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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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An error in the super draw on April 19th led to 52 incorrect winners of million-dollar prizes. In September, the Norwegian Lottery Authority announced a fine of up to 25 million, and the fine has now been approved.  

– Players should be able to trust that Norsk Tipping’s draws are correct. This is absolutely fundamental, and therefore this is a serious matter, says Tore Bell, department director at the Norwegian Lottery Authority.  

A technical error caused players who submitted bets at cooperative banks around Christmas and New Year to be deleted, and thus not included in the draw on April 19. This meant that the draw was not carried out with the correct drawing basis, and 52 incorrect winners of million-dollar prizes were drawn.  

In September, the Norwegian Lottery Authority announced a criminal fine of 25 million for the error , and now the fine has been approved.

Norsk Tipping has refunded the bets of the players who were not included in the draw.

The Norwegian Lottery Authority received insurance

The error in the Superdraw on April 19th occurred after several other errors had been discovered.

– It is grossly negligent that Norsk Tipping did not check that all the players who had submitted bets were included in the draw, when they knew that there had been serious errors in the draw basis over a long period of time, says Bell. 

The Norwegian Lottery Authority considered stopping the draw on April 19th, due to suspicions that there might be several errors affecting the draw. However, Norsk Tipping assured that the draw would proceed smoothly.  

– We can stop the game if it is not carried out correctly. We considered that in this case, but we received several guarantees that the draw would go smoothly. Then it is unacceptable that there was still an error in the draw.  

A few days after the draw, Norsk Tipping reported that the super draw had been carried out with the correct drawing basis and correct winning odds.  

Over 100 million in total fees

The fee the Norwegian Lottery Authority has imposed on Norsk Tipping is the fifth in just over a year, and Norsk Tipping has received over 100 million in fees.  

• Last year, a player was mistakenly paid NOK 25 million from the casino game KongKasino. The Norwegian Lottery Authority imposed a fine of NOK 4.5 million. The Lottery Board reduced the fine to NOK 2.5 million after a complaint from Norsk Tipping. 
• Players on iPhone/iPad were not allowed to log out of Norsk Tipping’s games for four months last year. This was not discovered until a player reported it. The Norwegian Lottery Authority imposed a fine of NOK 36 million for the violation.
• Serious drawing errors in the Norwegian million-dollar prize in Eurojackpot and the super draw in Lotto have led to players in cooperatives, cooperative banks and gambling clubs having a greater chance of winning over several years. The error has led to there being the wrong winner in every single draw for several years. The Norwegian Lottery Authority has imposed a fine of NOK 46 million for the violation. 
• In June, several thousand players were notified of excessive prizes. The Norwegian Lottery Authority imposed a fine of NOK 10 million for the violation .  

The Norwegian Lottery Authority is currently conducting a major inspection of Lotto, Eurojackpot and Vikinglotto.

Source: lottstift.no

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