Insights Archive

March 18, 2022

Federal Probe Delays Diller, IAC Licensing For MGM Resorts Investment

The Nevada license application for investor Barry Diller was returned to staff Thursday for further investigation after a decision on his suitability and approval of IAC/InterActiveCorp’s $1bn investment in MGM Resorts International was put on hold due to a federal probe into stock option trades.

March 18, 2022

Star Casino Inquiry Alleges Massive Masking Of Gaming Funds

A regulatory review of The Star Entertainment Group’s casino licence in Sydney has started dismally for the company, with the inquiry accusing it of masking hundreds of millions of dollars in gambling funds to avoid breaching bank agreements.

March 18, 2022

Dutch Advertising Restrictions Inbound

The Netherlands is planning to introduce more gambling advertising restrictions, including a ban on non-targeted online ads and the use of celebrities in promotions, in response to political concerns.

March 17, 2022

The Right Balance? Payments Insiders React To CMA’s VRP Clarification

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its standards for what sweeping can and cannot be used for when variable recurring payments (VRPs) are introduced in July this year.

March 17, 2022

France’s Prudential Supervisor Outlines PSD2 Review Wishlist

In its new report, the ACPR, France’s prudential regulator, has laid out what needs to be addressed in the upcoming review of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), while also highlighting the issues that the payments ecosystem currently faces.

March 17, 2022

Complex Regulation Drives Soaring UK Compliance Costs

UK banks pay billions to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering regulations, but the mounting regulatory pressure may push businesses over the tipping point, a report has warned.

March 17, 2022

Super Apps, BNPL, Crypto Are Now Global Payments Trends

FIS’ annual survey of global payments says the rules that once limited those participating in money movement have been rewritten as payments continue to be redefined, revisited and reimagined. In Europe, this includes buy now, pay later (BNPL) entering the mainstream, and continued leadership in real-time payments and open banking.

March 17, 2022

Gambling Costs Norway Over €520m, Says Study

Problem gamblers cost Norwegian society NOK5.1bn (€520.5m), according to a survey undertaken by the National Competence Center for Gambling Research at the University of Bergen.

March 17, 2022

Kentucky Sports-Betting Bill Wins Unanimous Support Of House Committee

Republican state Representative Adam Koenig has successfully guided his latest proposal to legalize sports betting in Kentucky out of committee and onto the General Assembly’s agenda, but its passage is far from assured.

March 17, 2022

Lone U.S. Sports-Betting Holdout Benefits As March Madness Returns

As the betting frenzy known as March Madness commences today, the National Collegiate Athletic Association stands alone among all major U.S. sports organizations in refusing to fully enter the lucrative sports-betting market.

March 17, 2022

News In Brief: March 14-March 18, 2022

The UK government is to scrutinise Allywn's lottery victory, Swedish pandemic measures of uncertain effectiveness and Ontario's regulator issues a reminder.

March 16, 2022

I TWINT You! Switzerland’s Payments Landscape

As with its neighbours in the DACH region, Switzerland has long been a lover of cash payments. However a popular domestic payments scheme has pushed the country increasingly towards digital payments.

March 16, 2022

Bitcoin Ban Kicked Out By EU Parliament, As It Passes MiCA Draft

The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has voted down an amendment that would have effectively banned Bitcoin and other energy-intensive crypto-assets in the trading bloc.

March 16, 2022

Paytm Denies RBI Ban Relates To Chinese Data Sharing

Refuting media reports, Indian super app Paytm has said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not ban the firm from onboarding new customers because it was sharing information with Chinese affiliates.

March 16, 2022

EU Tightens Grip On Russia With Fresh Set Of Sanctions

The fourth package of EU sanctions heats up the pressure on the Russian economy, but leaves the door open to further restrictions, experts say.

March 16, 2022

Ireland's Ministry Of Justice Provides Regulator Update

Applications to become the head of Ireland’s long-awaited Gambling Regulatory Authority are only open until 3:00pm on March 21, according to an update on the timeline for reforms from the Ministry of Justice.

March 16, 2022

Thailand Poses Ongoing Challenges For Possible LVS Casino

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) has revealed it is in talks with an Asian government to develop a Singapore-style integrated resort, but likely target Thailand retains challenging political and social obstacles.

March 16, 2022

Georgia Senate Rejects Horseracing Constitutional Amendment

Georgia legislators rejected a measure ahead of a key legislative deadline on Tuesday that would have given voters the opportunity to allow parimutuel and fixed-odds wagering on horseracing in the state.

March 15, 2022

Which? Flags SCA Weak Spots As Enforcement Kicks Off

Strong customer authentication (SCA) could come at a cost for certain customers and open up new ways for fraudsters, the UK consumer association warns as the full implementation deadline glides by.

March 15, 2022

Contactless Payments And AML Regs Tackled In Latest EBA Q&As

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has provided answers to two more Q&As relating to the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and strong customer authentication (SCA) rules.

March 15, 2022

Cost Of Living Bites As UK Charity Warns Of BNPL Risks

One in 12 people turned to buy now, pay later (BNPL) to cover basic costs such as food and toiletries in the last six months, new research from Citizens Advice has found in a sign that the debate of whether the products are appropriately regulated is not going away.