Latest Gambling News: Portuguese Regulator's Partnership Exploring Implementation Of AI, 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.

Portuguese Regulator's Partnership Exploring Implementation Of AI

Portugal’s gambling regulator is working with the Lisbon School of Economics and Management (ISEG) to research how its operations can be bolstered by the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The partnership follows the signing of a deal between the two parties in October 2024, according to an update published by the Gaming Regulation and Inspection Service (SRIJ) on February 5.

“This collaboration will allow, in a controlled environment and using anonymised information, to test artificial intelligence technology and its possible suitability and usefulness for the SRIJ mission,” the regulator said.

The latest research projects undertaken by the ISEG include learning how to detect anomalies and deviations in online games, using unsupervised machine learning, as well as creating a chatbot for online players, using natural language processing and large language models as the base technology.

Swedish Political Party’s Lottery May Violate Marketing Act

The lottery operation of Sweden's Social Democrat political party lottery is under fire from the Swedish Consumer Agency for a mailing they sent that advertised its lottery subscriptions.

The mailing did not make it clear, according to the complaint of a customer who purchased it, that it was a subscription and not a one-off purchase.

The Swedish Consumer Agency wrote that it believes “that the marketing is designed in such a way that it cannot be considered clear to the consumer that it is a subscription service and not a one-time offer". It said that this, in turn, is a violation of the marketing act.

Last month, Sweden’s Council on Legislation gave lawmakers the green light to decide if political lotteries should still be allowed to have tax exemptions.

Pennsylvania Governor Calls For Regulation Of Skill Games

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, has included skill games regulation in his latest budget proposal, but his plan is only slightly different from what he proposed but was unable to pass last year.

Shapiro proposed a 52-percent tax on skill games in his fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, which is just under the 54 percent paid by casinos on their slot machines. Last year, the governor proposed a 42 percent tax rate on the terminals.

“It’s estimated that there are up to 70,000 skill game terminal in use across Pennylvania, but they are unregulated, which means no quality control for customers using them,” Shapiro said Tuesday (February 4) in his annual budget address.

“On top of that, those unregulated skill games are punishing our seniors by undermining the lottery and the critical services it funds,” the governor said.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) would regulate the industry, a proposal which Pace-O-Matic (POM), a manufacturer of the terminals, has repeatedly opposed. POM also supports a 16 percent tax rate on the machines.

Shapiro’s proposal would allow 30,000 combined video gaming terminals (VGTs) and skill games in the state in 2025-2026, increasing incrementally to 40,000 machines by 2029-2030.

Each establishment will be permitted to have a maximum of five machines. Shapiro expects his proposal to generate $8bn in new revenue over five years.

Wyoming, New Hampshire iGaming Bills Stalled

Efforts to legalize online casino games in Wyoming and New Hampshire have struggled to gain traction among lawmakers who have shown little interest in the subject this year.

In Wyoming, after two hearings in the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee, House Bill 162 was set aside by lawmakers, effectively ending discussion on the proposal.

Tribal casinos and responsible gaming advocates opposed HB 162, with tribes concerned iGaming would negatively impact revenue at their land-based facilities. After a motion was made to report the bill out of committee favorably this week, none of the members seconded the motion, basically setting aside HB 162 for the 2025 legislative session.

With little debate on the bill, the New Hampshire Senate’s Ways and Means Committee did not vote on Wednesday (February 5) on whether to move an iGaming bill out of committee.

Senate Bill 168 would legalize iGaming with each platform tethered to an existing land-based site. The bill proposes to tax iGaming at 51 percent, the same rate as online sports betting and brick-and-mortar gaming.

Dutch Regulator Warning On Affordability

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has warned licensees to take care when deciding which affordability evidence is acceptable.

In a notice on its website, the KSA said that items such as payslips and tax returns are acceptable proof, but operators should be careful not to include tax refunds and loans when considering a player’s spending power.

Owning a home should also not be considered proof of income, the regulator said.

Since October, Dutch licence-holders are required to conduct affordability checks on customers who wish to make net deposits of more than €700, or €300 for those aged 24 and under.

The regulator warned it is aware of some operators conducting checks without proper supporting documents and said it “continues to closely monitor the correct implementation” of affordability.

Nevada Legislature Tackles Lottery Proposal

The Nevada legislature convened for the 2025 session in Carson City on Monday (February 3) with several gaming-related bills on the agenda, including a proposal to put a constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot to legalize a state lottery.

Nevada has a 159-year-old prohibition on the state operating a lottery.

The measure AJR 5 passed both legislative chambers in 2023 but requires a second approval before Nevada voters can decide on a lottery in 2026. The Nevada Resort Association has been lobbying lawmakers from both political parties to vote against AJR 5 during the 120-day session that ends on June 2.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has also submitted two bills.

Assembly Bill 58 would allow the NGCB to administratively approve new casino games without additional approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission. Senate Bill 46 would allow the three-member control board to investigate and initiate a hearing if a license holder previously found unsuitable has not divested their ownership in a gaming company.

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