The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has imposed the fines totalling US$242k against two casino operators.

Sands Bethworks Gaming, LLC, operator of the Sands Casino Resort in Northampton County, received separate fines of US$120k for underage gaming violations and a second for US$110k regarding the awarding of free slot play. The fine stemmed from 11 incidents in which individuals under the age of 21 accessed the gaming floor.

The second fine was issued for permitting the issuance of free slot play by employees who were not authorised to do so and/or issuing free slot play of amounts above authorised levels.

Washington Trotting Association, LLC, operator of the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County, received a US$12.5k fine for an underage gaming violation. This fine stemmed from an 18-year-old male gaining access onto the gaming floor, wagering at table games and being served alcohol.

The Latvian parliament has passed the amendments to the national legislation on gambling. The new rules prohibit the Latvians from gambling on the websites of unlicensed international online gambling operators.

Latvian citizens who used the services of unlicensed gambling casinos will get a fine of up to € 350 per incident. Players who avoid taxes for winnings can also be fined. It is assumed that the fine will be 23% for any amount of winnings over € 3,000. There is a €20 thousand penalty for Internet providers who fail to report information about the cases of illegal online gambling.

The Latvian Inspection on lotteries and gambling has blacklisted more than 1500 gaming domains, however, according to media reports, Internet providers blocked only a third of domains form the blacklist.

The Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden, has released a statement and issued warning to the operators.

The regulator assessed that the use of the word “free” when marketing a bonus offer is misleading if a wagering requirement is attached to the offer.

In accordance with the Consumer Ombudsman, in 2016, a statement contemplated the use of the word “free” in bonus offers. “The Consumer Ombudsman found that the chance of winning a win was impaired because consumers could not raise their winnings if they stopped the game before the wagering requirement was met, and the total sum of consumer deposits and winnings was higher than the consumer’s initially deposited amount,” said the statement.

The gambling authority said that this is similar to other concepts such as “free spins” and “free bet” if a turnover requirement is attached to the offer. “The use of these terms can create an expectation on the part of the consumer that the offer is actually free without any limitations and will therefore be contrary to the law if this is not the case,” said the watchdog.