Public Gaming International November/December 2021

50 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 P U L S E and to provide services within the Union in particular with regard to online gambling and betting services. ... []” The specific reference to “in particular with regard to online gambling and betting services” wrongly implies that national regulations on illegal content in the gambling sector are often not in compliance with the EU law. Whereas there are definitely restrictions on the freedom to provide online gambling services in most Member States, these national laws aim to combat crime and fraud and to protect consumers in a manner that meets the requirements as set out in the caselaw of the Court of Justice of the EU. Arjan van ‘t Veer, EL Secretary General states: “The explicit mention of online gambling and betting services in this particular context is misplaced and should therefore be deleted. It fails to take into account all the relevant case-law of the Court of Justice of the EU and the very nuanced approach to the gambling sector due to its peculiar nature. The Court clearly confirmed on several occasions that restrictions in the gambling sector are justified for reasons of public order, public security, public health, as well as for the overriding reasons in the public interest, such as consumer protection, combating fraud, crime or squandering of money. Failing to recognise this means risking increased activities of illegal gambling operators, damaging individuals and society as a whole. EL therefore urges to exclude the explicit mention of online gambling and betting services from the Digital Services Act in the context of freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services.” In its original proposal, the European Commission underlined that the DSA would be without prejudice to the e-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC) and that it builds on the provisions laid down therein. This implies that the clear exclusion of the gambling activities as stipulated in the e-Commerce Directive would continue to apply under the DSA, too. It is therefore very unclear why “online gambling and betting services” would have an explicit mention in recital 29 of the final text of the DSA concerning the application of the free movement principles, especially when no other sector is mentioned. The upcoming Digital Services Act (DSA) as proposed by the European Commission aims to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected and marks a milestone update in the regulation of Internet in the EU. Pressure grows to ban betting on the Lotto in Ireland Irish bookies have been taking bets on National Lottery draws for 30 years, but a new bill proposes to outlaw such activities. Ladbrokes Coral Bilked Out of £600K by UK Gang Using Laminated Banknotes The court heard the scam involved the gang covering £20 and £50 notes in plastic before entering them into self-service kiosks to register bets. Then they used a plastic cord attached to the banknote to yank it out of the machine. According to prosecutors, his modus operandi was to “befriend and confuse” staff in betting shops before using sleight of hand techniques to produce winning betting slips after a race had run. New Scientific Games Technology Modernizes Germany's LOTTO Hessen The Company will launch its new SYMPHONYTM gaming systems technology, migrating the AEGIS® gaming system it currently provides. Scientific Games will serve LOTTO Hessen with software support from its tech facility in Vienna, Austria. LOTTOHessen is the third lottery in Europe to modernize with SYMPHONY in the last year. This advanced system developed by Scientific Games supports new game entertainment and new distribution channels with a secure, open interface that easily and quickly integrates third- party solutions and content. The Lottery's goal is to expand online channels and introduce new gaming verticals partnering with leading companies in the industry. In the first phase of the modernization plan, Scientific Games' OGS Open Gaming™ system will connect to LOTTO Hessen's internet system to give players throughout Germany access to a world-class online gaming experience directly via the Lottery's website, in accordance with the regulatory framework. Inspired Entertainment signs multi-market online virtual sports contract with NOVIBET Starting with the Greek market, Inspired’s Virtual Sports are now hosted in a dedicated section on novibet.gr , offering to players customized and localized Virtual Sports options on a 24/7/365 basis. Inspired Entertainment launches two new exciting virtual games with Eurobet in Italy OPAP Launches Inspireds Award Winning Virtuals Online UK National Lottery bidders head for the final draw Bids for the Fourth National Lottery licence, which runs for up to 10 years from 2024, were submitted late on Friday evening. Rothschild, the investment bank advising the regulator the Gambling Commission, will host bidders' final presentations. Ukrainian regulator publishes stance on unlicensed operators KRAIL has published its guidelines for dealing with unlicensed operators operating in Ukraine. KRAIL’s policy states that it will contact website owners by email to give unlicensed gaming businesses three working days to stop operating. If the operator does not comply, KRAIL will write to the hosting server, which must order the operator to stop its operations. The regulator will be able to publicly blacklist offending operators and name them on its own website. Following that, further non-compliance will result in the matter being passed to law enforcement. Sweden’s Svenska Spel posts 7% rise in revenue for Q3 2021 as business returns to normal Italian gaming group Sisal files for IPO on Milan Stock Exchange The Gaming Authority (Ksa) has imposed a fine of 531,250 euros on the Malta-based Tipico Co. Ltd. for illegally offering online games of chance to Dutch consumers. The online games of chance were offered via the website tipico.com. A penalty of 200,000 euros applies for this violation. The fine has been increased 3 times by 75,000 euros: once for the bonuses on offer and the large number of games and bets on offer, once for using an inactivity fee and once for offering live betting. This form of betting carries a higher addiction risk than bets that can only be made before the start of matches. Furthermore, the fine has been increased because the age of the players was not visibly verified. Tipico's website can no longer be reached with a Dutch IP address. Legalization of online gambling Czech billionaire Karel Komarek’s Sazka gambling group spends nearly £ 9 million bidding on the UK national lottery Jumbo Interactive sets sights on UK expansion with senior hire Nigel Atkinson as UK general manager Totalizator Sportowy, Poland’s National Lottery, Successfully Launches e-Instants Localised game content, marketing partnership, and leading practices for digital-product promotion came together in Totalizator Sportowy’s successful launch of e-Instants with partner IGT. After just a short time, the Lottery’s interactive channel is producing 8-9% of sales every month, and players in Poland are enjoying a growing library of fun and interactive games, known as “gierki.” Watch the successful eInstants launch with Totalizator Sportowy!