Regulation round-up 04 June 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (29 May to 04 June 2013)
Sheriff “will soon be fully discharged” of money laundering accusations
Sheriff Gaming denies allegations linking the business to a series of raids in Eindhoven
A spokesperson for Sheriff Gaming has said there is “no evidence” between Sheriff Gaming and an alleged drug dealing and illegal gambling operation.
A joint operation by the Dutch Public Prosecutor, Gambling Authority and Tax Authority led to the assets of three Dutch entrepreneurs, Michel Gregoire (32), Maurice Gregoire (34) and Stijn Flapper (34) being seized. This amounted to 100 bank accounts, 20 cars and 80 houses and business premises in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The Eindhoven-based trio, who own shares in telecommunications and payments solutions firm Teletick BV, are alleged to have used money made from dealing soft drugs and running an illegal gambling operation to fund the business. As Flapper also owns Bubble Group NV, the parent company of Sheriff Gaming, allegations had emerged that the slot developer was under investigation as part of the ongoing investigations.
This has already prompted the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, which certified Sheriff in 2011, to launch “a special investigation” to “confirm that that the basis on which Bubble Group BV and its sponsors were approved remains correct”.
Reid prepares new federal poker push
US Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller are working together again on new federal online poker legislation, while a separate bill sponsored by New York State Congressman Peter King could be introduced next week.
Heller, the junior Republican Senator for Nevada, worked with co-sponsors Reid and Jon Kyl, who has since retired, last year on legislation which was never introduced due to a lack of support.
Chandler Smith, a spokeswoman for Heller, told political news site The Hill that Reid and Heller are “continuing to work closely together on this issue”.
Seven days in regulation:
Spanish egaming market declines in Q1
Gross gaming revenue (GGR) and turnover declined in the Spanish egaming market in the first quarter of 2013 as the country’s economic crisis continues.
GGR across all products fell to 60.84m for the three month period, a quarter-on-quarter decline of 1%, while turnover dropped 0.7% to 1.37bn. In the same period official figures released by the government said the economy shrank by 0.5% and unemployment hit 27%.
Spanish regulator La Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) said that with no comparable quarter, as the market officially opened in June last year, it was unable to evaluate the effects of seasonality on results. But it said the decline represented a “a stagnation” of the online gambling market.
Australian PM to ban gambling advertising
The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has pledged to enforce a ban on gambling advertising during live sports broadcasts, calling on broadcasters to comply with the measures immediately.
National newspaper The West Australian reports Gillard has asked media companies to block the promotion of in-play odds and to ensure all other gambling advertising (which doesn’t refer to odds) is only aired in designated periods around broadcasts. Gillard’s proposals also block gambling operators from sponsoring teams and displaying banners in stadiums, while commentators and pundits are no longer allowed to refer to the latest odds.
Lobby groups: “High time” for EC action on Greek proposals
Lobby groups representing Europe’s gambling operators have filed a joint complaint with the European Commission calling for action to prevent Greece from implementing “non-EU compliant” egaming regulations.
In a letter filed last week, the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) set out how proposed Greek laws fail to comply with EU law and call on the EC to “address this as a matter of urgency”. Former state asset OPAP currently holds a monopoly across all offline betting products in Greece and plans to give the operator exclusivity for online gaming until 2020 were revealed in December when a bill submitted by the Ministry of Finance was leaked.
EU committee: Consumer protection “has to be improved”
Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection have voted in favour of stronger consumer protection within the egaming industry.
In a vote on a report into online gambling in the internal market led by Ashley Fox MEP, committee members voted 32-3 in favour of stricter guidelines. The report “ which featured some 425 amendments from its original draft submitted in February “ will now receive a first hearing in European Parliament on 1 July.