Regulation round-up 22 October 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (16 October to 22 October 2013)
ARJEL restructures to meet egaming needs
French regulator says the changes will help provide efficiency and adaptability
French online gambling regulator L’autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL) has announced a complete restructuring of the organisation in an effort to better serve the regulated egaming industry.
The changes adopted by its president, Jean-François Vilotte, will see the directorate general responsible for the work of the general secretariat, economic studies and media and communications.
The branches of the organisation overseeing legal regulation, international relations, general management controls and IT will report to the president through the directorate general Frédéric Epaulard.
In a statement ARJEL said it hoped the new structure would allow the regulator to be more capable of reflecting the needs of the French online gambling industry.
Lithuania to regulate remote gambling
Lithuanian authorities have outlined plans to regulate online gambling in 2014 after proposals to improve the country’s Gambling Act were approved by parliament.
The proposals were tabled after the ministry of finance raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of an act which had not been amended since its entry into force in 2001, ahead of the online gaming boom.
Regulation is set to include a number of restrictive measures such as a time limit on slots, a daily cap on players’ wagered amounts and strict measures to prevent underage gambling.
Seven days in regulation:
Trump casinos awarded New Jersey egaming licences
The Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort have been awarded internet gambling permits by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), with both the sites to begin a five day trial on 21 November.
The Trump Casinos will be among the first operators to offer online and mobile real-money wagering in the Garden State, pending licenses for their software suppliers. The Trump Plaza has partnered with Betfair and GameAccount to provide its online platform, while the Trump Taj Mahal has joined forces with Ultimate Gaming.
“We are very pleased to get the third and fourth permits,” said Robert Griffin, ceo of Trump Entertainment Resorts. “We think this is a significant move for Atlantic City and for the Trump company. We’re going to make the deadline of November.”
Poll results: Opinion split on supplier responsibility
The question was raised in this week’s poll after the Italian regulator, Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (AAMS), threatened new regulatory measures which would prevent providers from supplying unlicensed operators with games in a bid to tackle the nation’s substantial black market.
However, the majority of respondents weren’t wholly in favour of the regulator’s stance with only 40% of the opinion that suppliers should take responsibility for where their games are offered.
AAMS head of remote gambling Francesco Rodano said that measure will be considered unless suppliers prevent their B2C customers from targeting the Italian market and estimated that more than half of the Italian online casino market to comprise of unregulated operators.
Golden Nugget awarded second New Jersey egaming permit
The Golden Nugget Atlantic City has been awarded the second egaming licence by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, with the site to begin a five-day trial on 21 November.
The Golden Nugget will be one of the first operators to offer online and mobile real-money wagering in the Garden State. Bally Technologies will serve as casino’s main technology provider, pending a supplier licence from the DGE.
Players within the borders of New Jersey will be able to log-on to GoldenNuggetPoker.com and GoldenNuggetCasino.com when the state goes live with online gambling on 26 November.