LeoVegas, the international operator of online casinos and sports betting websites, has been ordered by the United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority to withdraw one of its radio advertisements for BetUK, an online sports betting brand.

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the respective advert was “irresponsible” and that it could appeal to children. The advert aired in September 2023 and it featured Adebayo Akinfenwa, a retired football player, who spoke about his role as a brand ambassador for BetUK.

However, in the advert in question Akinfenwa encouraged players to gamble responsibly and also made them aware of the various safer gambling tools available on BetUK, including deposit limits, the possibility of setting time-outs and scheduling reality checks.

The Advertising Standards Authority received just one complaint regarding the advertisement’s possible appeal to children. The respective complaint underlined that the presence of a former football player in the advert could present a strong appeal to children and that would put the advert in breach of the BCAP Code.

LeoVegas Rejects Complaint

The online casino and sports betting operator responded to the complaint by saying that it doesn’t believe the advert appeals to children. LeoVegas and BetUK underlined that Adebayo Akinfenwa is now aged 41 and has retired from football for some time, so it is quite unlikely that he is popular with today’s children.

Moreover, LeoVegas and BetUK pointed out that Akinfenwa was not a huge football star back in the day, he spent most of his career in the lower leagues of English football and not in the Premier League. That makes any potential for appeal to children even lower.

Adebayo Akinfenwa does have a clothing range which made him known outside of the world of football but BetUK underlined that it does not include any products for children, so there shouldn’t be any problem there either.

When looking at the social media accounts associated with Akinfenwa, BetUK pointed out that just 8 percent of his total followers on Instagram were under the age of 18, while on Snapchat the percentage went up to 18 percent.

The sports betting operator also underlined that the advert did not feature any content that would normally be associated with children or a childish tone. Moreover, it was played during a radio show that is targeting an adult audience. Radiocentre, the commercial body for United Kingdom radio stations, decided to support BetUK in this case.

Despite the response, the Advertising Standards Authority decided to uphold the complaint because it was found in breach of the BCAP Code, which states that adverts for gambling products must not be likely to be of strong appeal to children or young persons.

Source: “LeoVegas ordered to withdraw “irresponsible” BetUK radio advert“. iGaming Business. March 13, 2024.

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Michael Z. Hermalyn, Fanatics VIP president and former SVP of growth at DraftKings, was temporarily prohibited from disclosing any sensitive information obtained from his former employer to his new employer. The temporary restraining order was issued on Thursday and while it restricted Hermalyn from using any confidential information or soliciting with DraftKings employees or clients, he was not prohibited from working at Fanatics.

Last week, Hermalyn, filed a lawsuit against his former employer. In his legal claim, the executive challenged a non-compete policy he signed off on with DraftKings. Hermalyn alleged that the policy was overly restrictive and unenforceable for California where he currently resides. The legal action was filed after he resigned from the leading betting and gaming operator.

Responding to the claim, DraftKings alleged that its former employee conspired with his new employer, agreeing to obtain insider information. Allegedly, this information was related to the upcoming Super Bowl and contained marketing plans that may benefit Fanatics and negatively impact DraftKings. Not unexpectedly, Fanatics VIP denied those allegations, labeling them “false and fabricated,” as well as “wrong and disappointing.”

Hermalyn’s Defense Denies Wrongdoing

The latest part of the legal saga effectively restricts Hermalyn from sharing any confidential information with Fanatics. The order came from US District Judge Julia Kobick after an hour-long hearing in Boston, Massachusetts. Justifying her decision, the Judge explained that there was sufficient evidence for the need for such a temporary restraining order, adding that she wanted “to preserve the status quo until more of the facts can be determined,” as announced by The Boston Globe.

Under the order, Hermalyn was also directed to return any confidential information belonging to DraftKings within three days and submit in written form details regarding any confidential information belonging to the company that may have been disclosed to third parties.

During the latest hearing, Hermalyn’s defense layer, Russell Beck, rejected claims of any wrongdoing. He added that his client returned all computer equipment belonging to his former employer. The temporary restraining order is likely to remain in effect through April when a hearing for DraftKings is scheduled.

“We are pleased that the judge granted a temporary restraining order in favor of DraftKings ordering Mr. Hermalyn not to solicit DraftKings employees or customers, and not to use any confidential company information,“

explains a spokesperson for DraftKings

A spokesperson for DraftKings revealed that the company is pleased with the recently granted temporary restraining order for Hermalyn. They acknowledged the importance of the order that would prevent the former employee from using any confidential information or soliciting with DraftKings’ current customers or employees.

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Star Entertainment Group has six more months to regain its license in New South Wales, lest it risk closing. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW regulator is not content with Star’s ability to do business without supervision.

Star’s business has been having regulatory trouble for some time now. Its casino license was suspended by the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) last year after a probe that uncovered multiple AML and CTF failings.

An independent manager has been appointed to oversee Star’s Sydney property ever since, ensuring that the company implements its remediation plan. However, the NICC does not believe that Star has yet reached a point where its license suspension can be lifted since it does not trust the company to run its casino without supervision.

The NICC spokesperson confirmed that The Star should prove its capability to run its business independently within six months or risk losing its license for real.

This comes just after the NSW and Queensland regulators agreed to extend the terms of the independent managers appointed to oversee Star’s business in two states. Back then, Star also pointed out that this would be the final extension of the manager’s term.

NICC Says Manager Weeks Has Been the Main Driver of Remediation

The NICC was very unhappy at the fact that much of Star’s remediation measures had been spearheaded by independent manager Nicholas Weeks, instead of driven by the casino company’s own decisions.

In addition, the regulator has doubts that the NSW remediation plan would be enough to reinstate Star Entertainment’s license. The NICC also expressed its concerns that the operator’s profit-driven culture might return once the independent manager concludes his term, considering that a significant portion of the senior executive team has remained the same.

However, a Star Sydney spokesperson argued that the company is firmly committed to implementing the remediation plan with the “utmost rigor and discipline.” The Star team said that it is pleased to have had the opportunity to work with manager Weeks for so long and is glad that his term was extended three times.

In any case, Star will be fighting an uphill battle if it is to retain its license. The company must make sure that its business is in order and show initiative when implementing remediation measures.

In other news, Star recently renegotiated its duty rates in NSW.

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The legal battle between Mansion Group, a leading online gambling operator that is globally recognized, and its former CEO, Karel Christian Mañasco, dates back to last year. Back then, the operator filed a claim against Mañasco with the courts in Gibraltar. In its claim, Mansion Group alleged that the former CEO abused his powers and misused company funds.

Mañasco’s tenure with Mansion Group dates back to 2010. In 2012 he was appointed to the role of CFO, while in 2017, Mañasco became CEO. A few years after that, in September 2021, Mansion Group suspended him, launching an investigation into alleged breaches of duty. After that, in December 2021, Mañasco resigned from the company.

“The application of the foregoing principles must be applied in the context that freezing orders  are one of the court’s “draconian  powers,“

reads a judgement released by the Court in Gibraltar

Now, the chief Justice and judge of the Supreme Court in Gibraltar, Anthony Edward Dudley, imposed a global freezing order of £5 million ($6 million) against Mañasco. The court acknowledged that such an order is known as one of its “draconian powers.” Yet, given the allegations against Mañasco and the possible risk of the assets, the Court considered this to be a proportionate measure.

“Mere reliance on the alleged dishonesty of the defendant is not, of itself, sufficient to found a risk of dissipation. The court must scrutinize with care whether what is alleged to have been the dishonesty justifies the inference of a real risk of dissipation,“

explains the recent Court decision

What Do the Allegations against Mañasco Include?

Besides breach of duty, allegations against the former CEO of Mansion Group claim that he used company money for personal expenditures, including six-figure bonuses. Mañasco allegedly paid himself a £427,500 ($514,000) bonus for the 2022 financial year, while in 2019, he received €327,033 ($346,400). Moreover, he allegedly collected a sum of £66,236 ($79,600) which was used for personal expenditures.

Further allegations claim Mañasco authorized or approved the payment of €2,508,035 ($2,656,420) and £127,073 ($152,700) to White Wizard Media Limited, a suspicious company from the Marshall Islands. Mansion claimed that it wasn’t involved in any business with the aforementioned company.

Additionally, Mañasco allegedly obtained multiple luxury vehicles, as well as expensive jewelry at the expense of Mansion. Last but not least, the claims against the former CEO include an accumulation of credit card payments at the expense of the company of some £249,951 ($300,400).

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