Insights Archive

March 4, 2024

Political Power Player Lira Still Directing Brazil's Road To Regulation

Over the past year, the regulation of online betting in Brazil has taken several 11th-hour turns. Behind most of these machinations has been Arthur Lira, the current president of the Chamber of Deputies and arguably Brazil’s most powerful politician.

March 4, 2024

California Weighs Regulations To Tackle Deceptive Gambling Advertising

The California Gambling Control Commission has delayed a hearing on whether to begin a formal rulemaking process to address advertising by cardroom licensees that could be deceptive or do not include responsible gambling information.

March 4, 2024

Daily Dash: World's Largest Healthcare Payment System Hit By Ransomware Attack

UnitedHealth Group has reported a ransomware attack on its payments subsidiary, and Mastercard has announced a new partnership to bring premium credit cards and other non-card payments to East Africa.

March 4, 2024

EU Parliamentarians Back EU Digital Wallet

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have passed EU Digital Identity framework, leaving it with one final hurdle to pass at the European Council.

March 4, 2024

Merchant-Initiated Transaction Changes Could Have Unintended Consequences, EU Warned

Unconditional refund rights that were outlined in the EU’s Payment Services Regulation have emerged as a key concern for trade associations in Brussels.

March 4, 2024

South Korean Reforms Impose Loot Box Transparency, Refunds

South Korea has greatly tightened loot box regulations, introducing mandatory odds disclosure and a customer refund scheme, while forming administrative and police monitoring groups for associated games.

March 1, 2024

Finland Puts Betsson On Payments Blocking List

Betsson Group brands have been placed on Finland’s gambling payments blocking list, as the country’s gambling regulator exercises its enforcement powers.

March 1, 2024

UK Gambling Ministers Tackle White Paper Worries

The UK’s gambling minister and shadow gambling minister have addressed industry concerns around the details of implementing the Gambling Act white paper proposals, including financial risk checks.

March 1, 2024

Paytm Seeks UPI Lifeline As Banking Shutdown Nears

The parent company of India’s Paytm Payments Bank is seeking a new regulatory approval to ensure that customers can still use Unified Payments Interface after the bank is shuttered later this month.

March 1, 2024

Week In Crypto: Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks Light Sentence Due To ‘Charitable Works’

The former head of FTX seeks leniency based on his “good deeds” and “charitable works”, two Binance executives are detained in Nigeria, and the European Central Bank claims Bitcoin is ready to crash.

March 1, 2024

Russia Proposes BRICS Bridge Payment Platform

Russia has proposed a digital settlement and payment platform for the BRICS countries to trade in their national currencies, as it aims to bypass the US dollar in international transactions.

March 1, 2024

Daily Dash: UK MPs To Investigate Whether Sanctions Are Working

Following the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Treasury Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the efficacy of the UK’s programme of economic sanctions, while the Bank of Lithuania’s new data management programme has gone live.

March 1, 2024

Dutch Court Trashes Lottery, Betting Monopoly

The East Brabant District Court has ruled that Dutch gambling regulation is not “horizontally consistent” because it allows multiple licences to be awarded for online casino and other forms of gambling, but restricts betting shops and instant lotteries to a single operator.

March 1, 2024

IGT Merges With Everi To Create $6.2bn Gaming Supplier Giant

International Game Technology (IGT) has announced a deal to spin off its gaming and digital businesses and combine them with Everi Holdings in a deal that values the new company at $6.2bn.

March 1, 2024

News In Brief: February 26-March 1, 2024

North Carolina announces mobile betting licenses, discord brews in Arizona over gaming machines and Wyoming confirms intention to adopt sports-betting rules.

March 1, 2024

New Jersey’s Rebuck Retires After Blazing Regulatory Trail For U.S. Online Market

The state official chiefly responsible for setting the regulatory foundations for the multibillion-dollar U.S. online gambling market has abruptly retired from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

February 29, 2024

Dutch Regulator Fines Malta Operator €19.7m For Unlicensed Gambling

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has issued its highest-ever fine, €19.7m, to a Malta-licensed company, Gammix, for offering gambling to Dutch residents without a licence.

February 29, 2024

South Africa Looks To Tokenisation, Stablecoins To Drive Digital Payments Innovation

Growing momentum in tokenisation and stablecoins could allow South Africa to establish a domestic market, supporting the government’s broader goal to foster innovation in digital payments.

February 29, 2024

Criminals That Used E-Money Institution As Front Taken Down In EU Cross-Border Case

Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy, Latvia and Lithuania have taken action against a large-scale money laundering business, centring around Trustcom Financial, an e-money institution based in Lithuania.

February 29, 2024

Daily Dash: Mastercard Launches New Open Banking Tools For Account Opening In US

Mastercard has launched new open banking features to streamline the account opening process for US card issuers, and New Zealand has reported widespread fuel payment outages due to a leap year glitch.

February 29, 2024

Australian Minister Discussed Ad Ban, Harm Reduction With European Regulators

A member of Australia’s government has held meetings with representatives from European regulators to discuss how to best minimise harm, as the country debates the introduction of a gambling advertising ban.