Asia
Experts Say Karnataka’s Proposed Online Gaming Ban is a Setback to Gaming Industry
A few weeks ago, the Karnataka State proposed a ban on online games involving betting and wagering, emphasising on “any act or risking money, or otherwise on the unknown result of an event including a game of skill”.
The state government said the bill will help keep youth from rural areas from being idle in cities and towns as they tend to become habitual gamblers.
Karnataka’s move to ban games involving skills could prove detrimental to the revenues of large gaming platforms such as Dream11. This is in contrast to existing gambling laws in India, such as the ones in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, that are dependent on chance, Puneet Bhasin, a Mumbai-based lawyer, said.
India categorises games into two main parts — games of skill and games of chance. While games of skill require players to possess analytical and decision-making capabilities, games of chance are based purely on luck.
Games like Dream11 and Mobile Premier League (MPL) offer skill-based games, where players use relevant data like career statistics, career form, strengths and weaknesses to choose sportspersons to include in their “fantasy team”, according to Tanmay Singh, litigation counsel at Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF).
Shivani Jha, Director of eSports Players Welfare Association, added that players are not risking money to win an uncertain event while playing skill-based games. “They are paying registration fees for an event with a controlled outcome because skill in involved. This must not be confused with wagering,” Jha added.
Karnataka is home to 91 gaming firms that collectively employ about 4000 people, according to data from Startup Business Academy.
“The move to pass the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Compliance Act, 2021 act a setback to the online skill gaming sunrise industry as well as to the state’s reputation of being a tech-hub and start-up capital,” Roland Landers, CEO of All India Gaming Federation, said.
“There is the clear distinction that needs to be drawn between games of skill such as bridge, eSports and games of chance.”
According to Landers, expanding the ban to the legitimate industry that has created many unicorns and is going to be a significant contributor to the Indian economy is not justified.
Singh noted the move represents an “impermissible expansion of the law” that encroaches upon fundamental freedoms and violates the constitutional rights of the residents of the state.
Award-winning iGaming supplier in regulated markets Delasport has just signed a sports deal with Philippines’s number 1 operator OKBET.
The leading software developer will provide sports-services to their new partner, enhancing the experience of sports bettors in the Philippines even further.
“We’re proud to supply our services to such a strong partner as OKBET, and to an exciting and steadily growing market as the Philippines”, Delasport’s CEO Oren Cohen Shwartz comments on the agreement.
Regulated Philippines is marking a stable 5% year-to-year growth with the number of users expected to reach almost 6 million by 2029.
This is yet another deal for Delasport, with the global supplier’s expansion in regulated markets happening at full force.
Same goes for OKBET who have been holding the number one operator spot in iGaming in the Philippines for a long time now.
“I’m excited that OKBET and Delasports are joining forces to redefine the landscape of online sports gaming in the Philippines”, OKBET’s COO Wayne Thong also comments on the deal. “This partnership combines OKBET’s local market expertise with Delasports’ global industry leadership, creating new opportunities for innovation and customer satisfaction. OKBET and Delasports share a common vision for the future: a vibrant and dynamic platform that caters to the diverse interests of sports enthusiasts. By combining cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of user preferences, this collaboration aims to set new standards for the industry.”
The post Delasport Signs a Sports Deal with Philippines’ Leading Regulated Operator OKBET appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a decree on April 19 titled “On Measures to Improve the Regulation of the Organization and Conduct of Lotteries and Risk-Based Games in the Republic of Uzbekistan”. The document abolishes the ban starting from January 1, 2025, and introduces a legal framework for the organisation of risk-based games online and betting activities.
The issue of legalising betting activities has been a long-standing topic in Uzbekistan. In December 2019, the president signed a decree to legalise bookmakers, but this decision was revised in April 2022. In April 2023, the head of state instructed the development of a regulatory framework for betting activities.
The National Agency for Advanced Projects (NAAP), the authorised state body for regulating and licensing activities in this sector, provided insights on the necessity of introducing state regulation in the gambling sector in Uzbekistan. The agency emphasised the need to prevent illegal gambling businesses, protect players’ rights and generate additional income for the state budget.
The president’s decree aims to introduce advanced foreign experience and modern technologies in regulating the organisation of risk-based games and lotteries to increase investment attractiveness, tourist potential and attract additional funds to the country.
The measures outlined in the decree include the creation of legal foundations for the legalisation of activities related to risk-based games online, betting activities, and lotteries, implementation of mechanisms to protect citizens’ rights and interests, prevention of gambling addiction and the generation of additional state budget revenue.
Starting from January 1, 2025, a taxation system will be introduced for license holders, where organisers of online games, betting activities and lotteries will pay a turnover tax. This system aims to prevent the concealment of taxable revenue and is expected to generate additional tax revenues for the state budget.
Overall, the implementation of the decree is intended to establish a reliable foundation for the legal regulation of activities related to organising risk-based games online, betting activities and lotteries in Uzbekistan, protect citizens’ interests, combat gambling addiction and provide additional sources of income for the state budget.
The post Uzbekistan Legalises Online Betting and Lotteries appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) today said its total income for the first quarter of 2024 has reached Php25.24 billion, a 42.57% increase compared with the same period last year.
The three-month earnings put the state gaming firm on track to reach the Php100 billion annual income for the year, which would be a first in the 40-year history of the state gaming firm, according to PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco.
“We are happy to announce that PAGCOR is able to sustain our growth trajectory in the first quarter of 2024 and this should help position us into achieving another record breaking year,” Mr. Tengco said.
PAGCOR’s net operating income after expenses during the quarter stands at Php18.99 billion, which is 54.22% higher than the January-March 2023 figure of Php12.32 billion.
Gaming operations accounted for the bulk of Q1 revenues with Php22.29 billion. Of this amount, 43.46% or Php9.69 billion came from the E-Games sector (eBingo, eGames and Bingo grantees) while licensed casinos (integrated resorts) brought in Php8.04 billion (36.06%).
However, revenues from PAGCOR-run casinos under the Casino Filipino brand continued to slide, earning Php3.7 billion or 16.62% of the 1st quarter total. This is down from the 20.68% share it contributed to PAGCOR’s revenues in 2023.
Offshore gaming operations for its part contributed Php860.89 million or 3.86% of the 2024 1st quarter total gaming income.
“As we said earlier, the E-games sector will be our major source of gaming revenues this year and in the next few years as innovation and technological integration allows the sector to offer more excitement and convenience to gamers,” Mr. Tengco said.
“Our robust earnings also bode well for the government’s various socio-civic programs including funding for the Universal Healthcare Program which provides health insurance to millions of poor Filipinos through Philhealth,” he added.
Of the agency’s nearly Php19 billion net income in the first quarter of 2024, Php15.56 billion will go to its Contributions to Nation-Building. This includes the 5% franchise tax; 50% government share; shares for LGUs hosting PAGCOR casinos; other socio-civic projects; 5% share of the Philippine Sports Commission; funding for the Sports Incentives and Benefits Act; and 1% share of the Board of Claims to compensate persons who are wrongfully convicted.
PAGCOR’s previous earnings record was established in 2019 before the pandemic outbreak. In the first quarter of that year, total income was at Php19.49 billion, a number easily surpassed by this year’s first quarter earnings by nearly 30%
The post PAGCOR POSTS 42% SURGE IN 1ST QUARTER INCOME TO PHP25.2 BILLION appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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