Compliance Updates
US Supreme Court Refuses to Take Up Challenge to Florida Online Sports Betting Compact
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up a challenge to an agreement that gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to handle online sports betting in Florida, dealing a blow to the deal’s opponents.
The nation’s highest court denied a petition from opponents of the compact, which promises to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars for the tribe and the state.
The decision was the latest setback for West Flagler Associates and the Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., which operate racetracks and poker rooms in Florida. In March, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the companies had filed the wrong type of petition to challenge the 2021 compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
“What’s important with today’s announcement is that the most significant barrier to online sports betting in Florida has been removed,” said Daniel Wallach, a South Florida attorney and sports betting law expert who had filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to either take up the case or reverse it outright.
The companies say the compact gives the tribe a sports betting monopoly in the nation’s third-most populous state and that the U.S. Department of Interior wrongly approved the compact even though it violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which requires that gambling occur on tribal lands.
The plaintiffs questioned whether online sports bets that can be placed from anywhere in Florida could be considered to be on tribal land when only the computer servers that host the betting services are located there.
They said DeSantis and the Legislature, which approved the compact, improperly exceeded their powers by authorizing sports betting off tribal lands.
In their state court challenge, they argued that the deal creates a backdoor way out of a requirement, passed by voters in 2018 as an amendment to the Florida Constitution, that a citizens initiative is needed to expand casino gambling outside of tribal land. The tribe has argued that the Legislature has the authority to decide where online gambling is initiated and that the amendment doesn’t change that.
Attorneys for DeSantis and the legislative leaders have said that sports betting is different from casino gambling and therefore isn’t prohibited by the amendment.
The tribe launched its online sports betting operation late last year, and Florida’s share of revenues is already $357 million from last December through May. State economic forecasters predict that the revenue sharing from tribal gambling could total $4.4 billion through the end of this decade.
The decision by the Supreme Court “means members of the Seminole Tribe and all Floridians can count on a bright future made possible by the Compact,” the tribe said in a statement.
Monday’s decision could encourage other tribes to follow the same path to operate online gambling, Wallach said.
“Tribes in other states stand to benefit from this decision because now they have a clear roadmap that has cleared judicial review. I would expect to see efforts ramped up in other states,” Wallach said.
The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has for the first time imposed a fine of €734,000 on one of its licensees because the company failed to adequately protect young adults against excessive gambling and gambling addiction.
Gambling companies have a duty of care and must protect players as much as possible against excessive gambling and gambling addiction. According to the KSA, the provider in question has not sufficiently complied with this duty of care and will be fined for this.
The KSA started an investigation after signals about large losses suffered by young adults. In this investigation, a selection of 10 of the player files with the largest losses were examined at the provider, whereby violations were found in all files. These were young adult players (18 to 23 years old) who gambled away tens of thousands of euros in often a relatively short period of time.
Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the board of the KSA, said: “We have a licensed gambling market based on the idea that anyone who wants to gamble can do so safely. That is why providers have a duty of care towards their players and must respond adequately to excessive gaming. Major losses are an important signal of that. We have intensified our supervision of the online duty of care and we take tough action against violations such as those we find here, because we really do not want to see providers continue to fail in their duty of care, especially for vulnerable young players.”
The post KSA: Fine of €734,000 Imposed for Breach of Duty of Care appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aviatrix has received certification to offer its award-winning crash game to operators in Estonia.
It marks the latest regulated market that Aviatrix has entered into, with the game already live in the country with leading brand FenixBet.
Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “Securing certification in Estonia is another exciting step forward for Aviatrix as we continue to expand into regulated markets. We’re thrilled to already be live with FenixBet and look forward to delivering our innovative crash game experience to even more players in the country.”
Aviatrix has added a host of regulated markets over recent months, including Spain, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.
It underlines the team’s commitment to bringing the game to players around the world.
Aviatrix is a constantly evolving game, with regular feature updates for partners, including the recent launch of free bets, now available through in-game promo codes.
The post Aviatrix granted certification in Estonia appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Playbook Fusion has been awarded a supplier licence from the UK Gambling Commission, granting it access to one of the most significant online betting markets in the world.
The approval means Playbook Fusion can offer its flagship Playbook Football™ title to UK-licensed operators for the first time, building yet more momentum behind the rising star studio.
Playbook Fusion made its debut in June 2024 with a mission to bring never-seen-before sports gaming content to the market.
This is done by enabling the worlds of sports betting and mobile/video gaming to collide in an entirely new genre of immersive sports-themed games.
Playbook Fusion’s unique wagering experience is showcased through Playbook Football™, a football strategy betting game where players build their own teams, compete in matches, earn rewards and climb divisions while placing bets.
UK operators who have an RGS integration with Games Global will be able to get first access to Playbook Football™.
Steve Rogers, Founder and CEO of Playbook Fusion, said: “Securing our licence from the UK Gambling Commission is a key moment for Playbook Fusion, granting us access to one of the most established online gambling markets in the world.
“Being able to satisfy the stringent criteria set out by the UKGC is a testament to the strength of the team which we have built at Playbook Fusion and, to achieve this milestone within such a short time period, is an accomplishment that we’re incredibly proud of. “
The post Playbook Fusion secures UK Gambling Commission licence appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Press Releases4 weeks agoGraffiti Rush marks PG Soft’s debut in graffiti-themed slots
-
Latin America3 weeks ago
Paysecure expands reach across LATAM, showcasing solutions at SIGMA Americas
-
Amusnet3 weeks ago
Amusnet to Participate in the Third Edition of SiGMA Americas
-
Africa3 weeks ago
Springbok Casino is Offering 25 Free Spins in Honour of South Africa’s Top 5 Wild Egg Hunters
-
Balkans4 weeks ago
7777 gaming partners with LiveScore to elevate its new operations in Bulgaria
-
Baltics2 weeks ago
Playson powers ahead in Europe with Fenikss partnership
-
Central Europe3 weeks ago
Digitain Partners with Gamingtec to Expand Presence in Europe
-
AGCO3 weeks ago
AGCO issues $110,000 in penalties to BetMGM Canada for offering cash to induce new gambling customers
