Compliance Updates

Italian Operators Lose Appeal Against Covid-19 Restrictions

Published

4 years ago

February 1, 2021

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As operators lost their appeal against restrictions introduced to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, all casinos, betting shops, gaming arcades and bingo halls in Italy must stay closed until March 5.

Even after appeals by gaming firms all over Italy against the steps introduced by the Council of Ministers and the Customs and Monopoly Agency, the administrative court in Lazio took the decision.

The new Covid-19 prevention decree in Italy is due to expire on March 5, but some gaming operators believe they may be forced to stay closed for much longer. Some complain that they are singling out the gaming industry.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Iari Fondi, owner of a gaming company in Altopascio, Lucca province, wrote to the Corriere Fiorentino newspaper: “Behind the prolonged closure of gaming companies there is a precise political will, hidden by the health emergency, that is using the devastating effects of Covid-19 to bring the legal and public gaming industry to its knees.”

He continued: “My venue is 300 square meters and complies with all the requirements, where is the risk of contagion compared to a supermarket? . . . We have equipped ourselves as requested: machines reduced for distancing, sanitation, plexiglass barriers and alternating staff.

“If on March 5 we don’t start again, I don’t know what will happen.”

The court will hear the operators’ appeal on February 10.

Compliance Updates

UK Gambling Commission Publishes Further Data on the Gambling Industry in Great Britain

Published

43 minutes ago

May 12, 2025

Niji Narayan

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.

This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and March 2025, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.

This release compares Quarter 4 (Q4) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q4 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.

The latest operator data shows:

• online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q4 (January to March) was £1.45 billion, an increase of 7% from Q4 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 5% Year-on-Year (YoY), to 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts in the quarter increased 2%, to 13.5 million.

• real event betting GGY increased by 5% YoY to £596 million. The number of bets decreased 1%, while the average monthly active accounts in Q4 decreased 2%.

• slots GGY increased 11% to £689 million YoY. The number of spins increased 6% to 23.4 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q4 increased 6% to 4.5 million per month.

• the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 5% YoY to 10.1 million. The average session length stayed consistent at 17 minutes. Approximately 6% of all sessions lasted more than one hour, the same as the Q4 the previous year.

• LBO GGY decreased by 3% to £554 million in Q4 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year. The number of total bets and spins decreased by 5% to 3.1 billion.

The post UK Gambling Commission Publishes Further Data on the Gambling Industry in Great Britain appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Compliance Updates

Darts Player Andy Jenkins Gets 11-year Ban for Match-fixing

Published

43 minutes ago

May 12, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Former World Championship semi-finalist Andy Jenkins has been handed an 11-year ban and £17580 fine for match-fixing.

Following a hearing before the DRA Disciplinary Committee Jenkins was found guilty of fixing 12 matches between 22 February 2022 and 5 July 2023 and passing information relating to this to bettors.

Jenkins also admitted using his own account to place 88 bets on matches between 17 March 2022 and 4 May 2023, breaching a DRA rule preventing any player from betting on any darts event.

The UK Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) supported the investigation by facilitating information gathered in the course of its enquiries.

Full details of Jenkins’ failures can be found on the DRA website.

John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, said: “This case sends a strong and unequivocal message to all sportspeople – if you fix matches, you are likely to be caught and face serious consequences.

“Betting customers in Britain deserve confidence that the markets they engage with are fair and free from corruption.

“Our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit will continue to work closely with partners such as the Darts Regulation Authority to identify and prevent match-fixing.”

The post Darts Player Andy Jenkins Gets 11-year Ban for Match-fixing appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

AGCO

AGCO issues penalties of $151,000 against Great Canadian Entertainment for alleged age verification failures

Published

2 hours ago

May 12, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

agco-issues-penalties-of-$151,000-against-great-canadian-entertainment-for-alleged-age-verification-failures

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued $151,000 in penalties to Great Canadian Entertainment for allegedly failing to prevent minors from accessing gambling on multiple occasions at three Toronto-area casinos.

As part of its investigation, the AGCO reviewed four separate incidents in which minors allegedly gained access to the casino floors and in which some of these minors participated in gambling activities – two cases at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, and one at each of Casino Ajax and Pickering Casino Resort.

The AGCO is committed to ensuring casinos meet Ontario’s high standards of harm reduction and responsible gambling. The AGCO’s Standards require operators to ensure only eligible individuals are permitted into a gambling site and strictly prohibit access to anyone under 19 years of age (except in the course of employment). The Standards also mandate that casino employees have the necessary competence, skills, experience and training to effectively carry out their duties, including age verification.

This enforcement action underscores the AGCO’s dedication to protecting youth and other vulnerable individuals.

A casino operator served with an Order of Monetary Penalty by the AGCO Registrar has the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative tribunal that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.

“Ontario casino operators have an obligation to ensure minors are not able to access casino floors or activities such as slot machines or table games. The AGCO will continue to monitor and hold all casino operators accountable for fulfilling this important role.” – Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, AGCO.

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