Monthly Archives: January 2020

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A betting industry lobby group has called for the Government to follow the UK and ban credit cards in online gambling.

Problem Gambling Ireland said the introduction of such a ban here could have a significant impact in tackling gambling debt.

Having a facility for people to gamble with money they dont have is extremely dangerous, Barry Grant, chief executive of Problem Gambling Ireland, said.

However, Mr. Grant said such a ban is unlikely to be introduced in Ireland until the countrys long-awaited independent gambling industry regulator is in place.

The UK Gambling Commission has said that, as of April 14, British-based punters will not be able to use credit cards to make bets or deposit money into online betting accounts.

The UK ban will apply to all online and offline gambling products, with the sole exception of over-the-counter lottery tickets.

Before Christmas, Mr. Grant described as absolutely shocking industry figures showing Irish punters gambled close to 10bn including more than 800m on lottery and scratch card products last year, making Ireland the seventh-highest gambling country in the world.

As a nation, we are developing an increasingly dysfunctional relationship with gambling, he said at the time. Research by the UKs betting regulator classes 22% of online gamblers, in the country, who use credit cards as problem gamblers.

The ban on credit card usage for UK gambling deposits likely represents a low single-digit percentage risk to related gaming revenues. The latest in a recent series of more onerous regulatory changes, it also acts as a further reminder that the UK opportunity is no longer what it once was, Davy analyst Michael Mitchell said.

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Call for Ireland to Ban Credit Cards in Online Gambling - European Gaming Industry News

Introduction

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) recently published a statement on its website setting out, in general terms, the conditions interested parties will need to meet in order to successfully submit a licence application. This statement is made in anticipation of the draft secondary legislation that will contain the conditions applicable to online gaming licences. According to the Dutch Gambling Authority, their explanation will enable potential applicants to prepare for the licencing process.

As the secondary legislation containing the conditions is not yet final, the Dutch Gambling Authority emphasises that the statement has been provided for information purposes only. The Dutch Gambling Authority states on its website that it cannot confirm the final conditions at this stage and, as such, changes may still occur.

Below, we briefly set out the new (provisional) licensing conditions. However, because it recently became clear that the Dutch market will open for online gambling half a year later than expected, we will, firstly, briefly elaborate on the consequences of this delay.

Licencing process delayed; consequences for the cooling-off period

The licencing process will commence as soon as the Remote (online) Gambling Bill (Wet Kansspelen op afstand) enters into force. The target date is now 1 January 2021. As soon as the Bill enters into force, applications for an online gambling licence can be submitted to the Dutch Gambling Authority. The Dutch Gambling Authority initially indicated that the market launch would be on 1 January 2021; however the plan is now for online gambling and games of chance to open on the Dutch market six months later. Hence a delay of six months.

The specific rules applicable to licensing, currently in draft, include a possible two-year cooling-off period for operators that have targeted Dutch customers without a licence. As mentioned in our previousblogpost, it seems like this measure excludes operators who have previously directly targeted the Netherlands without a licence, from obtaining a licence for the following two years.

It is not yet clear whether the cooling-off period will be altered because of the above-mentioned delay of six months. If not, this is a very interesting development for some operators that have targeted Dutch customers without a licence.

Last week, a motion was submitted to parliament asking the government to ensure that past offenders are not among the first group of companies that are granted licences to provide online gambling in the Netherlands. The motion asks the government to ensure that the first licences will be provided to reliable, bona fide new entrants. Although this motion does not directly refer to (an extension of) the cooling-off period, it is expected to provide some clarity on this subject.

Licencing conditions explained

Types of online gambling

According to the Dutch Gambling Authority, under the amended Dutch Gambling Act, it will be possible to apply for a licence to organise four different types of online gambling:

General conditions

The licence application will consist of several subjects and will only be considered if the application is completed in full. The identity of the applicant must be clear and a payment of 45,000.00 must be made. The Dutch Gambling Authority has confirmed that rejected applications will not be eligible for a refund. Consequently, it is highly recommended to strictly adhere to the final licensing conditions.

Based on the licence application, the board of directors of the Dutch Gambling Authority (the Board) will make an overall assessment to determine whether a licence will be granted. The Board will only grant a licence if the games offered are organised in a responsible, reliable and verifiable manner. In order to determine whether this is the case, the Board will assess the relevant licence application against legislation and regulations. The regulator indicated that policy rules will follow if needed and will be published well in advance of the start of the licensing procedure.

Subjects

The Dutch Gambling Authority has confirmed that the subjects below will be dealt with in the licence application:

Reliability

As the online gambling licence will be subject to strict reliability requirements, the applicant must be able to demonstrate that there are no criminal, administrative or tax law antecedents. This will not only concern the antecedents of the applicant itself, but, for example, also those of its (in)direct stakeholders, executive and non-executive direct directors and those of its (in)directly subordinate legal entities. All (legal) parties mentioned above must be identified.

In the context of testing reliability, questions will be asked about previously unlicenced offers of games of chance at a distance. The Dutch Gambling Authority has already published a draft policy rule (in Dutch), which can be foundhere.

Expertise

The applicant must have a policy plan setting out how it ensures that its employees have and maintain appropriate expertise in the field of games of chance. This includes expertise of the relevant laws and regulations, addiction prevention, consumer protection and financial regulations.

Continuity of the applicants organisation and player credit

The Dutch Gambling Authority will also assess the continuity of the applicants organisation when applying for a permit. The permit holder may not be in a state of bankruptcy or liquidation and there may be no question of a suspension of payments or the seizure of a substantial part of the applicants assets.

In addition, the applicant must ensure that players credits are segregated from the working capital of the applicant. An exit plan, including the statement the applicant is able to repay players credits, must also be provided.

Addiction prevention

As part of the licensing process, the applicant must have a representative in the field of addiction prevention present in the Netherlands. The applicant must also have an addiction prevention and training policy. This policy should specify, amongst other things, how the applicant will protect players from gambling addiction and what extra protection will be provided for players aged 18 to 24 years.

Advertising and marketing

The Dutch Gambling Authority must be informed of the applicants advertising and marketing policy. Such policy should, among other things, specify how it will prevent advertising from being misleading and aggressive and how to prevent advertising targeting vulnerable groups.

Consumer protection

The applicant must be able demonstrate how the legal provisions relating to customer service and the complaints procedures have been implemented and must show that its customer service and complaints procedure are functional. Additionality, there are also requirements regarding the provision of certain information about the gambling system.

Match fixing

Sports-betting operators will be required to report suspicious gambling patterns to the Dutch Gambling Authority and show how it manages match-fixing risks. This, inter alia, entails that, the operators must have systems and associated processes in place to detect and report signals that may indicate match fixing.

Compliance with applicable laws

The applicant must demonstrate that it is compliant with all the provisions laid down in the Dutch Prevention of Money-Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme) and the Dutch Sanctions Act (Sanctiewet).

Outsourcing

A licence holder may, in principle, outsource all its activities, but gambling-linked outsourcing must include a plan outlining the risks of outsourcing, describing how they are prevented and how the occurrence of risks is monitored. Furthermore, the licence holder should be able to demonstrate that the supplier is qualified and reliable and how this has been determined by the licence holder. The licence holder must have a compliance officer who supervises the outsourced activities. Finally, the outsourcing process must be controlled by and must not affect compliance with statutory requirements.

Integrity

The Dutch Gambling Authority must be able to gain insight into how the applicant deals with integrity risks. Therefore, the applicant must ensure that an integrity policy is applied and maintained. The policy must be aimed at, among other things, recognising and preventing fraud and abuse. There must be an up-to-date and systematic inventory, analysis and evaluation of integrity risks (including the reliability of managers and key personnel).

Payment transactions

The applicant must demonstrate that it meets the requirements for payment transactions set out in the Remote Gambling Act in the form of a procedure description. This procedure description must at least set out:

Identification and verification

A game of chance provider must be able to establish that a players identity (surname, first name, date of birth, address and place of residence) corresponds to the players actual identity. The provider may only grant the player access after the provider has completed the verification process by supplying information, documentation or data from a reliable and independent source (e.g. a valid passport, identity card or driving licence).

Central Register Exclusion Game of Chance

The Dutch Gambling Authority announced that it will introduce a Central Exclusion Register soon. This register will list players who are not able to control their use of online gambling. The applicant must be able demonstrate by means of a connection test that it is able to check whether a player is registered, and that it is able to exclude the person in question if this appears to be case.

Control database

The Remote Gaming Act requires providers of online games of chance to have a control database to which the Dutch Gambling Authority has access. Via this database, the Dutch Gambling Authority can check whether gambling providers are meeting certain licence conditions. The Dutch Gambling Authority announced that the technical specifications will be clarified well before the application period starts.

Evidence

Supporting documents will be requested on all subjects. At a later stage, the Dutch Gambling Authority will communicate what specific evidence will be requested, whether supporting documents are subject to inspection and whether such inspection must be completed by an independent third party.

Next steps

The DGA announced that it will organise workshops for potential licence applicants and provide further information at a later date. The dates of these workshops will be dependent on the subordinate legislation being finalised. Following this, the Dutch Gambling Authoritywill be able to provide more detailed information regarding the application form.

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Applying for an online gambling licence in the Netherlands: delayed, but licencing conditions explained - mediawrites.law - Lexology

The UKs announcement earlier this week of a credit card ban in online gambling has led to calls for similar measures to be enacted in Spain and Ireland. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Organizations in Spain and Ireland have called for credit card bans after UK lawmakers announced a decision to prohibit their use for online gambling purposes earlier this week.

The Spanish FACUA-Consumidores en Accin and Problem Gambling Ireland are the two independent bodies pushing for the approval of such a ban in their respective country.

Spanish consumer rights group FACUA-Consumidores en Accin is calling on Consumer Affairs Minister Alberto Garzon to bring in such a ban.

FACUA acknowledged that the gambling sector restrictions proposed in early January 2020 by the coalition are a positive step forward in curbing the influence of gambling in the country. However, it wants the government to take another major step further.

a credit card ban would stop most gamblers from racking up debt

FACUA believes a credit card ban would stop most gamblers from racking up debt by gambling money away that they do not actually have to lose.It said: This measure would help to fight against gambling, a scourge that in recent years has continued to increase, especially in vulnerable groups such as youth and adolescents, as associations of rehabilitated players and studies in this field have confirmed.

Problem Gambling Ireland, a betting industry lobbying group, is appealing to the Irish government to follow in the UKs footsteps.

It believes gambling debt can be significantly curtailed with the introduction of a credit card ban. Chief executive Barry Grant said:

Having a facility for people to gamble with money they dont have is extremely dangerous.

He added that it is unlikely that a ban would be introduced before the long-awaited independent regulator for the gambling industry in Ireland is in place. The new role, which has been approved by the Irish government, will not be filled until the end of 2020 at the earliest. With a general election coming up, this date could be pushed back even further.

Ireland has its own issues with gambling. Recent figures show that Irish people spent almost 10bn ($11.15bn) on gambling in 2019. This puts Ireland in seventh place among the countries with the highest gambling rates worldwide.

The decision to ban the use of credit cards for online gambling in the UK was announced on January 14 by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). The ban will come into effect on April 14, 2020. A limit will also be imposed on the size of debit card deposits.

The regulatory body categorizes 22% of all UK online consumers that use credit cards to gamble as being problem gamblers.

Financial analysts do not believe this ban will have much of an effect on the bottom line of operators. According to estimates, less than 2% of Flutter Entertainment bettors solely use credit cards to make deposits.

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Calls for Spain and Ireland to Ban Credit Cards in Online Gambling - VegasSlotsOnline

Saturday, 18 January 2020

Last year saw the Excluded Persons Information System (EPIS) the blacklist of people not allowed to frequent casinos, betting shops or online gambling sites increase to 360.553 names.

The various reasons for being on the list include one in ten who have asked for their own exclusion, or been named by a family member as representing a danger to themselves because of a gambling addiction.

Otherwise, the Gaming Commission explains, a ban can be applied by a court, or by a legal representative of someone under a power of attorney.

Real and online gambling sites are in any case closed to anyone under the age of 18, while casinos and slot machine arcades have a minimum age of 21.

But not everyone who is barred from betting is considered a danger to themselves or others. Some professions are automatically barred from certain types of gambling: magistrates, notaries, bailiffs and members of the police force.

In those cases, the measure is a way of protecting against someones gambling debts being used to extort them to break the law.

EPIS has been in use in Belgium since 2004. Any time a member of the public enters a real or virtual casino or betting office, or a real slot machine arcade, they are required to give a first and second name and a date of birth, which are checked against the register to make sure the person is not banned.

For those living close to one of Belgiums borders, and who may feel the temptation to gamble in the Netherlands, France or Germany, the possibility exists to apply for a self-imposed ban, for a period of time or a certain number or frequency of visits, from casinos in those countries.

The foreign ban can apply in the case of Holland Casino establishments in the Netherlands, all casinos in France (but application has to be made at a French police office) and casinos close to the Belgo-German border in Aachen, Duisburg or Hohensyburg Casino in Dortmund.

The names listed by EPIS fall into various categories: 10.1% voluntary exclusion; 16% excluded by profession; 27.9% excluded by reason of a debt resettlement agreement; and 46% by judicial order.

The final total of 360,553 entries does not represent the real number of those barred, the Commission explains, as some people may fall under more than one heading for example an inveterate gambler who is also a police officer.

Alan HopeThe Brussels Times

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360,553 names on the betting blacklist in 2019 - The Brussels Times

Major changes to the industry in the UK and Europe could have an impact on the regulated gaming market in the United States. A decision this week will have many people asking questions.

While it is easy to focus on how the online gambling industry is shaping itself in the United States, it is important to remember that the country doesnt operate in a bubble. The landscape is changing all the time globally, and while it may not seem like it, changes in regulation from other markets could have an impact on how we do business stateside.

Over the last year, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has taken many measures to protect residents of the country from becoming problem gamblers. Each step has not been received well, but that hasnt stopped the Commission from passing through these changes to regulations. Considering that almost every street corner has a betting shop window, gambling is engrained in the culture. However, the Commission has it in their heads that problem gambling is out of control.

It was only days into 2020 when the UKGC took the next step to controlling problem gambling in the country with the announcement that credit cards will no longer be able to be used for online gambling deposits. This ban is set to come into effect on April 14th of this year.

In making the announcement, Neil McArthur, the Chair of the UKGC, had this to say. Credit card gambling can lead to significant financial harm. The ban that we have announced today should minimise the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have. Research shows that 22 percent of online gamblers using credit cards are problem gamblers, with even more suffering some form of gambling harm.

The UKGC estimates that 800,000 of the 10 million online gamblers in the UK are using credit cards for their habit. He went on to defend the reasoning behind this ban We also know that there are examples of consumers who have accumulated tens of thousands of pounds of debt through gambling because of credit card availability. There is also evidence that the fees charged by credit cards can exacerbate the situation because the consumer can try to chase losses to a greater extent.

There are several ways this could impact the U.S. market. First, many of the operators that are currently licensed in the U.S. are also operating or based in the UK. This ban on credit card deposits could mean lower revenues and profits for these firms in the short term while they look for solutions. This, in turn, could mean less money to spend on expansion or marketing in the States.

Further, the impact it could have comes from the alternative methods of payments that are currently available. While not outlined in the current planned changed to the UK rules, the use of e-wallets was supposedly going to be added to the methods to be banned. While that isnt the case today, any change to allowing e-wallets could also be detrimental to the U.S. by association.

Back in 2006, the U.S. took measures to protect American gamblers and to battle the offshore gambling market by introducing legislation that would make it illegal for banks to process online gambling transactions. However, over the years, companies have become very creative in finding ways around this ban. A ban on the use of credit cards in the regulated industry would simply push players back to the black market, making it even more difficult to track the problem gambling measures like this are meant to assist.

The U.S. gaming industry has seen measures like this before on top of UIGEA, back in 2002 when eBay bought PayPal, they demanded that as part of the sale the payment solution had to drop all gaming clients (at that point representing over half the online payments being made by American players). The industry reacted swiftly which is what brought the rise of the third-party digital payment processors like Neteller and Skrill.

There is no indication that the U.S. government, or any state that has regulated online gambling, will follow the lead of the UKGC. However, given that problem gambling is one of the top concerns of those who oppose online gambling as a whole, it is expected that this will be a topic of discussion at the legislative level.

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Online Gambling World Watch: How UK Decision On Credit Cards Could Affect The US - Betting News

The last couple of years have been challenging for the UK gambling market and the companies that offer their services there. Regulatory and political turmoil has shaken the sector and has made some operators lose interest to further expansion there, with some of them even leaving the UK for more prominent markets.

The UK gambling sector has always been earmarked as a safe and well-regulated destination for gambling companies to offer their services. These qualities have been considered major advantages by the operators to invest their efforts into bolstering their presence there, and for years, the UK has been an attractive destination for them to step into and consolidate their presence there.

Unfortunately, this status quo has changed over the past could of years, as an increasing number of gambling companies have found it hard to keep up with the rhythm of a market that has been getting more and more regulated, with the stricter requirements for the companies making them harder to operate on the territory of the country.

In the last few years, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been aimed at making the country safer and better-regulated than ever. Stricter rules regarding both the retail and the online gambling sector have been unveiled, with the operators suffering the impact of the tougher rules they now need to comply with.

In April 2019, the UK Government finally unveiled a long-awaited regulation for the retail gambling sector, under which the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) was slashed from 100 to 2. The measure has been taken after strong criticism that the machines are one of the major reasons for quickly rising gambling participation and problem gambling rates.

Some of the largest FOBT operators have raised their voices against the measure, sharing fears that the regulation would end up with massive lay-offs in the sector and many betting shop closures. This, on the other hand, would result in a significant reduction in the annual gambling tax revenue that the British Government gets from the sector.

Online gambling operations have also faced tougher rules in the past couple of years. Mere hours ago, the UK gambling watchdog has confirmed that it intends to fully ban credit cards from being used for online gambling payments as of April this year. The measure comes as part of the regulators efforts to tackle problem gambling and ensure a safer and better-regulated environment for the most vulnerable members of society at a time when online gambling is becoming more popular by the hour.

Brexit talks and the related political turmoil surrounding the UKs exit from the European Union has caused uncertainty in different aspects of the countrys economy lately. At the time when both soft and hard Brexit has been taken into consideration, the consequences for businesses in the UK have been taken into account, too.

As Casino Guardian has already explained, the exodus of the UK from the European Union would have its impact on the performance of the local gambling sector. Considering the fact that it has been preferred by a large number of offshore gambling companies, the changes in the status of the UK as part of the EU would lead to changes for these operators, too, including withdrawals from the sector.

The reflux of some gambling operators from the UK has already started, as companies have been looking for a more favourable regulatory environment to offer their services. Such companies have preferred to shift their operations to other destinations, a trend that has already impact not only the UK but British Overseas Territories such as Gibraltar, as well.

Furthermore, Brexit is expected to have a considerable effect on domestic taxation, which undoubtedly is an important aspect of the various reasons why gambling companies have taken into consideration when leaving the country.

The last few years have seen some major changes in the sector in regard to regulation, implementation of stricter measures to protect British customers, and political uncertainty surrounding the upcoming exodus of the country from the EU. All of these factors, however, have been taking their toll, as a number of companies have already left the UK gambling sector, while others have continued to operate there but preferred to move their headquarters out of the country.

First, the Irish company BetBright revealed that it chose to stop providing its betting services to UK customers on a permanent basis. After spending a couple of years as one of the most aggressive bookmakers at the Cheltenham Festival, the brand concluded that it could hardly make its business profitable in a highly competitive gambling sector such as the one of the UK.

Then, in April 2019, the gambling company 188Bet revealed its decision to cease operations in the UK and Ireland, citing the competitiveness of the market as a major reason for the exit. In August, two brands of JPJ Group Vera&John and InterCasino followed suit and withdrew their operations from the gambling sector of the UK. At the time, the company shared that it intended to focus mostly on the UK presence of its Jackpotjoy brand.

Also in August, FSB Technology (UK) Limited has voluntarily suspended the operations of its UK-facing gambling website Blackbet. The decision was made following a review initiated by the UKGC into the gambling tech provider.

In September 2019, EveryMatrix officially announced a decision to leave the country. The move followed the UKGC suspension of the companys B2C license in the UK and meant that the company would let go of its B2C operating licenses for its online gambling and casino operations. As EveryMatrix shared at the time, its Remote Gambling Software license is remaining active and would allow the company to continue offering gambling software to other UK licensed operators.

It was also back in September when the Nordic gambling company Cherry AB initiated the exit of its ComeOn brand from the country.

In October 2019, The French gambling operator BetClic Everest Group revealed its decision to stop the provision of its services for UK customers due to upcoming Brexit and the stricter regulatory regime that has recently been unveiled by the regulators.

The year 2020 literally started with another announcement of a gambling company set to leave the UK. Malta-based online gambling company Max Entertainment has shared its intention to shift its development focus on well-regulated sectors other than the UK. The operator cited some concerns associated with upcoming Brexit for its decision, too.

The most recent withdrawal from the British gambling sector was announced only a few days ago. The growing regulatory pressure and the latest changes in the local watchdogs priorities have made LeoVegas Group cease operations of its Royal Panda brand in the UK.

Olivia Cole has worked as a journalist for several years now. Over the last couple of years she has been engaged in writing about a number of industries and has developed an interest for the gambling market in the UK.

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Why More and More Online Gambling Companies Exit the UK Market? - Casino Guardian

Gambling has always been part of human culture since the dawn of history. But the invention of the internet ushered in a new way of placing bets and online gambling was born in the mid-1990s.

The online gambling niche was tiny back then probably due to the limitations of the technology at that time such as slow internet connection speeds, unstable connection, and low-quality graphics. But as technology rapidly advanced and bettor became more comfortable with doing their gambling online, the niche started to pick up steam and hasnt stopped inching upward since then.

As of 2018, the global online gambling industry market is around 48.52 billion, according to Grand View Research. But the industrys growth rate has shown no signs of stopping at all. In fact, it is expected to continue its upward trajectory this year with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 11.5 percent all the way to 2024.

While the lights and glamour of traditional casinos continue to lure in bettors, online casinos have their own charms as well. One such site is LeoVegas casino online. Obviously, one advantage of online betting is that players can do it in the comforts of their own homes and, with the increasing popularity of mobile gambling apps, one can even make bets on the go, according to SpielTimes.

Another factor that is expected to drive online gambling growth is that online gaming is about to get more immersive. This is made possible with the recent advancements of Virtual Reality (AR) and Augmented Reality (AR), which will make online gaming a lot more fun for bettors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already well-entrenched in a number of industries such as self-driving vehicles, advanced search engines, and virtual assistants. But the technology is about to make its entry into online gambling as well as AI can be used to detect possible illegal activities on gambling sites making it safer for players.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology was all the rage in late 2017 when the crypto market hit its all-time high. However, these technologies are slowly being integrated into the online gambling scene. Obviously, digital currencies are bound to take over as a means of exchange and payments in the future while blockchain can be used to create more secure gambling platforms.

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Online gambling projected to grow in 2020 and beyond with the help of advancements in technology - EconoTimes

Now and then, new technologies keep emerging that threaten to disrupt the existing status quo continually. One of the best illustrations of this disruption is the Blockchain technology. Other agents of disruption are autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.

Blockchain is an immutable internet-based ledger system that serves to keep records of data/transactions. This is possible with a series of interconnected computers that make the entire system decentralized.

In the gambling industry, a lot of sites like http://gmblsites.com is utilizing the blockchain to its full potential and making it easier to place and cashout from a bet more than before. The newer function of blockchain-like improved ID verification is also one to reckon with.

The Benefits of Blockchain Gambling Technology

The coming of the distributed ledger technology (DLT) and blockchain have a huge role to play in altering many defective thought patterns about the technology. Let us look into some of the reasons why this technology is indispensable to online gamblers:

Transparency

Blockchain is a very transparent system that records all the actions you take on its platform. So you can be sure of always seeing the payout of your casino, outcome of a game, the amount of money you won, and the amount of bet that you placed. Indeed it is a highly transparent system.

Provably Fair Games

Blockchain also features provably fair games in addition to its immutability and transparency. This means that you can check the payout of a game. It is indeed a plus for online gamers playing online slots Canada because it makes gambling smooth and exciting.

Transaction speeds

speed at which blockchain carries out its transaction can be likened to the speed of light. But then, the precise rate youll be dealing with is a function of the cryptocurrency. It is a common knowledge among online gamblers who are familiar with Blockchain that Bitcoin casinos are slower than Tron and Ripple XRP casino.

Anonymity

One other reason to use blockchain when gambling is the ability it affords you to hide your identity. This function is possible in blockchain because it provides you with a wallet address that youll use to fund your wallet. Particular websites give you this service.

For the last five years, the internet continually witnesses the steady growth of online casino games that use bitcoin in their transactions with their customers. Many of these companies are now adopting holistic methods for developing and using blockchain technology for gambling. They include:

TruePlay

TruePlay has built her business-to-business distributed ledger technology platform that would offer you games that you cannot fake as a result of small contracts and blockchain technology. This company has earned an excellent reputation because of its transparency. It is transparent to everyone that makes use of the platform. All parties involved in a transaction can see the transaction results.

FunFair

Funfair is another company that has a similar modus operandi with TruePlay. It provides its players with a white label casino elucidation with the aid of the blockchain technology. True to its name, it is fair and transparent. The company also has its token that controls all parts of the platform. You can utilize this token to play games when you are on the platform.

Augur

Augur is one big innovative platform that incorporates high-end blockchain technology to drive gambling activities. This platform is entirely decentralized, and it depends on Ethereum as its cryptocurrency. It is typically a betting exchange system, but you can create market predictions with it.

Conclusion

No doubt blockchain is the future of transactions. Even though this technology is still very nascent, we already see its ripple effect.

It is our own opinion that some obstacles still need to be overcome. One of them is the worldwide regulation of cryptocurrency. Most governments are still undecided about them, and hence the delay in its implementation.

Continued here:

How Blockchain Technology Is Changing The Online Gambling Industry - Blockchain News

Online poker in Nebraska could become a reality if a new gaming bill passes through the legislature this year.

TheGames of Skill Act (LB990), filed by Sen. Justin Wayne, would legalize certain games of skill in the Cornhusker State. The bill defines those games as sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and poker.

The maybe of online poker is due to the bill not specifically mentioning the internet at all. But the office for the bills sponsor said the intention is to include online gaming.

Nebraska doesnt exactly have an overwhelming number of establishments where sports can be speculated upon or poker played.

Outside of the lottery and a handful of tribal casinos, the state only allows bingo regulated by the Charitable Gaming Division, the same organization that would oversee games of skill. Poker doesnt make much sense in an actual retail setting, and itd be similarly illogical to offer in-person fantasy sports.

So while the bill doesnt use the word internet, its inclusion is implied.

Waynes office did caution that the proposed legislation hasnt even had its first reading and still has plenty of opportunities to be amended. So far, its not yet on the schedule for consideration before the General Affairs Committee.

The bill doesnt categorize all poker games as games of skill, though. Heres the relevant conceptual language:

Certain poker games also require knowledge and skill. While poker does have a random component in the cards that are dealt to participants, there is more skill than chance necessary for successful participation in a game where strategic decisions influence the other participants and ultimately the outcome of the game.

The bill later defines those skill-based games as draw poker games like five-card draw and community card games like Texas Holdemand Omaha. The language seems to exclude stud games, however, which are plainly skill-based but do not fall cleanly into either category.

There doesnt appear to be any limitation on how many operators the state could allow for poker, DFS, or sports betting.

Similarly, there is no bad-actor clause that could preclude some operators (poker in particular) from being licensed. Any applicant can be registered provided it meets the requirements, none of which are out of the ordinary.

The cost of business is also favorable. Registrants would pay a $10,000 application fee and a 6% tax on revenue, up to a maximum of $10,000 annually.

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Nebraska Games Of Skill Act Would Legalize Poker, Sports Gambling - OnlinePokerReport.com