Europe

An agreement has been reached between the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) to extend their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The AGCC was first established in 2000 as Alderney’s gaming regulatory body responsible for the supervision of the gaming sector, overseeing the licensing and regulatory enforcement procedures on the island.  Malta’s regulatory body, on the …

GambleAware has stated that the government must prioritise the development of the National Strategy for the Prevention and Treatment of gambling harms in its ongoing review of gambling laws and duties. The statement was made by GambleAware in its response to the Statutory Levy consultation as proposed by the Gambling Review’s White Paper, authored by CEO Zoë Osmond. Under consultation, …

The PDC has announced that online sportsbook BetMGM is this year’s title sponsor for the Darts Premier League, taking over from Cazoo. The three-month event, now branded the BetMGM Premier League, will be held from February to May as eight players compete for £1m in prize money across 17 nights in various European cities. PDC Chief Executive, Matt Porter, commented: …

After Paddy Power pledged £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every 180 thrown at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championships, the operator has revealed its final donation.  Although a total of 914 180s were hit, the Irish bookmaker is generously rounding the figure up to whopping £1m. Prostate Cancer UK CEO, Laura Kerby, commented: “A massive thanks to Paddy Power …

Italy will undertake a sweeping reform of its online gambling laws in 2024, as the government approved the ‘Reorganisation Decree‘ mandate needed to settle long-standing industry conflicts. On Tuesday, the government declared that it had approved the terms of the Reorganisation Decree, as proposed by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MEF). The Decree will see Italian gambling undertake …

The German gambling regulator, Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), has secured financing for the country’s free gambling addiction hotline of the Federal Center for Health Education – BZgA – for the next few years. The GGL declared that the main associations of the German gaming industry have jointly- backed the BZgA hotline with further funding. Covering a third of the …

Social media influencers based in Estonia are potentially looking at stricter regulations surrounding the online advertisement of products and services that require a minimum age check such as alcohol and gambling.  This was made clear after the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications announced that it is currently drafting a bill that will introduce amendments to the regulatory framework …

CIRSA will not pursue a public listing in 2024, as the investors of the heritage Spanish gambling group have reportedly “parked plans for an IPO”. Concluding 2023 trading, CIRSA announced that it had changed its legal identity to the new name ‘CIRSA Enterprises’, reflecting the firm’s business transformation since its majority acquisition by private equity giant Blackstone in 2018. The …

German gaming giant Gauselmann Group has officially changed its name to Merkur Group. The rebranding was completed on 1 January with the entry in the commercial register and – 67 years after its foundation – the holding company Gauselmann AG will now operate under the new name Merkur.com AG.  The company’s Founder and Chairman of the Management Board, Paul Gauselmann, …

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a ruling on a Buzz Bingo Group advert which included cartoon Halloween imagery that was “likely to appeal to children”. In challenging whether the ad breached the CAP Code, Buzz Bingo emphasised that the material was featured on its social media page which was restricted to Facebook users aged 18 years and above.  …