Dutch slot ban, DraftKings legal woes, Games Global $100m IPO

This week saw several pivotal developments that may very well shape the future of the gambling industry in the respective jurisdictions. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the week was the decision of Dutch MPs to pass a series of gambling-related proposals which, among other things, could lead to a complete ban on online slots and Internet advertisement of gambling products in the country.

This is the first time a proposal to ban games of chance where players have no control over the outcome has been heard in a newly-regulated market. The Netherlands has not enacted the law, as it would rest with the Minister of Legal Protection to make the next step, but the proposed changes are the most significant ones put on the table in the Dutch parliament since the market was re-regulated in 2020.

In the meantime, a Dutch court has ordered two companies to reimburse gamblers their losses for a period when they were operating without a license in the Netherlands. The two parties, Bwin and PokerStars, would have to pay a total of €200,000 and $230,700 (plus €400) to settle the case with the plaintiffs, the court decided.

Moving on, Games Global has confirmed that it would snub a London Stock Exchange listing in favor of a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) one, as the company seeks to strengthen its presence and dominance in the North American iGaming and betting market. Games Global is now hoping to raise $100m through its IPO on NYSE and the listing is due to take place by the end of the year, a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission shows.

In other news, the United States may finally get what it has long needed – a National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (NVSEP) which covers the gambling industry nationwide. The first program of this kind is due to be launched this summer with the help of idPair, Inc., a private company that specializes in safer gambling technology. The first places to be covered are New England states, but the program is quickly hoping to expand elsewhere, as well as allow compatibility with state-specific programs.

Markets, Partnerships, and New Opportunities

In the meantime, the iGaming market in Pennsylvania has continued to expand at a good pace, with the rate of participation reaching 16% in 2023, according to the Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report 2023. The report takes a closer look at consumer habits in the state and analyzes key behavioral motivators.

The study also takes a harder look at how people who gamble online tend to be more prone to experiencing gambling-related harm. In other news, the Dutch Gambling Authority has gone after Casbit Group NV, accusing the company of offering an unlicensed gambling product to customers in the Netherlands. The regulator has ordered Lala Bet to restrict its access to the Netherlands, but further investigation indicated that despite acquiescing to this, the website was still reachable form Dutch IP.

Responsible gambling continues to be an important topic across Europe, with the Danish Gambling Helpline, StopSpillet, revealing that it has received nearly 3,000 calls since it launched in 2019. The helpline was set up as a complimentary service to help tackle instances of problem gambling and strengthen the national self-exclusion program.

In the meantime, the Danish self-exclusion program has actually reached a new milestone recently, with 50,000 registrations across the board, as ROFUS continues to be an important source of protection for players.

In related news, GambleAware reported that the average response time for a person getting help between October and December 2023 was 3.5 days on average. This indicates that professional help is available quickly for people who may experience gambling harm in Great Britain.

MGM Resorts International said this week that it would try to convince the court to throw a lawsuit launched against it by the US Federal Trade Commission over a cybersecurity incident that occurred back in 2023. The company argues that the FTC has no remit over the matter and cannot actually request information from MGM Resorts International in relation to this matter.

Relax Gaming has appointed Martin Stålros as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer who will be taking the reins over from Simon Hammon in the coming weeks. Stålros is a long-time veteran who has served with the company for several years as its COO since 2015.

The Industry’s Events and Leaders

This week we had the chance to catch up with Soft2Bet CMO Oksana Tsyhankova with whom we discussed the company’s MEGA gamification engine, which has proved a real success for partner operators utilizing the solution. In our conversation with Tsyhankova, we found out that the company has sought to build an innovative engagement tool that is bolstered by seamless technological delivery.

We also spoke with Vulkan Vegas, the winners of the Casino Guru Awards 2024 in the "Most Effective Handling of Complaints" category. The company welcomed the opportunity to solve player problems and argued that it operated with a determination to turn "negatives" into drivers for improvement.

Speaking of solved complaints, however, it may be Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center that takes the cake this time. In 2023 alone, the Center saved players more than $11m, well ahead of other services in the sector. The service is also said to be on track to improve on those results in 2024, demonstrating its unfaltering commitment to player safety and fairness, as well as offering a swift service. The Center also accepts all complaints and examines them thoroughly, giving players a chance to contest any situation that they feel may have wronged them.

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