Latest Gambling News: Increasing Number Of Young People In England, Scotland, Wales Gambling, and more

Catch up on six of the stories our gambling compliance analysts have covered lately, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Increasing Number Of Young People In England, Scotland, Wales Gambling

The latest Young People and Gambling Report revealed an increasing number of children in England, Scotland, and Wales aged 11 to 17 spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling over the past year.

Tim Miller, the Gambling Commission executive director for research and policy, said: “Where it relates to regulated forms of gambling we use the data to continuously keep under review and, where needed, strengthen the suite of protections for young people that we require gambling companies to have in place.

“However, the report also shows that young people often gamble in ways that do not require regulation, such as betting with their friends. Yet these forms of gambling can also lead to some experiencing harm. Our report points to the opportunities that parents, schools and other groups have to also help reduce gambling harm among children and young people.”

Approximately 27 percent of 3,869 pupils surveyed in the report using the Ipsos Young People Omnibus gambled in the past 12 months, with 20 percent playing arcade machines, 11 percent placing bets with friends or family, and 5 percent playing cards with friends or family for money.

Of these respondents, 21 percent spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling, including playing gaming machines, which they are allowed to play.

When arcade gaming machines are removed from the definition, 6 percent of young people spend their own money on regulated forms of gambling, an increase from 4 percent in 2023.

Approximately 15 percent of the survey respondents said they had spent money on unregulated forms of gambling in the past year, defined as falling outside the remit of the Gambling Commission.

The proportion of young people experiencing problem gambling has also seen a “statistically significant increase”, rising from 0.7 percent in 2023 to 1.5 percent in 2024.

Exposure to adverts via online platforms also increased from 53 percent in 2023 to 62 percent in 2024, which is in line with 2022 findings.

MGA Hopes New ESG Seals Will Improve Industry’s Reputation, Sustainability

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has awarded environmental, social, and governance (ESG) seals to 14 online gambling licensees, including a mix of suppliers and operators.

MGA CEO Charles Mizzi believes the seals will “significantly enhance the industry’s reputation and sustainability credentials.”

“By integrating ESG considerations into their operations, gaming companies not only contribute to the well-being of society and the environment but also strengthen the trust and confidence that consumers, investors and regulators have in the industry. This initiative sends a clear message: sustainability, in the broadest sense of the word, is integral to the future of the gaming sector,” he said.

The ESG Code Approval Seals are awarded for submitting ESG disclosure returns, following the launch of the voluntary ESG Code of Good Practice for the remote gaming sector in November 2023.

The code includes 19 ESG pillars and offers a strategic roadmap for online gaming companies to streamline two tiers of reporting; Tier 1 establishes foundational ESG standards, and Tier 2, represents a “more aspirational approach,” according to the MGA.

A different seal is awarded to companies that meet Tier 1 or Tier 2 reporting requirements.

Seals can be renewed in the next reporting period and companies can change the tier that they report on each year.

A list of ESG code-approved companies can be found on the MGA website.

Bovada Exits Tennessee

The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) confirmed Thursday (November 7) that Curaçao-based Bovada is no longer available to residents in the state, ending a confrontation between the regulator and the offshore sportsbook and casino gaming operator.

Bovada notified account holders on Tuesday that it was permanently closing Tennessee accounts and returning available balances to account holders. The state is the 16th U.S. market Bovada has placed on its restricted list.

The SWC imposed a $50,000 fine last month against Bovada after the offshore operator failed to comply with cease-and-desist letters sent in recent months to the company for illegally operating in the state.

Regulatory officials were subsequently able to place wagers with Bovada from within Tennessee on three separate occasions, resulting in the accumulation of $50,000 in applicable penalties, the SWC said.

“Our licensed sportsbook operators provide important consumer protections not found in the illegal market, and the closure of Bovada’s virtual doors in Tennessee is an important step toward the eradication of unlicensed, illegal sportsbooks in Tennessee,” Billy Orgel, chairman of the SWC, said in a statement.

Gaming regulators did not confirm if Bovada, along with cutting off access to its website, paid the $50,000 fine. Tennessee is the first state to announce a penalty against the operator for non-compliance with such an order.

Minnesota Racetrack Supports Sports Betting Deal

Running Aces, a cardroom and racetrack that previously opposed sports betting legislation, has now expressed its support, advocating for a compromise benefiting Minnesota tribal casinos, racetracks and charitable gaming.

Lawmakers have debated legalizing sports betting in Minnesota ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal ban, but the state’s two racetracks have opposed efforts that grant tribes exclusivity on wagering.

In a letter to the Minnesota Indian Gaming Commission, Taro Ito, president and CEO of Running Aces, stressed the importance of tribal gaming in Minnesota and the economic support that it provides to each of the sovereign tribal nations in the state.

“We also believe that racetracks, tribal casinos and charitable gaming all provide important and distinct benefits to the communities we each serve and broad benefits to all Minnesotans,” Ito wrote. “We believe it is possible to work through any disagreements and arrive at successful compromises.”

“Based on numerous public polls, 90 percent or more of Minnesotans support a sports betting bill that is beneficial for the horse industry, tribal communities and local charities, and we are hopeful that the gaming industry can come together, at the Capitol (in St. Paul), to pass sports betting legislation that reflects an appropriate compromise.”

Ito added that they were hopeful that legislators and the gaming industry could all work together to ensure the passage of a sports betting bill that benefits all three of these entities. Minnesota lawmakers will convene the 2025 legislative session on January 14.

New Jersey Fines Hard Rock $42,000 For Underage Gaming

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has settled a complaint against Hard Rock casino for $42,000 for allowing underage persons to gamble for more than two years, according to a list of Actions of the Director released on Wednesday (November 6).

The DGE cited specific conduct from September 2021 until March 2024, in which Hard Rock permitted underage persons to remain in the casino and wager at various slot machines undetected.

The two-page order, dated October 16 and signed by Mary Jo Flaherty, DGE’s interim director, announced the fine but did not include any additional details on how the underage gambling was allowed to take place at the casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

The Actions of the Director took place between October 16 and October 31. Flaherty also approved a request from Freehold Raceway to surrender its sports-betting license.

Freehold Raceway, which was acquired for $46m in 1998 by a joint venture between Penn Entertainment and Greenwood Racing, announced in September that it was ceasing all live racing and simulcast operations at the end of the year after more than 170 years in operation. The track launched a Parx-branded retail sportsbook in 2020.

Colorado Keeps All Sports-Betting Tax Revenue

Colorado voters approved Proposition JJ on Tuesday (November 5), a ballot measure that allows the state to keep all of the sports-betting tax revenues it collects to spend on water projects.

As of Wednesday, Proposition JJ had received 75.9 percent of votes in favor and 24.1 percent opposed, according to the Associated Press. Known as the Retain Sports Betting Tax Revenue for Water Projects Measure, the initiative eliminates the current cap of $29m of annual sports-betting tax revenue the state may allocate to water conservation and projects.

The measure instead allows the state to retain and allocate all sports-betting tax revenue for water protection programs. Currently, Colorado’s 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights requires sports-betting tax revenue exceeding $29m to be refunded to sports-betting operators and casinos.

The 10 percent tax on sports betting was established in 2019 when voters approved retail and online sports betting by passing Proposition DD.

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