Red Star Poker is going to join the iPoker network of Playtech.

Having been a well-established Poker operator across Eastern European markets, Red Star’s agreement with Playtech reaffirms that, Playtech’s commitment to the Poker vertical continues to strengthen.

Red Star Poker was established in 2005 to provide a comfortable and secure poker experience to players worldwide. Since then, Red Star has been chosen as a safe and reliable partner by hundreds of thousands of players looking for a high-quality gaming solution that focuses on the Eastern European marketplace.

With a focus on growth in regulated markets worldwide, in line with Playtech’s wider strategy, the iPoker network offers an excellent liquidity pool, backed by software and services developed to comply with regulatory requirements in multiple jurisdictions.

“We are delighted to welcome Red Star on board with Playtech. At a time when the Poker market is facing undeniable challenges, at Playtech we are completely committed to addressing those challenges head-on. Red Star’s decision to collaborate with us is a testament to our long-term investment in our Poker network and its ongoing development – and, of course, our commitment to our operators,” Shimon Akad, COO of Playtech said.

GAN plc has appointed B. Riley FBR, a subsidiary of B. Riley Financial Inc., as its lead banking adviser.

This key appointment is made by the company in pursuit of its stated equity capital markets strategy of making GAN’s equity readily available to the U.S. investor community, to improve liquidity and maximise shareholder value.

The Company’s Board of Directors selected B. Riley FBR based on its demonstrated capital markets track record working with emerging U.S. public companies in the technology sector, including Software-as-a-Service vendors.

“We are excited to appoint one of the leading financial advisory firms in the United States to support GAN through the next few months, with the shared objective of obtaining a U.S. listing as soon as reasonably practical. This is the first visible evidence of a process which is already substantially underway, and we look forward to updating the market when appropriate and in line with our continuing compliance obligations,” Dermot Smurfit, CEO of GAN said.

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has pushed back the launch date of the forthcoming online gambling market in the Netherlands by six months until July 1, 2021, due to the government requiring more time to craft secondary gambling legislation.

Last week, Netherlands Minister of Justice and Security Sander Dekker informed the country’s lower house of parliament that proposed amendments to the Remote Gambling Act (RGA) meant he now expects the RGA to take effect on January 1, 2021, six months later than previously announced.

KSA had previously stated that it would only officially begin accepting online license applications after the RGA’s enactment. The KSA further stated that vetting these applications would take six months, so the previously stated market launch of January 1, 2021, will now be delayed until July 1, 2021.

In a more favourable announcement, Dekker rejected calls from some legislators to implement a total ban on gambling advertising, saying “restricting gambling advertising is … not in itself an objective of the current Dutch gambling policy.”

Dekker said research indicated that harsh advertising restrictions would negatively impact the government’s desire to “channel” local punters to locally-licensed gambling sites, which will be under far greater oversight in relation to responsible gambling initiatives. As a result, excessively hobbling local gambling sites’ ability to market their wares could have an “upward effect on addiction problems.”

Dekker cautioned that the government may look at strengthening existing advertising rules, including time-windows for marketing via certain media, limiting bonus offers or free-play credits, banning behavioural targeting and limiting celebrity endorsements, particularly if said celebs have strong youth-appeal.