The Gambling Commission has announced on its regulatory sanctions register that it has revoked the operating licence of a Malta-based remote casino operator, Maxent Limited (trading most recently as MaxEnt, with the domain names betat.co.uk and slottyvegas.com). Although the Commission states on its website that “this decision will come into effect on 18 June and therefore from this date MaxEnt …
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David Clifton: Licensing Expert – UK stakeholders point towards ‘Safety First’ approach on player protections
Last week, I chaired an excellent gambling conference on the subject of “Player Protection”. The event was attended by a broad cross-section of stakeholders – licensed B2C operators (both land-based and remote and from different sectors of the industry), B2B gambling software and age/identity verification providers, gambling industry lawyers and consultants, gambling-related harm treatment providers, experts in gambling blocking and …
Read More »Horseracing prize money facing cuts as levy drops £17m
British horseracing stakeholders have had to urgently initiate a plan of action following the recent Horserace Betting Levy Board’s (HBLB) announcement that estimated Levy income for the year ended 31st March 2019 will be some £78m, a fall of £17m from last year. News of the fall in yield were presented to racing’s HBLB representatives, Andy Clifton from the Racecourse …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Operator closures raise questions on voiding bets
The last month has witnessed the cessation of trading in the UK of two licensed betting operators, BetBright and 188BET, prompting questions that go to the heart of both (a) the contract between bookmaker and customer and (b) the role of the Gambling Commission, as regulator, when a bookmaker decides to void unsettled bets, resulting in a mass of complaints …
Read More »Assessing the football and betting sponsorship dynamic
Much has been written regarding the industry’s relationship with sports, none more so than football, where criticism has suggested measures must be put in place to curb what is seen as an over saturation of marketing, sponsorships and advertising. This topic is set to fall under the microscope at the sixth annual Betting on Football, taking place this week at …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Pondering some opposites on either side of the pond
News from either side of the Atlantic Ocean within the last month shows a yawning gap between the UK on the one hand and the U.S. on the other, not only in terms of social responsibility and player protection requirements but also in relation to attitudes towards gambling generally. I am not for one moment suggesting that responsible gambling is not a matter of …
Read More »David Clifton – Licensing expert: Could affordability checks follow age & identity verification changes?
SBC News has already reported on last week’s Gambling Commission “consultation response” confirming the forthcoming LCCP changes on age and identity verification for remote gambling. In adding my own take on those changes, I also include a comment below on another highly relevant matter flowing from this latest emanation from the UK’s gambling regulator, namely its encouragement to remote gambling …
Read More »David Clifton – Licensing expert – Crystal ball gazing for 2019
After a tumultuous 2018, what does 2019 hold in store for the UK sports betting sector? I have dusted down my crystal ball. It may be a bit cloudy in areas, with perhaps the odd crack beginning to show in parts, but here is my best bet on what the regulatory future may bring. On the plus side, I do …
Read More »David Clifton – Licensing Expert – Remember this November as the month that changed gambling
November 2018 what a month! So let’s start with some good news – This year’s Responsible Gambling Week represented the biggest ever industry-wide campaign to promote responsible gambling. Involving every major operator in the UK and Ireland and supported by the two biggest gambling charities, it was rounded off with the encouraging news that, even before its official launch, 38,000 …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Don’t forget to read the new “Complaints & Disputes” guidance
UK licensed B2C gambling operators are all hopefully aware of the LCCP changes that come into effect on 31 October. If not, they have a range of options to find out more before it’s too late, for example: the Gambling Commission has published on its website a summary of the key changes, originally announced in August, it has also now …
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