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Compliance Updates

EGBA Welcomes Plans for Overhaul of Finland’s Online Gambling Monopoly

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The Ministry of the Interior in Finland has announced a legislative project to reform the country’s gambling monopoly system by introducing a license system for online gambling, including casino games and betting activities. EGBA, representing Europe’s leading online gambling companies, has welcomed this announcement as a crucial milestone in addressing the shortcomings of Finland’s outdated monopoly framework for online gambling.

The legislative project aims to draft necessary proposals for the reformation of the gambling system. These proposals will cover various aspects, including the gambling activities to be included in the license system, license fees, taxation, safer gambling rules, prevention of gambling-related harm, and advertising regulation. The project will run until 31 December 2025 and aims to conclude with a legislative proposal in spring 2025.

Finland is the only EU member state still operating an exclusive monopoly regime for all online gambling activities. However, the effectiveness of this system has drawn increasing public scrutiny due to Finnish gamblers migrating to international websites that offer them greater choice and more competitive betting odds compared to the monopoly. As a result, Finland has faced a loss of significant taxable revenues from online gambling, diminished control over its online gambling market, and Finnish players utilising gambling websites that are not subject to Finnish laws.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, said: “This is a welcome step towards meaningful and overdue gambling reform in Finland. The introduction of multi-licensing would provide greater choice and safeguards to Finnish consumers, ensure fairer competition between operators, and enable the Finnish authorities to have greater control over their online gambling market. With these changes of the Finnish legislation, all member states of the EU will now have some form of licensing regime for online gambling. We look forward to continuing dialogue with the Finnish Government and local stakeholders as the regulatory discussions develop.”

Asia

GRA Renews Singapore Pools Licence for Five-year Term

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The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has renewed the licence of Singapore Pools (Private) Limited (Singapore Pools) to conduct betting operations, gaming and lotteries under Section 54 of the Gambling Control Act 2022 (GCA). The tenure for the licence will be five years with effect from 25 October 2025, following GRA’s assessment that Singapore Pools has fulfilled the requirements under Section 54 the GCA.

The post GRA Renews Singapore Pools Licence for Five-year Term appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

Euromat Files Complaint Over Croatia’s Gambling Act Amendment

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An official complaint has been filed by the European Gambling and Amusement Federation (Euromat) with the European Commission regarding Croatia’s amendments of its Gambling Act.

Under Directive (EU) 2015/1535, member countries are obliged to notify any changes to its Gambling Act through the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS). According to Euromat, the Croatian government failed to do this when introducing “far-reaching” technical rules affecting access and provision of services on the Croatian gambling market.

Failure to notify constitutes a breach of EU law.

These changes include mandatory player identification systems, strict limitations on the location and layout of gambling venues, a comprehensive ban on online and social-media advertising, temporal restrictions on operation and a central player self-exclusion register.

“This complaint marks an important first step in the EU’s legal process. Complaints such as that filed by Euromat are a key tool to alert the Commission to potential breaches of EU law. Based on Euromat’s complaint, the European Commission will be able to assess the evidence and decide on the next steps, including whether to open infringement proceedings against Croatia,” said Euromat president Jason Frost.

“The notification procedure exists to ensure that national measures are compatible with the principles of the single market. Croatia’s decision to ignore this obligation not only breaches EU law; it also threatens legal certainty for businesses across Europe. The Commission must act decisively to uphold the integrity of the internal market.”

The post Euromat Files Complaint Over Croatia’s Gambling Act Amendment appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

KSA to Introduce New Licences for Skill-based Gaming Machines

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The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has announced the plans to offer the option of applying for a limited operating license that only permits the operation of skill-based machines. This will make it easier for operators who only operate skill-based machines to apply for a license.

Request from the market

With this limited operating license, the KSA is meeting a need in the gaming machine market. Operators with only skill-based machines have indicated they would like a separate license, separate from the offering of gaming machines. This limited operating license can have a shorter substantive review process and therefore be issued more quickly.

Various slot machines

At the moment, there is only one type of operating license for gaming machines, which applies to gaming machines in halls and catering establishments and skill machines.

A skill machine is a slot machine:

Which does not award prizes except for extra or longer games; and

Where the course of the game depends entirely or almost entirely on the skill of the player.

A classic example of a skill machine is a pinball machine, where players can win extra balls. Any slot machine that isn’t a skill machine is automatically a chance machine.

More information about the permit application

The Royal Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) will soon provide more information about the application procedure for the limited operating license for skill machines.

The post KSA to Introduce New Licences for Skill-based Gaming Machines appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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