Regulation round-up 14 November 2017
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (8 November to 14 November 2017)
Colombia to allow international liquidity sharing
Local regulator also reveals plans to allow live casino and virtual sports for the first time
Colombia has proposed sweeping changes to its online gaming regulations, including allowing international shared liquidity on poker and exchange betting for the first time.
The country’s regulator Coljuegos issued a consultation document on Friday, outlining the proposals, which would also authorise live casino games, virtual sports and keno games.
Coljuegos said the changes were a response to consultation with “interested parties”, and would make the market “even more competitive”.
Sky Betting & Gaming CEO talks UK regulation and international diversification
Sky Betting & Gaming boss, Richard Flint, also took to the national newspapers last week ahead of the impending budget to make the case against increasing the online gambling tax burden.
SB&G’s home turf is on the verge of regulatory revisions with the triennial review, new social responsibility measures and the implementation of a multi-vertical self-exclusion next year.
And although Flint remains broadly optimistic by the outlook of the UK market, SB&G’s recent expansion into Italy and Germany now seems particularly timely.
EGR Intel spoke to the CEO to discuss the future of regulated online gambling in the UK and the operator’s plans further afield.
PokerStars aiming to be first to market in Pennsylvania
PokerStars aims to be one of the first operators live in Pennsylvania when the state opens its digital doors next year, the firm said last week.
Speaking on the Stars Group’s Q3 earnings call, CFO Brian Kyle said Pennsylvania was poised to become a “significant marketplace for iGaming and a potential boost to our US poker business” if it were to share liquidity with New Jersey as expected.
He added: “We aim to be among the first operators to launch in Pennsylvania when that state opens its door to online poker and casino.”
Analysis: Heeding the regulatory warning shots
When 888 was hit with a record fine over its social responsibility failings there were discussions on the TV news that evening, but the £2.3m fine that was given to Ladbrokes Coral seemed to pass by relatively unnoticed.
While it made the mainstream news in the UK it wasn’t one that got much attention.
The scale of the fine, an amount roughly equivalent to the money lost by the players, and the nature of the rebuke by the Gambling Commission would not have sent news editor’s pulses racing.
Gambling fines for social responsibility failings are already old news. And this should be a concern to the industry for two big reasons.