Latest Gambling News: UK Regulator Charges Man For Promoting Illegal Gambling, and more

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

UK Regulator Charges Man For Promoting Illegal Gambling

A man has been charged in the UK for facilitating unlicensed gambling and advertising.

Haydon Simcock, 39, of Weston Coyney, Stoke On Trent, has been charged with providing facilities for gambling to consumers in Great Britain without holding an operating licence between October 18, 2023 and September 11, 2024, and advertising those facilities between May 26, 2023 and March 1, 2024, according to the Gambling Commission.

Simcock was arrested in September 2024 as part of an investigation led by the regulator and supported by Staffordshire Police.

He will appear in court on March 24, 2024.

Nevada Seeks To Capture Money From Illegal Gaming

Legislation pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee would strengthen illegal gaming penalties in Nevada by adding regulations requiring those found to be offering gaming without a license to give up their profits.

Existing state law prohibited a number of illegal activities when it comes to gambling, including people prohibited from engaging in gaming without a state gaming license and cheating or manipulating casino games. But it does not include language to seize assets from illegal gambling.

Senate Bill 256, authored by Democratic Senator Rochelle Nguyen, would require all profits confiscated by the state to be paid to the state treasurer and deposited in the state’s general fund. Currently, those convicted of illegal gambling face a state prison term of one to ten years and a fine of up to $50,000.

The bill was filed prior to the Nevada Gaming Control Board issuing a cease-and-desist order to prediction exchange market Kalshi on March 4, alleging the company’s contracts on sporting events and political elections are unlawful in the state.

Kalshi was instructed to cease offering them by Friday (March 14).

Hungarian Authorities Team Up To Tackle Illegal Gambling  

The head of Hungary’s Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities (SZTFH), which oversees gambling supervision, has met the head of the National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against illegal gambling.

SZTFH president László Nagy said the cooperation between the two authorities will also help them pay increased attention to protecting consumers online in a press release on March 11.

“To this end, we continuously monitor illegal and unlicensed websites in Hungary, and based on the inspections, we impose fines, order their inaccessibility, and, if the conditions for this exist, we file criminal charges,” Nagy said.

NMHH president András Koltay agreed it is “essential” to keep up with the latest gambling industry trends and technological challenges posed by illegal gambling sites.

The NMHH “will continue to pay increased attention to the rapid verification and efficient implementation of the inaccessibility decisions in its database, and for this purpose, if necessary, we will provide a permanent on-call system. Cooperation between our authorities and the coordinated, continuous development of our practical methods are essential for effective action,” Koltay said.

New Jersey Lawmaker Pivots From Regulation To Ban On Sweepstakes

A New Jersey lawmaker is proposing legislation to prohibit sweepstakes after a previous effort to regulate the online sites was met with opposition by legislators and the gaming industry.

Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, a Democrat, introduced A 5447 that aims to prohibit online sweepstakes sites offering casino games and sports betting while establishing new penalties for illegal gambling operations and practices.

Calabrese’s bill also directs the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and Division of Gaming Enforcement to enforce penalties. As of Tuesday (March 11), the full text A 5447 had not been released, and the measure was still waiting to be referred to an Assembly committee.

Calabrese pivoted from supporting regulating sweepstakes with A 5196 to urging his colleagues to approve a ban. Opponents of the bill described it as “a reckless attempt to ban sweepstakes in New Jersey.”

“This shortsighted legislation abandons the state’s progressive stance on gaming, directly contradicting the regulatory framework championed by … Calabrese earlier this year,” the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) said in a statement.

The SPGA supported A 5196 in part because it “would ensure oversight, licensing, and taxation, bringing sweepstakes in line with other regulated gaming entities."

Massachusetts Fines MGM $200,000 Over Security Staffing, Underage Gambling

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s (MGC) Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) has handed a $200,000 fine to MGM Springfield for repeated security staffing violations and incidents of underage gambling.

On a list of non-compliance enforcement actions posted Tuesday (March 11) on the MGC’s website, the IEB noted at least six violations of state gaming regulations and two violations of MGM’s security manual and security plan.

The casino was fined $90,000 for repeated violations of security staffing, while another $110,000 penalty was assessed for incidents of underage gaming. No specific information on either violations was released by the MGC.

The penalty agreed upon address security staffing issues that occurred between December 2023 and June 2024 and underage issues that occurred between January 2024 and July 2024.

U.S. Lawmakers Reintroduce Federal Oversight Of Sports Betting

A bill to create a federal oversight structure for state-authorised sports betting was reintroduced on Tuesday (March 11) by two Democratic lawmakers who face an uphill struggle to get the measure through the Republican-controlled Congress.

The Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act (SAFE Bet Act) will be introduced in the House by Representative Paul Tonko of New York, and a companion bill will be introduced in the Senate by Senator Richard Blumenthal.

The SAFE Bet Act aims to reduce gambling addiction and establish minimum federal standards for sports-betting advertising and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), among other topics.

“We are not here today because we want to stop the gambling industry from breaking more (revenue) records, nor are we here to prevent Americans from wagering on sports should they choose to,” Tonko said at a news conference on Capitol Hill.

“We are here today because government at every level has failed to pay attention to or understand the impact of gambling-related harms,” Tonko said. “It’s important to balance public health with competing economic interests.”

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018, 39 U.S states have legalized and 38 already offer sports betting. Missouri is expected to launch it sports betting market later this year.

Tonka and Blumenthal initially introduced the SAFE Bet Act in September to create a federal oversight structure for state-authorized sports betting.

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