Regulation round-up 9 August 2016
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (3 August to 9 August 2016)
Bookies unite against South Australia PoC tax
Online betting heavyweights launch national campaign designed to halt the implementation of the state’s new 15% levy
Australian operators including Sportsbet and Ladbrokes have teamed up to launch a national campaign against South Australia’s “ill-considered” point of consumption (PoC) tax.
The Australian Wagering Council (AWC), its members and other prominent bookmakers last week unveiled the âStop the Punters’ Tax’ campaign via newspaper advertisements and social media channels.
The campaign aims to halt the implementation of the controversial tax which will see operators pay a 15% levy on bets derived from the state, as opposed to where the bookmaker is located.
Chief executive of the Australian Wagering Council (AWC), Ian Fletcher, claimed the new tax would lead to worse odds for punters and likely push customers towards offshore betting sites.
ASA bans “misleading” Health Lottery ad
The Health Lottery has been forced to withdraw one of its TV advertisements by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it was deemed to have implied it had more winning customers than the National Lottery’s Lotto.
A voice-over on the TV advert, which appeared on 15 May, stated: “There’s never been a better time to play the Health Lottery… and with over £100 million handed out in prize money, there are more winners too.”
A testimonial from a previous winner in the same ad also said: “Lotto became too expensive with too many balls in the machine.”
Seven days in regulation:
Opinion: The future of online gambling in Brazil
Brazil has a long tradition of sporting superiority and this will be illustrated no more so than later this week when Rio plays host to the Olympics. Pride in this sporting pre-eminence was made evidently clear to me when I attended the Brazilian Gaming Congress (BGC) in Brasilia earlier this year.
And as well as this passion for sport, I was struck by the country’s ingrained fondness for gambling. Indeed it is a fondness that is currently sustaining a vibrant âgrey’ market with an enthusiasm and resilience that has resisted all attempts to keep it off the stature books.
Looking around industry events in Brazil, all the names and companies you expect to see within the existing regulated markets are here. It’s not that surprising. For us in the online world, Brazil has all the attributes required for us to sit up and take notice as we search for new areas to develop.
Genius Sports expands senior team with Couchmans partner hire
Genius Sports has strengthened its commercial team through the hire of recognised sports lawyer Steven Burton from law firm Couchmans.
Burton, who joins Genius Sports at the start of September, will lead the commercial side of the supplier’s Integrity Services division as it looks to expand its roster of integrity partnerships which currently includes the likes of the English Premier League and Major League Baseball.
The appointment will be seen as something as a coup for the recently rebranded sports data technology and distribution firm, with Burton having been both partner and head of Couchmans’ sports data, betting and integrity team.