Regulation round-up 13 December 2016
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (7 December to 13 December 2016)
Dutch government dismisses anti-advertising proposals
Latest update to Remote Gaming Bill includes no watershed for online ads or ban on sponsorship of individual athletes
Operators looking to enter the regulated Dutch market will not face a watershed on online adverts, the Dutch Government has announced.
A series of anti-advertising motions had been tabled by the Dutch Lower House when it passed the Remote Gaming Bill back in July but the majority of these were dismissed last Thursday by the State Secretary of Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff.
It means there will be no watershed for online gambling ads or a ban on sponsoring individual athletes as suggested by the house, but there will be a ban on operators promoting live betting during sporting events – except on their own websites.
According to Dutch gaming lawyer Justin Franssen of Kalff Katz & Franssen, Dijkhoff believes the online watershed is too difficult to enforce and ultimately counterproductive.
Bet365 and Sportsbet back new Australian trade association
Bet365 and Sportsbet are among the founding members of a new Australian trade body set up to replace the now defunct Australian Wagering Council (AWC).
Responsible Wagering Australia’s (RWA) membership list also includes Betfair, CrownBet and Unibet, all of whom will be bound by a new code of conduct incorporating responsible gambling and harm minimisation commitments.
The body also said it would support government regulation that reduced the level of advertising during sports broadcasts, offered time out options, prohibited sign-up offers on a national basis and phased out credit betting.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Spread betting firms’ shares plummet following FCA clampdown
Shares in leading spread betting firms have plummeted following new proposals from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) designed to protect retail consumers.
The FCA proposed a package of measures, including limits on the amounts a client can lose, standardised risk warnings and mandatory disclosure of profit-loss ratios on client accounts.
The financial regulator said it had concerns about the number of retail customers opening and trading spread betting style accounts, with 82% of customers losing money.
Sportech claims ‘final’ victory in £97m tax case
Sportech has successfully concluded its long-running legal battle with HMRC after the Supreme Court declined to hear the tax office’s appeal against an earlier court decision.
The ruling means Sportech – which already received £93m from HMRC on 29 June 2016 – will receive another £4m imminently.
The Supreme Court also ordered that HMRC pay costs, to be assessed at a later date.
French gambling regulator survives dissolution scare
France’s online gambling regulator has survived proposals to scrap the body after the National Assembly voted against a bill amendment designed to reduce its number of independent authorities.
The amendment to a draft law proposed to merge Autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL) into another independent body or directly through the state administration.
It would also have led to the dissolution of the press regulator ARDP if it had received approval from both the National Assembly and the Senate.