The Czech Republic gambling industry hopes that the government will proceed with regulatory adjustments to banking and customer verification requirements that will allow for a smoother market entry.

A measure approved by the “5th Directive on AML” will see the Czech Republic adopt “remote customer verification” measures assigned by individual banks.

Commonly referred to as “bank IDs,” the Czech stakeholders hope that the compliance measure will lead to the government relaxing its cumbersome face-to-face verification requirements.

Denisa Marcekova, Head of the Czech & Slovak Internet Gambling Association, backed the measure, claiming it has been proven as an effective verification provision in Sweden.

“I strongly believe this is a significant step in the right direction. I hope that the recently launched governmental review of the Czech gambling regulation will result in even in the near future,” she said.

The Czech government has claimed a victory in a legal dispute with land-based operator Casino Kartáč Group, in relation to the operation of interactive video lottery terminals (VLTs).

Casino Kartáč had issued a claim for €53.8m in compensation for lost profit, alleging that the Ministry of Finance’s procedure for issuing permits for VLTs was incorrect.

However, during a hearing in District Court in Prague 1, legal representatives of the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) argued that the Ministry had acted in accordance with national law.

The District Court agreed with the ÚZSVM and dismissed the compensation claim from Casino Kartáč.

“The internal legal team did an excellent job again and has already defended many billions of crowns in the state in protracted lawsuits with this company,” Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said.

“The courts have repeatedly ruled in our favour, which confirms our strong legal position. In addition, by managing these disputes without the involvement of external law firms, we save the state considerable financial resources,” the Minister added.

The National Hockey League (NHL) has selected Tipsport as its first European sportsbook partner in Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Through the deal, Tipsport will be allowed to utilise NHL’s official brand and logo. In addition, Tipsport will leverage marketing campaigns and opportunities to flagship events such as the Global Series games in Czech Republic or Slovakia, and promote its ice hockey markets.

Meanwhile, Tipsport NHL markets will be enhanced by direct data gathered by the NHL’s new “puck and player” tracking system, boosting in-game statistics and optimising live odds.

“The sports betting landscape presents a unique opportunity for fan engagement in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, utilizing technology and data that are proprietary to the NHL,” John Lewicki, NHL’s International Vice President of Business Development and partnerships, said.

“As a sports betting leader in the Czech and Slovak markets, Tipsport is an ideal partner for us to begin our entry into this space in Europe and provides a tremendous opportunity to further fan engagement around the globe,” John Lewicki added.