Industry News

Outgoing chiefs of Dutch regulators criticise government policy

Published

10 months ago

October 10, 2018

Outgoing chiefs of Dutch regulators criticise government policy

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Jan Suyver and Henk Kesler, the outgoing chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) regulatory authority has criticised the Dutch government for going slow in reforming online gambling legislation in the country. Suyver and Kesler, explaining the changes in their six-year term, held back no punches. They said that the government had urged them to prepare for the liberalisation of the Dutch online gambling market as far back as 2012, but no concrete actions were taken on their proposal.

Suyver assigned at least some of the blame on religiously inclined legislators in parties like the Christian Democratic Appeal and Christian Union, who’d previously blocked passage of the Remote Gambling Bill in the Dutch legislature’s lower house.

Suyver acknowledged that online gambling was a “complicated, ideological dossier” on which numerous parties held strong views both pro and con, but argued that “even though you are against gambling, that cannot be a reason not to regulate it. Rather, on the contrary, I would say.”

Suyver expanded on this view in an interview with Dutch financial daily Financieele Dagblad, calling it “a disgrace” that the Netherlands was “almost the only country left in the European Union which has not regulated online gambling.”

Kesler was equally critical of Dutch politicians’ failure to act, saying legislators had “not delivered what we were promised” when he and Suyver joined the KSA. As a result, Kesler said he’d “become pretty cranky now and again,” and was unable to look back at his KSA tenure “with great satisfaction.”

Kesler said the KSA currently lacked effective tools to deal with online operators serving Dutch punters without local authorisation, equating the status quo with going “to war in the lions’ den with a toothbrush. The consumer deservers protection, but politicians must give the KSA the means to do so.”

The Remote Gambling Bill is currently hung up in the Dutch senate, thanks to an open consultation for stakeholder input that would not conclude until November 6. Among the significant items yet to be decided is the licensing eligibility of “rogue” operators who have been hit with financial penalties by the KSA.

The KSA’s new chairman is René Jansen, while the vice-chair’s seat has been filled by Bernadette van Buchem.

Source: CalvinAyre

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Niji Narayan

Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.

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Industry News

VIP Arab Club Casino gets into the groove quickly after signing major content deal with GrooveGaming

Published

10 hours ago

July 22, 2019

George Miller

VIP Arab Club Casino gets into the groove quickly after signing major content deal with GrooveGaming

Reading Time: 2 minutes

VIP Arab Club Casino is ramping up its offering further as one of the best licensed casinos in Arabic, following the signing of a content deal with technology company GrooveGaming.

Hot on the heels of a successful iGB Live!, GrooveGaming is attracting a lot of attention in the global iGaming market with a diverse portfolio of proprietary and 3rd party HTML5 video slots and table games as well as over 2500 casino games together with the biggest Lotto, Bingo, Live games, Scratch, Multiplayers and Sportsbook. GrooveGaming’s solutions help operators increase player value, generate new revenue opportunities and improve brand integrity.

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Industry News

Paddy Power Launches “Save Our Shirt” Campaign

Published

10 hours ago

July 22, 2019

Niji Narayan

Photo Source: htafc.com

Reading Time: 1 minute

Paddy Power has announced that its Huddersfield Town kit was just a hoax, releasing the real kits alongside a campaign aimed at shirt sponsors. The campaign which is titled as “Save Our Shirt” is calling on brands, including the fellow bookmakers, to stop sponsoring football shirts.

Huddersfield Town kit-PP

The intention of the hoax jersey was to shine a light on the issues around shirt sponsorships, with Paddy Power now completely removing their logo from “The Terriers” kit with the launch of the campaign.

“As a sponsor, we know our place, and it’s not on your shirt. So today we are calling on other sponsors to join the Save Our Shirt campaign, and give something back to the fans,” Victor Corcoran, MD of Paddy Power said.

Paddy Power has donated a part of their sponsorship to the Huddersfield Town Foundation and announced that they will be setting up an amnesty outside the John Smith’s Stadium on the first day of the season, where they will exchange 500 new kits for previous branded versions.

“Shirt sponsorship in football has gone too far. We accept that there is a role for sponsors around football, but the shirt should be sacred,” Corcoran added.

Industry News

Microgaming to Launch New Slot for Jungle Jim Series in November

Published

11 hours ago

July 22, 2019

Niji Narayan

Microgaming to Launch New Slot for Jungle Jim Series in November

Reading Time: 1 minute

The latest Jungle Jim slot, developed by Stormcraft Studios, has taken centre stage on Microgaming’s stand at the popular industry exhibition in Amsterdam.

Following the success of Jungle Jim El Dorado in 2016, the iconic character is now uncovering the mysteries of Egypt in Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx. This five by five reel, 50 payline slot is anticipated to be released in November this year.

To celebrate the popular character’s return, Microgaming has branded its stand in Amsterdam, where attendees could demo and preview visuals of the upcoming game.

“Given the success and popularity of Jungle Jim El Dorado, we are really looking forward to teasing the iconic character’s next outing, this week at iGBLive! The new game includes outstanding artwork and entertaining mechanics, including the popular Rolling Reels™ feature, and Stormcraft Studios have set a new benchmark in visual storytelling in our industry,” Jean-Luc Ferriere, CCO at Microgaming said.