Regulation round-up 23 July 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (17 July to 23 July 2013)
Senate hearing reinforces calls for federal regulation
State-by-state solution not seen as effective enough to tackle egaming “Wild West” by US Senate subcommittee
US lawmakers including Senator Dean Heller criticised the existing online gambling environment and called on Congress to introduce federal regulation to address illegal activity during a senate subcommittee hearing on 17 July.
Speaking at the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance, Heller described the current internet gaming industry as “the Wild West” which a patchwork of state laws would not be efficient enough to combat.
Jack Blum, an attorney who specialises in money laundering cases, said a federal regulatory body was needed for licensing and called for “sophisticated legislation that should happen sooner rather than later”.
Barton expects Reid/Heller talks “in near future”
Congressman Joe Barton anticipates meeting with Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller to discuss federal online poker legislation “in the very near future”.
Speaking at a teleconference with Poker Players Alliance executive director John Pappas, Barton noted he held talks with the two Senators in the previous congress but has not yet had an opportunity to meet face-to-face since introducing his new bill, HR 2666, earlier this month.
Congressman Barton also confirmed plans to name “between a dozen and two dozen” bipartisan co-sponsors within the next two weeks, saying he was keen to meet in person with potential co-sponsors before adding them to his list.
Seven days in regulation:
AGA applauds federal egaming efforts
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has urged the US Senate to take action regarding online poker legislation to avoid an online gambling “free-for-all” at the state level.
New AGA president Geoff Freeman said in a statement that as online poker is “here to stay”, Congress must act to ensure there are minimum regulatory standards and consumer protection in place.
Freeman, who was speaking following the Senate Subcommittee hearing on consumer protection last week, said the “reasonable” approach to online poker regulation proposed by the gaming industry is under threat by the current gambling expansion taking place at the state level.
PokerStars removed from Australian App Store
PokerStars and 888’s real-money mobile poker apps have been removed from the iOS App Store in Australia and are no longer available to consumers in the region after pressure from the Australian government.
The Federal Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy Department reportedly approached Apple to claim the apps were in violation of the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), which technically bans all forms of online casino gambling in Australia.
Senator Richard Di Natale appealed to Apple in April for PokerStars app to be removed from the Australian App Store saying Apple had an “obligation to take down apps that are against Australian law”.
WatchandWager secures California gaming licence
WatchandWager, the tote betting and racetrack operation of UK-licensee Webis, has secured a multi-jurisdictional Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) licence by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB).
The company becomes the first operator to receive an ADW in California for more than five years and only the fourth operator able to take bets from Californian residents. The licence will officially commence on 6 September 2013.
Webis pari-mutuel operations director Ed Comins said it will be “fantastic” to break into the Californian market. “This licence approval also represents another significant step forward in our overall US development strategy and is evidence of the status we now have as a business to be accepted by regulatory bodies as prestigious as the CHRB,” he added.