Compliance Updates
Gibraltar Requires Local Presence for Licensees in New Gambling Act
Gibraltar has published a draft of its new Gambling Act for consultation that introduces five objectives for the regulation of gambling in the country, including a requirement for operators to have a “sufficient substantive presence” in the territory.
A stakeholder consultation on the bill is now open, allowing anyone affected to provide their input on the bill. Following the consultation, the bill will be introduced in Parliament.
The law introduces five objectives for the regulation of gambling in Gibraltar. These are the “preservation of confidence in gambling markets”, protection of consumers, particularly vulnerable people, promoting “fair and responsible” gambling, preventing links between gambling and crime and the public interest and reputation of Gibraltar.
Regulus Partners, a global strategic advisory business focused on the sports and leisure sectors, noted that the first objective suggests a more holistic approach to the sector, rather than allowing authorities to “compartmentalise policies and regulatory requirements into one objective without thinking too hard about how it might affect the others”.
In terms of the final objective, Regulus noted that it showed Gibraltar intended to signal its credibility as a point-of-supply market rather than moving towards “dark grey” operations.
The rules also make changes to licensing. While licensing and regulatory bodies will continue to be separate, it introduces a requirement that licensees should have a “sufficient substantive presence” in Gibraltar. The wording of this rule was chosen in order to allow the Minister for Finance – who acts as the licensing authority – flexibility “in relation to equipment location and other matters.”
Factors going into this requirement include the “nature, extent, purpose and usage” of equipment in Gibraltar, the “number and nature of jobs to be created and maintained” and the amount of tax revenue paid.
The bill also lays out certain “threshold conditions” that all operators must meet to be licensed. These relate to the conduct of their business, the suitability of their owners, responsible gambling, prevention of crime and the location of their offices.
“In other words, the core concepts are standards and suitability, and having a sufficient substantive presence in Gibraltar. These are the criteria both for the grant of a licence and, on an ongoing basis, for an own initiative decision by the licensing authority to consider revoking or varying a licence,” the Government said.
Much of the bill relating to the supervisory powers of the Gambling Commissioner, meanwhile, was drafted to be similar to Gibraltar’s Financial Services Act, in order to create “a common regulatory framework, and professional understanding and expertise across regulated economic activities with similar statutory regulatory objectives”.
The law stems from a report published in March 2016 reviewing Gibraltar’s licensing and regulatory regime.
A stakeholder consultation on the bill is now open, allowing anyone affected to provide their input on the bill. It will last until August 31, but the Gaming Division of the Gibraltar Ministry of Finance said it would “encourage early consideration of the material”.
Fennica Gaming has announced that it has been granted a gaming supplier license in Ontario, Canada. This milestone marks a significant step in the company’s expansion strategy, allowing it to offer its cutting-edge gaming experiences to gaming operators in one of North America’s most dynamic regulated markets.
The supplier license, granted by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), enables Fennica Gaming to introduce its portfolio of entertaining and high-quality games to gaming operators across the province. This registration empowers Ontarian operators, whether online or land-based, to access the omnichannel offerings developed in the Nordics.
“We are thrilled to receive our B2B supplier license in Ontario and to offer our advanced gaming solutions to operators in the region. After a thorough application process, we can now proudly and prominently display our registration and achievement. We have followed the market in North America for a long time and Ontario is an excellent example of market that is well organized. It represents an exciting market with immense potential, and we are committed to delivering secure, entertaining, and trustworthy gaming experiences tailored to local preferences,” Timo Kiiskinen, Managing Director of Fennica Gaming, said.
Fennica Gaming’s Nordic gaming experience and heritage as an omni-channel gaming operator through its parent company Veikkaus offers a broad range of entertainment for Ontarian operators with a player-first attitude. This registration supports Fennica Gaming’s commitment to a sustainable industry, enabling operation in compliance with Ontario’s local regulatory framework.
The post Fennica Gaming Granted Supplier License for Ontario Market appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has taken decisive action against five offshore online casinos, sending cease-and-desist letters for violating state gaming laws. These websites offer a variety of casino games, such as slots, poker, blackjack, Keno, bingo, and game show games, in addition to sports betting.
The following unlicensed operators are now under scrutiny following the MGCB’s action:
BetWhale Casino, Curaçao
Black Lotus Casino, owned by TD Investments Ltd., Belize
Coins Game Casino, Curaçao
Love2play Casino, Curaçao and Costa Rica
Orion Stars 777 Players, Sichuan Province, China
“These illegal platforms not only violate Michigan’s gaming regulations but also put consumers at risk by offering unreliable withdrawal options and lacking essential consumer protections. Our top priority is safeguarding Michigan residents by ensuring that all online gaming activities are conducted legally and safely. These operators must stop their activities or face additional legal consequences,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said.
Investigations into these illegal activities have revealed that the operators are in violation of multiple Michigan state laws.
Despite offering various payment options like Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin and Ethereum), these illegal operators impose strict withdrawal conditions, often requiring players to wager their initial deposits multiple times before they can access their winnings.
The MGCB has given these operators 14 days from the date of receipt of the cease-and-desist letters to halt their illegal activities.
The post MGCB Continues Crackdown on Unlicensed Online Casinos appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Romania continues to attempt to counter problem gambling among its population in a new draft bill that has been sent for consideration to the country’s lawmakers.
The bill proposes that Romanians will be banned from spending more than 10% of their previous monthly income on gambling and betting.
Banks and financial institutions where players have individual accounts would be responsible for setting the spending limitations, and could be liable for fines up to 1% of their actual turnover should they fail to enforce the potential new rules.
Casino operators and other gambling premises would be responsible for enforcing the spending limit in physical buildings, although it is certainly not clear how that would operate in practicality.
It is also suggested that the ANAF (Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală) – Romania’s National Agency for Fiscal Administration, would be ordered to provide a platform that would allow licensed operators to query a player’s balance to check on the 10% limit.
Gambling operators would then have to report in real-time player spending in order that nobody would be able to game the system, simply by hopping quickly between establishments.
Failure to comply with these undertakings would result in a fine to the operator of between RON 200,000 and 500,000 (between $43,000 and $108,000) for a first offence. Meanwhile a second offence would also see the cancellation of the operator’s licence.
Romania has been trying hard in recent years to combat problem gambling within its boundaries. In October last year, it banned gambling venues in small towns and villages with populations of less than 15,000 people.
The post Romania to Limit Gambling Spending to 10% of Monthly Income appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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