Compliance Updates
Stakers Exits UK Market
Online betting and casino brand Stakers has surrendered its UK gambling licence and has ceased all operations, following the dismissal of its appeal against its licence suspension.
First-Tier Tribunal Judge Aleksander issued a written decision dismissing Stakers’ appeal against the suspension of its licence.
The firm’s initial application to appeal had been refused by the Tribunal, and so by the time of the hearing its remote casino operations in the UK had been “effectively extinguished”.
Stakers’ licence was initially suspended by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) in March 2020 due to a “number of compliance issues,” under sections 116 and 118 of the 2005 Gambling Act.
The UKGC subsequently informed Stakers that it should advise players not to place any bets through the website, and should also support customers in withdrawing funds in their accounts.
Throughout the appeal process, a “significant number of regulatory issues and alleged compliance failings” were addressed, whilst Stakers questioned whether the Gambling Act permitted the UKGC to compel operators to participate in compliance assessments via Skype.
The judge concluded that he considered assessments conducted over Skype to be lawful for production of documents and records, but also found that UK gambling legislation does not require operators to display live operational environments to the UKGC via the platform, and firms are also not required to provide test accounts.
Additionally, although evidence of compliance failings could be a criminal offence under the Act, the Judge ruled that Commission officers were not required to caution individuals under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act prior to recorded compliance assessments undertaken via Skype.
Richard Williams, the solicitor from Joelson law firm who represented Stakers, noted that a total of 12 months had passed since the company’s licence was initially revoked, including the six months between the final hearing and the Tribunal’s decision – which damaged Stakers’ chances of maintaining its operations.
He remarked: “Operators whose licence has been suspended, even where they do not agree with the Commission about alleged regulatory failings, will understand that appealing a suspension to the First-tier Tribunal may not be a viable option if they want to keep their business open.”
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YouTube has announced a crackdown on gambling-related content, tightening its policies to limit exposure to unapproved betting services. Under the new rules, which won’t go into effect until later this month, creators will be prohibited from verbally mentioning gambling platforms that aren’t approved by Google and displaying their logos or linking to their sites in videos.
It certainly appears that YouTube intends to be stricter with its new guidelines, which will take effect on March 19.
While YouTube’s announcement didn’t single out specific gambling platforms like Stake in the announcement, this policy only furthers Google’s crackdown approach to better online promotions. If you find yourself on the platform’s support page and venture into the help center, Google notes that it only allows links to gambling ads that “meet local legal requirements.” And if you want to link to or promote an online gambling site, the domain has to be certified by Google Ads or reviewed by YouTube.
Another part of YouTube’s announcement is that the platform will introduce stricter age restrictions on gambling-related videos. So, viewers under 18 or those not signed into YouTube will not be able to access the videos.
The post YouTube Plans Crackdown on Gambling-related Content appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Netherlands’ gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has addressed an online gambling provider on the use of gaming software with an option for autoplay. Offering autoplay is not permitted in the Netherlands.
With autoplay, a player can automatically continue playing after each bet without having to do anything. Because this option can lead to addiction, the use of autoplay is prohibited in the Netherlands. The KSA received a signal that a player at an online roulette table could automatically continue playing with the previous bet after winning; it was not removed from the table. After investigating the signal, the KSA concluded that this was indeed autoplay. The provider was then given a formal notice to immediately stop the violation and keep it stopped. The game must also be re-inspected before it can be put back into use, in order to exclude autoplay.
Because gambling providers use software supplied by third parties, there is a chance that other providers use the same software. The KSA has therefore sent a letter to all providers to draw attention to the ban on autoplay. The KSA emphasises that it is the provider’s responsibility to check software supplied by third parties for possible prohibited offers or game functions.
The post Dutch Gambling Authority Cracks Down on Online Gambling Autoplay Feature appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Hungarian Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy appointed Zoltán Guller, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hungarian Tourism Agency, as of March 5, 2025, as the Chairman and CEO of Szerencsejáték Zrt., which will be under the ownership of the Ministry of National Economy from February 26, 2025.
The outgoing Chairman and CEO Andrea Mager will become a member of the Monetary Council of the Hungarian National Bank.
Zoltán Guller has been the CEO and then Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hungarian Tourism Agency since 2016. He will hold the management position of Szerencsejáték Zrt. while retaining his current positions.
Márton Nagy also expressed his gratitude to Andrea Mager for her conscientious work in recent years and wished her much success in her future professional challenges.
Andrea Mager has been at the helm of Szerencsejáték Zrt. since June 15, 2022, and during the period the company has strengthened its market position and achieved revenue peaks.
The post Dr. Zoltán Guller Becomes the New Chairman and CEO of Szerencsejáték Zrt. appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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