Compliance Updates
How the Regulatory Environment for Online Gaming is Evolving
In many countries, online gaming isn’t part of the regulatory environment. That’s because most gaming laws were passed long before the Internet came along. Where online casinos are allowed, the rules aren’t written in stone.
They change frequently, often to adjust tax rate or raise regulatory standards. That said, the world is slowly changing its stance on online casinos. An industry traditionally rejected by politicians and lobbyists is now welcomed, albeit with fast-changing rules.
Below is an overview of the evolving regulatory framework of online gaming globally.
Emphasizing Transparency
If you have visited an online casino lately, you must have realized they are more transparent than ever before. They no longer hide their license numbers, office addresses or contact details.
Instead, they provide every piece of information you need.
Online casinos aren’t suddenly transparent out of their own kindness. They’ve been directed to become more open with their customers. That way, no one has to create an account and spend money at a gaming site based on misleading information.
That transparency is pretty crucial when it comes to payments and bonuses. On the one hand, you want to know about fees, limits and processing times beforehand. On the flip side, you want to accept bonuses only after you understand their terms and conditions.
Of course, not all casinos are entirely transparent. In many cases, you’ll need to read their terms and conditions to discover the nitty gritty of their services. For example, they might reveal their bonus wagering requirements beforehand. But they could hide information about withdrawal limits in their terms and conditions webpages.
Encouraging Social Responsibility
Social responsibility has been a trending topic for the past five years. It’s something everyone involved in the online gaming sector wants to talk about for selfless or business reasons. In Britain, the UKGC requires operators to have tools and partnerships with programs that can help problem gamblers.
It also works with non-profit organizations to help raise the standards for safe casino gaming or to help players in some way. With that in mind, nearly every online casino in Britain has a way of preventing casino harm.
At some websites, you get software to restrict your weekly and monthly budgets. Also, you receive a hotline or link to a website you can call if you need intervention. These days, online casino also works with Gamstop—an NGO that helps casino players self-exclude from gaming websites in the UK.
How Gamstop Works
Gamstop provides you with an online form on which you fill your name, date of birth, email address, mobile number and home address. You also specific how long you want to be excluded from online casinos: six months, one or five years.
After that, it circulates your information every online casino licensed by the UKGC. It also orders them to blacklist you for the time you specified. After your self-exclusion period is over, you can contact Gamstop to deactivate your account.
Unfortunately, your records don’t just fade away. Every online casino gets a memo that you’ve registered for Gamstop’s program in the past. Some casinos might then reject you fearing you could still have problem gaming.
There’s an alternative, though, and you can find more information here. But basically, it helps you find safe casinos not regulated by the UKGC. Also, they don’t work with Gamstop, so you don’t have to worry not finding a gaming website.
Regional Regulation in North America
In both the US and Canada, online gambling regulation is now a regional issue. In the US, states legalize and regulate the industry. In Canada, provinces make the rules and authorize operators to run online casinos.
There are several more countries where online gaming is regulated on a regional level:
Germany, South Africa and Australia, to name a few. And all of them cite one benefit: it’s easier to regulate gaming markets within a province or state compared to national level.
Will Britain follow suit? Unlikely. The UK shows no signs of taking away the gaming regulatory mandate from the UKGC and genuinely so. For a long time, Britain has been a paragon of how to regulate online casinos professionally and transparently.
As such, the focus isn’t be on devolving online casinos. It is on regulating it properly regardless of who does it. After all, the majority of countries aren’t large enough to devolve online gaming.
Relaxed Advertising Laws
For a long time, most countries had strict gambling advertising rules. Some nations like Spain still have prohibitive advertising laws for remote gaming companies. But generally speaking, the world is moving towards an environment where operators can market their content freely.
For example, online casinos are no longer prohibited from advertising on television. Sure, they can’t run adverts during the day. But they have an allocated time when they can market their games and bonuses.
Likewise, they can also advertise on websites and mobile apps. The only restriction is to avoid running ads on websites frequented by children. Additionally, they can’t involve young persons in their marketing efforts.
Expanding and Privatizing Gaming Businesses
In many countries where online gaming is legal, operators didn’t always have the freedom to offer all gaming positions. In contrast, players didn’t always have the choice on where they can bet on sports.
Instead, some countries used to run online gaming through monopoly government agencies.
Norway still uses that system. But more countries globally are privatizing gaming so that players have a variety of casinos to use.
In contrast, countries are also expanding their lists of allowed gaming positions. As a result, slot websites no longer have a limit on the number of machines they can provide. And they are not prohibited to provide certain games for any reason.
Conclusion
The online gaming industry is undergoing a progressive revolution. And it does not just mean there will be more gaming sites in the future. It means operators have more freedom on games to provide and how to market their services. In contrast, it means players have access to more and better gaming platforms.
Compliance Updates
Aviatrix flying in Italy following certificate approval
Aviatrix, the groundbreaking crash game renowned for its unique engagement mechanics, is building new partnerships in Italy following the granting of a certificate in the country.
The Italian certificate enables Aviatrix to collaborate with operators regulated by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, introducing casinos fans in Italy to the award-winning game for the first time.
Players at many of the biggest brands in Italy will soon be enjoying Aviatrix.
Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “We are excited to be bringing Aviatrix to players in Italy for the first time. This is a market where innovation and player engagement are highly valued, so we’re certain our product will be a great fit. And more than that, we have an opportunity to play a central role in one of Europe’s most vibrant online gaming cultures. We can’t wait to get started with operators in the country.”
Aviatrix is fast establishing itself as an important game in regulated jurisdictions, as it already is in emerging ones.
Australia
NSW Govt Appoints New Board Members to ILGA
The NSW Government has made appointments to the board of the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA), including a deputy chairperson and two new members.
Associate Professor Amelia Thorpe and Nicholas Nichles have been appointed following a rigorous public expression of interest selection process. Additionally, existing member Chris Honey has been appointed deputy chairperson.
ILGA is a statutory decision-maker responsible for a range of liquor, registered club and gaming machine regulatory functions including determining licensing and disciplinary matters.
The appointments follow the end of the term of appointment for outgoing deputy chairperson Sarah Dinning, and also fill vacancies that existed on the board.
Mr Honey, who was appointed a member of ILGA earlier in 2024, has been named deputy chairperson until the end of his current appointment term (11 February 2027).
Mr Honey has extensive experience in the advisory and restructuring field, including working extensively in highly regulated sectors.
Associate Professor Thorpe and Mr Nichles have both been appointed for four years commencing 6 November 2024.
Associate Prof Thorpe is with the Faculty of Law & Justice at the University of New South Wales and an Acting Commissioner of the NSW Land and Environment Court.
Mr Nichles was previously a Consul General and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Australian Government agency Austrade, based in the US.
The new appointments bring the ILGA board membership to seven. The new appointments will join chairperson Caroline Lamb, new deputy chairperson Mr Honey and current members Cathie Armour, Jeffrey Loy APM and Dr Suzanne Craig.
Compliance Updates
Ireland’s New Gambling Regulator to Begin Work on Phased Basis Next Year
Ireland’s new gambling regulator is likely to begin overseeing betting businesses in the Republic midway through next year, industry figures predict.
President Micheal D Higgins recently signed the new Gambling Regulation Act, which overhauls licensing and creates a new authority to govern betting firms, into law. Industry figures forecast that the new regime should begin operating midway through next year, a key point for many businesses as they will have to renew online betting licences by that time.
Government also has to pass several milestones before the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland can start functioning, including appointing the seven people the body requires.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee appointed senior civil servant Anne Marie Caulfield as chief executive designate of the authority in summer 2022. Her office has 11 staff. According to the Department of Justice, the State’s Public Appointments Service will shortly begin recruiting the authority’s seven members.
The Minister will appoint the candidates the service recommends.
The department could not say when the authority would start regulating but noted this would happen in a phased “timely manner” after its establishment.
Jack Chambers, Minister for Finance, earmarked €9.1 million for the authority next year in this month’s budget. That includes €4 million for technology.
Ms Caulfield wrote to industry organisations last week confirming that her organisation would begin its work on a “phased basis” but pointing out that it has already completed many preparations. In a statement she said that the authority was committed to keeping the industry fully informed so businesses can “plan for the new regulatory regime”.
Meanwhile, the Public Service Appointments Service last week advertised for someone to head the authority’s social fund. Under the new law’s provisions, betting businesses will contribute to this fund which the authority will use to tackle problem gambling.
Betting businesses regard the fund’s establishment as one of the key steps towards establishing the new regime.
Alongside that, they say that the authority will also have to set up its new licensing system. The law demands that all gambling businesses operating in the Republic be licensed and makes it a criminal offence to operate without a proper permit.
Lawyers at Arthur Cox recently noted that current permits are preserved until licensing sections of the act come into force. Existing high street and online bookies’ licences will have a run-off period, but lawyers said that how this would work in practice depended on how the regulator developed the new system.
Betting businesses are keen that the authority works on a national self-exclusion register for customers who voluntarily ask bookmakers not to take their bets. Currently, most individual bookies have systems where customers who fear they have a problem, or are at risk, can exclude themselves in this way.
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