owned entities had a monopoly to offer online gambling services.

But fast forward to today and the situation has evolved significantly. A new analysis by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) concludes that the multi-licensing model has become the predominant regulatory approach in Europe. Under this model, multiple companies are permitted to offer online gambling services within a country, provided they comply with strict regulatory obligations.

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Key findings of the analysis:

  • 27 out of 31 European countries have adopted some form of multi-licensing, indicating a robust trend towards open, competitive markets.
  • Four countries currently do not have any form of multi-licensing: Finland, Iceland, and Norway maintain exclusive rights models, granting state-owned entities a monopoly over all online gambling services, while Luxembourg lacks dedicated regulations for online gambling.
  • Of the 27 countries with multi-licensing, 23 countries have a full multi-licensing model for all regulated online gambling products in those countries.
  • Four countries have a mixed model with partial multi-licensing: Slovenia and Switzerland each have a monopoly for online sports betting, while Austria and Poland each have a monopoly for online casino gaming and poker, with multi-licensing for all other online gambling products.
  • Cyprus (casino gaming and poker) and France (casino gaming) each impose product-specific prohibitions but both have multi-licensing for all other regulated online gambling products.
  • Finland is currently undergoing legislative reforms, and is expected to establish a multi-licensing framework for online gambling in 2026.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, said: “The momentum towards full multi-licensing for online gambling in Europe is undeniable. While a few exceptions still exist, governments are concluding that public policy objectives, particularly related to consumer protection and tax generation, are more effectively met through well-regulated online competition. Finland’s current transition towards multi-licensing signals the impending end of the last online gambling monopoly in the EU, marking a significant regulatory milestone.

“Similar deliberations regarding the future of the online monopoly are inevitable in Norway and Iceland. Furthermore, the handful of countries with either partial monopolies or product prohibitions should strive for greater consistency and effectiveness in their policies by phasing these out. With over 15 years of regulatory experience in Europe, it’s clear that full multi-licensing offers the best pathway to enhance consumer protection, increase tax revenues, and ensure stronger regulatory control. The time has come for the last remaining European countries to embrace this optimal form of online regulation.”

The post A New Analysis by EGBA Reveals Notable Shift Towards Multi-licensing for Online Gambling Across Europe appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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