Canada
Betting Sites: US Vs. EU Gambling Laws
Still a major taboo for some, mostly those in governmental power. Casinos and gambling, the two words that strike fear into the political heart. We take a look at two sides of the argument when it comes to the legalization of gambling and licensing casinos, both online and as land-based establishments.
We will be reviewing the American stance on the gambling industry, and that of the EU’s position. What are the differences, why is there a gulf in approach, how licenses are able to work and how it has an effect on players on both sides of the pond?
Why the issues with gambling?
We all know the terms that it’s a political hot potato, no one really wants to deal with it or handle it. For a government to openly say they support gambling is voter suicide. So, when it comes to the allowance of casinos and betting sites how is it that there is a form of unspoken agreement, as long as it’s not overly in the public eye?
Orla Byrne, Editor-in-Chief of BetinIreland, spoke of the issues of unclear communication between governments and the public regarding the interest of betting sites.
“In Ireland, there is a huge betting community and interest especially with sport, most noticeably the Irish horse racing out here. With no communication, it’s the player that suffers most. From not having the guidance to legal sites, to falling foul of gambling addiction and not knowing how to seek help. Our service steps in to make sure players in Ireland are fully aware of what can and cannot be done and we’re proud to help people find licensed casinos that can support Irish players.”
On an economic basis and from this standpoint, gambling is a massive contributor to taxes if they are imposed by a government. Revenues can reach high into the billions and this is much needed income for certain countries.
Gambling, betting, playing, however, you paint the activity, tell people you do this and there is an unease, so ingrained into us that it’s bad, it is a taboo that will long remain.
What does betting offer?
From a player’s perspective, betting online offers an abundance of services. Betting online can be free in cases of bonuses. When you join an online casino, a welcome bonus is granted to new players that make their first deposit to play. Inside the betting sites, you have a huge selection of games, offering the best games and sports markets to place your bets on. The customers can stake their money on more sports and markets than what they can do at the local bookmaker, that’s if there are any local bookmakers for the public to use.
Casinos online and betting sites have fewer restrictions, and in the area of banking, a customer can have many ways of depositing into their casino account and withdrawing.
These are just standard elements of betting, but on a personal level, betting is an escape, a means of enjoyment and entertainment, and for some, it is a source of income that could be much needed.
Even with free games, there is still an interest in playing despite free options being mainly demo games with no real cash reward, but so entertaining are they, people will still play games with no real return.
Betting is different, there is the reward, it’s something beyond simple casino gaming, there is an element of knowledge involved. It puts punters in a position not that of the player versus the bookmaker, but they become the team they are backing. It’s more personal this way, especially if they are personally invested in a sporting team.
With betting sites online, there is the added appeal of live streaming, you can bet on games in real-time and place in-play bets during a game with fluctuating odds. Because the platform of betting is global, no days pass without some form of sporting fixture taking place. It really is a world of betting that lasts 365 days of the year.
The Laws in the USA
When it comes to the US laws on gambling, you first might think they are somewhat relaxed given that the entire state of Las Vegas is the mecca of gambling in the world. This is not the case and a huge misconception.
The laws in the US are similar to a few other countries, Canada, Australia, and India to name a few.
In the United States of America, you have federal law and state law. The federal laws are made by the overseeing government and the Senate, when it comes to state law, these are controlled and ordered by that one state alone.
At a federal level gambling is banned, online and offline. So, how does Las Vegas even exist? Well, this is where the state takes control. The governor of Nevada state will overrule the federal law and control the state of gambling within that area. They can, to a degree, allow for online gambling, however, often is the case that when local law controls all i.e lotteries and casinos, they do not want individual businesses taking business away from the state, especially if you can tax people who win.
So, what about the US Powerball? The US Powerball Lottery which covers 45 states is a multi-state lottery association, again, bypassing federal law.
In Canada, this is the same with their provinces, and with the states inside India.
So, what is the catch? Well, the catch is that US laws are only bound to US soil. The internet is a far too complex an entity when trying to write it into law. At most, you can stop foreign casinos from advertising, that is clear enough. They cannot, however, stop players from using foreign casinos. This is the loophole in the law that actually makes it legal for players inside of America to gamble inside of casinos online that are registered and licensed outside of the US borders. Those casinos then benefit from not having to pay business tax, get millions of players and the US lose out because of the political hot potato that the religious sect of America would frown on and take their votes away.
The Laws in the EU
In the EU, there is no one specific rule of law to say all is accepted. With it being a Union, countries like the states of America can make their own laws. This is the TFEU treaty of the EU rule, and to give it the full name, Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Gambling has the freedom to be provided as a service or business in another EU country.
For the laws on online gambling, there is a similar diversity regulatory framework that allows for business in this field as long as it is compliant with the EU laws and that of the national regulator.
In the EU there are only a handful of licensing regulators, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, the Malta Gaming Authority and formally of the EU, the UK Gambling Commission.
Of many of the sites you will find online, most will be licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority. The service of a casino licensed by such a body is able to serve any nation it wishes, it is merely down to the casino to set its own banking requirements as it would be for any online business to arrange the banking setup of foreign currencies.
This forms a complete circle of service as these are the very casinos that players from the US are able to join and play in.
Bragg Gaming Group
Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer
Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.
Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.
Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.
In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.
Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.
“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”
Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.
“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”
International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions Corporation, has signed a five-year contract with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (Atlantic Lottery), to implement high-performing features and exciting new games for players in Atlantic Canada. As part of the agreement, IGT will deploy its advanced cloud-based remote game server (RGS) and at least 16 digital instant games each year. The contract will run through April 2029 and includes five, one-year extension options.
“As the largest digital instant market in Canada, Atlantic Lottery is pleased to partner with IGT and offer our players dynamic digital instant games from IGT’s comprehensive content portfolio. Additionally, the scalability of IGT’s cloud-based RGS will enable us to modify our digital instants library in real time, provide our players with best-in-class experiences and continually enhance our iGaming offer,” Robert LaLonde, iGaming Director at Atlantic Lottery Corporation, said.
“Partnering with the Atlantic Lottery to deliver IGT’s cloud-based RGS and engaging digital instant games is an exciting opportunity for our iLottery business. We look forward to helping the Atlantic Lottery further grow its business and reach new players in the region with our reliable RGS technology and top-performing iLottery games,” said Srini Nedunuri, IGT Senior Vice President, Global iLottery.
IGT’s RGS platform will enable the Atlantic Lottery to access to IGT’s vast portfolio of digital instant games and content, spanning a variety of player-favorite themes, play styles, omnichannel games, popular licensed content, and award-winning progressive jackpot games. The platform provides cross-channel branding across retail and digital, supports a range of jackpot and prize pool configurations, offers various bonusing tools to enhance player engagement, and is designed for optimum performance and scalability.
bet365
IBIA and PFA Canada join forces to provide sports integrity education to the Canadian Premier League
CPL first to benefit from CA$300,000 education fund commitment by regulated sports betting operators.
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel have partnered with the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada) to design a bespoke two-year sports-integrity education program for players and staff in the Canadian Premier League (CPL).
In 2024, the program – which will start in May – will educate approximately 300 players and staff about the potential threat of sports-betting related match-fixing to the integrity of the Canadian Premier League, their careers, as well as its potential to defraud sports betting operators and customers. The agreement also stipulates a repeat training in 2025 to ensure new players joining the league are also able to protect themselves from criminals and corrupters and report any suspicious activity.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “IBIA’s members take their role – as responsible regulated betting operators – in protecting the integrity of sporting competition and of betting markets seriously. Alongside balanced, efficient and evidenced-based regulation, protecting soccer players, staff and officials from being targeted by criminals is an essential first step to stamping-out sports-betting related match-fixing and fraud.”
The program will include a combination of dedicated in-person trainings and online resources for players and staff in the CPL’s eight league teams. The in-person sessions will educate players on the environment in which they are operating, including rules and sanctions, as well as highlighting the scale and accuracy of technology enabled sports integrity monitoring.
Dan Kruk, Executive Director of PFA Canada, said: “IBIA has delivered sports-integrity education to over thirty-five thousand athletes in Europe since 2010, and we’re grateful that they can leverage that know-how to design a bespoke training for CPL players. At PFA Canada we understand that, despite being more resource-intensive, in-person sports integrity education is essential to gain the trust and understanding of busy athletes, and to enable full, frank and open conversations.”
The CPL’s sports-integrity education program has been enabled by a CA$300,000 commitment over three years by IBIA and its member operators bet365, Betway and FanDuel for the Canadian market, from which other sports are also expected to benefit.
“At FanDuel Canada, we recognize the critical role athlete education plays in maintaining sports integrity,” said Dale Hooper, General Manager of FanDuel Canada. “We are thrilled to expand our engagement with IBIA through this new partnership helping to build a curriculum that will help athletes understand their role in protecting sport.”
Joachim Bjerg of Betway stated: “We’re very proud to partner and support IBIA and the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada that will design, create and implement a bespoke course that will further enhance Betway’s global commitment to educating players and staff involved in sport.
“As a responsible regulated betting operator, we see our role in this sector imperative to safeguarding the integrity of sports and we very much look forward to working with IBIA on this exciting and important initiative.”
Jean-Francois Reymond, IBIA’s Education Ambassador, who will work with the PFA Canada trainers on the May launch, said: “We look forward to working with PFA Canada to further protect the Canadian Premier League from the threat of sports-betting related match-fixing. Protecting the integrity of sport means protecting the integrity of athletes. Most often through a lack of awareness, it is the athletes who are risking their careers and livelihoods. IBIA’s objective is to help build a best-in-class program for all athletes that serves to protect the integrity of Canadian sport and the careers of Canada’s athletes.”
IBIA’s sports-integrity education program is a global offering, alongside IBIA’s not-for-profit model for sharing data on suspicious sporting events with sports regulators and law enforcement, player education can significantly reduce the threat of sports betting related match-fixing. In 2024, IBIA has already trained athletes at the EUBC’s European Boxing Championships in Serbia and is in active discussion with sports governing bodies in Canada and several other jurisdictions to ensure that as many athletes as possible can benefit from sports integrity education. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more.
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