Brazil and gambling bonuses, BOGA worried about black market, Dutch MPS call for tougher laws

Brazil has said that it will seek to ban all bonuses in the country ahead of the gambling industry’s scheduled launch for January 1, 2025. The government is similarly warning stakeholders to refrain from designing advertisements that target minors and adolescents.

Published in Brazil’s Official Gazette on Tuesday, the measure seeks to set firm rules about the industry’s regulation.

Previously, the government cautioned industry stakeholders that although gambling is now regulated in Brazil, the government may seek to revert the regulatory framework and suspend all operations should societal ills prove to outweigh the benefits.

Non-compliant operators who fail to meet the new rules on gambling bonuses and advertisements will face stiff penalties and enforcement action.

A pair of Dutch MPs, Mirjam Bikker of the Christian Union and Michiel van Nispen of the SP, have called for fellow lawmakers to act sooner and back the pair’s "Don’t gamble with the future of our youth" proposal designed to pass a ream of changes to the country’s existing gambling laws.

Bikker and Nispen have called for higher duties of care on licensed operators, various restrictions on high-risk verticals such as online slots, and a complete ban on gambling advertisement as some of the outlined measures.

A new study commissioned by the Belgian Association of Gaming Operators has flagged that the newly introduced restriction on gambling for individuals who are not yet 21 may compound an existing issue.

According to BOGA, half of all young men aged 18-21 are already engaging in the offshore or black market and playing at an unregulated gambling website.

With the new gambling age in place, licensed operators will struggle further to vie for players and lose ground to the black market, the association fears.

Veikkaus Oy has been hit with a €2.9m conditional fine, with the operator standing accused of marketing to minors. The penalty comes after a detailed investigation into the company’s marketing practices, which have failed to meet the desired standard.

Veikkaus has been issued a warning by the National Police Board, which will monitor for compliance in the coming months. Veikkaus has also been prohibited from advertising for a period of three months.

Business & finance

LiveScore Group has announced that it will be laying off more than 100 people as part of its restructuring efforts, with the company acknowledging the difficulty of the decision.

CEO Sam Sadi said that it was hard to see so many people go, but this was a necessary step towards guaranteeing the competitiveness of the firm and its resilience.

Codere Online has asked NASDAQ for a stay on its share delisting. The company explained that a longer-than-anticipated audit of its financial results has prevented it from filing Form 20-F in time for the predetermined deadline. Codere Online is hoping to avoid a delisting as it is preparing for a hearing that should grant it enough time to remedy the situation.

Bally’s stockholders have voted to go ahead with a planned acquisition with the company bought out by The Queen Casino & Entertainment Inc, a majority-owned company by Standard General L.P. The decision comes after months of negotiations and an estimated value of the deal of $4.6bn.

In other merger and acquisition news this week, Everi Holdings has similarly agreed to be acquired by a new holding company operated and owned by affiliates of Apollo Global Management.

Germany has updated its whitelist that shows what operators are licensed and allowed to operate legally in the country. The updated whitelist will help consumers, regulators, courts, and stakeholders to better navigate the dynamic gambling industry, and provide clearer guidance on what entities have been licensed and regulated.

Responsible gambling

Casino Guru and Mindway AI have introduced their self-assessment initiative that is part of Safer Gambling Week. The self-assessment campaign is presented in the form of an intuitive and fun game that will help you find out more about your own risk-taking and gambling behavior.

BetBlocker has teamed up with EveryMatrix and the Responsible Gaming Foundation of Malta to translate its services into Maltese, just in time for Safer Gambling Week, and the company’s latest initiative designed to focus more squarely on the player and make the product accessible to a wider audience.

Just earlier this week, BetBlocker similarly revealed another initiative in the same vein. The company confirmed that it is working on a translation of its services in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish, hoping to reach out to the Eastern European community in the United Kingdom, which may be struggling to get enough support when addressing gambling-related problems in their native tongue.

In the meantime, Šimon Vincze, Casino Guru's Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, joined Better Change Engagement Director Robert Mabbett and Better Change Head of Strategic Partnerships Dave Richardson on the latest episode of the Safer Gambling Talks podcast series.

During the episode, they discussed Better Change’s role in safeguarding consumers, as well as Mabbett and Richardson’s career journeys that ultimately led them to work in the charity sector. You can catch the full episode here.

The Voice of the Industry

In this week’s Voice of the Industry section we have had several interesting conversations, but first – Casino Guru has announced the introduction of the iGaming Changemaker of the Year category for the upcoming Casino Guru Awards.

We also caught up with Dmitry Belianin, a seasoned iGaming industry veteran who has recently made a decisive switch towards investment. In our conversation with Belianin we found out more about his latest plans and how he has been settling into his new career path within the industry. Read the full conversation with Belianin here.

We also spoke with GlobalCheck CEO Alastair Graham who had a few words to share about the call for affordability checks by regulators. Graham acknowledged that industry stakeholders are on board with the measure and prepared to implement it.

Listen to Graham break down the current challenges and opportunities faced by the sector so far as affordability checks are concerned.

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