Category Archives: Online Gambling

The IT Ministers statement was in response to a letter written by the Andhra Pradesh CM requesting the government to ban online gambling sites due to concerns of addiction and suicide.

Youre reading it here first: The union government is considering a uniform approach to regulating online gambling and real money gaming, according to a letter by the Minister of Electronics & Information Technology obtained by MediaNama. In the letter, written to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that The subject of betting and gambling falls under the jurisdiction of the State Governments under Entries 34 and 62 of List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, but that the Government is cognizant of the issues arising because of different legislations in different States in the area of regulation of online gaming and the matter is under consideration to have a uniform approach on this matter.

This acknowledgement that the government is considering a centralised approach to regulating gambling and betting sites is significant. While states have been changing their local gambling laws to regulate (or outlaw) online gambling and sites, the betting and gambling industry has been obtaining court orders (like the one issued by Madras High Court) that have made it difficult for states to restrict gambling and betting activities that require some skill. The Prime Ministers Office has shown interest in the issue, indicating that there could be movement on this front. Its not clear what action the government would decide on its actions could range from a model law that states could choose to emulate, to a constitutional amendment that would give it more powers to regulate online gaming.

Vaishnaw was responding to an October 2020 letter written by Reddy to then-IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, requesting the central government to ban online betting and gambling sites in Andhra Pradesh. Vaishnaw, whose response is dated August 3, said that while he understood Reddys concerns the CM had linked these platforms to Suicides due to losing money, severe addiction and consequent violent behaviour blocking could only be performed by the central government in the interest of Sovereignty and Integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above.

Reddy had argued that the law passedby Andhra Pradesh government to regulate such platforms had made even promoting or facilitating gambling activities illegal and that Internet Service Providers could be said to be facilitating gambling by allowing access to these sites. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 notified under section 79 of the Act require the intermediaries to observe due diligence by informing not to publish information encouraging money laundering or gambling and the notice can be issued by the Appropriate Govt. / its agency, Vaishnaw replied. ISPs fall under the definition of intermediaries.

The Andhra Pradesh Gaming (Amendment) Act, 2020 criminalised indulging in gambling to the extent of a cognisable offence, with players potentially facing six months of prison time, and organisers facing one year. Fantasy league games were not under the bans ambit, but games like rummy and poker were. Real-money gaming platform operators its not clear which ones in November 2020 approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court to challenge the order, the New Indian Express had reported, and are being represented by advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Hearings in this case are ongoing.

What follows is the entire text of the response by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddys letter.

03 AUG 2021

Dear Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Ji,

Kindly refer to your D.O. No. 70/CM/PRL dated 27.10.2020, addressed to my predecessor, requesting for banning online games, online gambling and online betting sites.

At the outset, I appreciate the concerns raised by you. The subject of betting and gambling falls under the jurisdiction of the State Governments under Entries 34 and 62 of List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. States, including Andhra Pradesh, have enacted their own legislation to regulate betting and gambling activities.

As regards blocking of sites/apps, the Information Technology Act 2000, provides for blocking of information for public access only under specific conditions, i.e. in the interest of Sovereignty and Integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above. State of Andhra Pradesh has already nominated a Nodal Officer who has been working with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) on 69A based blocking. In addition, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 notified under section 79 of the Act require the intermediaries to observe due diligence by informing not to publish information encouraging money laundering or gambling and the notice can be issued by the Appropriate Govt. / its agency.

Further, the Government is cognizant of the issues arising because of different legislations in different States in the area of regulation of online gaming and the matter is under consideration to have a uniform approach on this matter.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

[signed]

(Ashwini Vaishnaw)

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RTI: Union government considering "uniform approach" to online gambling regulation - MediaNama.com

New technologies came to simplify the life of humanity and with the use of mobile phones this theory is evidenced.

Currently, smartphones are an element of great importance in the life of any person. From a mobile you can communicate, inform yourself and even entertain yourself. In the use of this small device there are hours of attention in view of its innumerable functions that have changed the life of modern man. It is impressive, but that is how it was in the first phones, entertainment was not thought about, and these did not have built-in games, it was not until 1994 that Marathon launched a model with Tetris and in 1998 Snake gained a massive audience after becoming a standard game on Nokia phones.

Although the technology was still evolving, it took many years for games and telephony to intersect, but once the first mobile operating systems appeared, it did not stop. The companies discovered a great business in the fusion of video games and devices, and the best thing is that the public responded in the best way and now demands much more.

In 2003, with the emergence of 3G technology, the mobile gaming industry started and some time later the first mobile sites appeared, this is how gambling expanded and in 2007 the true phenomenon occurred with the arrival of smartphones to the market.

It was easier to be connected to any game regardless of where you are, thus starting the growth of the online gaming industry, and for this reason today there are more who use the cell phone to play than the computers themselves.

Successful products such as bar slot machines and other categories are now offered on online casino platforms as mobile games in view of the acceptance they have had among users. There may be some obvious differences between playing on a mobile or a computer, but the preference for smartphones has led the best online casinos like allvideoslots.com/cn/ to offer mobile applications and versions for iOS and Android.

There was no doubt an adaptation by game software creators who understood that smartphones were here to stay. They would no longer just focus on computer games, but they had to enter the mobile segment.

Technical problems began to appear, for example, it was difficult to create video slots in a format compatible with Apple due to the use of Flash, it also happened in Android in the third version of the operating system, but they did not stop and they got the possibility of reprogramming existing online slot machines in the HTML5 programming language so as not to follow the problems on mobiles, and today almost all online game providers are based on the HTML5 platform.

Estimates indicate that by 2025 a good part of mobile traffic will come from 5G networks. This would bring significant improvements for online games especially for casinos in view of total stability for players. In addition, the new devices will be developed with special characteristics that meet the requirements of this technology, which is why there is talk of better quality of images and graphics that seek to capture even more mobile game users.

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Online casinos and their evolution in the mobile industry - Boca Raton's Most Reliable News Source - The Boca Raton Tribune

Whenever it seems as if perhaps New Jerseys online casino revenue has finally leveled off after almost eight years, along comes a month like July 2021.

A record $118.7 million was won by the online casino industry in July, according to figures released Monday by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.

That figure comes after April ($108.2 million), May ($108.2 million), and June ($107.1 million) each had failed to match the March record of $113.7 million.

For the third consecutive month, Borgata outflanked longtime state market leader Golden Nugget. Borgata the overall revenue standardbearer almost since it opened in 2003 and its partners took in $36.5 million, beating the $33.6 million collected by the Golden Nugget-affiliated sites.

Resorts was a solid third at $23.3 million, while Caesars was the other $10 million-plus earner at $10.2 million.

The news was less impressive for online poker, which dropped from a relatively robust $4.8 million in July 2020 down to $3.1 million last month.

The numbers are also heading in the wrong direction for sports betting, which generated $578.7 million in handle all but $49.3 million of which came online. Still, the industry captured 9.5% of the wagers, the highest holdrate achieved since January 2020. That edged out the 9.3% figure from June with both marks likely coming from increasingly aggressive parlay betting promotions in the industry.

For the year, the industrys hold from parlay betting is 18.5%, compared to 7.8% overall. Football betting has yielded a 6.1% return, compared to 4.2% on baseball bets and just 4% on basketball wagers.

Unfortunately, state regulators lump every other sport into a large category called Other. Those bets have produced a 5.5% rate of return for the books. The $81.4 million collected on Other bets this year is almost double what has been collected on baseball and football combined.

As usual, the Meadowlands Racetrack and its partners FanDuel and PointsBet combined not only to lead the pack, but to take in more than half the revenue at $31.7 million. Of the casino partners, Resorts with DraftKings managed $10.6 million, with Borgata ($6.3 million) the only other network clearing even one-tenth of Resorts number.

Photo: Shutterstock

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July Revenue Figures Suggest Skys The Limit For NJ Online Casino - NJ Online Gambling

Opponents of the sports betting bill the Ohio Senate approved earlier this summer said the bill doesn't include proper consumer protections and stands to worsen Ohio's wealth inequality.

National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling Les Bernal said that the commercialization of sports betting and online gambling would not be in the public interest during a Tuesday press conference, calling commercialized gambling a form of "consumer financial fraud" unlike any other business, including those involving vices like tobacco and alcohol.

"Citizens are conned into thinking that they can win money on games that are designed to get them fleeced it's offering the lure that you might get money," Bernal said. "Inevitably, you lose your money in the end, especially if you keep gambling. Any success only comes at someone else's expense."

Senate Bill 176, approved by the Senate in June, would create three separate sportsbook licenses, allowing Ohioans to place bets online, at professional sports arenas and a select few bars and restaurants. Under this plan, sports betting would be overseen by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, and the state would collect a 10% tax on net revenue, with nearly all of the proceeds going to K-12 education and the rest going to problem gambling services.

Bernal said the legalization of commercial sports betting would come at the expense of Ohio's children because the Senate bill does not include any provisions that would shield kids from local gambling advertising in the way that kids are already protected from tobacco advertising.

The gambling industry spent $154 million on local advertising during the first quarter of 2021, up from a mere $10.7 million at the start of 2019, according to a Neilsen report.

If the bill moves forward in the House, as it is predicted to do in the fall, Bernal said the state legislature has a responsibility to keep children from being targeted by the gaming industry, because exposure to gambling advertising desensitizes young people to the dangers of commercialized gambling, making them more likely to develop gambling problems later in life.

"Those who are targeted today will be the problem gamblers of tomorrow," he said, quoting a British member of parliament who addressed the toll of gambling advertising on young people in the United Kingdom.

Bernal called the bill's plan to fund K-12 education a "budget gimmick," because sports betting would be regulated by the OCCC and not the Ohio Lottery Commission, which must use the lottery profits to support local education.

But though Bernal wants the legislature to reject the sports betting bill, Tom Roberts, president of the Ohio Conference of the NAACP and former state legislator, said he would support the Senate's plan if it were changed to make the OLC responsible for regulating sports betting.

If passed as it currently stands, Roberts said he thinks the money that will be pulled in by sports betting will reduce the amount of money going into the state's lottery.

"Good public schools can pull children out of poverty, stabilize neighborhoods and help reverse Ohio's economic decline,'' Roberts said. "We have one chance to do this right and the Senate-passed bill would be a disaster.''

The House's sports betting bill, passed in May, would make the OLC the regulatory body for sports betting in Ohio.

Bernal said the bill would also further harm low and lower-middle income families, especially Black and Brown families, because the tax dollars that come in from gambling offset write-offs casinos receive from the state.

The combined financial loss of Ohioans personal wealth to the state's lottery, existing regional casinos and video gambling machines is already $3 billion per year, he said.

Ohio is one of just a few states that allows casinos to write off unlimited promotional play, often called free play, meaning casinos can write off the cost of promotions like receiving $1000 in free bets to encourage further betting.

Since 2019, casinos in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Michigan, and Virginia have written off over $336 million in free play bets from their taxes, Bloomberg reported.

"You're redistributing your tax liability along racial lines, because low-income folks, which are disproportionately black and brown folks, are losing more money per capita to state-sanctioned gambling," he said.

With the Senate bill expected to be heard by the House in the fall, Roberts said they plan on advocating against the bill as it is currently written.

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The Ohio Capital Journal, a hard-hitting, independent, nonprofit news organization, connects Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism; deep dives into the consequences of policy; political insight; and principled, progressive commentary. The Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.

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Opponents Of Sports Betting Bill Say It Won't Protect Consumers, Will Worsen Wealth Inequality - Patch.com