Baroness Twycross Commits to White Paper Reforms
In her first speech since taking on the U.K.’s minister for gambling role in July, Baroness Twycross has committed to the previous government’s gambling white paper reforms. She also noted the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) is investigating white label operators’ deals with U.K. football clubs.
This follows news that Leicester City FC sponsor and Curaçao-licensed operator BC Game was deemed bankrupt in November by Curaçao’s Court of First Instance.
The UKGC is seeking to gather evidence of these offshore operators’ prevalence in sports advertising and the impact their ads are having.
“If further action is needed, we will take it,” she warned.
The speech was made at GambleAware’s annual conference on Dec. 4 and laid out several areas of focus which the department for culture, media and sports will champion. These include ensuring free-to-play lottery draws are sufficiently protecting players and adjusting online slot game designs to reduce play intensity.
ATG Q3 Report: Illegal Site Visits 10 Times Higher in Sweden Than 2019
New data from Swedish horseracing monopoly AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) shows traffic to unlicensed gambling sites in the country has increased tenfold since 2019. Sweden’s channelization rate was likely between 70 percent and 82 percent in Q3, it said.
Published on Dec. 4, the report’s data is higher than its 68 percent to 81 percent range in Q3 last year. Even the upper end of this range undercuts the 86 percent recently stated by Spelinspektionen in an October report.
The operator said the rate looks to be stabilizing. However, the new data suggests visitor traffic to unlicensed domains in Sweden has increased tenfold since 2019. This, ATG said, has had a significant impact on channelization across sports betting and online casino.
ATG CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth hit out at the Swedish government for its “unreasonable” demands of licensed operators. He said regulations are proving “counterproductive” and allowing the illegal market to grow.
Betsson’s BML Group Returns to Finland’s Payments Blacklist
Betsson’s BML Group subsidiary has been re-added to the Finnish National Police Board’s payments blacklist, meaning all payments between its brands and players will be prohibited.
The operator has reappeared as the only name on an updated payments blacklist published on Nov. 28. Finland introduced the blacklist in 2022 as part of the country’s Lotteries Act regulation. Then the measure came into effect from 2023.
A Police Board report dated April 20, 2024 said the regulation sought to limit “the accessibility of gambling offers outside the regulation of the Lotteries Act, to the extent that the offer is marketed in violation of the Lotteries Act.”
BML’s case dates back to May 2023 when it was found to have targeted Finnish players via marketing and advertising campaigns in violation of the Lotteries Act. The court fined BML Group $2.6 million and banned it from marketing its gambling services.
It was subsequently blacklisted in February. However, it appealed the ruling in Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court but lost its case. According to the updated list, BML will stay blacklisted until October 19, 2025.
Payment blocking is one of few measures proving effective against illegal gambling operators in Europe. Germany has successfully banned a number of payments providers from operating after they were found to be in business with illegal domains.
KSA Probe Finds Dutch Licensees Breached Youth Betting Rules
Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued warnings to several licensed operators after they were found to have breached regulations by offering betting on youth and amateur sports events.
Announced on Dec. 4, seven Dutch licensees permitted betting on events where competitors were under the age of 21. Licensed operators in the country may only take bets on events where all players are at least 21.
KSA also discovered two licensees were offering prohibited bet types. These include betting on certain players to receive a red or yellow card, or total corners in a football match.
The regulator said all breaches took place during the 2023-24 football season. However, it did not disclose which operators breached the rules, nor the events or matches where the betting was permitted.
KSA contacted all licensees involved and ordered them to stop offering this type of betting to Dutch players. The regulator also warned other operators running these bets must notify the KSA of their error or face further action.
