Regulation round-up 30 July 2013
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (24 July to 30 July 2013)
Dutch Gaming Authority appoints new director
Marja Appelman to replace interim director Peter Plug in September
The Dutch Gaming Authority has appointed Marja Appelman as its new director taking responsibility for leading the move towards regulated online gambling in The Netherlands.
Appelman, who has previously worked at the Dutch Healthcare Authority and the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, will join on 23 September, replacing interim director Peter Plug.
The country published draft egaming regulations in May this year, promising to legalise all products with a target launch date of 1 January 2015. A 20% tax rate is included within the drafts, and from H2 Gambling Capital estimates the country’s online market will be worth 223m by 2015.
Dutch social network removes gambling ads
Dutch social network Hyves has agreed to remove all advertising from unlicensed egaming operators at the request of the Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit).
The site, which has more than two million active users in the EU Member State, has followed Facebook in falling in line with the gambling authority’s request.
The Kansspelautoriteit described the block as an “important step” in ensuring young and vulnerable people are not exposed to companies operating without a Dutch egaming licence.
Seven days in regulation:
Opinion: Enforcement of egaming regulations “ time for action?
Former Sportingbet head of regulatory affairs Ian Ince on why actions must speak louder than words when it comes to gambling regulators’ crackdown on illegal activities
Caesars spinoff approved by NV regulator
The Nevada Gaming Commission has given its approval to Caesars Entertainment’s plans to spin off its online and social gaming arm into a new company.
In addition to Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE), the new Caesars Growth Partners venture will incorporate the Planet Hollywood resort and a to-be-established Baltimore property.
Plans for the restructuring were first announced in April this year with another new company, known as Caesars Acquisition Company, established to look after the transition. Caesars set a share price of $9.43 for Caesars Growth Partners earlier this month.
Ultimate Gaming clinches final Nevada approval
Ultimate Gaming has received final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission to operate the state’s only legal online poker offering.
The Station Casinos subsidiary originally launched Ultimate Poker on 30 April with a field trial to prove that the site met state regulations regarding interactive wagering. With the 90-day trial period complete, company chief technology officer Chris Derossi submitted a detailed report on the system.
Although figures and financial details were not publicly disclosed, Derossi confirmed Ultimate Poker has already dealt in excess of 9.1 million hands of poker and operated 100,000 tournaments since its launch.