Insights Archive

April 13, 2022

New UK Lottery Operator Allwyn Battles Sanction Claims

The UK's next National Lottery operator has admitted sanctions associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine could affect its business, but denied it is especially vulnerable, amid parliamentary scrutiny.

April 13, 2022

New York Casino Licensing Battle Set To Begin

The bidding process for the three new licenses to operate a full-fledged casino in or around New York City will likely be one of the most hotly contested in U.S history, with many of the nation’s most prominent operators having already expressed interest.

April 13, 2022

Germany Experts Expect Tougher Ad Rules Next Year

Affiliates in Germany will have to “decide which side of the law they are on” in 2023, as lawyers say they expect advertising pressure on operators to tighten from next year.

April 12, 2022

Malaysia’s Digital Payments Growth Soars As Payment Preferences Shift

Impressive 2021 growth of non-cash transactions is transforming Malaysia into one of the most developed payments markets in the region.

April 12, 2022

Fraud Spike In The Netherlands

Payments fraud has increased in the Netherlands as the banking sector says that it is doing more than ever to prevent it.

April 12, 2022

Zelle Mulls POS Offering

By bringing the Zelle app to the checkout counter, big US banks could cannibalise much of their card issuing revenue; however, the expansion to merchants is a natural next-step building on the success of its peer-to-peer (P2P) services.

April 12, 2022

Russia Wants BRICS To Integrate Payments Systems

Russia has called on the fellow BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — to extend the use of national currencies and integrate payment systems.

April 12, 2022

Spanish Overhauls Must Settle Before Market Reopens, Says Regulator

A Spanish decree that will ban “intensive” gamblers from using credit cards is imminent, with the nation’s regulator revealing that applications for online licences will not reopen until the market has had time to react to the wave of new rules.

April 12, 2022

Illegal Online Gambling 'Tsunami' Threatening Casinos, Says ECA

Land-based casinos have been “through a valley of tears” over the past two years and now a “tsunami” of illegal online gambling is threatening their recovery, according to the head of the European Casino Association (ECA).

April 12, 2022

Esports Betting Launches In U.S., Canada But Licensing Costs Prohibitive To Growth

North America’s first two specialist esports betting platforms launched last week in New Jersey and Ontario, but the structure of the U.S. market and an intense marketing environment means neither operator is expecting to quickly expand across the dozen-plus states that expressly permit esports wagering.

April 12, 2022

NFTs, Crypto Carry Gambling Risks Without Oversight, Regulator Says

A growing challenge for regulators is that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrency trades carry many of the same risks as gambling, but are not regulated as such, the chief executive of the UK’s Gambling Commission has said.

April 12, 2022

Citing Gambling Addiction, Louisiana State Senator Abruptly Resigns

Facing a federal probe into her financial transactions, the Louisiana state senator who blocked the reappointment of the state's chief gambling regulator suddenly announced her resignation on Friday because of a gambling addiction.

April 11, 2022

ISO 20022 To Spearhead New Era In Payments, Experts Say

With the deadline approaching to adhere to the new global standard for payments messaging, stakeholders have been clear that the industry needs to consider ISO 20022 as a way of enhancing innovation, rather than a new compliance requirement.

April 11, 2022

Janet Yellen’s Five Lessons For A Digital Asset Future

Responsible innovation and the need for US leadership in the crypto space have been the key messages in the Treasury Secretary’s first speech on digital assets.

April 11, 2022

Russian Sanctions Propel Global Regulatory Events To Post-COVID High, VIXIO Finds

Regulatory events affecting the payments industry hit a record single-month high in March 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. New data from VIXIO’s Global Regulatory Impact Index shows that regulatory events exploded in the weeks following the invasion on February 24.<br />

April 11, 2022

Dutch Agree On New Access To Cash Commitments

Some 23 organisations across the Netherlands’ payments ecosystem have agreed on a set of principles to ensure cash use remains possible in the face of ever-growing digitisation.

April 11, 2022

New York City Casino Licenses To Come With $500m Price Tag

Prospective casino licensees in downstate New York will have to pay at least $500m in upfront license fees under the terms of a budget deal pending the governor’s signature.

April 11, 2022

Nervy Weeks Ahead For Would-Be Dutch Licensees

At least 30 operators are hoping to join the Dutch online gambling market in the coming weeks, as numerous cooling-off periods end, but the regulator has warned as many as two thirds could be rejected.

April 11, 2022

Effort To Legalize Sports Betting In Kentucky Nears Deadline

Wagering on horse races has been legal in Kentucky for a long time, but the latest effort to legalize and regulate sports betting in the Bluegrass State is facing strong opposition from rural politicians as lawmakers wrap up this year’s legislative session.

April 8, 2022

Ukraine Calls On GREF, IAGR Members For Support

Ukraine’s Gambling and Lottery Regulatory Commission (KRAIL) has appealed to its fellow gambling regulators to step up their support for the country in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

April 8, 2022

Singapore’s Trade Minister Sets Record Straight On BNPL Risks

In a busy week for Singaporean financial regulation, the government has played down the impact of buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes, although warned they are keeping a close eye.