Compliance Updates
Why Ireland’s advertising ban should sound a warning to the industry
![Tom Farrell, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearStake](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/tom.png)
Tom Farrell, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearStake
At first glance, Ireland’s emerging Gambling Regulation Bill might not be of particular concern to anyone outside the emerald isle – even allowing for Ireland’s influential and outsized position in the related worlds of horse racing and gambling. But recent controversy around a proposed ban on all television gambling advertising before a 9pm watershed should sound a warning to anyone willing to hear.
As it stands, this ban is intended to cover all television channels, including RacingTV and Sky Sports Racing. And as anyone who watches either of those channels will know, they are dependent on advertising from gambling companies. So dependent, in fact, that there is serious talk about both no longer being available in Ireland if the bill is passed.
Exactly what impact that will have on Irish racing and gambling is an open question, but there are already plenty of commentators sounding the alarm. “It will be a disaster” is the considered opinion of racing legend Ted Walsh, and it is hard to argue with him. Effectively it will remove Irish racing from the airwaves for all but a handful of key events, something sure to damage the industry in the medium term. From the perspective of gambling operators, it also means an inevitable loss of revenue as people bet on what they watch.
Will it happen? If (ahem) I was a betting man, I would back amendments to be added to the bill to allow exceptions for dedicated racing channels. But it’s no dead cert and it hasn’t happened yet. It would be foolish to assume that everything will get sorted out and thus sleepwalk toward disaster.
And for the wider lesson? Read on.
Where gambling stands today
Let us face facts. For most governments in countries where gambling is legal, it is filed under ‘something we have to do something about’. More specifically, those governments quite rightly want to protect their citizens from harm, and they are inevitably going to look around at ways in which to do that.
So, whilst in 2023, with everything we know about young people’s media habits, a ban on gambling advertising ‘before the watershed’ might seem silly to you or me, to a government ‘doing something’ about gambling, it’s an option. And in this case, they are taking it. As anyone following recent history knows, expecting governments to always make sensible, proportionate decisions isn’t always wise, and this is what happens when they are left to come up with a solution to the challenge of protecting gamblers themselves.
In response, and you can probably see where this is going by now, the gambling industry itself has to proactively engage with the responsibility to protect our customers. Nobody knows the ins and outs of the issue as well as gambling operators themselves, and it is those operators who should be bringing sensible, proportionate measures to the table. Because in their absence, we get the type of potentially disastrous ban on advertising being proposed in Ireland.
The goal, ultimately, is minimising harm whilst maximising revenue. I would argue that this ban actually does neither.
But what are the alternatives? Any member of the Irish government who reads the Racing Post on a regular basis would be forgiven for thinking that sensible, targeted measures, intended to ensure that high-staking punters are not gambling beyond their means, are definitely not an option.
On that basis, they have probably ruled out affordability checks entirely (despite the fact that AML legislation required the checking of financial documentation anyway) and landed on an alternative that has the potential to cause significant damage to the industry. Trebles all round!
Let’s finish by painting a slightly different picture.
Gambling operators and their representatives engage with the government in a constructive manner to find solutions that, as above, minimise harm and maximise revenue. That could include affordability checks integrated with existing AML requirements (as hinted at in the UK White Paper). By doing so, legislators get to ‘do something’, and the something that they do is targeted in a way that ensures those that need to be protected are, and those who wish to stake freely can do so, which delivers a top-line revenue boost.
Doesn’t that sound more sensible than slightly random interventions that risk the entire industry? The only thing stopping this happening is the industry itself. Let’s change that.
Compliance Updates
Acquiring a Curacao Online Gaming License in 2024: Comprehensive Analysis of Financial & Procedural Aspects with Costs & Timelines Detailed
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/curacaduioapdj.jpg)
The “Acquiring a Curacao Online Gaming License, 2024: Comprehensive Analysis of Financial & Procedural Aspects with Costs & Timelines Detailed” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
This report includes valuable insights into the financial and procedural aspects, including detailed information on costs and timelines associated with acquiring a Curacao license.
In 2023, Curacao introduced the “Landsverordening op de kansspelen” (Ordinance on Games of Chance) to modernize and regulate gambling legislation. Since March 2020, the Gambling Control Board (GCB) has been authorized to regulate offshore gambling games and oversee the issuance of Curacao licenses. As of 2023, there are 16 companies providing legal services for registration and licensing in the territory of Curacao. The license fee, as per GCB regulations, is 36,000 ANG or 19,800 USD, payable upon license issuance.
Research Timeline and Data Relevance
The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage, studying the regulator and Open Data Search, took place in December 2023. The second stage, writing the report and partially updating the data from the first stage, took place from the end of April to the end of May 2024.
Goals and Objectives
- Describe the information about the Curacao license and the issuing regulator.
- Describe the requirements and conditions for obtaining a Curacao license.
- Describe the costs and timelines for obtaining a Curacao license.
- Briefly study the market, find and suggest the following lists:
- Legal companies offering services for company registration and obtaining a Curacao license;
- Communication agents and integrators working with the Curacao license;
- Suppliers and vendors working with the Curacao license;
- Payment systems working with the Curacao license.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Goals and Objectives
2. Research Timeline and Data Relevance
- Document Markup
- Raw and Combined Data
- Terms & Glossary
3. General Information
- The Regulator
- Registration of Operators With Sublicense
- Application for an Online Gaming License
4. Requirements and Conditions for Obtaining a License
License Conditions
- General Prohibitions
- Safe and Secure Environment
- Equipment and Application Software
- Player Registration
- Payment Transactions
- Games
- Terms of Use
- Resolution of Complaints
- Administrative Responsibilities
- Publicly Available Information
- Reports
- Policies and Procedures
- Suspension and Revocation of License
- Additional Conditions
- Supervision
Recommendations or Minimum Requirements for the Business Plan
5. The Cost of the License
6. Decision Term and the Validity of the License
7. Application Method and Forms
8. Contact Information
9. Companies for Registration and Licensing
10. Integration Companies
11. Suppliers and Vendors
12. Payment Systems
13. META
14. Appendix: Terms & Glossary
For more information about this report visit researchandmarkets.com/r/izeo6g
Compliance Updates
Digitain Obtained Greek License
![Digitain Obtained Greek License](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Digitain-Greek-License.png)
Digitain obtained the A1 Manufacturer’s License from the Hellenic Gaming Commission.
Digitain, a global leader in Sportsbook and iGaming solutions, has expanded its presence in European regulated market by obtaining a B2B license from the Hellenic Gaming Commission.
Iain Hutchison, Chief Revenue Officer of Digitain, said: “We are delighted that we have attained our B2B license from the Hellenic Gaming Commission. Digitain continues to expand across multiple regulated jurisdictions, and the Greek license is a further example of our vision and that of our teams’ commitment to regulatory compliance and the exemplary standards of our platform technology and focus as a company. We look forward to having our award-winning sportsbook and Centrivo platform and much more available within the Greek market as one of continental Europe’s largest and growing regulated markets.”
Compliance Updates
Hard Rock Casino NL turns to BetComply for Netherlands launch
![Hard Rock Casino NL turns to BetComply for Netherlands launch](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/11-3-e1721908582174.jpg)
BetComply, iGaming’s most trusted technical and regulatory compliance firm, has partnered with iCasino, securing a Dutch licence for their recently-launched Hard Rock Casino brand.
HardRockCasino.nl operated by iCasino b.v. under a brand licence agreement announced its Netherlands launch at the start of July, having worked closely with BetComply to secure a licence from the Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) in May.
The brand will continue to work with BetComply to ensure on-going compliance within the Netherlands framework.
iCasino CEO Paul Strikers said: “It’s hugely exciting to bring such a globally renowned brand to the Dutch market for the first time. We understood early on in the process that operator compliance needed to be one of our highest priorities, and that’s why we enlisted the help of BetComply and its unparalleled expertise in the Netherlands. We thank Mike and the team for their tireless and rigorous support on our successful licence application, and look forward to building upon this partnership in the future; the first step being the application for a sports betting licence.”
BetComply Chief Compliance Officer Mike de Graaff added: “The Netherlands market has attracted some huge international brands over recent months, underlining the opportunities on offer for those who build a deep understanding of their regulatory obligations. We’ve already helped more than a third of all licence holders in the country, and with the KSA taking a proactive approach across all elements of regulation, we’ll continue to support our partners, including iCasino, as market conditions evolve.”
With recent high-profile reports of serious misconduct within the iGaming compliance space, it has never been more important to pick a trusted and reliable partner, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
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