Compliance Updates
The Danish Gambling Authority Has Had 79 Illegal Gambling Sites Blocked
On 22 August 2024, the court in Frederiksberg ruled in favour of the Danish Gambling Authority to have 79 websites blocked that offered illegal gambling to Danes.
Among the blocked websites are sites that are particularly aimed at children and young people.
Every year, the Danish Gambling Authority blocks websites that offer gambling products and services to Danes without a licence. The blocks are an important part of the Danish Gambling Authority’s work to protect the players and at the same time ensure a fair and legal gambling market in Denmark.
In 2024, the Danish Gambling Authority has blocked the access to a total of 162 illegal websites that offer gambling to Danes. This is the highest number of blocks in a year so far. Since 2012, a total of 438 websites have been blocked so that they cannot be accessed via a Danish telecommunications provider.
The decision to block websites is made by the courts, and the Danish Gambling Authority has been in court twice this year to have illegal gambling sites blocked. In February, 83 pages were blocked.
The Danish Gambling Authority’s option to block access to the illegal sites is done via a so-called DNS block. This means that the connection between the player and the gambling provider’s website is blocked by the player’s telecommunications provider. If the user tries to access a blocked website, they are greeted by a page stating that the site is illegal and blocked by the Danish Gambling Authority.
“We know that some players will try to bypass the DNS blocks. Therefore, it is very important to us that the information you come across is clear and makes the players aware that they are trying to access a site without a licence. These sites do not have the same level of consumer protection and it can be very risky for a player to use them,” Anders Dorph, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority, said.
Sites without a licence from the Danish Gambling Authority do not necessarily meet the same requirements as sites with a licence, and therefore players do not get the same consumer protection and security on the illegal sites.
It is, for example, impossible to play on a site with a licence if you are under 18 or if you are registered with ROFUS (Register of Voluntarily Excluded Players).
The blocked sites offer different types of gambling such as online casino, online betting and skin betting.
In the latest block, three of the 79 sites contained a new type of skin betting. Here, players can, among other things, use “Robux” as stakes as well as win Robux which is the virtual currency in the computer game Roblox.
“We pay particular attention to this new type of site. Roblox is a game that is very popular among children and young people under the age of 18. Our children should not be introduced to gambling when they play video games, so I am very pleased that we have blocked access to these sites,” said Anders Dorph.
When the Danish Gambling Authority assesses that a website offers gambling illegally without a licence, the Danish Gambling Authority asks the gambling provider to stop the illegal offering. If they do not stop the offer, the telecommunications providers are asked to block their customers’ access to the websites. If this does not happen, the Danish Gambling Authority will proceed with the case and ask the district court to order the Danish telecommunications providers to block the websites.
In the past, only telecommunications providers with membership of the Teleindustrien have been involved in the Danish Gambling Authority’s blocking processes.
In this round of blocking, however, three telecommunications providers who are not members of the Teleindustrien have also blocked access to the illegal sites.
All three telecommunications providers have blocked access to websites with illegal gambling offerings that were part of this blocking process as well as websites covered by previous rulings.
“We are very happy that three more telecommunications providers have closed access. This ensures that even more players are protected from being able to access the illegal sites,” said Anders Dorph.
The post The Danish Gambling Authority Has Had 79 Illegal Gambling Sites Blocked appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Expanse Studios, the B2B game development division of Golden Matrix Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GMGI), has received official certification from Croatia’s Ministry of Finance for its flagship game Super Heli, with additional titles in the company’s 56-game portfolio expected to receive approval in the coming weeks for the EU member state.
The certification marks a strategic entry into a market that generated US$484.70m in 2024, with projected growth at a CAGR of 8.4% during 2024-2030. Super Heli, Expanse’s most popular crash-style game, becomes the first of the studio’s titles approved for the Croatian market, paving the way for broader portfolio distribution.
Tapping Into High-Growth European Market
Croatia represents a compelling opportunity for B2B gaming suppliers, with the Online Casinos segment alone projected at US$218.10m in 2024. According to iGamingToday’s latest market research, Croatia’s gambling market will reach €720.42 million by 2025, making it one of Europe’s fastest-growing regulated markets.
Among the key market benefits are:
- Accelerating digital adoption – Internet penetration jumped from 76% in 2020 to 83% in 2023
- Over 20.6 million tourist arrivals in 2023 following Schengen Zone entry
- Over 500,000 Croatians expected to engage in regular online gambling by 2027
Strategic Value for the Company
The certification strengthens Expanse Studios’ European footprint at a critical juncture. With 56 proprietary titles and 500+ B2B partners globally, Expanse is expected to capture a meaningful share in the growing EU market.
“Croatia certification is more than market access—it’s validation of our content quality and compliance capabilities in demanding EU jurisdictions,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. “With our flagship title Super Heli already approved and more games in the pipeline, we’re very excited for the opportunities this markets brings us”
Competitive Advantage in Regulated Markets
Croatia’s regulatory framework favors established, compliant B2B providers. Operators must obtain licenses requiring significant capital investment, and only licensed casino games operators who have at least one brick-and-mortar casino can offer online gambling. This creates high barriers to entry and positions certified B2B suppliers like Expanse as essential partners for operators.
The post Expanse Studios (GMGI) Obtains Croatian iGaming Certification appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Starcasino bolsters its commitment to Sports Betting Integrity with International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) membership
Partnership underscores Starcasino’s pledge to protect sports and customers from betting-related corruption
Starcasino has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as part of the operator’s recent launch of its sportsbook in the Netherlands via the Altenar sportsbook, which is also a member of IBIA. The operator is also established in Belgium and Spain and joins over 80 companies and 140 sports betting brands that feed into IBIA’s world leading betting integrity network, which monitors over $300bn in sports bets each year. Starcasino’s membership maintains IBIA’s position as the foremost sports betting integrity monitor in the Netherlands, with the association representing around 90% of the licensed sportsbooks currently in operation in the country.
Kylian Olierook, Director of Starcasino Netherlands, said: “Starcasino.nl has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as part of our ongoing effort to support fair and honest sports betting. Together with our sportsbook partner Altenar, we want to help protect sports from manipulation and ensure a safe experience for our players. By working with IBIA, we take an active role in monitoring and reporting suspicious betting activity.”
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome Starcasino to our association. Their addition strengthens our global monitoring network and reinforces our shared commitment to safeguarding the integrity of sports and regulated betting markets. Membership of IBIA highlights Starcasino’s dedication to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the regulated sports betting industry. We look forward to working closely with Starcasino to protect the integrity of its products and markets.”
IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and was established by operators, for operators, to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets. Through the IBIA global monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts; this data is only available to IBIA and its members.
The post Starcasino bolsters its commitment to Sports Betting Integrity with International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) membership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
New Zealand Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden has introduced the Online Casino Gambling Bill to the House of Representatives.
“The Online Casino Gambling Bill will introduce a regulatory system for online gambling in New Zealand, which will prioritise harm minimisation, consumer protection, and tax collection,” said Ms van Velden.
Cabinet has previously agreed to introduce new legislation to regulate the online casino gambling market, which is currently unregulated in New Zealand. Key features of the Bill include:
• Up to 15 licences for online casino gambling operators will be auctioned.
• Companies applying for a licence will need to provide detailed information to the regulator, including on their business plans for New Zealand.
• Licensed operators will be allowed to advertise, with restrictions.
• Unlicensed operators will be prohibited and fines up to $5 million may be applicable for breaking the law.
“The Bill will proceed to select committee later this year and New Zealanders will have the ability to have their say through the select committee process.”
The introduction of the Bill meets action 21 on the Coalition Government’s Quarter Two Action Plan.
The post New Zealand Introduces Online Casino Gambling Bill appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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