Asia
Kerala High Court Issues Notice to Virat Kohli in a Plea Seeking Ban on Online Gambling
The Kerala High Court has issued notice to Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and the state government in a plea seeking ban on online gambling in the state.
Besides Kohli, a division bench, headed by Chief Justice S Manikumar, also issued notices to Malayalam actor Aju Varghese and South Indian actress Tamanna Bhatia. The celebrities are the brand ambassadors of online rummy games.
Petitioner Pauly Vadakkan alleged online gambling is now a growing menace in the state and the primary targets will be middle to low-income group people who will be enticed to make easy money. People who fall to the fraud platforms often use what is left in their life savings, he said.
The petitioner said there have been many reported cases across the state in which people have got scammed.
Referring to the recent alleged death by suicide of a 28-year-old man, an ISRO employee hailing from Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram district, the petitioner said the man had fallen into the trap of online rummy game and pushed himself to debt of Rs 21 lakh.
Finding no means to repay the debt, he took his life, the petitioner alleged.
These platforms endorsed by celebrities, including Kohli, Bhatia and Varghese, attract their audience with fake promises while in reality, the probability of such winnings are slim to none, thus making a fool of unsuspecting people, the plea said.
The petitioner submitted that at present the law governing gaming activities in the state, the Kerala Gaming Act 1960, does not bring within its purview any online gambling, wagering or betting activities.
The act extends to gaming activities conducted in a “Common gaming house” (which is an enclosed physical premise such as house, room, tent, etc.) by using any “instrument of gaming kept or used in such enclosed physical premises for the accrual of profit or gain to the person owning, occupying, keeping such instruments of gaming in the enclosed physical premises.”
“Thus a person sitting in his private house, using these online gambling platforms from his house arguably may not come within the definition of a common gaming house,” the petitioner said.
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Onlyplay has entered into a strategic partnership with online casino and betting company Ritchie Rabbit within the Asia region.
Ritchie Rabbit is said to have “extensive expertise and deep understanding of the Asian market,” which helps Onlyplay as it seeks to expand its presence in the region.
Through this deal, Onlyplay will introduce a range of games and features designed specifically for the Asian gaming community.
Onlyplay offers a wide range of games such as instant win, slots and crash games, and will now provide games for players in Asia.
Christina Muratkina, CEO of Onlyplay, said: “It is a great pleasure for us to develop the Asian region alongside Ritchie Rabbit. We recognize the immense potential of the Asian market and are committed to delivering top-notch gaming content and experiences to players in the region. This partnership represents a significant step forward in our efforts to offer innovative and engaging games that resonate with our Asian audience.”
The post Onlyplay Enters into Strategic Partnership with Ritchie Rabbit appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Hub88 has partnered with live casino supplier LiveGames, further strengthening its product offering by adding a unique range of content to its platform.
LiveGames provides fully customisable online live dealer games and branded tables including the first vertical roulette table in the sector, along with crash games and the widely played Tombola.
The supplier delivers experiences with a player-focused design, easy to use mobile interface, and high-resolution broadcasts.
The partnership will support LiveGames’ goal to further expand in international markets, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America where Hub88 has a strong presence.
The deal showcases Hub88’s commitment to grow its ecosystem of partners, offering a diverse portfolio of products and content.
Ollie Castleman, Head of Hub88, said: “We’re thrilled to unveil this strategic partnership with LiveGames which sees us add a great provider to our platform, one that utilises modern technology to offer bespoke and personalised gaming experiences to players.
“We are looking forward to collaborating and strengthening our content library with their diverse games.”
The LiveGames Team said: “Our journey started in a small studio and as a team, we are excited about now expanding to every corner of the world together with Hub88 and their extensive operator network.
“We are committed to promoting innovation in the industry and this partnership will support us on that mission.”
The post Hub88 partners with LiveGames to enhance content offering appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has chaired a limited meeting which discussed the efforts taken to eradicate online gambling in the country on Thursday 18 April, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. Minister for Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi, in his press statement after the limited meeting, said that the Government will form a task force to counter online gambling.
“It has been decided that within a week, we will formulate measures to form an integrated task force in order to eradicate online gambling,” Budi said.
Minister for Communication and Information Technology mentioned that forming a cross-ministries/institutions task force is aimed to handle online gambling more thoroughly, collaboratively and efficiently.
“Gambling is an illegal act based on regulations. So, we need to impose measures effectively to settle it,” Budi stated, adding that his ministry will focus on handling online gambling websites and contents, while the law enforcement officers will enforce the law.
“Our authority is only to take down the websites, while the Financial Services Authority (OJK) blocks their financial accounts, and then followed by law enforcement officers, police officers, and the public prosecution service officers,” he remarked.
Similarly, OJK’s Chairperson of Commissioner Board Mahendra Siregar also highlighted the importance of holistic measures in eradicating online gambling in Indonesia.
“Some online gambling activities are not conducted in Indonesia, some are cross-borders, some do not use bank accounts, some needs to be tracked and traced through bank accounts, including transfers and so on. So, the next layers must also be addressed, and that way it leaves no empty rooms,” Mahendra explained.
Mahendra said that according to the institution’s authority, from the end of 2023 to March 2024, OJK has blocked around 5000 bank accounts that indicate its relation to online gambling.
“So far, we have cooperated closely with Communications and Information Technology Ministry. So, if we receive a list of bank accounts suspected to be used or are being used in online gambling activities, we immediately block them, and it has reached up to 5000 bank accounts,” Mahendra mentioned.
The post Indonesian Govt to Form Task Force to Tackle Online Gambling appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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