UAE creates gambling regulator, Betr goes live in Virginia, Curacao restarts license application

The week has seen quite a few important events with an industry-wide impact. Regulatory moves were in focus with the United Arab Emirates and Curacao moving forward with interesting changes, and Betr launching its online sports betting offer in a third state, and the UK Gambling Commission initiating another probe into a gambling operator in the country.

The highlight of the week perhaps came from the United Arab Emirates, which has officially confirmed the launch of the country’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the regulatory body that will now be officially in charge of gambling, in light of the upcoming Wynn Al Marjan casino resort that is expected to transform the Middle East into a prime destination for tourism and perhaps even gambling.

The regulator has secured a pair of top-level industry hires with the addition of Kevin Mullally, a former Missouri Gaming Commission Executive Director, who was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer for the GCGRA. He was joined by former MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren who was appointed as Chair of the Board of Directors.

This is a huge step forward for the UAE, and although details about the exact mandate of the gambling authority remain a little vague, the idea behind the regulator would be to create a fair and safe gambling environment.

In yet another big development this week, Curacao has restarted to accept licenses as the jurisdiction prepares to expand and strengthen its regulatory regime and introduce more streamlined guidance to operators that allow them to operate in a manner that protects consumers.

Curacao has decided to shake up its regulatory regime, as the government has been receiving complaints from overseas that operators and entities licensed in the jurisdiction have been unlawfully targeting customers in prohibited regions.

The new license application process has been updated to account for this and steer the regulatory regime towards a future where the jurisdiction is known for its robust regulatory regime that is still open to lawful and genuine operators and companies. Meanwhile, the UK Gambling Commission has initiated a review and suspended In Touch Games’ license in the country.

This comes after several similar actions resulting in penalties have been taken over the past years. In Touch Games has been ordered to discontinue accepting deposits from consumers while maintaining withdrawals, and remaining open to the current predicament the company is in. It’s not clear what the outcome of the review would be or how long it would continue, but the Gambling Commission will release more information in due course.

In a similar regulatory vein, the Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch Gaming Authority, has issued a stern reminder to gambling operators in the country which have allowed themselves to advertise in physical spaces, using untargeted inducements. The regulator did not issue any penalties but warned operators to refrain from breaching the country’s advertisement code in any way, including through the use of physical spaces to advertise their products.

Suppliers, people on the move, and new partnerships

Bragg Gaming Group secured a business-to-business remote gambling license from Gibraltar, strengthening its overall geographical reach and adding yet another prominent jurisdiction to its list of accreditations. The license from Gibraltar will allow the company to supply games to any jurisdiction that recognizes the gambling licenses and is in itself a hallmark of the supplier’s continued success.

Another highlight this week has been the arrival of an online Buffaloslot. The acclaimed Aristocrat slot machine has been finally digitalized by Anaxi, the developer’s Real Money Gaming business, and it’s the first time this game has been introduced to online audiences, marking an important milestone for both Aristocrat and BetMGM, which is the first casino to host it.

PandaScore secured an important market entry in Poland where the specialist in esports betting solutions has signed a tie-up with STS, a local betting operator. Poland is an important milestone for PandaScore as the country is one of the most thriving esports and competitive video gaming markets in Europe.

Allwyn has appointed Naida Buljugic as the company’s Global Chief People and Culture Officer with the appointment taking effect on Friday, September 1. Her appointment comes at a time when Allwyn is undergoing rapid development and growth, not least owing to the company’s operations in the United Kingdom.

Betr, the brand backed by Joe Levy and Jake Paul, has launched its online sports betting product in a third state in the United States Virginia. This comes after the brand confirmed in March that it would make Virginia its newest market rollout. In the meantime, the brand has been focusing on expanding its presence in mainstream sports betting markets and has also launched the Betr Picks fantasy platform to generate even more excitement and brand awareness about its product.

Betsson Group has secured a license to roll out its product in Serbia. As a result, the group has launched the Rizk Brand, which it acquired with Zecure Gaming in 2020, and which is one of the safest and most reliable gaming brands worldwide. This marks another milestone for the group which has been looking to strengthen its presence in the CEECA region.

Flutter Entertainment has welcomed John Bryant as its new Chair of the Flutter Board, as well as Chair of the Nomination Committee. Bryant is a well-versed gambling industry veteran who has already been a part of Flutter before.

The industry speaks

Not least, this week we had a number of interesting conversations and contributions from industry insiders. We spoke with the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of BF Games, Wiktor Grabarczyk who outlined his plans for the future of the company and what his role in it would be. BF Games is determined to continue differentiating its offer in the saturated European markets while serving its audiences and expanding rapidly in the North American market, which presents new opportunities to the supplier.

We also had another interesting sit-down with NuxGame CRO and Business Development Dmitry Volkov who walked us through his company’s plans and ambitions for the future. Volkov stressed the importance of a diversified gaming library and called it a risk-management strategy that allows operators to remain competitive in the long run.

One of the most insightful contributions of the week came from Mindway AI’s Paula Murphy who spoke at length about the proper utilization of artificial intelligence in helping minimize harm and help at-risk consumers and spoke of how consumer habits have changed with younger generations now expecting companies to have clear-cut social conscience.

Not least, we had a deep dive with Casino Guru'sSEO Lead Andrej Masaryk who spoke about the changing landscape of the industry and how search engine optimization plays a role in communicating information to information. Masaryk stressed the importance of focusing on SEO that adds value to consumers and informs their decisions and how Casino Guru lived up to the latest industry standards.

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