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Compliance Updates

UK Gambling Operators Face £100M Tax in Harm Reduction Push

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Gambling operators in the UK face a tax of as much as 1.1% of profits on some types of games as the government seeks £100 million ($126 million) a year to invest in harm reduction and research.

The planned statutory levy on all licensed operators will range from 0.1% to 1.1% of the gross gambling yield, depending on the sector and nature of the gambling, according to a statement Wednesday from the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

The UK has over the last few years introduced stricter regulation of gambling, including requiring operators to reduce the intensity of online games, carry out financial vulnerability checks of players and provide customers with better control over the types of marketing they receive. Many of the measures were announced under a Conservative government, which lost to the Labour Party in July’s General Election.

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The government will review the charge within five years of its introduction, with the first formal review expected by 2030, according to the statement.

UK gambling stocks soared last month after UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget did not include much-speculated tax hikes on the sector.

The statutory levy is a separate initiative, proposed under the Conservative government in a 2023 white paper on gambling reform.

The announcement was welcomed by anti-gambling campaigner Matt Zarb-Cousin, who said that he was “really pleased” that it is being introduced. “It will totally transform the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm,” Zarb-Cousin said.

The four biggest gambling operators – Entain Plc, Flutter Entertainment Plc, William Hill-owner Evoke Plc and Bet365 – previously pledged to pay 1% of their gross gambling yield to an industry-funded charity GambleAware in anticipation of the levy.

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In the year ending in March, the charity said it received donations of £49.5 million, £46.6 million of which came from the top four operators.

“This represents a significant step towards protecting people from gambling harm. The levy is also a crucial step towards ensuring continued support through a statutory system and is something we have been calling for since 2017,” GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond said of the plans in a statement.

The Betting and Gaming Council, which lobbies for the industry, said that it supports plans for the levy outlined in last year’s proposal.

“Ministers must not lose sight of the fact the vast majority of the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, on the lottery, in bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls and online do so safely,” Betting and Gaming Council Chief Executive Officer Grainne Hurst said in a statement.

The post UK Gambling Operators Face £100M Tax in Harm Reduction Push appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Brian O’Dwyer

NYSGC Appoints Terryl Brown to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board

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The New York State Gaming Commission (Commission) unanimously appointed Terryl Brown to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board (Board), which is overseeing the commercial casino siting process in the New York Metro region.

“The Gaming Facility Location Board’s work can be transformational for the State of New York. Ms. Brown brings a wealth of experience, expertise and public service to the team that will evaluate casino proposals. I thank her and the entire Board for its ongoing work and service to New York State,” Commission Chair Brian O’Dwyer said.

Terryl Brown currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel at Pace University. Prior to taking her position at Pace, Brown served as Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs and Administration for the New York City Fire Department, where she oversaw operations and legal matters for a department comprised of 17,000 employees. Brown has also been Chief Ethics Officer and Counsel with the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Acting Counsel to Governor David Paterson, First Assistant Counsel to Governor Eliot Spitzer, a Commissioner of the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at the New York Power Authority, and a Partner at Harris Beach PLLC.

Brown graduated from Pace University with a bachelor’s degree in political science; earned a master’s from Villanova University; and a J.D. and M.B.A. from University of Pittsburgh. She completed an advanced finance program at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Brown joins Vicki Been, Marion Phillips, III, Stuart Rabinowitz, and Greg Reimers on the Gaming Facility Location Board.

The Board is ultimately responsible for reviewing and evaluating casino applications and recommending up to three facilities for licensure.

The post NYSGC Appoints Terryl Brown to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Compliance Updates

Jackpot Digital Receives Maine Gaming License

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Jackpot Digital Inc., the world’s leading provider of innovative dealerless electronic poker gaming solutions, has announced that it has received license approval from the Maine Gambling Control Unit (MGCU).

This milestone marks a significant achievement for the Company, as it is the first state-issued license it has received in the US. This state license allows the Company to install its casino machines throughout all of Maine.

“Receiving approval from MGCU is a major accomplishment. Until now, our U.S. licenses have been exclusively through our valued Indian Gaming casino partners, who issue licenses for their respective properties. A state license, however, grants us access to the entire state. We have several additional state licenses pending approval, representing a major expansion opportunity into larger state-regulated commercial casinos,” Jake Kalpakian, CEO of Jackpot Digital, said.

“More immediately, this MGCU approval enables us to offer Jackpot Blitz to gaming operators across Maine. We are excited to bring our innovative products to Maine’s gaming community and reinforce our commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology-driven entertainment,” Mr. Kalpakian added.

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Jackpot Digital’s flagship product, the Jackpot Blitz ETG, offers a modern, dealerless, player-friendly poker solution that integrates traditional multiplayer poker games with cutting-edge digital technology. The MGCU license will enable the company to offer its innovative gaming solutions to operators throughout Maine, driving new revenue opportunities and enhancing player experiences.

The post Jackpot Digital Receives Maine Gaming License appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Compliance Updates

Dutch Gaming Regulator Publishes Match-fixing Trend Analysis 2024

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The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has published its Match-fixing Trend Analysis for 2024.

In 2024, there were 13 reports from license holders, compared to 6 reports in 2023. The reports concern striking betting patterns, risky matches and striking changes in odds. Following the investigation into these signals, the KSA has issued 4 warnings and a guideline with guidance for the market will follow shortly.

In the Trend Analysis Match Fixing 2024, the KSA provides an overview of the reports it received in the period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. It concerns 13 reports of possible match fixing, originating from 8 different license holders. Compared to the trend analysis for the year 2023, the number of reports has more than doubled. Possible explanations are efforts by the KSA to create more awareness of the reporting obligation among licensed providers or a global increase in reports of match fixing. A number of the signals were reason for investigation. Based on this, the KSA issued 4 warnings.

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The KSA will make even more efforts to point out to licensed providers their legal obligation to inform the KSA without delay of indications that point to an increased risk of manipulation of an involved match. Guidance for the market in the form of a guideline will follow shortly. In addition, the KSA will continue to monitor the signals.

One of the goals of the Gambling Act is to combat gambling-related match-fixing at licensed providers of sports betting. The KSA has no legal task in detecting match-fixing, but examines whether licensed providers do enough to prevent match-fixing.

For this purpose, the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) was established within the KSA, a reporting point for signals of possible match-fixing in gambling.

The post Dutch Gaming Regulator Publishes Match-fixing Trend Analysis 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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