SkyCity Adelaide Pty Ltd (SkyCity) and AUSTRAC have filed joint submissions with the Federal Court of Australia, proposing a $67 million penalty over the casino’s contravention of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act).

A court hearing has been set down for 7 June 2024, at which Justice Lee will consider the parties’ proposed settlement.

While AUSTRAC and SkyCity agree that a $67 million penalty is appropriate in all the circumstances, it is a matter for the court to determine the appropriate penalty.

In reaching this agreement, SkyCity has admitted that it operated in contravention of the AML/CTF Act, including that:

• its AML/CTF Programs did not meet the requirements of the AML/CTF Act and AML/CTF Rules, in contravention of section 81.
• it did not carry out appropriate ongoing customer due diligence with respect to certain higher risk customers and customers transacting through higher risk channels, in contravention of section 36.

“AUSTRAC took this action out of concern that SkyCity’s conduct meant that a range of high-risk practices, behaviours and customer relationships were allowed to continue unchecked for many years,” AUSTRAC’s Chief Executive Officer, Brendan Thomas said.

Mr Thomas said the action serves as an important reminder to casinos and the gaming sector to take their AML/CTF obligations seriously and be vigilant to money laundering and terrorism financing risks.

As the matter is before the court for determination, AUSTRAC is unable to comment further on the proceedings.

REEVO, a cutting-edge provider and aggregator of online casino games, strike a deal with Dench eGaming Solutions, the innovative supplier of the online gaming industry to enhance its casino offering.

The distribution deal shall see REEVO providing entire portfolio of certified games for Bulgaria including Curacao, MGA and Romania certified titles. All of REEVO’s game titles will be available in a mobile HTML5 version across all Dench operators.

Dobromir Mitev CEO of Dench eGaming Solutions, said: “REEVO is a first-class casino slot provider and we are very excited to form this partnership ahead of the launch of a number of European facing operators which will significantly benefit from their product proposition.”

Petra Maria Poola, Head of Sales in REEVO, added: “The decision to partner with Dench was easy to make for us and following an impeccable integration effort, our games are now available to their customers via Dench Core. Delivering our content and promoting it via their fully automated instrument Giselle is what we are definitely looking forward to as this will clearly open up fantastic opportunities for both REEVO and Dench.”

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Global esports organisation Gen.G announced their acquisition of YOUR.GG, a data analysis and networking platform for League of Legends players. This partnership comes as a new method for Gen.G to enhance the Gen.G Global Academy experience for students in the programme.

FanDuel TV, the cable television network from leading online gaming company FanDuel, announced the launch of “FanDuel TV Extra,” a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel. “FanDuel TV Extra” is currently available on a variety of streaming platforms including Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, Plex, and through FanDuel’s own OTT platform FanDuel TV+.

EPIC Global Solutions have completed a hat-trick of wins at the prestigious SBC Awards North America, having been named as the event’s “Player Protection Service Provider of the Year” for a third year in a row. The globally-leading specialists in mitigating gambling-related harm were recognised once again at the New York ceremony, at an event that acknowledges excellence across all aspects of the gambling industry across North America.

Pragmatic Play is set to participate in CGS Santiago this month, as the provider seeks further inroads across the continent. The provider is also the standalone Diamond Sponsor at the event, which takes place at Espacio Riesco in the country’s capital, Santiago, on May 29 and 30.

Circa Sports has expanded its operations into Kentucky with the launch of its popular mobile betting app. Debuting via a licensing agreement with ECL Corbin LLC at its Cumberland Run harness track, the brand will take the highest betting limits in the industry along with offering tight money line splits, transparent odds, exceptional customer service and more.

Partnerships

Motorsport Games Inc. announced the launch of RaceControl.gg, a new dedicated platform designed to enhance player engagement with the latest news, updates, tips and tricks its most recent game, Le Mans Ultimate. As part of this exciting initiative, Motorsport Games has partnered with Coach Dave Academy to manage the content and development of RaceControl.gg. Under this partnership, Coach Dave Academy (CDA), renowned for their expertise in creating car setups in racing simulations, will curate and manage the content on RaceControl.gg, ensuring fans and players have access to the most relevant and useful information.

NetBet has announced that it will expand NetBet Mexico’s library of games with the addition of IGT PlayDigital titles. While there will be many exciting games from IGT PlayDigital that will be made available for NetBet Mexico customers, the library of new titles will be led by omnichannel player-favourite IGT PlayDigital games such as Cleopatra, DaVinci Diamonds and Golden Goddess.

Brazilian football club Vasco da Gama and Betfair, one of the largest online sports betting companies in the world, announced the biggest sponsorship agreement in the club’s history. The contract is valid until December 31, 2025, with the possibility of renewal for two more seasons. The company’s brand will be displayed in the men’s team’s master property, and includes the inclusion of Betfair on the shoulder blade of the women’s team’s shirts, in addition to exclusive official digital content from Legítimo Clube do Povo.