Regulation round-up 14/02/12
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (8 February to 14 February 2012).
UK egaming bill to get second hearing
Bill from Matt Hancock MP introduced under the Ten-minute rule – seeks to bring offshore operators back to UK.
A bill calling for a point of consumption tax to be imposed on British-facing egaming operators was granted a second hearing on 8 February.
Introduced by Member of Parliament Matt Hancock under the Ten Minute Rule, the bill “ still very much at an early stage “ was brought on the premise that offshore operators are depriving horse racing authorities of funding, and consequently also looks to ensure operators contribute to the horse racing levy.
Hancock said: “I have always maintained that there is widespread support for this change. The fact that my bill has passed unanimously demonstrates this support is cross-party and widespread.”
A debate instigated by the Conservative MP for West Suffolk had prompted minister John Penrose MP to announce gambling reform plans in July last year,
Exclusive: Spanish licences to be issued by 31 March
Online gaming licences in Spain will be awarded by 31 March, deputy general director of the Spanish gambling commission Juan Carlos Alfonso Rubio has confirmed to eGaming Review.
The opening of the market was delayed by six months in January in order to give the regulator enough time to review and approve licence applications, with a deadline of 30 June for licences to be issued. According to Rubio, however the licences are now expected to be awarded two months ahead of schedule.
The delay was implemented to allow operators additional time to ensure their systems were compliant with technical regulations, following the election of the new Spanish government El Partido Popular in November last year. It came in spite of Rubio meeting every deadline in the run-up to the proposed opening of the market on 1 January, necessitated by a lack of resources to review the 600kg of paperwork submitted.
Opinion: The hurdles of gaining a Nevada licence
Companies hoping to operate their own US online gaming sites face a substantial hurdle. Under Nevada regulations only existing Nevada casino licensees will be eligible to become licensed internet gambling operators. There are certain other requirements, depending on the location of the establishment within the state, that require existing licensees to have either a resort-hotel, a certain number of rooms or seats, or have held a licence for at least five years. If the Federal government passes legislation it will likely restrict operators’ licences to casinos, Indian tribes, racetracks and card rooms.
Still, under either system, there will be room for European operators and others to get in on the action.
This is because there will be no similar limitations regarding who is eligible to be a service provider as there is for operators or manufacturers. A licence to manufacturer interactive gaming systems would allow the holder to manufacture, assemble or produce an interactive gaming system. A service provider licence would allow the holder to operate a gaming site on behalf of a licensed operator even to the extent of providing a complete platform and managing all operations.
First names added to Belgian blacklist
The Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) has published the first draft of its egaming blacklist, naming 10 operators including 888, Everest Poker and Titan Poker.
Others on the list, released in tandem with the publication of the first list of licensees, include casino operators jackpotcity.com and megacasino.com.
Chilipoker is also included, although a spokesman for the operator told eGaming Review that it had withdrawn from Belgium and was in conversation with the BGC about having its name removed from the list. A spokesman for 888, meanwhile, declined to comment.
ISPs ordered to block 70 egaming sites in Serbia
The Serbian Gaming Board has ordered internet service providers to block 70 foreign egaming operators’ sites from being accessible to local players, eGR has learned.
The list of banned sites includes bwin, 888 and Titan Bet, which were also named on the Belgian Gaming Commission’s blacklist last week, alongside other major European operators such as Betsson, Sportingbet, William Hill, Betfair, Ladbrokes and Unibet.
Serbian tabloid newspaper Blic reported that the Gaming Board could be looking to have the ban enforced as early as this week. This has led to the commissioner for information of public importance and personal data protection Rodoljub Sabic speaking out against the move, claiming IP-blocking amounted to censorship, which is banned under Article 50 of the Constitution of Serbia.
Chili signs US deal with Golden Nugget
French-owned egaming operator Chiligaming has signed an exclusive online gaming partnership with US casino group Golden Nugget, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.
The deal will see the two parties combine on a free-play site, set to go live within the next three months, with Golden Nugget believed to be keen to go live before this summer’s World Series of Poker.
Golden Nugget is one of only three casino groups to have venues in both Nevada and New Jersey, along with Caesars and MGM, with owner Landry’s having acquired and rebranded the Trump Marina in Atlantic City last February.
New Jersey committee clears mobile betting bill
New Jersey’s State Senate Gaming Committee has passed a piece of legislation allowing bets to be placed on mobile devices from within Atlantic City casinos.
The legislation will now progress to the Senate where it will be subject to a further vote from lawmakers there.
Mobile betting is already legal in licensed venues in Nevada with an iPhone version of Leroy’s App, created by the William Hill-owned sportsbook American Wagering Inc, receiving approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board in October.
Belgium brings in police over blacklist
The Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) has brought in the country’s police force to file a report detailing the identities of blacklisted egaming sites in the EU member state.
Now in the hands of the Public Prosecution Office, the report will be followed by communication between the BGC and the blacklisted sites about what they can do to have their names removed from the list.
Betclic files complaint against PMU
Betclic has filed a complaint with the French Competition Authority over Pari-Mutuel Urbain’s dominance of the horse racing sector.
French newspaper Les Echos reported that the operator, which has seen a number of high-profile departures over the past few months, most recently co-founder Eric Moncada and CTO Pierrick Pétain, has complained about the dominance of former monopoly PMU in the horse betting sector, suggesting that it prevents private operators from developing a successful operation in the vertical.
Stan James prepares to launch in South Africa
Stan James has signed an agreement with GTECH G2 to use its Margin Maker World Till system for the bookmaker’s retail launch in South Africa.
World Till is GTECH G2’s retail cash betting solution designed for use in markets where, according to the supplier, a simple, cost effective and secure solution is required. It supports fixed odds, pools and spreadbetting on any sports, across all channels and all business models, and has been deployed across the world in countries such as Spain, Romania and Venezuela.
Everleaf pulls out of US
The Everleaf Poker network will no longer accept players from the United States after receiving a cease and desist letter from the US Department of Homeland Security.
A representative for network skin MintedPoker confirmed the news on the Two Plus Two poker forums, explaining that “Several weeks ago when the network lost one of the US processors, some of the processed funds were held back by what is now clear as the Department of Homeland Security.