UK to launch soft checks, Bulgaria to ban gambling ads, BetMGM hits new market

This has been a big week with a number of interesting developments mostly focused on the European market. How interesting, you will decide for yourself. Two huge regulatory news over the past few days came from the United Kingdom and Bulgaria.

Both markets have revealed more about their future plans for gambling. In the case of the United Kingdom, the Gambling Commission confirmed that it is pushing ahead with its so-called "soft touch" affordability checks, part of the sweeping reforms undertaken by the regulator as part of its White Paper.

So, what of it? Well, the UK will indeed roll out affordability checks triggered once a player hits £150 – registered as losses. This is slightly higher than the initially proposed £125, but it is a negligible increase. A pilot is beginning in August with the initial sum set at £500, and then reduced to the agreed-upon measure in February 2025.

The industry frets over the "frictionless nature" of these checks, with stakeholders doubting whether this is actually possible. Yet, the GC has said that it will do everything in its power to make the process painless for consumers and businesses, with a focus on protecting consumers.

Meanwhile, take a look at Bulgaria where the caretaker government has passed a unanimous resolution to ban gambling advertisements in most of its forms, with a few minor exceptions. This is huge, as the media sector is somewhat heavily reliant on the funding that comes from the gambling sector.

Gambling ads won’t be prohibited when it comes to sports clubs that have sponsorships, but ads will be restricted across radio, TV, social media, and the Internet in general. Physical billboards are still permissible, but they must be away from schools.

The measure has attracted its fair share of criticism despite achieving a consensus across the political spectrum in parliament. More on the topic is coming in our in-depth analysis of the market and what the law could mean to be published over the coming weeks.

BetMGM has been looking to expand in Europe as well. The brand had several excellent events to report on this week. For starters, the brand expanded in the Netherlands, a second European market for it, but things are not very likely to stop there.

MGM Resorts International president and CEO Bill Hornbuckle has said that the BetMGM brand will seek to push further into promising markets across Eastern Europe and Latin America, boosting the reach of the brand and the LeoVegas network. Hornbuckle did not offer further details into what countries may be the immediate focus of BetMGM, but Brazil is one likely contender.

Crown Resorts has laid off 1,000 people as the company confirmed that regulatory headwinds coupled with a drop in visitors from abroad. Australia continues to be a difficult place for local gambling companies, as they have been found to not meet specific criteria for AML and KYC checks and have borne the brunt of regulatory wrath.

In the meantime, the outgoing Dutch Gambling Authority Chairman, René Jansen, has said in a recent address that he would expect from land-based venues in the Netherlands to do more to protect consumers, and pointed out some of the measures that can be adopted to ensure just that.

Colorado has been working harder to help consumers understand what illegal gambling is, and even bring it to players’ attention. A new campaign launched in the Centennial State seeks to educate residents about illegal gambling, its dangers and how it masquerades as part of the regulated market (which it is not).

Speaking of regulation and gambling markets, Ukraine too has passed several important changes this week. The country has deliberated on a law – still a bill - that would dissolve the existing regulator, KRAIL, and seek to implement further improvements to the RG code.

For those of you who are keeping track of the biggest industry events, the SBC Summit North America 2024 is due to launch on Tuesday, May 7, so make sure you do not miss out!

Last but not least, we had the chance to speak to Danish Gambling Authority DirectorAnders Dorph with whom we took a closer look at how the market in Denmark has evolved, and commented on the notable changes and efforts put by the regulator in areas such as preventing underage gambling and making responsible gambling tools more readily available.

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