Compliance Updates
Regulator-Issued Sanctions to Gambling companies in Q1 2021 Exceed First Half Total of 2020
A New report from gambling compliance tracker website GamblingIndustryfines.com has tracked over £24m / $33m in gaming operator fines for the first quarter of the year.
The report shows that European and UK gambling regulators Issued more fines to gambling companies in the first quarter of 2021 than they levied in the first half of 2020
Between them, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) and the Netherlands’ Kansspelautoriteit issued sanctions to thirteen online and land-based gambling operators in Q1 of 2021 – which included financial penalties and warnings.
The largest financial sanctions so far in 2021 came in March when the UKGC fined online casino firm Casumo £6,000,000 ($8.2M) for breaching anti-money laundering rules and failing to ensure that players were gambling responsibly.
Gambling companies hit by regulatory settlements included White Hat Gaming, Virtual Coin Gaming, Hajper Ltd, ComeOn Sweden, Casinostugan, Hillside Sports, Clockfair, Shaftesbury Casino, Les Croupiers Casino, Double Diamond Gaming.
Key failings by gambling companies fined in 2021 included:
- Anti money-laundering failings
- Social responsibility failing
- For Offering Odds on a Match Featuring Underage Players
- Offering bonuses in breach of local gaming laws
- Failure to prevent Overspending & placing limits on accounts
- Operating unlicensed domains
- failing in identifying customers at risk of gambling related harm
- Not having appropriate Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures.
The increase in fines & gambling-industry regulations worldwide by governments and regulators could make 2021 a record-breaking year for compliance-related gambling industry fines.
To view detailed information for all fines issued to gambling companies in Q1 2020, see the full Q1 2021 report at Gamblingindustryfines.com.
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Baltics
Estonia to Reinstate 5.5% Online Gambling Tax From March 1
Lawmakers in Estonia are set to approve a technical fix restoring the gambling tax to online casinos, closing a legislative error that briefly left remote gambling exempt.
The Riigikogu will hold a final vote on an amendment to the Gambling Tax Act introduced by MP Tanel Tein (Eesti 200). The latest change corrects wording adopted late last year that inadvertently exempted online casinos from Estonia’s gambling tax.
The amendment clarifies that both games of chance and games of skill offered as remote gambling are taxed on the same basis. By deleting the term “game of skill” from one provision in the legislation, a uniform 5.5% gambling tax will apply to both categories.
The Riigikogu’s Finance Committee adjusted the timeline initially set out in the amendment, setting March 1, 2026, as the effective date.
Under current law, gambling taxes are assessed on a monthly basis, making the start of a new calendar month the standard point for changes to take effect.
This aligns with the current IT systems and operating practices of both market participants and the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA).
The fix is linked to legislation passed in December and effective since January 1 that was intended to boost funding for sports and culture through gambling tax revenues. Restoring equal taxation is expected to reestablish legal clarity for both operators and the tax authority.
The post Estonia to Reinstate 5.5% Online Gambling Tax From March 1 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
NCPG Board of Directors Calls on Prediction Market Operators to Promote the National Problem Gambling Helpline
The Board of Directors of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has passed a resolution on February 9, calling on prediction markets to promote the National Problem Gambling Helpline, arguing that event contract trading is similar to other types of betting and poses the same risks for consumers.
In the resolution, the NCPG urged “all Prediction Market Operators serving U.S. consumers” to add “clear, prominent, and ongoing promotion” of the helpline number 1-800-MY-RESET across both “marketing and on-platform user experience.”
The organization said prediction market operators should display the messaging “in a manner that is comparable to practices in regulated mobile sports betting.”
The NCPG said the helpline offers “nationwide free, confidential, and 24/7 support and resources” for people experiencing gambling-related harm. The group also said it maintains a neutral stance on legalized gambling.
The post NCPG Board of Directors Calls on Prediction Market Operators to Promote the National Problem Gambling Helpline appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Andrew Rhodes
Andrew Rhodes to Step Down as CEO of UK Gambling Commission
The UK Gambling Commission has announced that Andrew Rhodes has decided to leave the Commission on 30 April 2026, to take up a new role, which will be announced in due course.
Andrew has provided outstanding leadership of the Commission for almost five years and has overseen a transformation of the Commission and how it regulates the gambling Industry.
Andrew has led the work required from the Commission to implement the Gambling Act Review, with a strong focus on consumer safeguards. This has included the introduction of financial vulnerability checks, reducing the intensity of online games, and banning potentially harmful marketing offers. He has also overseen the introduction of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, now one of the largest surveys of gambling behaviour in the world.
Amongst his other achievements, Andrew oversaw the successful implementation of the Fourth National Lottery licence and transformed the Commission’s approach to regulation through more robust and outcome-focused strategies.
He said: “It has been a privilege to lead the Gambling Commission through such an important period of change. I am proud of the progress we have made to strengthen regulation, improve consumer protections, and ensure gambling is safer and fairer. I leave with confidence in the organisation, its people, and the work still to come.”
Charles Counsell, Interim Chair of the Gambling Commission, said: “Andrew has provided outstanding leadership for nearly five years and leaves a strong legacy. He has led the Commission through major reform, strengthened our regulatory approach, and ensured consumer protection has remained at the heart of our work. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Andrew for his dedication and wish him every success in the future.”
The Commission will shortly begin the process of recruiting a Chief Executive for an interim period. Deputy Chief Executive Sarah Gardner will step up as Acting Chief Executive to cover the areas of work that Andrew will step back from during this transitional period.
The post Andrew Rhodes to Step Down as CEO of UK Gambling Commission appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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