Regulation round-up 16 July 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (10 July to 16 July 2013)
Federal online poker bill introduced in US
Joe Barton introduces new bill aimed at regulating online poker on a federal level
Federal online poker regulation is once more back on the agenda in Washington after long-time poker advocate Representative Joe Barton introduced a new bill to Congress on Thursday.
Unlike the bill introduced earlier this year by Peter King, it would only permit the regulation of online poker with no other form of online gambling permitted.
HR2666, The Poker Freedom Act, aims to create federal oversight of online poker legislation to avoid a patchwork of state-by-state regulations.
EU gaming regulators to work more closely
European online gambling regulators said they planned working more closely together to enhance regulatory compliance across the continent following an informal meeting.
Plans to advance shared liquidity between jurisdictions was high on the agenda, and due to be discussed further at a later date, as six regulatory associations met in Lisbon this month. The French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish associations established an informal association last December, holding its inaugural meeting in Paris that same month, discussing pooled liquidity among other issues.
Seven days in regulation:
Swedish regulator locks horns with press
The director general of the Swedish Gaming Board (Lotteriinspektionen) has attacked Per HultengÃ¥rd, CEO of Swedish media organisation Tidningsutgivarna, for “factual errors” with regards to claims made about gambling advertising law.
HÃ¥kan Hallstedt explained that foreign broadcasters are not subject to restrictions on advertising from offshore egaming operators, questioning HultengÃ¥rd’s claims in an op-ed piece for newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that ignoring such advertising while imposing fines on newspapers was “hypocritical”.
“The massive advertising from gambling companies which are not licensed in Sweden has reached such dimensions that I actually think most Swedes perceive it as legitimate,” Hallstedt said in a statement.
Jumbo Interactive granted German lottery licenses
Online lottery company Jumbo Interactive is set to sell internet lottery tickets across Germany after securing 16 state licenses for a period of five years.
The Australian firm’s German subsidiary, Jumbo Interactive GmbH, is permitted to operate online and via mobile across all German states and hopes to release its website before the end of the year.
Jumbo still needs to obtain 13 more operational agreements with state operators to complete its European expansion move having already reach agreements with Schleswig-Holstein, Baden Weurttemberg and Berlin.
Odobo granted Gibraltar licence
Game development program and HTML5 platform provider Odobo has been granted a gaming licence by the Gibraltar Licensing Authority.
Odobo, which launched in November 2012, has become the 26th gaming firm to receive a licence from the Licensing Authority joining operators such as bet365, bwin.party, William Hill, 888, Bally and IGT.
Ashley Lang, CEO of Odobo said the company was “proud” to achieve the gaming licence in an egaming jurisdiction he described as “pioneering”.
Intralot subsidiary receives Polish online license
Intralot’s Polish subsidiary Totolotek has received a six-year internet betting license from the Polish Ministry of Finance, allowing it to offer fixed odds betting and sport pool games online.
Totolotek’s online operations are expected to go live in Q4 2013, according to Intralot, with the company’s online offering due to be developed using the parent company’s technology. Totolotek was acquired by the Greek firm in 2005.