Compliance Updates
Gaming CEOs Optimistic on Industry Outlook, Report Evolving Industry Challenges
Amidst an evolving economic landscape, gaming executives report a positive outlook on future industry business conditions while remaining satisfied with the current business environment, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Gaming Industry Outlook.
Nearly all gaming executives surveyed characterized the current business environment as good (44%) or satisfactory (50%), mirroring similar sentiment from Q3 2023. Meanwhile, executives are more optimistic about future conditions, with 32 percent of CEOs expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months, up from 20 percent in Q3 2023.
“Gaming’s record-setting growth over the last three years has set a new standard for industry success,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “However, as we enter a period of market normalization, continued investment and innovation in offering world-class, responsible entertainment experiences will be required to maintain industry momentum.”
Gaming Executive Panel
Gaming executives have become more positive in their views that overall balance sheet health will improve over the next 6 months (42% net positive), but they expect the pace of revenue growth (13% net negative) and new hiring (22% net negative) to slow. These expectations for decelerating growth have influenced expectations for increases in capital investment and gaming units in operation, with smaller net positive sentiments than before.
- In contrast to past Outlooks, gaming equipment suppliers are slightly pessimistic about the sale of gaming units for replacement use and new or expansion use (both 13% net negative). However, they remain optimistic about the pace of capital investment (38% net positive).
- Half of operator CEOs expect capital investments in hotels over the next year to be higher than normal, and compared to last fall, more also expect higher than normal levels of capital investment in meetings and conventions and table games (28%). Meanwhile, 44 percent of CEOs expect increases in food and beverage investment, down from 67 percent in Q3 2023.
These expectations are also informed by evolving macroeconomic challenges. Executives report that inflationary or interest rate concerns continue to be a major factor limiting operations (28%), but these have been overtaken by geo-political risk (34%) and uncertainty of the economic environment (34%) as the biggest limiting factors in the most recent Gaming Executive Panel.
Current Conditions Index
The Current Conditions Index of 102.8 for Q1 indicates solid annualized real economic growth in the industry of 2.8%. This includes gaming revenue, employment and employee wages and salaries. Notably, the Current Conditions Index shows gaming expanding faster than the overall U.S. economy which last week reported 1.6 percent GDP growth in Q1 2024.
Future Conditions Index
The Future Conditions Index stands at 102.2, indicating annualized industry economic activity, after controlling for underlying inflation, is expected to moderately increase over the next six months. This outlook reflects Oxford Economics’ forecast that the U.S. economy will slow during 2024 but avoid recession. Despite a projected economic slowdown, consumer survey results continue to indicate that more than one-third of adults expect to visit a casino during the next 12 months, consistent with prior quarter results.
About the Outlook
The AGA Gaming Industry Outlook is prepared biannually by Oxford Economics. It provides a timely measure of recent industry growth and future expectations. The Q1 2024 survey was conducted between March 28 – April 10, 2024. A total of 32 executives responded, including executives at the major international and domestic gaming companies, tribal gaming operators, single-unit casino operators, major gaming equipment suppliers, and major iGaming and/or sports betting operators.
Regulating the Game has declared the winners of the first RTG Global Awards, honoring exceptional leadership, stewardship, and excellence in gambling policy and regulation, safer gambling practices, compliance, technology, and community results.
The Awards were created to recognize the people, groups, and innovations that significantly contribute to integrity, public trust, and sustainable progress in the sector. After substantial worldwide involvement in the first year, victors have now been chosen in all six categories by an impartial judging panel made up of senior leaders with knowledge across industry, law, integrity, governance, and safer gambling.
The 2026 RTG Global Award winners are:
• Leadership Voice — Danny Munk, Wests Illawarra
• Safer Gambling Champion — Gamble Alert
• Compliance Excellence — Dominic Monti, Wests Illawarra
• RegTech Solution of the Year — Cherry Hub
• Community Impact Initiative — Nathan Reeves, Unibet
• Emerging Leader — Michael Simone, Bankstown Sports
The award winners showcase the diversity of leadership throughout the sector, from individuals steering the industry with vision and intent to those promoting excellence in compliance, innovation, responsible gambling, and community engagement.
RTG Founder and Principal at Vanguard Overwatch, Paul Newson, said the inaugural winners had set a strong benchmark for future years: “The inaugural RTG Global Awards were established to recognise substance, integrity and measurable contribution across the sector. This year’s winners represent the calibre of leadership, innovation and commitment required to strengthen regulatory practice, improve industry capability and deliver better outcomes for communities.”
“What distinguishes these recipients is not simply professional achievement, but their contribution to lifting standards, advancing safer gambling, strengthening compliance and demonstrating leadership in areas that matter to public confidence and sector credibility.”
The quality of this year’s nominations resulted in a very competitive field, with finalists chosen from an exceptional group of candidates in every category. Being shortlisted was already a noteworthy accomplishment, showcasing the quality of work, leadership, and contributions made by the finalists, while the eventual winners came from an incredibly competitive group.
The winners were selected following an independent assessment process led by a judging panel comprising:
• Don Hammond, Chief Executive Officer, Leagues Clubs Australia
• Jamie Nettleton, Former President, International Masters of Gaming Law and Partner, Addisons
• Khalid Ali, Chief Executive Officer, International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)
• Tracy Parker, Senior Vice-President – Accreditation, Advisory and Insights, Responsible Gambling Council (Canada)
The RTG Global Awards form part of the broader Regulating the Game program, which brings together regulators, industry leaders, compliance professionals and innovators to examine critical issues, advance policy dialogue and strengthen sector capability.
The post Regulating the Game Global Awards: First-Ever Winners Announced appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Smarkets Files for CFTC License to Enter U.S. Prediction Markets
Smarkets, one of the UK’s leading prediction markets, has filed for a license with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), marking its formal entry into the U.S. prediction markets space. Built on nearly two decades of technology development and approximately $50 billion in lifetime trading volume, the company is bringing a genuinely different model to America – one where prices are set by participants, not the house.
The filing opens two parallel regulatory tracks: a federal route through the CFTC for its core exchange platform, and state-by-state sportsbook licensing for its SBK product.
Founded in 2008 and now the number two prediction market in the UK, Smarkets owns its full technology stack end-to-end, including its matching engine, market-making capability, payments and data settlement systems. The company processes approximately $3 billion in annual traded volume and is profitable. Unlike traditional sportsbooks, which build margins of around 10+ percent into every price, Smarkets operates as a financial exchange with prices being determined in an open marketplace.
“The U.S. market is currently in a race against time to figure out how to regulate the predictions market. For the last nearly two decades, we’ve built Smarkets slow and steady, ensuring we built an exchange platform that did not cut corners and operated with transparency, putting the power into the hands of traders rather than the house. We believe now is the time to enter the U.S. market and bring the learnings that have made us successful in the UK, working with regulators, not around them,” said Jason Trost, founder and CEO.
Smarkets is backed by Susquehanna, one of the world’s largest quantitative trading firms, which led a $30M Series B. Previous investors include Passion Capital and DTCP.
The post Smarkets Files for CFTC License to Enter U.S. Prediction Markets appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
REEVO has announced that it has officially secured regulatory approval in Greece, marking a major milestone in the company’s continued expansion across Europe’s regulated iGaming markets.
The licence, issued by the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP), grants REEVO a Manufacturer Suitability Licence (Category A1), enabling the company to supply its REEVO in-house games and aggregation platform to licensed operators within the Greek market.
The approval also includes the company’s registration in the EEEP Registry of Manufacturers, reinforcing REEVO’s position as a trusted and compliant technology provider within one of Europe’s most established regulated jurisdictions.f
“This licence represents an important step forward for REEVO. Greece is a key regulated market in Europe, and being approved for both our proprietary games and aggregation platform allows us to deliver the complete REEVO experience to operators and players across the country,” said Karl Grech, Head of Business Development at REEVO.
The Greek licence further strengthens REEVO’s growing footprint across regulated jurisdictions, as the company continues to deliver premium gaming content, advanced aggregation technology and fully compliant solutions to operators worldwide.
The post REEVO Secures Greek Licence for Games and Aggregation Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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