Insights Archive

January 10, 2022

UK Official Cites 'Troubling Issues' Before Act Review

The minister in charge of UK gambling issues has cited “extremely troubling issues” around online gambling companies as he answered parliamentary questions on the upcoming review of the Gambling Act.

January 10, 2022

Georgia Legislators Pushing Broader Gaming Expansion Ballot Question

Although much of the conversation coming into 2022 has been focused on sports-betting voter referendums in Florida and California, legislators in Georgia are planning to make another push at approving a ballot question that could legalize sports betting in the Peach State.

January 7, 2022

Pandemic Hit Card Payments But E-Payments Continue To Grow, U.S. Study Finds

A new payments study from the U.S. Federal Reserve shows that electronic payments have gained on card payments during the pandemic, while checks continue their double digit decline.

January 7, 2022

De-Risking Driving Heavy Social Costs For EU, EBA Warns

Unwarranted de-risking is having a detrimental effect, the European Banking Authority (EBA) has warned, as it publishes new advice for competent authorities on dealing with the phenomenon.

January 7, 2022

Week In Brief - January 7, 2022

A short roundup of some of the week's payments news you may have missed. This week we look at proposed increases in card interchange in Malaysia, the FCA's 2021 achievements, Airbnb's fine for breaking U.S. sanctions, lack of redress for U.S. consumers against credit reference agencies, and the first participants go live on Thailand and Malaysia's cross-border instant payments linkage.

January 7, 2022

China’s Digital Yuan Makes App Store Debut

China’s central bank digital currency is now accessible on mobile phone app stores, in another significant move for the currency’s trial phase.

January 7, 2022

Turkey Lottery Revenue Crashes Amid Political Backlash

Sales of New Year's Eve lottery tickets in Turkey have plunged 30 percent as distrustful customers seemingly turn their backs on the national lottery's pro-government joint operator.

January 7, 2022

New York To Allow Mobile Sports Betting On Saturday

The much-anticipated launch of mobile sports betting in New York, the largest U.S. market to permit online wagering to date, will take place on Saturday, following approvals granted by state gaming regulators.

January 7, 2022

Dutch Gambling Ad Spending Doubles Despite Threat Of Ban

Dutch gambling advertising has more than doubled in the months following legalisation of online gambling on October 1, even as a new Dutch government is poised to consider parliamentary proposals for an ad ban.

January 7, 2022

News In Brief: January 4-January 7, 2022

ICE organisers issue new dates and operators lobbying in California hit a big ballot milestone.

January 6, 2022

P27 To Take Over Danish Payments Infrastructure

Finance Denmark, the country’s banking association, has agreed on a new sector plan that will see it replaced by cross-border platform P27 as the country’s clearinghouse.

January 6, 2022

Ex-Swedbank CEO Faces Music Over AML Failings

Sweden’s economic crime watchdog is pressing charges against former Swedbank chief executive, Birgitte Bonnesen, as a consequence of what it deems misleading claims following anti-money laundering (AML) failings in Estonia.

January 6, 2022

Nationwide Should Have Paid More Attention To Capacity Management

The use of legacy systems and negligence by the management team of Nationwide Building Society could be behind the repeated payment outages during the Christmas holiday.<br />

January 6, 2022

LatAm Governments To Turn Eye To CBDCs Rather Than Bitcoin

Mexico’s recent announcement to adopt a central bank digital currency (CBDC) shows that Latin American countries are more likely to adopt their own digital currencies than follow suit with El Salvador’s controversial Bitcoin experiment.

January 6, 2022

Mashpee Wampanoag’s Stalled Casino Plans Revived In Massachusetts

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s stalled plans to build a major casino-resort on reservation lands in Massachusetts could be revived after the U.S. Department of the Interior’s assistant secretary for Indian affairs confirmed the legal status of the tribe’s reservation.

January 6, 2022

Major Markets In Focus For U.S. Sports Betting In 2022

After a strong 2021 that saw almost a dozen states either legalize sports wagering or add mobile betting, the focus in 2022 shifts to the future of sports betting in the United States’ most coveted and largest markets.

January 6, 2022

No Online Slots, Poker Licences Issued Yet In Germany

No virtual slots or poker licences have been issued in Germany so far, according to records of the agency processing applications.

January 5, 2022

U.S. Financial Regulator Chair Resigns Amid Bank Merger Review Spat

The chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has announced her resignation after the main federal financial regulators accused each other of a power grab in a debate over bank merger rules.

January 5, 2022

De-Risky Business: Consumers Are Being Affected By Application Of AML Rules, Warns Lithuania’s Watchdog

Although payment service providers do not abuse de-risking practices, there is room for improvement, Lithuania’s central bank has concluded as it starts 2022 with a new survey on the issue.

January 5, 2022

Consensus Builds For CBDC In 2021

In one way or another, most central banks have now come to an affirmative decision on taking fiat money into the digital sphere. However, apart from a few stand out launches and trials, the prospect of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in some of the world’s largest economies still looks to be a long way off.

January 5, 2022

Update: Binance Scores Regulatory Approval In Bahrain, Canada

The crypto platform that until recently has been known for its catch-me-if-you-can approach has announced that it has received a green light to operate in Bahrain and Canada.