Monthly Archives: September 2021

By Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter

Raleigh, N.C. A bill to legalize sports gambling in North Carolina inched forward again Wednesday, but it faces a winding road and a tight timetable to become law this year.

Senate Bill 688 has already cleared a major hurdle, passing the state Senate last month. Now, it's in the House, which on Wednesday referred the bill to four committees. What comes next is up to those committee chairs.

"I don't know if it'll pass or not, but we referred it out today, and if those committee chairs want to hear it, they can," House Rules Chairman Destin Hall, a key leader in the House Republican majority, said Wednesday. "I expect they probably will, but, in terms of timeline, I don't know."

The bill would start in House Commerce, then head to House Judiciary 1, then to House Finance and then to House Rules, which decides when the bill actually goes to the House floor for a full chamber vote. That process can move quickly or not, but time is running out on this long legislative session.

House Commerce Chairman John Sauls, R-Lee, said Wednesday that he expects his committee will hear the bill, but he didn't have anything scheduled yet, and the House is off until next week.

Hall, R-Caldwell, said the bill hasn't been before the House Republican caucus yet for detailed discussion, usually a key step if legislation is going to move forward in the GOP-controlled chamber.

House Speaker Tim Moore said he hopes the two major items keeping the legislature in session right now, the state budget and a required redistricting plan, will be settled by the end of October. He referred questions on the gambling bill, though, to Hall.

Moore, R-Cleveland, an attorney by trade, represents Skyboat Gaming, which is part of a casino project in his district, and he said he has recused himself on the sports gambling bill.

If the House doesn't move on the bill this year, it can do so next year.

"It may just be that we run out of time in the long session to get it done," Hall said.

See the article here:

NC gambling bill takes another step, but time is running short this year - WRAL.com

Betting has long been a part of the National Football Leagues DNA. Two of its founding fathers, Art Rooney and Tim Mara, were gamblers.

Rooney bankrolled the early years of the Pittsburgh Steelers with a small fortune he won at Saratoga Race Course. Mara, his close friend, was a bookmaker who bought the New York Giants for $500.

For decades, however, N.F.L. officials went to great lengths to distance the league from the tens of billions of dollars wagered on its games legally in Las Vegas but also with offshore sports betting shops, in office and bar pools and among illegal bookies. The N.F.L. backed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act of 2006 and fought New Jerseys efforts to allow its casinos and horse tracks to take bets on football games.

Were trying to do whatever we can to make sure our games are not betting vehicles, Joe Browne, an N.F.L. spokesman, told The New York Times in 2008.

We have been accused of allowing gambling because it is good for the popularity of the game, he added. If thats true, then we have wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars opposing gambling on our games.

What the N.F.L. once sold as a principled stand, however, has more recently given way to a far more pragmatic one. As betting on football ballooned into a multibillion-dollar industry, and as state after state acted to legalize it, the N.F.L. was left with a stark choice: to continue to fight gambling on its games, or to embrace it in exchange for a significant cut of casino marketing dollars.

And that money the league once spent on lobbying against gambling? This season, the N.F.L. is getting it all back. And then some.

On its opening weekend, celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx headlined commercials that aired during N.F.L. game broadcasts, pitching betting as just a click away with a WynnBET, DraftKings, FanDuel or BetMGM account. The NFL Network included betting lines on its ticker for the first time.

Belated or not, the N.F.L.s embrace of gambling is, well, lucrative. League and industry experts expect the revenue from gambling companies for the N.F.L. and its teams to be several hundred million dollars this season.

Over the next 10 years, this is going to be a more than $1 billion opportunity for the league and our clubs, said Christopher Halpin, chief strategy and growth officer for the N.F.L.

Little more than three years after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that prohibited sports gambling in most states, sports betting companies are meeting an eager audience. GeoComply Solutions, a company that uses geolocation to help confirm that bettors gambling online are doing so from places where betting is legal, said it processed 58.2 million transactions in the United States during the N.F.L.s opening weekend, more than double what it handled during the same weekend last season.

We expected high volumes, but what we have seen has surprised us nonetheless, said Lindsay Slader, a managing director with GeoComply, which is based in Canada. The level of demand across new markets, such as Arizona, indicates that consumers have long waited for the option to legally place a sports bet.

The company said the bets came from 18 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Soon, more states are likely to join.

New York has approved online betting and is in the process of determining which operators will be allowed to take wagers. And sports betting measures are under consideration in heavily populated states such as California, Texas and Florida, where sports book operators are spending heavily to get a foothold.

You have to look at the size of the prize, said Craig Billings, chief executive of Wynn Interactive. I think this is going to be the same size of market as the commercial casino industry in the U.S., $40 billion annually or more.

That is why he hired Affleck to direct and star, alongside Shaquille ONeal, in a commercial, and his company has plans to spend more than $100 million on advertising throughout the N.F.L. season.

Being part of the in-game broadcast is important its our most popular sport with a core audience of early adopters that have been betting offshore, Billings said. Its a rifle shot you have to take.

WynnBET is hardly alone.

Through Sept. 9 this year, DraftKings spending on national television advertising is up 98 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, while FanDuels spending has more than doubled, according to estimates from the research firm iSpot.TV.

Overall, gambling companies spent $7.4 million on advertisements during the first week of prime time games, 9 percent more than they did during last years opening games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights, according to estimates from EDO, a TV ad measurement platform.

The dollars are starting to add up, said John Bogusz, the executive vice president of sports sales and marketing for CBS Sports.

The network saw a surge in advertising interest for N.F.L. broadcasts this year. Bogusz attributed a good portion of the growth to sports betting ads.

Overall, the volume is up among all advertisers, but that added to it as well, he said. I think it will continue to grow.

Dan Lovinger, the executive vice president of advertising sales for NBC Sports Group, said on a conference call that the surge from sports betting operators was reminiscent to when the fantasy category opened up.

In 2015, FanDuel and DraftKings spent millions blitzing the airwaves with commercials to gain a larger audience for daily fantasy games, where fans pay an entry fee to assemble rosters of real football players to play against the rosters of other fantasy players.

The blitz worked. Sort of.

The campaigns attracted customers but also the attention of regulators and prompted complaints from viewers who grew weary of the repetitive advertisements. Both companies spent fortunes on lawyers and lobbyists and endured intact to pivot to sports betting.

The average amount of actual game action over the course of a three-hour broadcast of an N.F.L. game is about 11 minutes. Halpin said the leagues internal research showed that among its fans age 21 and older, roughly 20 percent were frequent sports bettors who were mostly young and male, and that another 20 percent mostly women over 55 were active rejecters.

To navigate this stark divide, as well as persuade those in the middle, the N.F.L. decided to limit sports betting ads to one per quarter along with a pregame and halftime spot six in all per broadcast.

It also largely eschewed talk of odds and spreads directly during the biggest N.F.L. game broadcasts.

We have to avoid oversaturation of the game with sports betting talk or risk alienating fans, Halpin said. My mother loves her N.F.L., but she doesnt want gambling talk.

See the article here:

The N.F.L.s New Play: Embrace Betting Ads, Watch the Money Pour In - The New York Times

TORONTO -- The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has released new guidelines intended to help Canadians reduce the harm caused by gambling.

The guidelines were formed after five years of research into how those who gamble can lower risks, as well as understand when their gambling is starting to become more risky.

The CCSA recommends that Canadians gamble no more than one per cent of their household income before tax, gamble no more than four days per month, and keep regular gambling to two or fewer types of games.

Its essential to follow all three guidelines in order to gamble with low risk, the agency said.

Gambling is a legal activity that can pose risks to some people in Canada, including financial hardships, relationship conflicts, emotional or psychological distress, and health issues, Matthew Young, co-chair of the Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines Scientific Working Group, explained in a press release.

These guidelines will help people in Canada who gamble do so in a way that lowers their risk of experiencing these problems.

The guidelines seem simple, but there is a lot behind them.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 60,000 people who gamble across eight different countries, and looked at feedback from more than 10,000 Canadians who answered an online gambling survey.

They also interviewed individuals across Canada, spoke to focus groups of people who gamble, and consulted experts in harm reduction, treatment and the issues that can stem from gambling.

The three guidelines are the result of the first large-scale comprehensive project to develop lower-risk gambling guidelines.

Until now, our best advice to people who gamble was to set personal spending and time limits, David Hodgins, professor of psychology at the University of Calgary and co-chair of the working group, said in the release. We can now provide more specific direction on what these limits should be, based upon the experiences of tens of thousands of individuals.

Gambling can lead to not only financial damage, but also relationship conflicts, emotional and psychological distress, and health problems, such as exacerbating substance abuse issues.

Around one to three per cent of Canadians struggle with a gambling disorder, but the effects of gambling can extend across all of those who gamble, as well as their families.

In the process of developing these guidelines, researchers discovered that the more days a person gambled a month, the more likely they were to bet more money than they could afford, with this risk going up significantly after a person spent a week permonth gambling.

Survey data showed that 30 per cent of those reporting financial harm from gambling had gambled 24 days per month. Fifteen per cent of those who gambled seven days out of the month reported that they bet more than they could afford.

A graphic from the report expanding on the development of these guidelines provided more detail about the three points.

The graph showedthat gambling only one per cent of your household income before tax means that those making $10,000 per year should only gamble $8 a month, while those who make $150,000 should gamble no more than $125 a month.

The types of gambling a person partakes in include things like horse racing, card games, slots, sports outcomes, scratch tickets, and online poker, among others.

Along with these guidelines, researchers came up with other tips.

They stated that there is a strong association between substance use disorders and problem gambling, and that limiting substance use while gambling can help reduce it.

If a person has a special event or trip coming up where theyll be gambling, its helpful to set limits ahead of time. Limiting access to money by leaving credit cards at home on some excursions, or downloading apps that prevent your phone from making payments can help.

CCSA recommends scheduling plans right after gambling sessions, to prevent a session from going longer than originally planned, and thinking about whether gambling alone or with others changes your behaviour.

Thinking about how much money can be allotted to entertainment can also help as well.

More information about the guidelines and other tips can be found on the new website, gamblingguidelines.ca, where Canadians can find more resources, as well as a risk assessment tool, which is expected to launch later in the fall.

The report added that although these guidelines should limit risk for most individuals, it may not work for everyone.

You should consider gambling less than these guidelines recommend or not at all if you experience problems from alcohol, cannabis or other drug use, experience problems with anxiety or depression, [or] have a personal or family history of problems with gambling, the report stated.

Think about your reasons for gambling. Is it for fun? If youre gambling to escape problems, youre more likely to experience harm from gambling and might find it harder to stick to the suggested limits.

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Heading to a casino? There are new guidelines to help minimize your gambling risks - CTV News

In recent years, the online gambling market has achieved significant growth going from a nice market in the late 1990s to a billion-dollar industry. And it is set to achieve further growth, with reports showing that the global online gambling market is expected to grow from $64.13 billion last year to more than $72 billion this year this translates into a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.3 per cent. The market is expected to hit $112 billion in 2025, at a CAGR or 12 per cent.

But what are the factors contributing to the popularity of online casinos?

Advances in technology have certainly played an important role especially internet penetration and the increasing adoption of smartphones, which both eased access to casino gaming platforms. This means that nowadays, players can access any online casino from their smartphone wherever they are and this has met the players demand for easily accessible forms of entertainment. As long as they have an internet connection, players can be entertained anywhere, any time.

Such advances are consistent with the industry pushing continuous innovation. In fact, the industry is constantly proposing elements that keep this form of entertainment thrilling, convenient and safe with the more recent innovations including pay and play casinos as well as the use of cryptocurrencies in online gambling.

Another element that the online gambling industry thrives on is the sheer variety of games available, ranging from bingo and poker to lottery and video slots. Online casinos have an unlimited space for games as there is no need for physical space. This means that there is the proverbial something-for-everyone, from old favourites to new and exciting games, and anything in between. Of course, no players has the time available to trawl the internet looking for the latest or most popular games but online guides with expert reviews provide players with quick and easy advice on which online casino has the best games, the more attractive bonuses and the easiest and safest payment options.

Online casinos also make it easy to play and entice new players with exciting bonuses and offers. Online casinos also design tutorials for their games, so players can learn without spending any money and when players get the hang of a game, they are encouraged to keep playing through attractive incentives.

The industry has also boosted its responsible gambling credentials with trustworthy and licensed casinos investing in keeping their players simultaneously safe and entertained. Casinos also invest heavily in cybersecurity measures in order to ensure that their customers data is secure.

These factors all combine to continue making online gambling attractive to new and existent players thus contributing to the growth of the industry.

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/.

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

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Online gambling hits the jackpot - Times of Malta

We Indians have had quite a long-standing tryst with playing various indoor games as well as indulging in gambling. Speaking from a cultural and sentimental perspective, in the Indian society, gambling has been often seen as vice and been labelled as an unethical or immoral act and rightly so, as studies across the world have shown that gambling, especially when done repetitively and/or desperately, can lead to a multitude of individual behavioral as well as societal problems ranging from addiction, financial losses/debts, relationship problems and health issues like Gambling Disorder.

On the other hand, gaming has been largely proven to be a positive and enabling skill, that is not only fun but also sparks creativity and fosters social connections.

In the recent years, as both gambling and gaming are increasingly going the online or digital route and are also converging with each other in many ways. But, theres a major dilemma associated with the growing spillover effects in the gaming and gambling arenas viz. people are not able to differentiate skill-based online gaming from gambling.

And hence, they have started using the two terms interchangeably gaming and gambling which is quite problematic! It is unfortunate to note that even many industry pundits are nowadays saying that even all types of real money based games should be outrightly banned, just because these have some similarities with online gambling!

In my opinion, equating skill-based real money gaming with gambling is akin to saying apples and oranges are the same! It makes no sense. But why do I say so? First and foremost, in skill gaming, the most important factor that any gamer would want to master would be the skill, strategies and in-depth knowledge of the particular game he/she is playing as at the end of the day, to win or to perform optimally, skill and competence are what obviously will matter the most.

However, in any type of online gambling, the predominant factor to win money is fate or probability (counting on the odds) which means even if you are skilled, it does not guarantee you success in gambling.

Secondly, the motivation of gamers no matter whether he/she is an amateur or a pro is to play a game or enter into a gaming tournament for the fun, relaxation and/or social element of it, rather than only for earning money. The gaming ecosystem thrives on immense passion, engagement and vibrancy.

On the other hand, in gambling sites or apps, one would usually go only for satiating the desire (or greed) to get-rich-quick and earn more and more money, and furthermore he/she would also be required (in most cases) to deposit a certain amount before being allowed to start gambling.

In India, monetary stakes (wagers) are usually placed on online card games like Rummy, Poker, Teen Patti and Fantasy games like Fantasy Cricket and Fantasy Soccer although this does not necessarily imply that playing or taking part in these real money-based games makes one a gambler!

We need to understand the distinction between games of chance and games of skill given the current scenario in India wherein in most States, betting money on a game of chance is deemed illegal, but placing wagers on a game of skill is, in fact, legal in many places (or at least can be legally defended in a court of law).

A game of skill is one where a players success is determined on the basis of how efficiently he/she plays the game and how much he is able to put his/her skills to use. Whereas in most games of chance, the gameplay and even winners are randomly determined, either manually or via technology (maybe through an algorithm or a specified programming), and therefore the winning and the prize has majorly got to do with the luck of a player.

In 2019, in the Ravindra Singh Chaudhary vs. Union of India case, the Rajasthan High Court had ruled that Fantasy Sports did not constitute gambling as its players would need skills similar to that of a real sports team manager.

In a recent ruling, the Tamil Nadu High Court has struck down the States ban on online card games like Rummy, Poker etc. These are welcome developments related to differentiating games of chance and games of skill, and shall go a long way in promoting a positive narrative in favour of gaming against gambling.

According to an EY-All India Gaming Federation report, the online gaming sector in India is seen as one of the fastest-growing sectors, which is estimated to cross $2 billion by 2023. Given the humongous potential that skill-based games hold for the future, especially towards enabling huge economic growth and in furthering Aatmanirbhar Bharat over the long term, it is time India develops a clear, specific and effective policy making on this front to keep up the growth momentum of the skill gaming industry.

At the same time, it is also upon all the stakeholders viz media, gamers and gaming enthusiasts and the gaming companies in our country to fight the misperception of skill based gaming with any type of gambling. Once there is a clear and government-authorised demarcation between skill-based games and chance-based games, its quite likely that gaming would not have had to feel as much heat or wrath as it is facing today due to the perils associated with gambling.

The writer is Founder & CEO, EWar Games

Link:

Skill-based real money gaming is not gambling - BusinessLine

Being one of the most densely populated countries in the world, India has a large portion of its population interested in gambling. As every state in the country is independently deciding on the laws regulating the gambling sector, the main issue in India is the lack of unity between all states.

Last year, the need for a uniform legal framework across the entire country was confirmed by the Madras High Court. They noted that having a regulatory body that will oversee online sports in the entire industry will help decrease the number of illegal gambling cases in India. Nevertheless, the issue still remains the same in 2021, with many questioning the effectiveness of the current legal framework in the country. To better understand whether the current laws in the country are efficient in overseeing the gambling sector, you can take a look at this report about the regulation in India.

According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and EY, in 2020, the number of gamers in India surpassed 350 million. In addition to that, there was a 21% surge in transaction-based online gaming. What is more, the estimates for 2021 predict a 27% year-over-year increase.

Despite the constantly growing interest in gambling activities, under the 1876 Public Gaming Act, both offline and online forms of gambling are deemed illegal in India. Under that law, if a casino owner is caught offering gambling activities to individuals in India, the fine that must be paid accumulates to 200 INR. Alternatively, the operator may face an imprisonment of up to three months. Meanwhile, individuals who are caught breaking the law will be fined 100 INR or may be imprisoned for up to one month.

Despite the current legal status of gambling in India, the outdated law lacks a clear definition of gambling. As various activities are considered as simply games of chance, they cannot be deemed illegal under the 1876 Gaming Act. The vagueness of the law gives many loopholes that players in India use to still play various casino games.

As gambling is considered a sector that should be regulated individually by every state in India, we cannot put the entire gambling market in India under the same legislative umbrella. The Central Government is involved in the regulation of lotteries and social games that offer no real money prizes. Despite that, the Central Government is not dealing with issuing gambling licenses.

Since the gambling sector is regulated on a state level, some of the states in India can legalize certain games and even grant licenses for operation in the respective state. Another aspect of the state gambling regulation includes taxes on gambling and betting events, with every state deciding its own tax rates.

As of the time of writing this article, 13 states in India have legalized lottery games, while land-based casinos are allowed to operate in the states of Goa and Sikkim as well as in the Union Territory of Daman. With Goa being the first Indian state to take steps towards the legalization of brick-and-mortar casinos, it is currently the state with the most gambling parlors in India.

Despite offering quite the number of floating casinos, the state of Goa does not permit locals to participate in any gambling activities. In addition to that, the legal age of gambling has been raised to 21 and the local casinos are required to pay a 10% tax. While Goa offers only offshore casinos, Sikkim was the first state to introduce an onshore brick-and-mortar casino facility to players in India. Online gambling, sports betting, and virtual lottery games have also been legalized in the state of Sikkim.

While the Union Territory of Daman is currently offering only one onshore casino, it boasts the biggest brick-and-mortar casino in India. Another state that should also be mentioned is Nagaland as it has become the first state to issue licenses to online poker operators. In addition to that, the jurisdiction of Nagaland has also legalized fantasy games, further expanding the legal gambling sector in India.

As mentioned above, there is no clear difference between games of skill and games of chance. This often leads to confusion and the outdated Public Gaming Act needs to be revised and provide a better definition of gambling which should be the same across all states in India.

Another thing the gambling sector in India is lacking is a proper regulatory body that will assess the compliance of licensed operators. There have been suggestions about some games being overseen by a self-regulatory organization or a national safe-harbor, similar to the regulatory model in countries like the US and Canada. Such a regulatory model, however, may not be very successful in India as the current law lacks clarity in many aspects. This is why India needs to review its gambling laws and work on improving the regulation of the sector across all states in the country.

Excerpt from:

India Online Gambling Laws and Regulations: Are They Adequate? - The Shillong Times

Two Maryland men are accused of stealing money from gambling machines at a Gettysburg convenience store.

James Grimm, 44, of Halethorpe, and William Engel Jr., 45, of Catonsville, were each charged with two counts of felony theft and two summary counts of criminal mischief, according to magisterial dockets.

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2 accused of theft from gambling machines | Local News | gettysburgtimes.com - Gettysburg Times

Posted on: September 14, 2021, 09:47h.

Last updated on: September 14, 2021, 02:46h.

Chinas foreign exchange regulator has fined ten mainland citizens almost US$900,000 for illegal currency trades made for the purposes of offshore gambling.

In an announcement on its website, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) named and shamed the perpetrators. The illegal transactions were made either through underground banks or via domestic merchants point-of-sale credit card machines illegally moved outside the country, it said.

SAFE added that the instances were merely typical cases of violations. That implies a far larger crackdown is underway against those who use illegal foreign exchanges for gambling overseas.

The regulator said its actions had strengthened the supervision of the foreign exchange market, and promised to severely crackdown on the illegal buying and selling of funds involved in cross-border gambling, and maintain a healthy and healthy foreign exchange market.

Beijing has escalated its fight against cross-border gambling in recent years as it seeks to control capital flight and maintain the stability of the foreign exchange rate.

Chinas miraculous economic growth since the 1980s has been fueled by a massive export market that relies on the stability of the yuan against the US dollar. As the Chinese economy has slowed, it has become more important for Beijing to protect its exports, and gambling already ideologically distasteful to the government has become part of the problem.

Between 2015 and 2017, massive capital flight exerted severe downward pressure on the yuan, forcing Beijing to exhaust at least 20 percent of its foreign exchange reserves.

Beijing limits the amount that can be transferred out of China for personal use to around US $50,000 per year for each individual. These transactions must be carried out through a foreign exchange account opened with a Chinese bank.

But controls on the movement of money have created a proliferation of Informal Value Transfer operations (IVTs) across the world, otherwise known as underground banks. In many cases, these are linked to criminal gangs that launder the proceeds of crime.

Last year, Chinas Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced it had drawn up a blacklist of foreign travel destinations. Those are where casinos were targeting Chinese citizens, thereby encouraging capital flight.

The ministry has so far declined to publish the list. But its suspected to include countries like the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Casinos in overseas cities attract Chinese tourists to go abroad for gambling activities, disrupting the order of Chinas outbound tourism market and endangering the personal and property safety of Chinese citizens, the ministry said.

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Beijing Names and Shames Ten for Foreign Exchange Violations Linked to Cross-Border... - Casino.Org News

Whichever way you look at it, the Coronavirus pandemic had some positive effects on the online casino industry worldwide.

Although land-based casinos may have taken a hit on punters coming through the door when they were forced to close, this was made up for in the number of people who turned to iGaming in order to be entertained. There are several reasons why the online casino industry grew so much in 2020, but various stay at home rules throughout the world would certainly have contributed. With places like New Zealand still having periods of strict lockdown, it makes sense that people use online services for entertainment. It isnt just online casinos that saw growth during this time Zoom calls have become somewhat of a norm and people relied on internet streaming services to watch TV more than ever. With movement restricted and a lack of socialising opportunities outside of the home, it was industries like the gambling industry that stepped up to the mark and did everything they could to capture this new market of customers.

The Regulation of Online Casinos

Although the UK is quite strictly regulated now, we were late on the uptake compared to much of Europe. There are different ways to partake in gambling throughout the UK and all of them have their own rules and regulations in order for people to be able to offer them as a service. As things get more popular and/or technology changes the way people use them, regulations are often adapted to suit the current audience. For example, The National Lottery age limit was recently increased from 16 to 18. This was down to the access of National Lottery tickets and scratch cards online and in shops. As they become more accessible and it was likely younger people would start to gamble, the age was changed to make it more regulated. Online casinos and indeed land-based casinos are no exception they all have to be regulated in order to legally operate within the UK. The regulations that they have to abide by are monitored and changed regularly depending on how technology is evolving and how the market is responding.

Casino Use Over the Last 18 Months

There is no denying that online casino use has increased over recent months, which is probably what has led to a review of gambling regulations. The UK Gambling Commission are keen to promote gamble responsibly culture and as such, often tweak and change rules to help this be the case. For example, in land-based casinos and betting shops, the amount of money that could be spent on a slot machine and how quickly it could be spent was changed a couple of years ago. This was as a result of statistics showing that people were spending more money on slot machines and perhaps more than they could afford in some cases. As such, this was restricted further to ensure that being a responsible gambler was something that was being encouraged.

A Change in Gambling Restrictions

With the increased use of online casinos and the ever-evolving technology behind these, it makes sense that the gambling laws will need to catch up with this. In the past gambling laws have been predominantly about what is and isnt allowed in land-based establishments, but this way of thinking is now a little outdated. As such, in December 2020 the Government announced that they would be looking at the restrictions in place by the Gambling Commission to ensure that all gambling laws are fit for the digital age. This certainly isnt the only sector that needed to have changed the way it operates and what it does for its customers based on a switch to using digital products instead?

Initially, it was thought that the increase in the minimum age for National Lottery tickets, a change in online stake limits and a review of the powers that the Gambling Commission has would be enough for the restrictions to keep up with the iGaming industry. However, industry insiders are now wondering whether these will be reviewed again soon due to the continued increase in online gambling revenue.

Some companies have reported record numbers of transactions within the first half of 2021. This means that although 2020 was a big part of the growth for the online casino industry, this growth shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. As displayed by this list of slot sites in the UK, there is constant competition in the iGaming market meaning operators often resort to bonuses and promotions to entice new customers and as such, the UK Gambling Commission and the Government need to make sure that this is regulated and everyone is operating as they should.

What Changes Might They Bring In?

Although it is hard to say exactly what they are likely to bring in, it is likely to be around casino operators needing to ensure that the people using their services do so responsibly. This will mean things like even stricter affordability checks and watching for patterns where it might indicate someone is betting even though they cant afford to. Stricter ID checks are likely to come into play too to ensure that the people who say they are using the accounts are the people that actually are.

Stricter rules may come into play about how much can be bet at one time or even how many games can be played in a session, to encourage people to take a break from online gambling and not spend too much. The iGaming industry isnt going anywhere soon and it is likely that the growth will continue as technology adapts and games become even more exciting and accessible to play. But it will mean that there will need to be strict regulations in place to make sure that everyone taking part is doing so safely and without risk, including casino operators who will want to make sure that they are operating in the correct way.

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Will The Growth In iGaming During Lockdown Result in More Gambling Restrictions Long-Term? - Gary Skentelbery