Latest Gambling News: UK Regulator Seeks Views Over Net Deposit Limits, 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 Seeks Views Over Net Deposit Limits

The UK Gambling Commission has opened a consultation that will augment its plans to require all gamblers to be offered the chance to set deposit limits.

From October 31, all gambling licensees in the UK will need to offer deposit limit-setting tools on signup and remind customers of their existence every six months.

The commission said that while most respondents to an initial consultation on these plans were supportive, disagreement has emerged about whether or not the limits should count “net” deposits.

Some operators now and in the future prefer to offer net deposit limits that deduct withdrawals from deposits in a particular month. Meaning that if a player with a deposit limit of £50, deposited £50 and later withdrew £40 they would be free to top themselves back up with another £40 without hitting their predetermined limit.

The commission said it was seeking to create one clear standard for the meaning of deposit limit across the industry.

Connecticut Debates Setting Maximum Sports-Betting Wagers

A bill introduced on Thursday (March 6) would require Connecticut regulators to establish a maximum amount of wagers for online sports betting.

Senate Bill 1464 has been referred to the Joint Committee on General Law. The committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill for Wednesday (March 12).

The bill also grants Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat, the ability to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for online poker and requires online gaming licensees to disclose a toll-free problem gambling number.

“The maximum sports wagers established for online sports wagering in regulations adopted pursuant to section 12-865, as amended by this act,” according to SB 1464. There is no mention of a maximum amount of wagers in the 13-page bill.

In a statement of purpose, the bill reads to “disclose the maximum sports wagers established for online sports wagering; and (3) require the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to adopt regulations establishing maximum sports wagers for online sports wagering.”

Currently, there are FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics operating in Connecticut.

Michigan Targets Five More Offshore Casinos

Michigan is continuing its campaign to remove illegal offshore online casino websites that are doing business within the state’s regulated gaming market.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) confirmed it sent cease-and-desist letters, notifying five operators that they are breaking multiple state laws, including operating an unlicensed gambling service.

Three of the five sites targeted by the MGCB had offices in Curaçao. Those unlicensed operators were BetWhale Casino, Coins Game Casino, and Love2play Casino. Love2play also had an office in Costa Rica.

Black Lotus Casino, owned by TD Investments Ltd., were based in Belize and Orion Stars 777 Players was in Sichuan Province, China. The MGCB said the websites offer a variety of casino games, such as slots, poker, keno, bingo, in addition to sports betting.

These operators must stop their activities within 14 days of receipt of the cease-and-desist letters or face additional legal consequences, according to the MGCB.

Last week, the MGCB issued a cease-and-desist order to BetNow.eu, and before that targeted nine online operators, such as Xbet Casino and BetAnySports. In addition, offshore sports-betting brands Bovada and MyBookie, as well as sweepstakes operator VGW have turned off access to their sites to Michigan residents.

Wealth Barrier For Thais Remains In Draft IR Law

Thailand’s deputy finance minister says a prohibitive cash asset provision for local gamblers visiting future integrated resorts (IRs) has been retained in a draft IR law.

Julapun Amornvivat said on Thursday that the restriction, which would shut out Thai nationals without 50m baht (US$1.5m) in the bank, remains in the draft Integrated Entertainment Business Act, despite suggesting on Monday that it had been deleted.

The hardline provision had been inserted by the Office of the Council of State, a prime ministerial body that advises on legislation, amid reports of its hostility toward the draft and protests by activists and lawmakers.

Julapun said on Thursday that the government will now seek to amend the legislation in the parliament to remove the restriction, which more bearish observers say would damage the appeal of the Thai market to major global gaming companies.

Japan Moves To Block Gambling Websites

The Japanese government has confirmed it will consider the systematic blocking of gambling websites amid a surge in reports of online gambling by sports stars and other celebrities.

Spooked by a new wave of media coverage of online gambling addiction, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Friday (February 28) said it will commence a feedback process to discuss blocking internet gambling while assessing associated technical and cost issues.

Shinichi Omura, director of the ministry’s telecommunications department, told the House of Representatives’ budget committee that his staff are taking the next steps that would lead to systematic targeting of online gambling, including consultations with technical experts and the business community.

“We are preparing to launch a discussion site [on the ministry’s website],” NHK quoted him as saying. “We want to proceed with this so that we can start considering the matter as quickly as possible.”

The Japanese government and police agencies have shifted their messaging in recent years to stress that online gambling is a criminal offence amid hundreds of prosecutions of ordinary users and others.

But to date, the government has been reluctant to use direct measures against websites such as ISP blocking.

The government’s move coincides with a string of media reports in recent months on high-profile sports professionals, entertainers and government workers coming under police investigation after using online gambling products.

These include an Olympics medallist, professional baseballers from several teams, a comedian, police officers, firefighters and a range of other public servants.

French Regulator's Decision To Fine SPS Betting €800,000 'Unprecedented' In Scope

France’s gambling regulator has fined Unibet-owned SPS Betting €800,000 for unintentionally reducing the time some self-excluded players requested to be banned for over the course of nearly two years.

France's National Gambling Authority (ANJ) said: “This decision, unprecedented in its scope, reiterates the importance for the committee to sanction operators' breaches of their obligations regarding the prevention of excessive gambling,” in a press release on February 3.

The ANJ became aware of reports in 2021 of a malfunction on the Unibet.fr site affecting iOS device users, changing self-exclusion requests made in months to days.

This meant a player self-excluding for 12 months would only be banned for 12 days.

The issue occurred between March 2, 2021 and December 11, 2022, before it was resolved by the operator.

However, the issue reappeared after an update, affecting iOS devices once again between December 29, 2022 and February 2, 2023.

In total, the issue lasted for 22 months.

This decision can be appealed within the next two months.

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