Canada

NeoPollard Interactive and New Hampshire Lottery Prevail Against U.S. Government Appeal in iLottery Case

Published

3 years ago

January 25, 2021

NeoPollard Interactive LLC, jointly owned by Pollard Banknote Limited and NeoGames S.A., is thrilled with the decision rendered by the First Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals on January 20, 2021 that unequivocally reconfirmed that the federal Wire Act is limited to sports betting and, therefore, does not pertain to state-run lotteries. This decision confirms the ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire in 2019 that was appealed by the U.S. Federal Department of Justice. Overall, this decision is important for the U.S. lottery industry as a whole by alleviating concerns related to the legality of traditional retail or online lottery sales (also known as “iLottery”) which rely on the transmission of lottery data over the Internet.

The Wire Act subjects to criminal liability any person who “knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers.” In 2011, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (“OLC”) concluded that the Wire Act only applied to sports betting. Following that opinion, many lotteries began to offer non-sports gaming products over the Internet, reasonably relying on the OLC’s conclusions that their activities were lawful.

In January 2019, the OLC reversed that prior decision and released a new opinion concluding that the Wire Act extended beyond the sports-betting context to criminalize interstate transmissions of all bets or wagers—thereby overturning the conclusions of the 2011 opinion and threatening to shut down the burgeoning iLottery industry.

Working alongside the New Hampshire Lottery Commission (“New Hampshire Lottery”), NeoPollard Interactive and Pollard Banknote, the New Hampshire Lottery’s iLottery providers, immediately sought a declaratory judgment in federal court that the OLC’s new Wire Act interpretation was based on an incorrect reading of the statute. In June 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire confirmed that the federal Wire Act applies only to sports-betting activities. The OLC appealed that decision.

In this latest judgement, the First Circuit affirmed the District Court’s June 2019 decision thus restoring the 2011 interpretation that limited the Wire Act to sports betting. By upholding the 2011 interpretation that the Wire Act applies only to bets or wagers on a sporting event or contest, this ruling safeguards the New Hampshire Lottery, NeoPollard Interactive and Pollard Banknote, specifically, and all other iLottery operators, generally, from the threat of unlawful prosecution.

In addition, and equally importantly for other state lotteries, any concerns about the pooling of bets or the transmission of wagers in connection with national and regional multi-state games such as Powerball® and Mega Millions, whether through traditional retail or online channels, have been completely eliminated.

“We are very happy with the recent judgement confirming, yet again, the 2011 interpretation of the Wire Act,” said Liz Siver, General Manager, NeoPollard Interactive. “This is a great success for the Lottery industry generally, and iLottery specifically, as it ensures that the sale of both iLottery games and national and regional multi-state games can continue to be strong contributors to lottery sales and the good causes that U.S. lotteries support. In terms of iLottery, we know first-hand the positive effect that these operations have had, not only on state resources, but on player experience as well. The current worldwide pandemic has amplified the importance of this new channel. We look forward to continuing to provide state-of-the-art iLottery products and strategies to lotteries with an increasing array of products within the digital landscape.”

SOURCE NeoPollard Interactive

Canada

Play’n GO announces partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

play’n-go-announces-partnership-with-canadian-operator-loto-quebec

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, launching the Swedish gaming giant’s games into another Canadian province.

Already active in another Canadian province , this partnership sees Play’n GO’s content available in the province of Québec exclusively with Loto-Québec, a state-owned corporation, where online players now have access to titles such as Tome of Madness.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer, Play’n GO said: “At Play’n GO, we have always been clear in our vision to be active in every regulated market in the world, and this partnership with Loto-Québec is the next step on that journey.

“Our past success in Canada gives us confidence that players in Québec will enjoy the best Play’n GO content, and we look forward to many years of success with Loto-Québec in the province.”

Stéphane Martel, Head of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform, lotoquebec.com. We are happy to bring Play’n GO games to our players.”

Canada

Court Decision Upholds iGaming Ontario’s Model

Published

3 days ago

May 15, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

court-decision-upholds-igaming-ontario’s-model

iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.

In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.

iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.

Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer

Published

1 week ago

May 10, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

bragg-gaming-appoints-renowned-igaming-executive-neill-whyte-as-chief-commercial-officer

Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.

Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.

Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.

In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.

“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”

Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.

“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”