Egaming industry predictions for 2014 - part two
In the second of a series of articles leading up to the New Year, we ask egaming experts to look into their crystal ball and predict the big themes for 2014 " today we get the legal view
Susan Biddle (pictured), consultant at law firm Pinsent Masons
1) Mobile and in-play betting will continue to be growth areas. Great Britain is unlikely to introduce specific restrictions on advertising in-play betting.
2) More involvement in gambling regulation by EU regulators, following the European Parliament’s non-legislative resolution in September 2013 asking the European Commission to look at a range of issues including preventing the marketing of online gambling in states where such activities are illegal and greater administrative co-operation. Until now, regulation of gambling has generally been left very much to individual member states but this resolution could herald a change of approach.
3) The Gambling Commission’s resources will be stretched to deal with the flood of licence applications required by a point of consumption basis of regulation. They will cope, but action in other areas, such as social gaming, may in the short term progress more slowly than would otherwise be the case.
Albert Agustinoy, partner at law firm DLA Piper
1) At a Spanish level, by the end of 2014 new products (and most notably online slots) will have been regulated and introduced in the regulated market. By that time the access to licenses will have been re-opened and new entrants will come into the Spanish regulated market.
2) At an EU level, no major regulation developments will have occurred. Nonetheless, the European Commission will have made a closer follow-up of the regulatory developments taken by Member States and probably enforcement actions will have been taken.
3) At a Latin American level, neither Brazil, nor Argentina will have set up a national licensing system for the operation of online gambling activities.
In other news:
– Egaming industry predictions for 2014 – part one
– Poll: What will have the biggest impact on the egaming industry in 2014?