Compliance Updates
Illinois House Committee Rejects Proposed Gambling Expansion Bill
The state of Illinois is going to wait for its long-awaited gambling expansion, as legislation that would have allowed the addition of a number of gambling options to the local sector was given thumbs down during a Memorial Day hearing. The proposed gambling expansion bill shelved by the House Executive Committee with 5 to 4 votes on Monday, leaving state lawmakers’ efforts to raise more money for state and local governments fruitless.
Vague hope still remains that the measure could emerge once again this week, considering the fact that local lawmakers are aimed at passing a new state budget by Thursday. However, experts say that odds for this to happen are very small.
If passed by the House Committee, Senate Bill 7 would have added six new casinos to the 10 already existing ones. The new gambling venues were set to be located not only in Chicago but also in Danville, Williamson County in southern Illinois, Rockford, the south suburbs of the state, as well as in Lake County.
What is more, the proposed piece of legislation has been seeking to virtually transform Illinois’ horse race tracks into casino venues, with the south suburbs of the state being aimed at adding a new track as well as slots gaming options at Midway and O’Hare airports. Under the bill, local restaurants and taverns which offer video gaming would be given the chance to add an extra terminal.
Gambling Expansion Bill Aimed at Helping Illinois Economy
Earlier, representatives of the industry have commented that the gambling sector in Illinois desperately needs some help, explaining that the local gambling market has been facing fierce competition from neighboring states.
Supporters of the measure which has been turned down by Illinois House yesterday insisted that the expansion by itself was not so important, saying it was all about economic development. They explained that the desired gambling expansion would have boosted the state’s economy by adding more revenue to the state and shared that new jobs would have been created.
The proposed bill had its opponents, too. Some of the owners of currently existing casinos in Illinois protested the desired gambling expansion, saying that the addition of six more casinos to the state’s gambling sector would only add more competition in the industry, which would eventually harm the current venues’ performance.
As revealed by Tom Swoik, a representative of local casino operators, Illinois casinos have already lost 28% of their annual customer base since video gambling was made legal in 2011. According to estimates, the casino industry is losing approximately 4.5 million customers every year. Mr. Swoik further explained that market saturation and cannibalization are not abstract terms, but real economic concepts which were actually affecting the land-based casino industry in the state of Illinois. He explained that the 6,500 neighborhood locations offering slot machines were among the main reasons for the difficulties that have been faced by Illinois casinos for the time being.
Source: casinogamespro.com
Compliance Updates
GoldenRace is now certified in the Netherlands
GoldenRace, global provider of award-winning Virtual Sports and betting solutions, has recently obtained a certification for its highly acclaimed Virtual Sports and Games in the Dutch market.
GoldenRace successfully navigated the stringent regulatory landscape of the Netherlands, and now will be providing its impressive betting products into the Online Dutch market, which will be an important advancement in our operational expansion.
The Netherlands betting scene is on the cusp of a substantial growth phase and with GoldenRace’s latest certification, we introduce to the Dutch market a range of highly popular games tailored to desktop and mobile, in both scheduled and on-demand modes.
Among the offer, players will enjoy our most-played Virtual Football line-up – including Football Single, Leagues, World Cup and Euro Champions-, adrenaline-pumping 3×3 Basketball and MMA and top-notch races as Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing and Grand Prix Indianapolis 60. Last but not least, our Number Games, such as Spin2Win. All ready to captivate Dutch players.
Asia
PAGCor Welcomes Lawyer Wilma Eisma as New President and Chief Operating Officer
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCor) today welcomed its new President and Chief Operating Officer, lawyer Wilma Eisma, who took her oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in Malacanang this morning.
“We are happy to welcome Atty. Wilma Eisma as PAGCor’s new President and Chief Operating Officer,” PAGCor Chairman Alejandro Tengco said. “We know she will be a great asset and her vast experience in both the government and private sectors will surely be put to good use here.”
Tengco said he witnessed Eisma’s oath-taking in Malacanang this morning. She then immediately joined her first PAGCor board meeting in the afternoon as the agency’s first ever woman President and Chief Operating Officer.
A lawyer by profession, Eisma earned her law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Development Bank of the Philippines before joining the state gaming firm.
Prior to that, she also served as the first woman Administrator and Chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
Her private sector stints include leadership roles in PMFTC Incorporated, the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International.
She also held key positions at the Department of Trade and Industry where she worked at the Office of the Secretary and in the Office of the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, among others.
Eisma succeeded Atty Juanito Sanosa Jr who resigned as PAGCor President and Chief Operating Officer last January.
Compliance Updates
MGA: Update to the Incident Reporting Requirements
The Malta Gaming Authority would like to inform its licensees of updates made to the Incident Report mechanism available through the Licensee Portal The information hereunder outlines relevant guidance and procedures for the submission of an Incident Report through the updated reporting instrument entitled the ‘Technical – Information Security Incident’.
As mandated by Articles 37(2)(c) and (d) of the Gaming Authorisations and Compliance Directive (Directive 3 of 2018), “Licensees shall notify the Authority forthwith, and in any case no later than three (3) working days after, the following:
(c) Any breach of the licensee’s information security that adversely affects the confidentiality of information relating to players;
(d) Any breach of the licensee’s information security that precludes players from accessing their accounts for a period exceeding twelve (12) hours.”
In this regard, Licensees are obliged to submit an Incident Report in order to notify the Authority of the circumstances relating to an information security breach that meet the above specified criteria. Additionally, Licensees are advised to remain mindful of any further obligations emanating from the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) and any relevant legislation.
The Technical – Information Security Incident option will be accessible through the “New/Change” dropdown menu via the Portal. Upon selection, users will be directed to the applicable sections of the ‘Technical – Information Security Incident’ where all compulsory fields and any relevant documentation must be submitted to the Authority.
Upon submission, the Incident Report shall undergo review by the Authority. Any missing information that may be identified by the Authority, shall be requested accordingly from the Licensee. It is imperative that any pending clarifications are addressed in a timely manner.
If no further clarifications are deemed necessary by the Authority, the Incident Report will be closed off accordingly, and any relevant documentation will be securely filed for record-keeping purposes.
Any Incident Reports left in ‘Draft’ form (i.e. opened but not effectively submitted) for a period of ninety (90) days shall be automatically discarded.
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