The Netherlands’ regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued an updated Responsible Gaming Policy Rule, setting a new deposit limit of €300 for players aged 18-24 and €700 for players over 24.

Announcing the revised rules on June 3, KSA highlighted the new deposit limits as a significant advancement in fostering a safer gambling environment for young people.

Immediate Implementation and Future Changes

The Responsible Gaming Policy Rule was published in the Netherlands’ Official Gazette and took immediate effect. However, KSA noted that specific policies, including the deposit limits, will be implemented starting October 1. This delay allows for necessary IT adjustments and gives operators time to recruit new employees to manage the changes.

Starting October 1, operators must conduct financial checks on young players (ages 18-24) depositing €300 or more to ensure they can afford to gamble that amount. For those over 24, this threshold is set at €700. If a player cannot afford the deposit, the operator must block any further deposits for that month.

Operators can only deviate from the €300 limit in exceptional circumstances, such as for professional poker players needing to deposit larger amounts for tournaments.

Stricter Real-Time Monitoring

The revised Responsible Gaming Policy Rule also mandates stricter “real-time” monitoring of player behavior. Both land-based and online operators must intervene within an hour of detecting potentially harmful gambling behavior, such as excessive participation. This 24-hour monitoring aims to prevent gambling-related harm by addressing signs like:

• Gambling for extended hours at night
• Continuous betting
• Repeated depositing

The KSA defines gambling for over six hours a day as a potential sign of gambling harm.

“With this policy rule, the Gaming Authority aims to further flesh out the laws and regulations that apply to the recruitment and advertising activities of license holders and to the addiction prevention policy and its implementation by license holders, where applicable,” states the publication in the Official Gazette.

Rationale for Rule Amendments

In September 2023, KSA conducted a study on how ten operators managed their duty of care. The study involved collecting data on player monitoring, player behavior, and addiction prevention policies. The regulator found that operators did not consistently intervene with at-risk players in a timely manner.

The study’s findings, along with recent changes to gambling advertising rules and a role model ban, prompted KSA to draft amendments to its Responsible Gambling Policy Rule. The draft underwent a consultation process, receiving 33 responses from operators, trade bodies, and addiction experts. Most feedback focused on addiction prevention.

Netherlands’ Ongoing Regulatory Efforts

The amendments to the Responsible Gaming Policy are part of the Netherlands’ broader efforts to tighten gambling regulations. In May, a coalition agreement proposed raising the gambling tax from 30.5% to 37.8%. In April, the Dutch House of Representatives voted to ban both online gambling advertising and “high risk” online gambling, including slots.

Additionally, research by the Keurmerk Responsible Affiliates (KVA) revealed that illegal operators in the Netherlands accepted bets from minors. Peter-Paul de Goeij, director of the Netherlands Online Gambling Association, anticipated a “rigorous” response from KSA following these findings.

KSA has also imposed several fines on unlicensed operators offering their services in the Netherlands. Notably, Sarah Eternal was fined €280,000 per week for operating without a license, and Casbit received a warning for a similar offense.

Source: “NL regulator sets €300 deposit limit for players aged 18-24”. iGaming Business. June 3, 2024

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France’s gambling regulator, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has released its strategic plan for 2024-2026, focusing on a significant reduction in excessive gambling and the associated social damage. Three years after its establishment, ANJ has fully stepped into its role, closely monitoring the market to ensure licensed operators remain compliant.

The French Market Faces Rising Challenges

The first regulation phase under ANJ’s authority concluded in 2023, revealing a thriving gambling market with over €13 billion ($14.1 billion) in turnover, reflecting a growth of over 50% since the market opened in 2011. While gambling has become a widespread consumer product for people of all ages and backgrounds, it also poses risks necessitating the implementation of restrictive regulatory policies.

Despite notable progress by gaming operators in player protection, the prevalence of problem gambling remains significant. The ANJ acknowledges that in 2019, around 1.4 million players were at risk, with nearly 400,000 classified as pathological gamblers. Problem gambling constitutes more than 38% of the sector’s turnover, with 21% attributed to excessive gamblers alone.

The country struggles with black market operators leveraging the lack of regulated iGaming to exploit unwary players. The ANJ estimated that the illegal online gambling sector in France was between 5% and 11%, vowing to take action against this rising threat. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has on France to regulate iGaming, noting this was the only way to solve this problem.

ANJ Has Ambitious Goals for the Coming Years

The new strategic plan from ANJ revolves around three key pillars:

1. Drastically Reducing Excessive Gambling: ANJ aims to significantly reduce the share and number of excessive gamblers within the gambling market. This objective requires coordinated efforts from operators and a balanced regulatory policy to strengthen the French model of the gambling market.
2. Fighting Against Illegal Gambling: The second pillar focuses on preserving the transparency and integrity of the sector, primarily through the fight against illegal gambling.
3. Strengthening Economic Dimension of Regulation: The third pillar emphasizes strengthening the economic dimension of regulation to understand market dynamics and provide solutions to current challenges.

The strategic plan’s success relies on sufficient scientific knowledge of the market and gaming practices to guide regulations. Dialogue and cooperation with other stakeholders and regulatory bodies are also necessary, enabling effective, exemplary public action. ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin noted that the collaboration remained vital for achieving the regulator’s 2026 goals.

“Reducing the number of excessive gamblers and strengthening the protection of minors… can only be achieved if all stakeholders join forces alongside the regulator.”

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, ANJ president

The ANJ’s strategic plan represents a critical juncture for the French gambling market, aiming to strike a balance between openness and protection while addressing the social challenges associated with excessive gambling. The country remains beset by many gambling-related challenges, but the regulator’s confident approach raises high hopes for the coming years.

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France’s gambling regulator, L’Autorité Nationale Des Jeux (ANJ), announced the removal of a significant number of offerings from its “Liste Sport.” The list, which contains all sports betting offerings authorized by the authority, has now been reduced to 772 entries.

The ANJ said that it reviewed its list in December, following extensive market research. According to the regulator, the removal of several dozen competitions will help to prevent the manipulation of results in professional sports.

The Liste Sport’s objective is to provide a comprehensive list of all authorized offerings in France, as well as to prevent match-fixing, limit bets on certain competitions and prohibit knowledge-based bets.

The ANJ emphasized that it needed to actualize this list since it was last modified in 2010. The authority explained that the Liste Sport was no longer clear and coherent enough, prompting the review. In addition, some competitions no longer exist, the ANJ pointed out. Some, such as the Tunisian soccer league carry an increased risk of match manipulation. Others, such as the Armenian soccer championship, no longer respond to ANJ’s criteria.

In total, 179 competitions have been removed from the list, bringing it to 772 entries.

The New List Is Clearer and More Concise

The ANJ added that only the final of the First Division (March Madness) of the NCAA will be an authorized offering going forward because of its attractiveness. However, the ANJ still opted to introduce NCAA-related restrictions because of the increased dangers of match-fixing related to the league.

However, the ANJ added that it has also lifted a number of restrictions that no longer seem justified. A major change, for example, is that basketball bets can now be placed on the number of points scored by players, even if this score is less than 20. The handicap bet ban in tennis is also being removed.

The ANJ explained that the review of its Liste Sport seeks to make it easier for operators to comply with the local regulations. The new version is clearer, removing unnecessarily complex wording and placing types of bets in broader categories.

To conclude, the French regulator said that the general principles of the list have not been affected by the aforementioned changes. Authorized bets must always relate to sporting stakes, while bets on negative actions remain prohibited. In addition, bets must always be executed as per the first announcement of results by the event organizer.

The new sporting list will come into force from March 1, 2024.

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The social media giant Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, was fined by the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority (AGCOM). The company has to pay a fine of €5.85 million for violating the country’s laws about gambling advertising.

Fine for betting and gaming ads

The country decided to issue a fine to the industry giant, which is clearly a huge escalation when it comes to conducting the laws and regulatory actions issued by the state recently.

The AGCOM found various betting and gaming promotional content advertised on 13 Facebook profiles and five Instagram ones, 18 in total. Since both Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same company, Meta, the company got fined.

But that’s not all – further investigation revealed 32 visual posts, both video and images, that advertised betting and gaming activities. Since Meta provides various advertising services and it isn’t just the platform to display your own content, it is responsible for the violation.

AGCOM stated that the company is aware of the fact that betting and gambling ads are illegal, but despite that it approved the problematic ads.

In total, 18 accounts are flagged, but according to AGCOM, Meta is responsible for only five of them. After the AGCOM flagged the problematic ads, the company took measures to stop advertising and correct the issue. Also, after the regulator flagged the account, Meta blocked 11 of them.

But all those steps weren’t enough – the company had to pay a fine anyway. Apart from the penalty, Meta received an official notice and a take-down order for all ads in question.

Strict rules

Italy has strict rules when it comes to the regulation of problem gambling and gambling addiction. Back in July 2018, the state issued a Dignity Decree, a decree that helped prevent and resolve the issues related to the matter, and Meta violated that decree.

According to the document, all forms of betting and gambling ads are prohibited on both social media and other mediums, such as sports team jerseys, stadiums, and other media platforms.

Meta isn’t the only company that recently got fined because of betting and gaming ads. Both YouTube and Twitch got fined this month. AGCOM issued a fine of €2.5 million to YouTube, and Twitch had to pay €900.000 for similar violations.

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) disagrees with Italy’s strict rules since it can drive the companies into the rapidly growing offshore market.

Source: Hogg, Lea, “Meta fined by Italian Regulatory Authority for gambling ad violation”. SiGMA. January 2, 2024.

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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) confirmed that it has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC). As a result, the two authorities will continue working together into 2024 and beyond, supporting one another when needed.

The MoU aligns the MGA and AGCC’s common values and allows them to perform their tasks more effectively. By working together, the two regulatory bodies can bolster their crime prevention efforts, improve consumer protection and shield vulnerable demographics from gambling addiction.

Both parties recognize the benefits of collaboration, echoing the UKGC’s earlier calls for international cooperation between regulatory bodies. Cross-border partnerships between regulators are one of the hot topics of the industry today and reflect the need for joint action in tackling addiction, illegal gambling and gambling-related crime.

For reference, the AGCC is the regulatory body of Alderney and was established in 2000. Alderney is one of the Bailiwick of Guernsey’s three jurisdictions and is a British Crown dependency serving as an offshore licensing jurisdiction.

While still significantly smaller than Malta and Curacao, Alderney is ambitious to grow its overall presence in gaming.

The MGA and AGCC Value Their Partnership

The original MoU between the MGA and the AGCC was signed in 2013. Commenting on its renewal, MGA’s chief executive officer, Carl Brincat, said:

The renewal of the MoU with the AGCC continues to reaffirm our shared commitment towards supervising a safe and responsible gaming ecosystem across the board.

Carl Brincat, CEO, MGA

Andrew Gellatly, the AGCC’s executive director, also commented on the matter, saying that his team is excited by the opportunity to continue working with the MGA. He believes that the MoU benefits both the regulators and the industry as a whole.

With this MOU, we look forward to continuing and strengthening our valued collaboration with the MGA, to the benefit of both players and stakeholders.

Andrew Gellatly, executive director, AGCC

Speaking of Gellatly, the executive director just confirmed that Alderney’s money laundering and terrorism financing risk profile has been raised. He justified the increase with the European Commission’s most recent concerns.

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Bally’s Chicago will soon expand to a 24/7 operation, allowing it to capitalize on the growing demand for gambling in the USA. The property successfully received the approval needed to expand its operation by 4 more hours and will service clients all day long starting December 27.

Bally’s Chicago was previously limited to only operating for 20 hours a day. The Illinois Gaming Board greenlit the schedule expansion on December 6, effectively allowing Bally’s to tap into the growing visitation it experiences.

Bally’s will reflect its new nonstop work hours by also transitioning Wabash Café’s dining service to a 24/7 operation schedule.

Mark Wong, Bally’s Chicago’s vice president and general manager, commented on the matter, highlighting the importance of keeping the property’s doors open 24/7. He explained that this will allow the company to achieve its targets and reflect the success of other Bally’s properties across the US.

This is a progression toward attaining the goals we set out to achieve and gives us similar hours to other local casino properties.

Mark Wong, VP & GM, Bally’s Chicago

In addition to expanding its work hours, the property will now also offer discounted parking and shuttle discounts to its clients.

Bally’s Is Constructing a Huge Casino in the City

The 24/7 operation expansion sets Bally’s casino in Chicago up for further success. The move is in line with the company’s overall strategy and reflects other casino companies’ business philosophies.

Bally’s is currently operating a temporary property in Chicago as it awaits the construction of its permanent Rhode Island venue. The company was granted one of the state’s six new casino licenses last year, allowing it to develop a $1.74 billion property.

The permanent Bally’s Chicago is set to be located at the Freedom Center printing plant site. Bally’s hopes to get the casino running by the end of 2026.

However, Bally’s was recently investigated over its Chicago license as unsuccessful bidders triggered a federal inquiry. The development followed earlier controversies involving the company and concerns about the implications of Bally’s Chicago property and its potential effect on public health.

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The Liquor & Gaming New South Wales (L&GNSW), which is responsible for managing the “regulatory framework for the liquor, gaming, wagering, casino, and registered clubs sectors in NSW,” has initiated the third and last stage of the compliance program aimed at the forbidden display of gaming signage in the state. 

Two New Venue Operators Issued Statutory Directions

The body that undertakes compliance and enforcement activities and offers policy advice to the government has recently undertaken a series of enforcement measures on two venues, the Royal Hotel at Granville and Stardust Hotel at Cabramatta, concerning the illegal display of gambling-related signage. 

L&GNSW inspectors discovered that the Royal Hotel at Granville made use of cartoon imagery advertising the hotel’s restaurant, Mr Choy’s Wok, which was similar to the one used in the electronic gaming machine called Choy’s Kingdom. 

Accordingly, they were issued a statutory direction according to section 75 of the Liquor Act, which asks for all signage and material using the imagery to be removed or changed. 

While the licensee complied with this direction, they also decided to apply for a review from the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority.

The same inspectors also came across a digital archway around the external entrance of the gaming room belonging to Stardust Hotel at Cabramatta.

The respective archway features animations showing a panda holding and chewing on a plant that resembled those found in the Panda Magic electronic gaming machine. 

Stardust Hotel was issued a statutory direction asking it to stop using the digital archway, with successful results.

Escalated Enforcement Action Starting December 1

As part of the newly instilled “zero-tolerance approach” and ban on these forms of advertising that went into effect in September, L&GNSW inspectors have already attended more than 1,200 venues spread across 53 local government areas in NSW. 

The list included 19 regional areas representative of more than 55% of the state’s venues entitled to have gaming machines.

The inspectors discovered a 99% compliance rate for the venues’ external signage tied to gaming. As explained by the minister for gaming and racing, David Harris, by now, all operators “should have a full understanding of the requirements, and all illegal signage should be removed.”

He further explained that the removal of the banned signage is only one of the critical steps toward fulfilling their commitment to the important gambling reform aimed at lowering gambling harm and tackling money laundering. 

Harris reiterated that operators who breach the Gaming Machines Act and fail to remove these signs will face a maximum penalty of $11,000 per offense. 

At the same time, venues that do not comply with any statutory direction issued under the Liquor Act will also face an offense with an established maximum penalty of $11,000. 

Even more, both of these offenses can be used as grounds for disciplinary action.

Minister Harris said L&GNSW “will no longer accept any reason for a delay in the removal of prohibited signage” or the setup of new signage trying to highlight the existence of electronic gaming machines.

Moreover, he warned that all of these attempts to use symbols, animations, or characters popularly connected to gambling franchises, poker machines, or gambling circumventing the ban “will be met with an escalated enforcement response.” 

The prohibition refers to both external and internal signage that can be easily noticed while standing outside a venue.

In June, the regulator reiterated the ban on credit card ATMs at brick-and-mortar gambling venues in an effort to restrict problem or at-risk gambling.

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Kenya is on the path to significant gambling reforms. Under a new bill, the African country is set to establish a new regulatory body and overhaul its gambling rules.

The measure, dubbed Gambling Control Bill 2023, would replace the Betting, Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) with a new regulator. In addition, the bill is set to introduce regulations on betting, casino gaming and other forms of gambling and legalize prize competitions, public lotteries and media promotions.

Sponsored by National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah, the bill would change Kenyan gambling for good.

The bill is now before the Parliament with its future yet to be decided.

New Regulations Would Be Introduced

Under the proposed laws, gambling would expand but so would regulation. The bill envisions creating a regulator that has the powers necessary to deal with unruly gambling companies. To prevent regulatory breaches, the measure will introduce fines for violations of the country’s gambling law, preventing operators from simply ignoring the rules.

To make sure that operators do not violate the regulations, the bill would require them to post a bank guarantee or insurance security bond that would cover potential violations. Promoting an unlicensed lottery, for example, would carry a KES 1 million fine (approximately $6,500) or a year in prison.

The new bill will also prohibit bets under KES 20. Firms that violate this rule risk a fine of KES 50 million ($328,000).

In addition, the new regulator would be responsible for ensuring that minors do not engage in gambling. To that end, the measure would ban companies from advertising their products between 6 am and 10 pm.

Under the Gambling Control Bill, a 15% tax on gross revenue would be introduced, as well as a monthly levy. Lotteries, on the other hand, would be required to donate 30% of their proceeds to charity organizations.

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Crash and Loot games are a new form of online gambling entertainment that enjoys strong popularity in different markets across the globe. The games offer multipliers, making them more engaging and thrilling, which helps attract a wide range of players. The players of Loot and Crash games are granted a choice to either multiply their prize or cash out each round as they play against a randomized clock.

Last year, Portugal’s gambling regulator, Serviço de Regulação Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), hinted at plans to regulate Crash and Loot games. This regulation became a fact after earlier this year, the government implemented changes to the country’s main law for gambling. The change was implemented back in March this year and now, the SRIJ released instructions that are applicable for Crash and Loot game providers.

Strict Regulation on Crash and Loot Games

Under the new regulations Crash and Loot games suppliers are required to send daily reports for such activities. The rules demand providers of the games to ensure a return to player rate that is a minimum of 80% or more. Moreover, Crash and Loot games must offer multipliers between 1x and 100x.

As a part of the changes, operators need to contact SRIJ and provide daily reports for the activities of Crash and Loot games revealing details regarding the total number of bets, pay-outs, bonuses, earnings and more. “The Instructions are intended to define a set of procedures that make it possible to standardize the information that operating entities must report, which is necessary to control the activity of operating online gambling and betting,” explained the Portuguese gambling regulator in a statement.

Unlike poker or other forms of online gambling activities, Crash games enable the users to cash out at any point during their game. The mechanics of the game put the players against a clock and with time passing, they can secure a bigger prize. If the players fail to collect their prize in time, the round crashes, resulting in a loss for the player’s wager. With that in mind, if the player is lucky enough, they can collect a prize that can be up to 100x their wager.

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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced that Carl Brincat, its current chief executive officer, will be departing from the regulatory body. In the meantime, the MGA will issue a public call to determine his successor.

According to the MGA, Brincat will not be seeking renewal of his current contract, which is set to expire on January 25, 2024. His yet-to-be-appointed successor is therefore set to step into the office on January 26, 2024.

As mentioned, the leadership succession plan will see the MGA issue a public call for applications. The MGA hopes to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities from Brincat to his successor.

The MGA also added that prior to stepping into the office, the new CEO will spend several weeks shadowing Brincat.

Brincat: Leaving the MGA Was a “Very Hard Decision to Make”

In the meantime, the Maltese regulator’s board of directors thanked Brincat for his exceptional leadership and contributions. Ryan C. Pace, chairperson of the MGA, lauded Brincat as someone who has contributed a lot to the MGA and the Maltese gaming industry as a whole. Pace said that the MGA team is very thankful for the strong foundation left by Brincat, saying that they will allow the regulator to pursue its strategic goals.

Brincat also commented on his departure, saying that the decision to leave didn’t come easy.

Leaving the MGA is a very hard decision to make. The past 9 years have been a rollercoaster of experiences which contributed to the person I am today, and it has been a privilege to lead the Authority for the past 3 years.

Carl Brincat, outgoing CEO, MGA

Brincat added that he is very proud of the work that he and his team have done together. He praised the people he worked with for their passion and said that he is looking forward to working with them for a few more months.

Brincat also said that he is certain his successor will find the MGA team just as fantastic and will work with the rest of the MGA to drive further improvements. The outgoing CEO concluded that he will continue to follow the future of the MGA with interest.

On a final note, the MGA expressed its commitment to serving the Maltese gaming sector and “unlocking new opportunities for innovation and excellence.

In other news, the MGA just revoked the license of Arabmillionaire Limited.

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