Insights Archive

August 11, 2023

Italy's Parliament Approves Gambling Restructuring Plan

The Italian parliament has given the green light to a new tax delegation law allowing for the long-awaited reorganisation of the country's gambling sector, including changes to all tax duties and new player protection measures.

August 11, 2023

NSW Defers Hefty Slots Tax On Star Entertainment Until 2030

The Star Entertainment Group’s Star casino in Sydney has dodged a tax bullet amid its ongoing regulatory nightmare, with the New South Wales (NSW) government deferring a hefty increase in slot machine duty until at least the end of the decade.

August 11, 2023

Ontario Online Casino Operator Fined For Responsible Gambling Failings

Ontario’s gaming regulator for the first time has fined an online operator for failing to meet the province’s responsible gambling standards and warned that all licensees have an obligation to monitor customer play for signs of problems.

August 11, 2023

Gamblers Most Likely To Circumvent Self-Exclusion With Online Casino, Swedish Study Says

A Swedish study of gamblers who have voluntarily excluded themselves found an overwhelming amount of those who breached the facility played online casino games.

August 11, 2023

News In Brief: August 7-August 11, 2023

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission confirms license applications from seven of the state’s racetracks to open land-based sportsbooks when retail wagering launches next month.

August 10, 2023

Block Stumbles In Europe As Verse Is Shuttered And Clearpay Retreats

US payments firm Block has announced that it will downsize its presence in Europe to focus on "higher potential" revenue streams, as financials worsen for the loss-making fintech.

August 10, 2023

India Online Gaming GST Amendments Rushed To Parliament

India’s Cabinet has approved goods and services tax (GST) amendments for online gaming and other gaming segments in an 11th-hour effort to push the changes through the legislature before its session ends this week.

August 10, 2023

U.S. Sports-Betting Violations Could Put Industry On Congress' Radar

Perhaps the greatest fear of the U.S. gaming industry is federal regulation but the National Football League’s ongoing struggle to prevent sports-betting violations by its players and the controversy surrounding compensation for college athletes could open the door for Congress to intervene.

August 10, 2023

Entain Sets Aside Funds To Settle UK Investigation Into Turkish Business

Entain said it has set aside £585m to cover continuing deferred prosecution agreement negotiations with the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service over its former Turkish-facing business.

August 10, 2023

Ghana Warns Operators To Pay Tax Or Risk Licence Removal

Ghana has reminded gambling operators and consumers about an incoming tax change, warning that there will be fines for non-compliance.

August 10, 2023

ESPN Brand Differentiates Penn Deal From Other Failed Media Partnerships

Penn Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden has said the strength of the ESPN brand will allow the company’s new ESPN BET venture to succeed where other media partnerships in the U.S. have not.

August 9, 2023

UK Treasury Commits To Reforming Bank Of England, PSR Oversight Of Payments Firms

HM Treasury has committed to overhauling the oversight frameworks of key payments regulators, but has deferred as to whether payments and e-money firms should be in scope of the Senior Managers' and Certification Regime (SM&CR).

August 9, 2023

Card Fees ’Blunting Italy’s Competitiveness’, Says MEP

A member of the European Parliament (MEP) has written to the European Commission about the issue of card fees for merchants in their native Italy.

August 9, 2023

‘Tip Of The Iceberg’ - US Regulators Fine More Banks For WhatsApp Use

US regulators have slapped Wells Fargo, BNP Paribas, Société Générale and other large banks with a combined $550m fine for using WhatsApp to discuss business matters, and called for cultural change among C-suite bankers.

August 9, 2023

New Interchange Rules Save Merchants NZ$105m A Year, Says Regulator

A New Zealand regulator has said that local businesses will save an estimated NZ$105m (US$64m) each year thanks to a new cap on card interchange fees.

August 9, 2023

Stablecoins To Become ’Pillar’ Of US Payment System Following PayPal Entry

PayPal has become the first US payments company to launch a dollar-backed stablecoin, following a crucial step towards new legislation that could bring stablecoins under federal regulation.

August 9, 2023

Massachusetts Approves Sports-Betting Data Privacy Regulation

Although U.S. market leaders DraftKings and FanDuel made it clear in comments submitted to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission that they were opposed to a proposed sports-wagering data privacy regulation, commissioners brushed aside most of their concerns adopting the rules.

August 9, 2023

Penn Scraps Barstool Sportsbook Brand, Reaches Deal With ESPN

Penn Entertainment flipped the script on its sports-betting offering Tuesday, announcing a major new deal with sports media giant ESPN to rebrand its online sportsbook.

August 9, 2023

English Councils Want More Power To Control Gambling

Local councils in England do not have the power to “effectively manage local gambling premises”, according to the body that represents 315 of the 317 councils in England.

August 9, 2023

Ladbrokes Rebuked Over Djokovic, Nadal Tweets

The UK Advertising Standards Authority has rebuked Entain’s Ladbrokes brand for including four top men’s tennis players in promoted tweets, as they were ruled as likely to appeal to under-18s.

August 8, 2023

ATM Operators’ Class Action Against Visa And Mastercard Can Go Ahead, US Court Says

A US court has given class certification to ATM operators in a 12-year legal battle over surcharge rules set by Visa and Mastercard.