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Compliance Updates

Regulated Dutch market wide open following high-profile departures

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The exit of major operator brands in the newly regulated Dutch market has left it without an obvious leader, Casino Reviews, the leading iGaming reviews portal has found.

Just six weeks into the opening of one of Europe’s last remaining new jurisdictions, Casino Reviews research using Google Trends discovered that previously dominant operators in the Netherlands each saw a significant drop in search volume following the legal market opening on 1st October.

Unibet and Bwin, the two largest casinos, saw their combined search volume drop by approximately 450,000 monthly queries, with a similar trend experienced by PokerStars, LeoVegas and Casumo.

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Casino Reviews’ data shows that search volume for new, regulated casinos is more evenly distributed. Unibet’s previously leading market share has not led to a direct successor, with BetCity, bet365, GGPoker, Holland Casino and state-owned TOTO gaining search traction within a similar range.

Search volume for illegal casinos stalling appears to be good news for regulated casinos and the Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit’s (KSA) projected goal of an 80% channelisation rate by 2024.

The study also shows how six stakeholders – game and payment providers, affiliates, operators, the KSA and players – can assist in the channelisation drive. The licensing of content from leading developers is highlighted as an important issue, as is the role played by payment providers still offering their services to Dutch players at illegal online casinos.

Affiliates can also help the channelisation process, the report argues, by pointing out the risks posed by playing at illegal casinos, while operators are encouraged to put in place more streamlined affiliate programmes.

The research also points out that smaller, unregulated casinos could potentially opt not to pay what the KSA estimates is a cost of between €1 million and €1.6 million for a Dutch licence, a higher figure than most comparable jurisdictions.

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Casino Reviews’ research goes on to detail a potential sweet spot for small-scale illegal casinos who can go under the KSA’s radar while making enough money to cover a fine if and when it should occur. That could leave players using these unregulated casinos open to uncertified games and an unsafe, non-secure playing environment.

David Overmars, Traffic and Conversion Lead at Casino Reviews, said: “Our extensive research into this newly regulated market has provided us with some fascinating insights. The loss of the ‘Big Five’ from the legal market has left a gaping hole that newly licensed operators are battling to fill, with no clear winner emerging.

“Those big operators will certainly come back and pick up licences at some stage and, by then, it is possible we will see the sort of channelisation of players the KSA originally envisaged.

“It is important the six stakeholders listed in our report do all they can to encourage players to play through legal channels, and this means offering them an experience that is safer and more enjoyable than that provided by unregulated offshore operators.”

Click here to view the full analysis.

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Compliance Updates

PGCB Fines Casino $125,000 for Underage Gaming Violations

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The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has approved a consent agreement presented by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) during its public meeting resulting in a fine of $125,000 against Wind Creek Bethlehem LLC for 10 incidents in which underage individuals gained access to the gaming floor at the casino it operates.

The incidents, which occurred over a 20-month period at Wind Creek Bethlehem in Northampton County, involved 11 individuals between the ages of 18 and 20.

A copy of the approved consent agreement offering more details is available upon request through the Board’s Office of Communications.

The Board also acted to ban, or leave intact an earlier ban, of three adults from all casinos in the Commonwealth for leaving minors unattended in order to engage in gaming activities:

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  • A male and a female patron were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 5-month-old unattended in a running vehicle while the outside temperature was 47 degrees in the parking garage of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack in Delaware County for 30 minutes while he gambled at a table game.
  • A female patron’s request to be removed from the Board’s Involuntary Exclusion List for a 2017 incident in which she left a 4-year-old unattended while in Rivers Philadelphia Casino was denied. The child was unattended for 15 minutes in a non-running vehicle in the parking lot while the outside temperature was 95 degrees.

The Board’s actions serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children. Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino also subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos. To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board created an awareness campaign, “Don’t Gamble with Kids”.

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Compliance Updates

MGA Provides Information on Updates Made to Audit/Review Process

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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has provided information to its Approved Audit Service Providers and current and prospective licensees about the updates made to the Audits section on the Authority’s portal, and the related Audit/Review process.

“The Malta Gaming Authority (the Authority) would like to inform its Approved Audit Service Providers and current and prospective licensees of minor updates made to the Audits section on the Authority’s portal, and the related Audit/Review process. The following information outlines the considerations to be made for the auditing process, and the submission of reports for any of the System Audits, System Reviews and/or Compliance Audits engagements, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Audits’.

“After receiving approval from the Authority, the appointed Service Provider has sixty (60) days to complete System Audits and System Reviews, and ninety (90) days for Compliance Audits. The completed Audit report must be submitted electronically through the Authority’s portal. Should the appointed Service Provider identify any instances of non-compliance during this review period, the licensee should be notified, and the licensee is strongly encouraged to address and rectify any identified issues within their documentation and/or systems throughout the Audit period.

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“In such circumstances, the Approved Service Provider must conduct fresh audit checks of the identified non-compliances and appropriately mark such checks within the Audit Report as ‘Resolved at Audit Stage’, if deemed to be compliant. Furthermore, the ‘Partially Compliant’ status can be used if an audit check is found to be partially compliant with the Regulations.

“In view of these changes, the Authority has added two new External Audit Conclusions statuses, these being ‘Resolved at Audit Stage’ and ‘Partially Compliant’, for the Service Providers to be able to report the Audit findings accordingly.

“Should there be any instances of non-compliance which cannot be resolved within the Audit deadline, the licensee may request a one-time extension of the Audit deadline to resolve and re-audit the identified systems and/or documentation issues. The request of such an extension would need to be accompanied by a summary of the issue/s, and a plan of rectification. The extension is at the Authority’s discretion, the time-frame of which shall be determined by the Authority.

“It is important to note that the Authority retains the right to reject an Audit Report if it is unable to arrive at a conclusive review outcome due to a significant number of instances of non-compliance.”

The post MGA Provides Information on Updates Made to Audit/Review Process appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

Danish Gambling Authority Updates Requirements for Reporting Game Data

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The Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) has updated the requirements for reporting game data.

Interested parties can comment on the update before the final version is issued. Comments must be sent to the DGA no later than Monday the 10th of June 2024. Comments must be submitted by using the contact form.

The DGA expects the updated requirements for reporting game data to come into force in 2025. The final date has not been determined. A possible transition period will be described in connection with the issuing of the updated requirements for reporting game data.

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Changes

Several linguistic adjustments have been made and some guidance texts have been added/adjusted. In addition to this, the following significant changes and additions should be mentioned:

  • Addition of a requirement that bets on fixed odds must be reported as independent transactions
  • Addition of requirements for reporting on odds for betting
  • Added requirement for reporting event information incl. list with country codes and sports
  • Added requirements for reporting odds on bets as well as specific requirements for reporting partially closed bets and Spreadbetting
  • Clarifying the handling of reporting for the betting exchange/BetExchange
  • Exception where SpillerInformationIdentifikation does not have to be reported for land-based betting has been removed after the introduction of the requirement for Player ID
  • Adding requirements for reporting RNG used for Virtual Fixed Odds
  • Adding a requirement that a casino session cannot be interrupted in the middle of a move, as well as a description of how “a move” is defined
  • Clarification of different poker types and how they are reported
  • Adding requirements to win lists in poker tournaments and manager games
  • Clarification of downscaling of pool games
  • Adding new requirements for providing test data for Jackpots
  • Clarifying the handling of changes to reported data. Including specific clarification of the distinction between changes to the game result and correction of error reporting.

The post Danish Gambling Authority Updates Requirements for Reporting Game Data appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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