Bet on Alfa has become the latest sports betting operator to join the recently-rebranded International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), joining the likes of Virgin Bet and the Bethard Group. Under the terms of its membership, Bet on Alfa will be able to both utilise the IBIA’s global monitoring and alert platform, as well as feed data into the platform in …
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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has urged the European Commission to develop a new regulatory framework which will both clarify and standardise gambling laws across Europe. Disclosed as part of an open letter to the European Commission, EGBA secretary general Maarten Haijer explained that he felt ‘the cross-border online betting world is hamstrung by a patchwork of national …
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In the first of a series of columns on international gambling legislation, GVC’s Director of Regulatory Affairs Martin Lycka takes a look at the history of gambling law and identifies the key elements that link the most successful regulations. When I joined the online gambling industry ten years ago one of the ultimate regulatory goals was to convince the European …
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The parliament for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein has confirmed that Germany’s sixteen federal Bundesland (provincial governments) have backed its proposed framework on regulating online gambling services by a majority. German states will back the adoption of the Schleswig-Holstein provisional framework, allowing operators to extend existing igaming licenses until June 30, 2021. Proposed last March, the Schleswig-Holstein framework will allow …
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Online gambling trade body the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has published its latest study ‘Consumer Protection in EU Online Gambling Regulation’, outlining significant all-around failings in consumer protections across EU member states. The study is authored by Dr Margaret Carran of City University London and reveals an un-harmonised and unequal marketplace with regards to online consumer protections which …
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As the Italian Lega-5Star coalition government moves to implement its ban on gambling advertising, forming part of its Dignity Decree, Stockholm-listed LeoVegas has submitted a formal complaint to the EU. Leading the complaint, Niklas Lindahl, Leo Vegas’ Managing Director for Italy, remains “convinced” the Decree will be overturned, because introducing it on 1 January 2019, as planned, would breach the …
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Sports betting integrity body the ESSA has welcomed a report that recommends licensing and regulating gambling in India. The 145-page report, published by the Law Commission of India, concluded by saying that “there could always be an option to have a relook at the earlier approach of a complete ban”, due to the rise in online gambling making it far …
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The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has rejected a case brought forward from the Belgium Government, to annul European Commission guidelines, relating to consumer protection from online gambling, to member states. Arguing that by issuing the guidelines the Commission had gone beyond its treaty based competences, the CJEU found that they did not interfere with the right of member states to regulate online …
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The gambling industry has been left out in the cold by the European Commission, which has announced today that it will be focusing its time and effort on only the most serious infringements of EU law – meaning that all the currently pending infringement proceedings involving gambling have now been dropped. Challenging EU law has been a very active area …
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Speaking at last week’s ‘ESSA Sports Betting Integrity Conference’, the Vice Chairman of The Netherlands Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) Henk Kessler indicated that the battle to enforce a Gambling Act in his country could be nearing a conclusion. A new Dutch Gambling Act has been in debate since 2014 when the government submitted its initial mandate to the European Union. Following a number …
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