Compliance Updates
Permanent License In Greece For Online Betting And Casino To B2B GAMING SERVICES (MALTA) LTD (www.betshop.gr)
B2B GAMING SERVICES (MALTA) LTD (www.betshop.gr) obtained a permanent license in Greece for online betting, casino, and other games, following a decision of the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC).
On the permanent licensing of the Company in Greece, its founder and international entrepreneur Mr. Gabriel Chaleplis, offered the following statement:
“Our efforts are always focused on the responsible and innovative offer of technology services to ensure and satisfy the online market, while at the same time we continue to increase our social footprint, with consistency and respect for society and the Greek state. The Hellenic Gaming Commission has shown professionalism and high co-operation throughout this complex process, and we should all highlight and thank them for that. We understand licensing under the new permanent regulatory framework as a reward for our decision that our Company cannot be absent from Greece. At the same time, we see it as an opportunity to continue our offer for the benefit of online players, society, and the State. We are here with our twenty-five years of experience, and we continue. “
B2B GAMING SERVICES (www.b2bgamingservices.com), a leading force in Europe for 25 years, is the platform and “action space” of the popular and rapidly growing www.betshop.gr, an environment that hosts thousands of betting options for sports betting, casino and games selected from leading international providers, with games that are constantly updated, while the overall gaming experience is accompanied by innovations that enhance the overall value of the services offered, including its unparalleled customer service, promptness of payments and player protection.
The process for the permanent licensing of online betting and gaming providers, began in October 2019 with the institution of the new Law by the Greek Parliament.
The licenses are issued by the Greek Licensing Authority (“Hellenic Gaming Commission”), in accordance with the new law 4635/2019 and the subsequent regulatory framework which “closed” a permanent backlog that existed since 2011, as in this market has been in force since then a transitional temporary licensing regime for online gaming.
The new permanent licenses have a duration of 7 years, the online betting market is open to new Companies, in addition to those temporarily licensed since 2011 who had the right to apply, while the Greek market shows significant dynamics and growth in recent years and is being considered among the most promising globally.
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In May 2024, Finnish Operator Veikkaus received a request for clarification from the Police Board about its advertising in connection with television programmes that are also watched by minors. The company responded to the clarification request and adjusted its operations in cooperation with the authority. As a result, Veikkaus’ advertising will no longer appear in certain programme environments.
Veikkaus has received a marketing ban from the Police Board dated 12 November 2024 enhanced by a fine. It refers to the clarification request from May and highlights the wrongly placed advertisement that happened in July as a violation. In addition to this, it brings out new perspectives on the placement of advertisements in connection with television programmes. They have now included new programmes aimed at adults, but may also be of interest to minors. Examples include popular Saturday night entertainment programmes.
“It seems that the Police Board may interpret the matter in a new and broader way. We have been in contact with the Police Board as soon as the decision was made and we are going through this issue with them. We need clarity so that we know how to act correctly,” Anu Kytö, sales and marketing director at Veikkaus, said.
“We are very sorry that, despite our joint development measures, our advertising has been seen in the advertising breaks of programs aimed at minors due to human error,” Kytö added.
Veikkaus’ advertising is bought in such a way that the target group is people aged 25 and over. The media office books and the television channel places the ads based on viewer profiles. The instructions have been reviewed together with the Police Board.
“Veikkaus has been buying TV advertising from us for years, with an age distribution set for the purchase: more than 70% of the program’s viewers must be adults. This is a jointly agreed model that has been valid for years and is known to the authorities. Now we are waiting for possible new instructions,” MTV’s commercial director Sauli Asikainen said.
The ban is valid for three months and its validity begins 30 days after notification. The Police Board imposed a fine of 2.9 million euros as an effect of the marketing ban.
The post Veikkaus Fined €2.9M for Advertising to Minors appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Snooker Player Mark King Banned for 5 Years for Fixing Match and Providing Inside Information
English snooker player Mark King was handed a five-year ban on Friday after being found guilty of match-fixing and providing inside information in the latest corruption scandal to blight the sport.
The punishment for the 50-year-old King, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 11 in 2003, related to a match against Joe Perry at the Welsh Open played on Feb. 13 last year that was flagged following suspicious betting patterns.
King was suspended by snooker’s world governing body a month later and an independent disciplinary commission has ruled that he fixed the result of the match, while giving information to others about that match for betting purposes. He had denied the charges.
His ban ends after March 17, 2028, and King was also ordered to pay more than 68,000 pounds ($86,000) in costs.
“I have known Mark King since he was very young, he is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case,” said Jason Ferguson, a former player who is now chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. “However, the integrity of this sport will always be our No. 1 priority.”
King had also been charged with fixing the outcome of a match against John Higgins played on Dec. 13, 2022, and for providing inside information on it. Those charges were dismissed.
The governing body said Perry and Higgins were not accused of any misconduct related to the case.
The post Snooker Player Mark King Banned for 5 Years for Fixing Match and Providing Inside Information appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has backed Texas to legalise online sports betting in the state’s next legislative session.
Christie helped pave the way for sports betting liberalisation across the US by bringing the Supreme Court case that led to the repeal of PASPA.
The case was fought and won by prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who Christie hired to argue the case for states to make their own decisions on sports betting. Olson died last week at the age of 84.
After Missouri became the 39th US state to legalise sports betting in some capacity, attention has quickly turned again to the big three states of Texas, California, and Florida.
“I think it’ll happen in Texas in the next legislative session,” said Christie, speaking to Covers.com. The next session is due to commence in Texas on January 14, 2025.
Christie is less confident about California, however, where competing sports betting ballots failed in 2022 amid a bitter dispute and lobbying war between online operators and local tribes.
California is seen as essential to the future prospects of US sports betting operators, given its size and wealth and dramatic impact on the country’s total addressable market (TAM).
“I don’t know about California,” said Christie. “This really takes gubernatorial leadership, and Gavin Newsom has got to decide if this is one of the issues he wants to lead on.
“Without gubernatorial leadership, the legislature won’t do it because they’re pulled like taffy in too many directions by too many different interests. Without the governor pushing for it, I just don’t think it’ll happen.”
Despite another potential setback in California, Christie has backed sports betting to penetrate pretty much every state eventually.
“I really believe sports betting is inevitable to go just about nationwide, because people in America love their sports, they just do,” he said. “I think it is in the leagues’ best interests to grow their audience. The government gets some piece of the pie out of that which they enjoy, and the public seems to be pretty happy for the most part.”
Depending on expansion, US sports betting could, in theory, reach every state. It would then become a national issue, but Christie has warned the federal government not to interfere.
“Let the states handle it,” he said. “The states are doing fine. You haven’t heard of anything awful or irreversible happening since each state has been involved and they should have the ability to decide whether they want gambling or not.
“I don’t think the federal government should have anything to do with it and I don’t think they ever should have. I don’t think they have to be babysitters for the governors of the country.”
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