Regulation round-up 24 October 2017
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (17 October to 24 October 2017)
Gambling Commission tells operators to remove child-friendly content “immediately”
Commission sends four-page letter to firms, co-signed by advertising regulators and the RGA
The Gambling Commission has written to more than 450 online gambling operators warning them to “immediately” remove any content on their sites that may appeal to children.
The regulator sent out a four-page letter, co-signed by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA).
“We are writing to advise you to amend or remove immediately any ads on your website or in third party media that are likely to appeal particularly to people aged 17 or younger and, generally available to view,” the letter said.
The regulator said icons for games such as Piggy Payout, Fluffy Favourites, Pirate Princess and Jack and the Beanstalk were likely to need taking down.
New lobby group starts Brazilian regulatory push
A new Brazilian lobby group, created to push for the regulation of the country’s gambling market, held its first meeting last week.
The Parliamentary Front for the Regulatory Framework of Gaming in Brazil said its mission statement is to “defend the legalisation and regulation of gambling”.
The group held its first meeting at the national legislature last Wednesday, with several international casino companies in attendance along with politicians and gaming lawyers.
Las Vegas Sands, Caesars Entertainment Corp., and Portugal’s Estoril Sol were all in attendance.
Belgium to restrict gambling adverts
Belgium has moved a step closer to implementing stricter rules on gambling advertising after the Council of Ministers approved a legislative bill put forward by Minister of Justice Koen Geens.
The bill includes a ban on gambling ads during breaks in live sporting events and no publicity for online sports betting before 8pm, with gambling sponsorships of sport clubs also banned.
Geens said changes were needed because current levels of publicity were encouraging too much gambling and is leading to addiction.
Geens is also hoping to limit the impact of gambling publicity on children and minors, as the bill suggests no advertising 15 minutes prior to, or after, children’s TV programmes.
Dutch remote gaming bill expected from 1 January 2019
The Dutch remote gaming bill can be expected to come into force 1 January 2019, according to Henk Kesler, the vice chairman of the Dutch Gambling Authority.
Kesler made the comments at an ESSA integrity event in London last Thursday, which would mean the licence application process would start approximately four-to-six months after that, in mid-2019.
EGR understands the Ministry of Finance envisages the process happening approximately six months sooner, but the KSA and Dutch market experts contacted by EGR believe the longer timeline is more “realistic”.
The entire process of re-regulation has picked up momentum again in recent weeks, after four political parties formed a coalition to govern the country.