Licensing Archives - Page 3 of 4

Dutch regulator issues 21st online licence

Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued its 21st online gambling licence, to a business known as Smart Gaming BV.

As yet, little information has been provided about Smart Gaming, which is registered in the Dutch town of Aalsmeer.

The KSA said that it will list the domain name that the business will use as soon as this is known, but Smart Gaming has not yet submitted the domain it intends to use.

The business is the 21st operator to receive a licence to operate in the Dutch online gambling market. It follows the ComeOn Group, which announced that it would launch its flagship ComeOn brand in the Netherlands after receiving a licence last week.

Also last week, the KSA launched a gambling harm prevention research programme, developed by Hague-based health organisation ZonMw. It said that the aim of the scheme will be to gather new knowledge on the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction and gambling-related harms, so it can be formed into new treatment measures.
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August 22, 2022

Dazn Bet goes live with UK “soft launch”

Sports Betting News Bookiecity

Dazn Bet – a new betting venture from streaming giant DAZN – has launched its beta product in the UK, the first market in which it is live.

The streaming business announced the launch of a new betting brand in April, which would be powered by technology from Pragmatic Play and named Dazn Bet.

Later that month, Dazn announced that Mark Kemp, who at the time was chief executive of BoyleSports, would lead the new betting brand.

The operator will do business under a Great Britain Gambling Commission licence held by One Click Limited. One Click had operated a number of B2C brands in Great Britain such as Casinoland and Royal Slots, before withdrawing from the market earlier this year.

Kemp said the the ultimate goal of Dazn Bet was to create a product that fully integrates betting into streaming. The business said it hoped to also integrate news updates, non-fungible tokens, tickets, and merchandise – as well as betting – into its streaming product in the near future.

“The initial laun..

July 18, 2022

High school Spire Institute among Ohio betting licence applicants

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A number of new organisations have applied for Ohio sports betting licences, including Bet365 and Tipico as online providers, and high school Spire Institute – alongside a number of professional sports teams – for a proprietor licence.

Spire Institute is an Ohio sports-focused high school, with its athletic programs attracting top recruits including basketball star LaMelo Ball. The organisation also offers a general sporting development programs and operates sporting complexes on its grounds, outside of its presence as a high school.

Under Ohio’s sports betting laws, sporting organisations or land-based gaming venues may offer betting in the state, partnering with online operators for an online product.

It has partnered with Out the Gate, a startup sports betting operator that says it uses an in-house trading solution and plans to accept “all action” with lined that “lead the market on US sports”. Out the Gate is led by Christopher Kape and Robbie Manis, formerly of data provider Do..

July 11, 2022

Dutch minister defends Curaçao reform timeline

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Dutch Minister for Legal Protection Franc Weerwind has defended the timeline towards reform of Curaçao’s gambling system, noting the progress the island is making towards implementing the reforms demanded by the Dutch government.

Although the island’s Council of Ministers recently approved new gambling legislation that would drastically overhaul gambling from Curaçao – by replacing the master licence system with a new licensing authority – Weerwind still faced questions on illegal gambling from Curaçao.

The new rules are expected to raise the bar to entry, potentially forcing some operators out of the market, though Finance Minister Javier Silvania said that operators who cannot meet the new standards would not be a great loss.

The questions came just over six months after his predecessor Sander Dekker faced similar questions about the steps the Netherlands was taking to deal with the sector.

In response, Weerwind said that the Dutch government was already working to pressure Curaç..

June 28, 2022

Towards intolerance of illegal operators

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Illegal online gambling remains a threat to both player protection and government tax yields. Yet, as Paul Girvan explains, most regulated jurisdictions continue to tolerate operators making money outside of the regulatory environment. Could more be done to fight the unlicensed sector?

Online gambling has existed since the inception of the internet, and over time we have seen increasing concern arise from the issue of black market gambling.

Equally, nearly all countries implementing legal market controls have encountered rising rates of gambling harm and negative social consequences, the causes for many of which remain outside the licensed market.

While there is much talk about the “licensed level playing field”, it’s hard to see how any marketplace is effectively levelled to the benefit of any parties if it tolerates the presence of the illicit black market. These shadow operators reap a competitive advantage as their regulated competitors pay a licence fee and taxes and comply wi..

June 28, 2022

Laos to mimic POGO model with new offshore licences

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Laos is set to regulate online gambling, setting up a regime where operators licensed in the country targeting markets elsewhere in Southeast Asia such as Thailand.

In a model similar to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), operators that receive a licence may set up an online gambling operation, but may not accept customers who are based in Laos.

Danny Too, a consultant assisting the Laotian government on the process, told iGB that the government is currently in the process of drawing up its regulations for the sector.

He said that the government had planned to publish guidelines to apply for licences in two months’ time.

According to Too, initial master licences are set to be issued to a small number of businesses, which can then contract out “sub-licences” to a wider number of businesses, similar to the model in Curaçao.

Too noted that this was due in part to the effects of Covid-19, which was devastating to Laos’ foreigner-only land-based casinos.

“During the pandemi..

June 17, 2022

Kindred to withdraw from Germany

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Kindred brand Unibet will exit the German market on 1 July blaming the slow progress of licensing and onerous regulatory restrictions.

The operator said it had taken the “difficult decision” to withdraw its application for sportsbook and virtual slots licences, and cease all operations from 1 July.

“Our long-term strategic direction sets out locally regulated markets as the core engine for our growth, however licence application procedures, licence conditions, and the regulatory environment need to be transparent, sustainable, and financially viable for a market to be competitive,” Kindred explained.

It said the current application processes, and the terms and restrictions for product offerings, meant the regulated market was not sustainable nor competitive enough to withstand offshore competition.

“Therefore, we do not see a foundation for long-term shareholder value and customer experience at the moment.”

As its current operations in Germany are limited, the withdrawal would ..

June 15, 2022

Early takeaways from Ontario igaming

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With the first regulated igaming market to open to non-monopoly operators launching in a province with nearly 40% of the Canadian population, Ontario was always going to be an enticing prospect. Geoffrey Smorong provides analysis of the opening two months for iGB Affiliate.

On 4 April, the first Canadian province went live with a regulated igaming market for private operators, as Ontario officially opened its door to non-government operated online casinos and sportsbooks.

Ontario boasts a population of nearly 15 million, making it one of the largest new North American markets for regulated online gaming. The Ontario iGaming market will likely be a sizable one financially, as it’s expected to generate gross revenues of CA$989m by the end of this year and CA$1.86bn by 2026, according to VIXIO.

A couple of months have now passed, making this an ideal time to assess how the launch of the expanded igaming market in Ontario has gone so far.

Early engagement

The Ontario igaming marke..

June 8, 2022

Kindred secures Dutch licence

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Unibet operator Kindred Group has secured an online gambling licence from the Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

The licence, which comes into effect from today (8 June) will enable Kindred to offer both commercial online gambling and betting to players in the country’s regulated market.

Kindred said the issuing of the licence follows an extensive application process including the successful completion of relevant audits.

The group added that it will launch its flagship Unibet brand in the Netherlands within the coming days.

“The Netherlands is a large and important European market and one that we look forward to operating in with a local licence,” Kindred chief executive Henrik Tjärnström said.

“We have been advocating local licence schemes for the past decade, and are thrilled that our newly awarded licence in the Netherlands will allow us to deepen and develop our involvement in the Dutch society, as well as actively contribute to a fair and sustainable gambling ma..

May 23, 2022

Córdoba opens tender process for 10 online gambling licences

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Córdoba, Argentina’s second most-populous province, has opened its tender process for 10 online gambling licences.

Participants will bid for one of 10 online gambling licences on offer, with each lasting 15 years.

All bidders must provide their “legal documentation, legal capacity [and] history of technical and economic/financial capacity” to operate online gaming, as well as their offer for a licence fee.

Operators will have until 5 July to submit bids, with plans for licences to come into effect from 14 September.

The licence will allow an operator to offer online casino games and betting on sports, horse racing and certain non-sporting events. Each vertical will be subject to a 10% gross gaming revenue tax rate.

Córdoba – which is home to 3.3 million people – passed a bill to legalise online gambling in January, after it was introduced at the end of 2021. The original version of the bill only allowed for five licences, before this was expanded to 10.

Argentina allows for gamb..

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