Twycross Confirms Launch for U.K. Statutory Levy and Online Slots Stakes
The U.K. gambling sector’s statutory levy will come into force on April 6, gambling minister Baroness Twycross told the audience at the Betting & Gaming Council’s (BGC) AGM on Feb. 27. Online slot stakes will also come into force in April and May, she said.
The levy, first announced in November, supports the government’s plans to raise $126 million for gambling-related harm prevention via a percentage of industry stakeholder profits.
The rate paid by each business will range from 0.1 percent to 1.1 percent of gross gambling yield (GGY).
Twycross told members of the BGC that operators will be required to make their first levy payment on Oct. 1. “It’s a huge step forward for the sector,” she noted.
“It will see increased investment to expand projects and services to reduce harmful gambling. I know we have a shared aim in this area.”
The levy, she said, had been affirmed by both parliamentary houses and became law Feb. 25.
Elsewhere, she told the AGM the $6.31 and $2.52 stake limits on online slots will come into effect as of April 9 and May 21, respectively.
Romanian Regulator’s Failures May Have Cost $1 Billion
Romania’s gambling regulator’s failures may have cost the country almost $1 billion in revenue according to a scathing report issued by the government auditor on Feb. 21.
The country’s Court of Auditors has accused the National Office for Gambling (ONJN) of not meeting its statutory duty to monitor and control online gambling operator activity since its formation in 2013.
The auditor said it is considering notifying Romania’s criminal prosecution bodies of these failings. This is primarily due to the ONJN not enforcing a legal requirement for it to have remote access to all licensed operators’ systems.
This, the report said, led to potential errors in the amount of money collected in authorization fees, in particular because of a discrepancy in taxation compared to actual RTP (return to player) levels. The ONJN never investigated the implications of the lowering of RTP requirements in Malta, where most of Romania’s operators are registered, in 2021.
German State Approves Online Casino Games
Politicians in Stuttgart have approved the regulation of certain online casino games in the German state of Baden-Württemberg this month.
The German Interstate Treaty on Gambling came into force in 2021. As well as legalizing online slots and sports betting, which had previously been prohibited in Germany, it also allowed states to pen their own regulation for virtual casinos with table games.
Baden-Württemberg has used its option in the treaty to open up state-run online casino games such as blackjack and roulette in its territory. Following on from Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein in 2024, the southwestern state will become the third to regulate these games in Germany.
“It can be assumed that otherwise people living in Baden-Württemberg will continue to play with illegal providers who do not comply with the necessary measures to protect players,” the legislative bill states.
Sweden’s Gambling Act Review Won’t Solve Channelization Problem
Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary general for the Swedish gambling trade body BOS, believes the review of its gambling regulations is unlikely to solve the issue of a dropping channelization rate in the country.
“This is yet another repressive measure [from the government],”Hoffstedt told iGB in response to the Gambling Act review announced on Feb. 20. “What is even more important is liberalizing the licensed market to make it more attractive to consumers.”
Sweden’s government announced the review of its Gambling Act to tackle the growing threat of illegal gambling sites. The investigation will run until September.
But the BOS chief believes the review will likely result in further restrictive measures for the legal market. He expects the full review and any change to legislation to come into force before the next general election in Sweden in September 2026.
Both BOS and monopoly horseracing operator ATG have estimated Sweden’s channelization rate is around 77 percent currently.
