What Happened in Gambling Industry During April? (RECAP)

Regulatory Updates in the Gambling Industry Around the World- April 2020

Last month the Gambling Commission of the United Kingdom issued guidance to operators regarding increased responsibility in response to the effects of the current crisis, stressing out social distancing measures as highly important. Moreover, operators were warned not to exploit the situation and pay special attention to marketing during this period.

If you are curious to find out what else happened in the UK, as well as in the US and the rest of the world, stay tuned. We have prepared the newest set of modifications in the gambling industry which marked the month of April.

No Credit Cards for Gambling in the UK

As announced in January, the ban on the use of credit cards to fund all forms of gambling took effect on 14 April.

In addition to this…

…the Commission published its 2020/21 business plan which set out a range of areas that this institution would address in the coming 12 months. The plan highlighted five strategic priorities, among which:

addressing challenges with VIP schemes
implementing the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive
launching the Application Process for the National Lottery License Tender

Brief Retrospective of Changes in The US

The State Lottery Corporation in Connecticut awarded Scientific Games a five-year contract to supply instant games, while the Lottery of South Carolina awarded a six-year instant game management contract to SG covering both retail and online channels.

Similarly, the State Lottery Authority Board in Iowa awarded Scientific Games a 10-year contract to renew the state’s lottery gaming systems. Scientific Games has been cooperating with the Iowa Lottery for the past 18-years and also provides its instant ticket operations.

Back in March…

…the Gaming Commission of Nevada approved plans to allow sports wagering operators in the state to offer bets on the North American ESL Pro League Season, and eSports competitions.

In April, the Commission expanded the list of permitted e-sports betting events to include virtual NASCAR racing, Overwatch League, and League of Legends, greenlighting operators to offer markets on the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series as well as several other international eSports contests.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam…

…acted on several gambling-related bills that had progressed to his desk for approval. The Governor made some small amendments to proposals to authorize and regulate retail and online sports betting, and also approve 5 land-based casinos in the state. The bills were resubmitted to the legislature for approval.

The West Virginia Lottery gave its initial approval to election betting in the state. However, the Lottery clarified that it would be required to work through the regulations governing these markets before operators would be able to launch.

However…

…the Lottery reversed its decision to allow wagering on elections in the state. The reversal followed a statement from the WV Secretary of State who clarified that such activity was specifically prohibited by state law.

The Rest of the World

In light of the current situation, Belgium introduced a mandatory stake limit of €500 per person per week on online gambling. Also, The French regulator ordered operators to not use bonuses to incentivize gaming and confirmed that all poker operators will soon be required to allow punters to set time limits on play.

Colombia’s Coljuegos permitted licensed operators…

…to offer live dealer games. The regulator confirmed that live dealer feeds may be broadcast from other jurisdictions provided they meet the regulator’s technical standards.

All online platforms in Latvia were ordered to cease operations during the current crisis. Whilst it was initially unclear if online gambling was implicated in the country’s emergency measures, the Gambling Supervisory Authority confirmed that online operations must cease from 06 April 2020.

Legislation to temporarily restrict online gaming in Portugal…

…during the current lockdown in response to the situation was ed by parliament. The bill required the Government to either partially or fully limit entertainment activities in the country for the duration of the state of emergency. It is unclear at this stage what restrictions the Government would impose.

The Council of Ministers in Spain temporarily implemented a four-hour gambling advertising period between 1 AM and 5 AM in response to the lockdown. The measures were included in the Royal Decree, which was scheduled to take effect in August. However, the Council temporarily brought the measures forward to safeguard the increased number of citizens gambling online at the time being.

The Government of Uruguay discussed proposals to permit the development of 2 (two) new integrated resort casinos in the areas of Rocha and Canelones. The plans were put forward as part of a package of measures to assist economic recovery following the crisis.

As for Asia…

…The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Singapore announced it would establish a new, unified, independent gambling regulator by 2021.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority would assume the responsibilities of the Casino Control Commission, MHA Gambling Unit, and Singapore Totalisator Board and oversee the operation of all gambling activities in the market. The Authority would also be tasked with reviewing and updating the countries regulatory framework to better reflect the modern gambling market.

Source:

“H2 Gambling Capital”, April updates