Regulation round-up 12 March 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (6 March to 12 March 2013).
AGA calls on New Jersey to block PokerStars
Lobby group files 28-page petition detailing Stars’ previous US-facing activity “ operator says decision should be left to regulators.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has called on New Jersey’s gaming regulators to block PokerStars’ licensure in the state, claiming the operator has a history of “systematically flouting US law”.
In a 28-page document the lobby group, which represents many of the largest gambling companies in the US including New Jersey operators Caesars Entertainment and Boyd Gaming, argued that Stars “should not be found qualified” for a licence in the state. A lawyer representing the operator has since called for New Jersey’s gambling regulators to ignore the AGA’s document.
Stars is currently waiting to hear whether it will receive an interim casino operator licence which will allow it to complete the acquisition of The Atlantic Club Casino, a deal which could protect around 2,000 jobs.
Speculation over whether the Isle-of-Man licensed operator will be allowed entry into the state, where online gambling became legal last month, has been rife.
As the AGA’s filing describes at length, PokerStars continued to accept bets from US customers post-UIGEA in 2006 when others including Absolute and Full Tilt Poker exited the market. It eventually shut down its US-facing operations in April 2011 following the Black Friday indictments and reached a $731m settlement with the US Department of Justice in July last year without admitting any wrongdoing.
888 and Treasure Island recommended for Nevada licence
Online gaming operator 888 has moved a step closer to the US market after receiving a recommendation for an interactive poker licence by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
In last week’s hearing the company was unanimously approved for a service provider licence while one of its proposed partners, the Las Vegas casino Treasure Island, was recommended for an operator licence.
Earlier last week eGaming Review revealed the two companies had agreed a partnership which would see 888’s technology powering an 888Poker site launched using Treasure Island’s licence.
Seven days in regulation:
Bwin.party secures Belgian approval
Bwin.party has received the green light to offer poker, casino games and sports betting in Belgium under its bwin.be domain following an approval process lasting several months.
The operator had previously been blacklisted in the EU member state, with chief executive Norbert Teufelberger being questioned by authorities last year during a conference in Brussels, however it agreed to pursue a dot.be licence in December after partnering with Belgian licensee Groupe Partouche.
Operators wishing to obtain a licence in Belgium are required to have a land-based presence in the country, and bwin’s poker and casino offering comes via a licence held by Partouche-owned Casino Kursaal Oostende NV.
Illinois online gambling plans progress
Proposals to massively expand gambling in Illinois including the regulated of egaming have edged closer to reality after a bill was approved by the Senate Executive Committee.
SB 1739, known as the Riverboat Gambling Act, would permit five new casinos to be built in the state bringing the number to 15, allow slot machines at horse racing tracks and also make it legal for existing operators to offer online poker and casino games.
Last year Senate President John Cullerton introduced an amended version of HB 4148 proposing the creation of a new Division of Internet Gaming in the Illinois Lottery, which would offer internet wagering on its own egaming platform, but took it off the state’s Executive Committee agenda before the 31 May procedural deadline.
RGA warns Greece over OPAP online monopoly
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has warned the Greek government that its plans to extend OPAP’s land-based monopoly to online gaming products would breach EU law.
In a complaint to the European Commission, the RGA highlights that while the Greek Gambling Act, first drafted in 2011, allows for the licensing of egaming operators, the Ministerial Decisions and administrative measures undertaken prevent any operator other than OPAP from being granted a full licence.
State-owned OPAP currently holds a monopoly across all offline betting products in Greece including sports betting, however plans to offer the operator exclusivity for online gaming until 2020 were revealed in December when a bill submitted by the Ministry of Finance was leaked.