No partial TV ads ban in Australia, Betsson exits US, Google tightens regulation in Germany

This week’s news update focuses a little more extensively on regulatory changes, as there have been a number of such moves over the past several days. From Thailand to the United States, regulators are looking at several possible changes.

First off, there is Sweden. The Spelinspektionen will receive increased powers in directing operators’ responsible gambling efforts, expecting them to come up with stronger plans for minimizing gambling harm and enforcing best practices from the industry, both on a per-case basis and industry-wide.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dispelled rumors that his government has reached a decision as to whether to ban gambling advertisements on TV partially. A report from Sky News previously suggested that the Labor government was planning to roll out a partial gambling ban by 2026 and a complete ban on online gambling advertising.

Google has published new rules for companies who wish to advertise gambling products in Germany. Starting from September 25, 2024, any vendor who wishes to push a gambling advertisement would have to have a license from the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, the country’s gambling regulator.

The new rule could possibly sap the competitiveness of the market, but it intends to strengthen consumer protection and safeguard against rogue operators and gambling websites siphoning off consumers from the regulated market instead.

Thailand is moving ahead with plans to introduce a casino resorts bill that will allow the country to host casino resorts. Final tweaks are being applied to a bill that is most likely set to become law, according to Bangkok Post, a local media outlet.

In the meantime, a number of sweepstakes operators have come together to form the industry's first major trade body, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA). The move is an immune response of the industry towards growing regulatory scrutiny and outright calls by prominent gambling bodies, such as the American Gaming Association, to crack down on the sweepstakes casino gaming model.

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has issued a statement in which it has revised the proposed Finnish gambling framework.

EGBA Secretary-General Maarten Haijer has said that the proposals to ban affiliate marketing and not allow the use of promotional bonuses would inadvertently harm consumers rather than protect them. Instead of prohibiting these activities, Haijer said that the future Finnish gambling framework must regulate these aspects of the industry.

Responsible gambling

Finnplay, a platform provider for the online casino sector, has teamed up with Mindway AI, a company that specializes in leveraging technology, data, and artificial intelligence to help companies monitor consumer behavior and flag potential problem gambling issues.

Finnplay will be able to leverage its partner’s solutions to strengthen its commitment to responsible gambling and boost its partner’s operations as well.

A recent survey by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has hailed the introduction of a ban on credit cards for the purpose of gambling as a success. According to the survey, there has been increased "friction" when it comes to gambling with credit cards.

However, critics of the ban and its effectiveness have said that it was mostly people who did not use credit cards that benefited, as people who gambled on credit prior to the ban, might have continued to do so after its implementation in April 2020.

Ohio is launching a new campaign, Ohio for Responsible Gambling, which is designed to tackle abuse against student-athletes who may be harassed for "failing to perform" during a sports competition, and thus "cost" sports fans their wagers on certain outcomes.

Various law enforcement, private, and governmental bodies in the United States are stepping up efforts to ensure that people who harass student-athletes suffer consequences for their actions.

A survey by Ofcom has noted that Twitch’s new labeling rules have been highly effective in ensuring that gambling streams are properly flagged. The number of streams that are not mislabeled has increased, the survey revealed.

Business & investment

Ohio is attempting to expand its gambling market to now feature online casinos. SB312 by State Senator Niraj Antani is unlikely to really make much of a difference, but the move is designed to galvanize support for iGaming in the Buckeye State.

As Antani suggests, his bill is just a first step towards building a broader coalition and an attempt to transplant the state’s experience in sports betting to the online casino sector.

Betr released a revamped platform in the United States, featuring the new "group mode" option for daily fantasy sports. The company has also pushed ahead with another ambitious move.

Betr’s media division has signed up a partnership with Hawk Tuah Girl, an Internet personality, who has become popular over a 15-second YouTube interview. Hailey Welch will be hosting a podcast for Betr’s media arm, bearing out previous rumors that she may be getting involved in sports betting.

The company remains committed to building up its footprint in the United States at a time when many brands have chosen to exit the market rather than compete in what is an increasingly cut-throat environment with little signs of improvement.

Speaking of, Betsson has confirmed that it will be withdrawing from the United States as well. The group, which is present in Colorado with the Betsafe brand, and never sought to expand beyond the Centennial State, has sent an email to users, informing them that it would be shuttering operations at the end of September.

The American Gaming Association estimates that a total of $35bn worth of wagers may be placed on the new NFL season which started on Thursday, September 5. The estimated handle is up from the numbers reported in 2022.

The voice of the industry

This week we had another set of interesting contributors. First, there is Terry Igesund, executive producer at Stormcraft Studios, who spoke at length about Immortal Romance II and how the studio has breathed new life into the popular franchise.

We also caught up with Belatra Games Head of Business Development Management Mikhail Voinich who spoke about the challenges to building a successful slot, approaching an interesting topic – whether game development comes with conundrums about who the slot would service when it comes to different generations. Is there a real generation gap in preferences, Voinich wonders in his op-ed piece for Casino Guru News.

In other news, Casino Guru was also shortlisted for the EGR Operator Awards 2024 in the categories "Affiliate of the Year" and "Casino Affiliate." You can find out more about this here.

A forum poll that concluded recently on the Casino Guru Forum also looked into how players feel about seeking help for gambling addiction. 37% of respondents said that they had. More on this here.

Not least, the upcoming SBC Summit on September 24-26 will come with free Masterclasses and certification for industry professionals. Find out how you can get involved here.

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