Compliance Updates
Russia’s State Duma Approves Overhaul of Sports Betting Laws
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The Russian State Duma has approved the legislation that will significantly overhaul the Russian sports betting industry, imposing tax on bets placed on overseas events and extending financial obligations to all market participants. The State Duma passed the bill in the second and third reading.
The new rules pose limits on the types of events that can be wagered on, limiting activity to those held by Russian national sports federations and professional sports leagues. It also allows sports events held by international sports organisations.
Operators accepting bets on non-Russian sports will now be required to pay contributions to Russian sports federations, which amount to at least 5% of GGR every three months.
An operator may have a license withdrawn if it fails to pay the relevant contributions within a three-month reporting period. Furthermore, it will no longer be possible to have a license on both sports betting and tote betting.
All licensees will now be required to have a RUB500 million bank guarantee and RUB1 billion of assets in place. The bill will enter into force 60 days after its official publication, with the measures expected to take effect in mid-autumn 2020.
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Compliance Updates
Missouri Sports Betting Launch Delayed Until Fall 2025
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Missouri’s plan to launch legal sports betting this summer has been delayed after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected an emergency rulemaking request filed by the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC). The decision, announced on February 21, means that regulators must follow the standard rulemaking process, effectively pushing the anticipated June launch to late summer or fall 2025.
Hoskins stated that the proposed emergency rules, which were submitted to Governor Mike Kehoe on January 27, did not meet the legal requirements for emergency approval.
Under Missouri law, emergency rulemaking can only be granted if there is “immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare” or if the rule is necessary to “preserve a compelling governmental interest that requires an early effective date.” Hoskins determined that sports betting regulations did not meet these conditions, meaning they must proceed through the standard rulemaking process, which includes a public input period.
The MGC had initially targeted June 2025 as the market’s launch date, despite the state’s legal deadline requiring that wagering begin no later than December 1, 2025. Following Hoskins’ rejection, the MGC confirmed that its proposed licensing rules, which were filed alongside the emergency request, will become effective on August 30, 2025.
The post Missouri Sports Betting Launch Delayed Until Fall 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Australia
VGCCC Concludes Underage Gambling Investigation
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“Nothing can make up for the harm a Melbourne family experienced as a result of the failure by multiple operators to prevent a young teen from gambling between May 2022 and October 2023,” Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) CEO Annette Kimmitt AM said.
Her comment followed the conclusion of VGCCC’s most comprehensive action to date for underage gambling – more than 2000 hours of investigations, 14 prosecutions against 10 entities, 98 charges and fines totalling half-a-million dollars.
The VGCCC investigation was prompted by concerns reported by the mother of the then 17-year-old, whose neurodiversity, in addition to his age, put him at high risk of gambling harm.
Ms Kimmitt said: “I can only imagine how difficult it was for the mother to come to us and I commend her for doing so. I hope the outcomes and conclusion of these proceedings bring her some comfort, following the significant trauma she and her family have gone through.
“When industry is not diligent about complying with its legal and social obligations, the consequences for everyday Victorians can be serious and long lasting, which is why the VGCCC is determined to hold operators to account.”
The final case was heard before the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria on Thursday 13 February. Correct Bet Pty Ltd, the operator of the Coburg TAB outlet, pleaded guilty to two charges and was fined $3000 without conviction and ordered to pay VGCCC costs of $5500.
Magistrate Hodgson considered that Correct Bet had no prior convictions in 14 years of operation across multiple venues and had implemented additional measures, including staff training, mobile phone policy changes, and regular CCTV monitoring.
Separately, on Friday 7 February, Supreme Edinburgh Pty Ltd, trading as the Duke of Edinburgh in Brunswick, pleaded guilty in the Magistrates’ Court to three counts of breaching the Gambling Regulation Act 2003. The operator was fined $2500 and ordered to pay VGCCC costs of $4950.
Ms Kimmitt said: “It is a venue’s responsibility to ensure minors do not access a designated gambling area, let alone gamble, no matter how determined or convincing a child might be.
“We welcome the outcome of these court hearings, which bring to a close all prosecutions involving this family. Unfortunately, the family’s recovery from this experience is likely to take a lot longer and leave a painful scar.”
The post VGCCC Concludes Underage Gambling Investigation appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Swedish Government Appointed Marcus Isgren as Investigator of Swedish Gambling Act Review
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The Swedish Government has appointed Marcus Isgren, chairman and head of the Swedish Board of Consumer Complaints (ARN), as Investigator of Swedish Gambling Act Review.
The Gambling Act of 2018 established the framework for the regulation of competitive online gambling in Sweden from January 2019. However, studies have suggested that player protection measures have been insufficient, while the wording has also allowed some unlicensed gaming operators to go unchallenged. Isgren must deliver a report by September 17.
Sweden’s licensed gambling operators will hope to have Isgren’s ear as he begins the review. The online gambling industry association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) has called for the government to close what it describes as loopholes in the 2018 Gambling Act that prevent action against unlicensed operators that don’t use the Swedish language or currency.
This month, a Swedish court quashed an injunction issued by the national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen against the payment provider Zimpler due to a lack of “concreteness” in the definition of illegal gambling offerings. It noted that the wording of the Gambling Act states that operators are only deemed to be targeting Swedish players if they use the Swedish language or list the Swedish Krona.
Launching the review, Minister for Financial Markets, Niklas Wykman, said that clamping down on the black market would be a priority for the review.
“We will do this by amending the Gambling Act so that it becomes more appropriate. This is one of the single most important measures for a safer and healthier gambling market,” he said.
The post Swedish Government Appointed Marcus Isgren as Investigator of Swedish Gambling Act Review appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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