Insights Archive

May 4, 2022

Ontario Fines BetMGM, PointsBet Over Gambling Inducements

Ontario’s gaming commission has wasted little time in enforcing the province’s ban on inducements in online gambling advertising, announcing two penalties on Tuesday against BetMGM and PointsBet.

May 4, 2022

California Online Sports-Betting Initiative Set To Qualify For Ballot

The political action committee behind a second ballot initiative in California funded by major sports-betting operators has submitted 1.6m signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office for verification, well over the number required to get on November’s ballot.

May 4, 2022

EU's Digital Crackdown Expected To Touch Online Gambling

The EU’s Digital Services Act will make life much tougher for technology giants such as Facebook and Google, but there are set to be some more subtle knock-on effects for gambling companies.

May 4, 2022

U.S. Gambling Expansion Causes Fraud Attempts To Surge

There has been a surge in online gambling fraud attempts since several U.S. states legalized sports betting, according to data obtained by U.S.-based consumer credit reporting agency TransUnion.

May 3, 2022

UK Working On Economic Crime Plan 2.0

The UK government is in the process of creating a second Economic Crime Plan, which may include Companies House reform but will not consolidate anti-fraud enforcement into the hands of a single body.

May 3, 2022

Indian UPI App Goes Live At NEOPAY Terminals In UAE

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), a mobile payments app that uses India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), is now live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

May 3, 2022

Governor Signs Bill Giving Tribes Control Of Mobile Sports Betting In Maine

Maine became the first state in 2022 to officially legalize sports betting on Monday after Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, affixed her long-awaited signature to legislation after vetoing a more expansive bill more than two years ago.

May 3, 2022

LeoVegas Deal Gives MGM Profitable European Foothold

MGM Resorts International confirmed the acquisition of European online gaming operator LeoVegas for $607m in cash Monday, granting the company a global presence but teeing up potential problems with BetMGM partner Entain.

May 3, 2022

High Fees, Limited Licensing In Draft Decree For Brazil Sports Betting

President Jair Bolsonaro will reportedly sign a regulatory decree for sports betting within the next week that is expected to set an upfront licensing fee of more than US$4m and allow for a restricted number of operators for at least the first year.

May 3, 2022

Duterte Bans Online Cockfighting In Sudden Policy Reversal

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has reversed course in his support for online cockfighting and banned the lucrative new gaming segment one week before the presidential election.

May 3, 2022

Personnel Moves – April 2022

Changes on the compliance committees for Flutter, a new CEO for 888's U.S. operations and Genting Singapore promotes a new CEO from within.

May 2, 2022

MGM To Acquire LeoVegas In Pursuit Of Global Online Growth

Nevada’s MGM Resorts International has agreed to acquire Swedish online casino operator LeoVegas for around $607m in cash, the companies announced early Monday morning.

May 2, 2022

No More Holdouts As U.S. Colleges Wade Into Sports Data Market

Opening a potentially multi-billion-dollar market for the sports betting industry, the non-profit agency overseeing college athletes and conferences in the United States is joining professional leagues in allowing the collection and distribution of sports wagering data.

May 2, 2022

Kansas Wins Sports-Betting Legalization Race Against Missouri

In the race between neighboring states to pass legislation permitting sports betting, Kansas has crossed the finish line first ahead of Missouri with a bill now heading to the governor’s desk.

April 29, 2022

J.P. Morgan Sued In $272m Fraud Complaint By Thai Ray-Ban Maker

A Thailand-based manufacturer of high-end Ray-Ban sunglasses is pursuing J.P. Morgan, the world’s largest bank by market cap, in a $272m fraud case.

April 29, 2022

US Open Banking Rules: ’We Don’t Wanna Be China,’ Says Chopra

Bigtech and the use of big data are top concerns of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as the agency forges ahead with its open banking rulemaking, Rohit Chopra has told Congress.

April 29, 2022

Lending Code Extended To Help APP Victims Better Understand Reimbursement Decisions

The UK's Lending Standards Board has published updates that enable more firms to sign up to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code — the set of voluntary standards that aim to protect people against authorised push payment (APP) fraud.

April 29, 2022

Hong Kong Initiates New CBDC Discussion

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has invited stakeholders to feedback how they think a central bank digital currency, named the e-HKD, could be best utilised in the Chinese special administrative region.

April 29, 2022

Bitcoin Becomes Legal Tender In Central African Republic

The Central African Republic has become just the second country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, after being signed into law by the country’s President.

April 29, 2022

Massachusetts Senate Approves Sports-Betting Bill

The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill to legalize sports betting with restrictions on advertising unique in the U.S. market, setting up a showdown with the state's House to iron out the many significant differences between the bills each chamber has approved.

April 29, 2022

Kindred Struggles With UK Affordability Checks

Kindred Group’s problems in the Netherlands were no surprise, but its first-quarter earnings also turned up weakness in France and the UK, where gains were curbed by the online gambling company’s efforts to adopt affordability measures.