Compliance Updates
St8.io granted Isle of Man licence
The next-generation content aggregator St8.io has been awarded an Isle of Man OGRA Software Supplier licence, as the company continues to expand its regulated footprint worldwide.
The licence, granted by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, will allow St8 to supply its product to other IoM-licensed B2B and B2C partners, as well as other Tier 1 operators.
“This is another important step in our mission to serve regulated markets worldwide,” said Vladimir Negine, founder and CEO at St8. “We’ve been really impressed by the robust licensing process of the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, which allows us to deliver innovative technology in a manner that protects both our partners and the end user. As we expand our presence into more regulated markets, the proven reputation that comes with an IoM licence will serve us well.”
Lyle Wraxall, Chief Executive at Digital Isle of Man added: “I would like to congratulate St8 for gaining their Isle of Man Software Supplier Licence and look forward to them joining the thriving business community. St8’s decision to expand its operations here reinforces the Isle of Man’s position as a leading hub for the digital and gaming industries.”
St8 was guided through the licensing process by specialist consultancy Amber Gaming.
“We are thrilled to congratulate our valued partner St8 on securing their licence with the support of our advisory services. This achievement underscores our commitment to delivering expert guidance and driving success together,” said Jade Zorab, Managing Director at Amber Gaming.
Vladimir Negine added: “We chose Amber Gaming because we needed a partner with a complete understanding of this process, a flawless reputation and an efficient approach that matched with our timelines. They delivered perfectly on all of these, and I’d like to thank Lee-Ann, Abi and the entire Amber Gaming team for their fantastic support.”
St8.io’s Isle of Man licence is just the latest that the content aggregator has acquired. Last year, it was granted a licence from Romania’s National Gambling Office, and in June secured a recognition notice from the Malta Gaming Authority.
The company continues to bring world-class innovation to the aggregation space, including a recent major update to its St8 Art Kit, which now features animated thumbnails for high-performing games.
The post St8.io granted Isle of Man licence appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Snooker Player Mark King Banned for 5 Years for Fixing Match and Providing Inside Information
English snooker player Mark King was handed a five-year ban on Friday after being found guilty of match-fixing and providing inside information in the latest corruption scandal to blight the sport.
The punishment for the 50-year-old King, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 11 in 2003, related to a match against Joe Perry at the Welsh Open played on Feb. 13 last year that was flagged following suspicious betting patterns.
King was suspended by snooker’s world governing body a month later and an independent disciplinary commission has ruled that he fixed the result of the match, while giving information to others about that match for betting purposes. He had denied the charges.
His ban ends after March 17, 2028, and King was also ordered to pay more than 68,000 pounds ($86,000) in costs.
“I have known Mark King since he was very young, he is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case,” said Jason Ferguson, a former player who is now chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. “However, the integrity of this sport will always be our No. 1 priority.”
King had also been charged with fixing the outcome of a match against John Higgins played on Dec. 13, 2022, and for providing inside information on it. Those charges were dismissed.
The governing body said Perry and Higgins were not accused of any misconduct related to the case.
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Chris Christie
Chris Christie bets on Texas to approve OSB in 2025
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has backed Texas to legalise online sports betting in the state’s next legislative session.
Christie helped pave the way for sports betting liberalisation across the US by bringing the Supreme Court case that led to the repeal of PASPA.
The case was fought and won by prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who Christie hired to argue the case for states to make their own decisions on sports betting. Olson died last week at the age of 84.
After Missouri became the 39th US state to legalise sports betting in some capacity, attention has quickly turned again to the big three states of Texas, California, and Florida.
“I think it’ll happen in Texas in the next legislative session,” said Christie, speaking to Covers.com. The next session is due to commence in Texas on January 14, 2025.
Christie is less confident about California, however, where competing sports betting ballots failed in 2022 amid a bitter dispute and lobbying war between online operators and local tribes.
California is seen as essential to the future prospects of US sports betting operators, given its size and wealth and dramatic impact on the country’s total addressable market (TAM).
“I don’t know about California,” said Christie. “This really takes gubernatorial leadership, and Gavin Newsom has got to decide if this is one of the issues he wants to lead on.
“Without gubernatorial leadership, the legislature won’t do it because they’re pulled like taffy in too many directions by too many different interests. Without the governor pushing for it, I just don’t think it’ll happen.”
Despite another potential setback in California, Christie has backed sports betting to penetrate pretty much every state eventually.
“I really believe sports betting is inevitable to go just about nationwide, because people in America love their sports, they just do,” he said. “I think it is in the leagues’ best interests to grow their audience. The government gets some piece of the pie out of that which they enjoy, and the public seems to be pretty happy for the most part.”
Depending on expansion, US sports betting could, in theory, reach every state. It would then become a national issue, but Christie has warned the federal government not to interfere.
“Let the states handle it,” he said. “The states are doing fine. You haven’t heard of anything awful or irreversible happening since each state has been involved and they should have the ability to decide whether they want gambling or not.
“I don’t think the federal government should have anything to do with it and I don’t think they ever should have. I don’t think they have to be babysitters for the governors of the country.”
Compliance Updates
Spillemyndigheden Calls Attention to FATF’s Updated Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions
The Danish Gambling Authority has called attention to FATF’s (Financial Action Task Force) updated lists of high-risk jurisdictions: the Grey List (jurisdictions under increased monitoring) and Black List (call for actions). Among other things, gambling operators must include FATF’s lists of high-risk jurisdictions when risk assessing players.
Jurisdictions listed on the Grey List are Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Croatia, DR Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.
Jurisdictions listed on the Black List are Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran and Myanmar.
Gambling operators are required to conduct enhanced customer due diligence (EDD) pursuant to section 17(1) of the Danish AML Act, if a player is assessed to impose a higher risk of the gambling operator being misused for money laundering or terrorist financing.
Gambling operators shall conduct this risk assessment based on Annex 3 to the AML Act (high-risk factors) which includes the FATF high-risk country lists (the so called black list and grey list).
It is not required that gambling operators perform EDD if a country is listed on the FATF’s list. EDD are only a requirement for players from jurisdictions listed in the EU Regulation of High Risk Third Country list pursuant to 17(2) of the AML Act.
The post Spillemyndigheden Calls Attention to FATF’s Updated Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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