Compliance Updates
The MGA Issues Interim Performance Report for January – June 2022
Supervisory Activities
- During this period, 16 compliance audits were conducted together with 114 desktop reviews, accompanied by an additional seven AML/CFT compliance examinations that were initiated by the MGA on behalf of the FIAU. Additionally, the Authority issues a warning, cancelled a licence, as well as suspended another authorised entity, following information which emerged from compliance audits, compliance reviews and formal investigations Furthermore, the MGA issued a total of seven administrative penalties as well as two regulatory settlements, with a collective total financial penalty of €85,000.
- Enforcement measures were also issued by the FIAU to an additional four licensees, ranging from written reprimands to administrative penalties, with an emphasis on remediation measures, based on the breaches identified during examinations carried out in previous years, including by the MGA. In total, these amounted to just over €386,567.
- Based primarily on reducing the risk of money laundering or funding terrorism, the Fit & Proper Committee determined that four individuals and entities did not meet the Authority’s fit and properness criteria, while an additional two applications were rejected by the Supervisory Council.
- A total of 626 criminal probity screening checks were undertaken on personnel, shareholders, ultimate beneficial owners, key individuals, employees, and businesses from the land-based and online gambling sectors.
- In the first half of the year, 22 interviews with prospective money laundering reporting officers (MLROs) and key persons carrying out the AML/CFT function were carried out, with the aim of determining the knowledge and suitability of each candidate.
- A total of six letters of breach were issued by the MGA’s Commercial Communications Committee (S.L. 583.09), out of which five operators were deemed to have violated the Commercial Communications Regulations.
- In its efforts to safeguard players and promote responsible gaming, the Authority assisted a total of 2,578 players who requested assistance, covering the majority of the cases received during 2022 and the spillover from 2021.
- A total of 22 cases of websites having misleading references to the Authority were investigated, while a total of 13 notices were published on the MGA’s website with the aim of preventing the public from falling victim to such scams. Furthermore, an additional 18 responsible gambling website checks were conducted, and five observation letters were issued.
National and International Cooperation
- Between January and June 2022, a total of 122 alerts on suspicious betting were sent to the industry. Following correspondence of these alerts, the Suspicious Betting Reporting Mechanism received a total of 16 new suspicious betting reports.
- Enforcement agencies, sports governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory authorities made a total of 23 requests for information, specifically in relation to the manipulation of sporting events or violations of sporting regulations. Subsequently, 10 of these requests resulted in the exchange of data. In addition, 278 allegations of suspicious betting from licensees and other interested parties were received.
- The Authority participated directly in 12 separate investigations into sports rules violations or manipulation of sporting competitions during the time under review. In addition, the Authority also participated indirectly in another investigation.
- The Authority sent 64 requests for international cooperation, the majority of which related to requests for background checks as part of an authorisation process. Furthermore, the Authority received a total of 36 requests for international collaboration from other regulators.
- Up to the end of June 2022, a total of 84 official replies were issued, providing feedback on the regulatory good standing of our licensed operators to the relevant authorities asking for this information.
- In total, during the first six months of the year, the MGA received just over 100 requests for information from other local regulating authorities and governing bodies.
The MGA will publish a full-year industry performance report during the second half of 2023, when it publishes its Annual Report for the financial year ending 31 December 2022.
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Asia
PRONET GAMING BECOMES FIRST B2B OPERATOR TO ESTABLISH SCBPO ACCREDITED OPERATION IN THE PHILIPPINES VIA CLAYMORE SOLUTIONS
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Omni-channel turnkey provider Pronet Gaming is the first internationally-licensed B2B company in the gaming sector to establish an SCBPO-accredited operation in the Philippines via Claymore Solutions.
Claymore Solutions is accredited by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) as a Special Class BPO (SCPBO), which authorises them to provide employer of record & serviced office space to internationally licenced gaming operators enabling them to establish operations in the Philippines without taking bets or payments.
Pronet Gaming will now build out IT and Trading teams in Manila, further strengthening its operational presence and technical capabilities in the region.
Pronet Gaming CEO Alex Leese said: “Establishing an SCBPO-accredited presence in the Philippines is a milestone that aligns perfectly with our long-term strategy of expanding our footprint in Asia, in a fully compliant way. We’re happy to have made this possible through the collaboration and support of our trusted partner, Claymore Solutions.”
Paul Fox, Chairman and Co-Founder of Claymore Solutions, said: “We’re honoured to be working with Pronet Gaming, providing EoR and serviced office space solutions for their operations which underlines the quality of local staff and further boosts the Filipino economy.”
PAGCOR Chairman Al Tengco commented: “We’re delighted to have B2B operators such as Pronet Gaming establish their Trading and IT operations here through Claymore Solutions. I hope that more companies follow given the wealth of readily available Filipino talent in this sector.”
Claymore will announce additional client partnerships in the near future.
The post PRONET GAMING BECOMES FIRST B2B OPERATOR TO ESTABLISH SCBPO ACCREDITED OPERATION IN THE PHILIPPINES VIA CLAYMORE SOLUTIONS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GGL, the Federal Authority of German Gambling, has issued a warning to consumers about the illegal status of participating in Spain’s popular annual Christmas lottery “El Gordo” through online platforms. The Authority has also published FAQs on the legal situation.
During the pre-Christmas period, especially in November and December, advertising for online participation in the so-called Spanish Christmas lottery “El Gordo” increases significantly. Many of these offers are specifically targeted at people residing in Germany, even though participation is not permitted in Germany.
GGL points out that the advertised online offers are illegal. Instead of participating in the official lottery, these online offers from Germany simply involve betting on its outcome against a private third-party provider. No contractual relationship is established with the Spanish state lottery operator. According to the regulations of the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021), such “secondary lotteries” are not eligible for a permit and are therefore illegal.
The post GGL Warns Against “El Gordo” Ticket Purchases appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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The Philippines’ Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is enhancing efforts to crack down on the promotion of illegal online gambling sites by providing a list of influencers and online entities it says have been promoting and enabling such sites.
In a statement, the CICC – working alongside digital advocacy network Digital Pinoys – said it had provided a list to the Philippine National Police–Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) for formal investigation and case build-up – marking a firm escalation in the government’s campaign against platforms operating without authorisation from regulator PAGCOR. Each detection activates immediate action by way of takedown requests, notices to explain and case referral, the CICC explained.
“The latest endorsements affirm the government’s commitment to hold accountable not just illegal operators, but also individuals and entities who knowingly promote or enable these schemes online,” it said.
“Endorsement of these cases by the CICC signifies that evidence has been collected against the promoters, and that their case-buildup affirms that sufficient grounds exist for prosecution.”
The CICC added that it continues to track pages, personal accounts and paid online promotions found to be facilitating or advertising illegal gambling, with its collaboration with Digital Pinoys having contributed to a 93% reduction in reported illegal gambling links.
One Philippine esports identity announced late last week that he was launching a new livestream platform for the specific purpose of bringing together iGaming streamers and content creators in a responsible way by promoting only PAGCOR-licensed games.
The post Philippines Cracking Down on Influencers Promoting Illegal Online Gambling Sites appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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