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Compliance Updates

Regulatory action against EU Lotto

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A gambling business must pay a £760,000 fine and undergo extensive independent auditing after a Commission investigation revealed social responsibility and money laundering failures.

EU Lotto – which operates the lottoland.co.uk website – has also received a formal warning for the failures which occurred between October 2019 and November 2020.

Social responsibility requirement failures included neglecting to take into account the Commission’s formal customer interaction guidance.

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Examples included:

  • customers frequently changing deposit limits not being considered as markers of harm
  • no evidence of suitable financial and affordability assessments being conducted to identify whether a customer was being harmed or at risk of harm
  • customer interactions predominately consisted of an email detailing the responsible gambling tools available and did not require a customer response – there was little evidence of interactions being adapted depending on the extent of potential harm.

Anti-money laundering failures included:

  • not effectively reviewing or analysing bank statements provided by customers to prove address
  • not restricting customer accounts following source of funds (SoF) requests
  • allowing customers to register third-party debit cards (such as those in a different name to the customer) to their account
  • relying too heavily on ineffective threshold triggers and generally lacking information regarding how much a customer should be allowed to spend based on income, wealth or any other risk factors.

Helen Venn, Commission Executive Director, said: “This case, like other recent enforcement action, was the result of planned compliance activity. All operators should be very aware that we will not hesitate to take firm action against those who fail to meet the high standards we expect for consumers in Britain.”

Read EU Lotto’s full penalty on the Commission’s regulatory sanctions register.

 

Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland commented: “Lottoland is fully committed to ensuring the highest standards of compliance, including its anti-money laundering and social responsibility obligations in all of the jurisdictions in which it operates. The Gambling Commission fine was related to legacy issues around some of our compliance controls which have now been addressed. Lottoland  has extensive compliance measures in place and we are confident that our current policies and processes meet all relevant standards. 

Remedial action taken included significantly increased investment in our compliance function, more than doubling headcount, alongside a host of other initiatives including bringing in third party support, enhancing training and a review of key policies. In addition, we  recently committed to building our individual processes into an automated system to improve the system even further. “

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Compliance Updates

GoldenRace is now certified in the Netherlands

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GoldenRace, global provider of award-winning Virtual Sports and betting solutions, has recently obtained a certification for its highly acclaimed Virtual Sports and Games in the Dutch market.

GoldenRace successfully navigated the stringent regulatory landscape of the Netherlands, and now will be providing its impressive betting products into the Online Dutch market, which will be an important advancement in our operational expansion.

The Netherlands betting scene is on the cusp of a substantial growth phase and with GoldenRace’s latest certification, we introduce to the Dutch market a range of highly popular games tailored to desktop and mobile, in both scheduled and on-demand modes.

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Among the offer, players will enjoy our most-played Virtual Football line-up – including Football Single, Leagues, World Cup and Euro Champions-, adrenaline-pumping 3×3 Basketball and MMA and top-notch races as Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing and Grand Prix Indianapolis 60. Last but not least, our Number Games, such as Spin2Win. All ready to captivate Dutch players.

The post GoldenRace is now certified in the Netherlands appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

MGA: Update to the Incident Reporting Requirements

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The Malta Gaming Authority would like to inform its licensees of updates made to the Incident Report mechanism available through the Licensee Portal The information hereunder outlines relevant guidance and procedures for the submission of an Incident Report through the updated reporting instrument entitled the ‘Technical – Information Security Incident’.

As mandated by Articles 37(2)(c) and (d) of the Gaming Authorisations and Compliance Directive (Directive 3 of 2018), “Licensees shall notify the Authority forthwith, and in any case no later than three (3) working days after, the following:

(c) Any breach of the licensee’s information security that adversely affects the confidentiality of information relating to players;

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(d) Any breach of the licensee’s information security that precludes players from accessing their accounts for a period exceeding twelve (12) hours.”

In this regard, Licensees are obliged to submit an Incident Report in order to notify the Authority of the circumstances relating to an information security breach that meet the above specified criteria. Additionally, Licensees are advised to remain mindful of any further obligations emanating from the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) and any relevant legislation.

The Technical – Information Security Incident option will be accessible through the “New/Change” dropdown menu via the Portal. Upon selection, users will be directed to the applicable sections of the ‘Technical – Information Security Incident’ where all compulsory fields and any relevant documentation must be submitted to the Authority.

Upon submission, the Incident Report shall undergo review by the Authority. Any missing information that may be identified by the Authority, shall be requested accordingly from the Licensee. It is imperative that any pending clarifications are addressed in a timely manner.

If no further clarifications are deemed necessary by the Authority, the Incident Report will be closed off accordingly, and any relevant documentation will be securely filed for record-keeping purposes.

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Any Incident Reports left in ‘Draft’ form (i.e. opened but not effectively submitted) for a period of ninety (90) days shall be automatically discarded.

The post MGA: Update to the Incident Reporting Requirements appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Bradley Khoury

eCOGRA Authorized to Offer Certification Services in Brazil

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eCOGRA, the Internationally renowned Independent Testing Laboratory, has been officially authorized by the Secretaria De Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) to operate as a certifying entity for betting systems, live gaming studios, and online games in Brazil. This announcement marks a significant milestone as eCOGRA continues to extend its international offering of iGaming testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services in regulated markets across the globe.

The announcement comes two months to the day after eCOGRA received approval to operate as a Certification Laboratory in Peru. The organization now operates in 39 online gambling jurisdictions, including Buenos Aires City and Province, Peru, Mendoza, Colombia, and Brazil in South America.

Since its establishment in 2003, eCOGRA has been at the forefront of online gambling certification, providing assurance on fairness and safety to players while offering the highest standards in TIC services to industry operators and software providers seeking to comply with regulatory requirements. The approval to operate in Brazil reflects both the trust eCOGRA has built in the international iGaming community and the quality of its certification services.

Bradley Khoury, Chief Technical Officer of eCOGRA, said: “We are thrilled to bring over two decades of expertise in online gambling certification to the vibrant market of Brazil. This approval from the Secretaria De Prêmios e Apostas (SPA) of the Brazilian Ministry of Finance is not only a testament to our unwavering commitment to the highest standards of competence and quality but also marks an exciting new chapter for eCOGRA. We look forward to working closely with Brazilian operators and interested parties to ensure a safe and fair gaming environment for all players.”

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The new Brazilian regulatory framework aims to effectively safeguard player interests and enhance the integrity of online gambling operations within the country.

“Brazil offers a dynamic and rapidly growing market, and we are excited to contribute to its development. Our goal is to ensure that Brazilian players have access to certified iGaming experiences, akin to what has successfully been implemented in other highly regulated jurisdictions,” Khoury added.

Operators and software developers offering in the federal Brazilian jurisdiction seeking to comply with the laws and regulations by undergoing testing, inspection, and certification can now turn to eCOGRA for their renowned services, assured of their commitment to quality, impartiality, and fairness.

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