Kambi Group signs deal with Stanleybet Romania

Kambi Group plc has signed a deal with Romanian operator Stanleybet Romania to provide its Sportsbook across the company's online and retail channels

MMCT faces hurdle for its casino in Connecticut

The Attorney General has warned the tribes not to develop their East Windsor casino before getting federal regulatory approval.

The post MMCT faces hurdle for its casino in Connecticut appeared first on Focus Gaming News.

Four out of Ten Loot Boxes Violate Dutch Gambling Law, Local Regulator Finds

Four out of ten loot boxes in video games were found to be violating the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act (Wet op de kansspelen), the local gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit, said in a report on the matter.

The gambling regulator pointed out that loot boxes incorporate elements of games of chance into games that are generally based on skill, which makes their nature highly controversial. Loot boxes, also known as loot crates, are purchasable in-game items that contain further items, some of which could be of great value and help to players, while others could only represent simple customization options. The contents of a given loot box only become known to a player after they complete the purchase.

Kansspelautoriteit said in its study that some of the items in the loot boxes could be traded outside of a game. In other words, such items have a monetary value. However, under the Netherlands’ Betting and Gaming Act, the promotion of games of chance and the distribution of items with a market value without the necessary license is strictly prohibited. It is also important to note that the Netherlands does not have a developed licensing system for the authorization of activities of this kind, which practically means that these are illegal.

Kansspelautoriteit further pointed out that six out of ten loot boxes probed into did not run afoul of existing gaming laws as they did not offer items with a monetary value.

The gambling regulator called on providers of video games with loot boxes to make sure that their offering complies with Dutch regulations. Kansspelautoriteit went on to say that it would be taking enforcement action against all violators of the gaming law from June 20, 2018.

Addiction Concerns

The Dutch gambling authority launched an investigation into the nature of loot boxes after the initial release of the Star Wars Battlefront II game and the subsequent wave of concerns that the in-game items constituted gambling to an extent and were promoting gambling activities among teenagers and other vulnerable groups of players.

Aside from the legal status of the loot boxes, Kansspelautoriteit also probed into whether these posed addiction risks to players. The regulator found out that all loot boxes it studied “could be addictive”. However, its study read that there were “no indications of loot boxes being opened on a large scale by problem players and/or addicted players”.

According to the regulator’s findings, loot boxes have moderate to high risk potential for addiction. The risk potential generally depends on the way loot boxes are offered. Kansspelautoriteit said that higher risk loot boxes act like slot machines as they offer transferable goods, players are able to open an unlimited number of loot boxes, and the “near-miss” effect is deployed. In terms of addiction potential, such loot boxes compare to blackjack or roulette, while loot boxes with a lower addiction risk potential are comparable with small-scale bingo.

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Cherry AB reports 104 revenue growth during FY2017

Nordic-focused online gaming provider, Cherry AB, has revealed year-on-year revenue growth of 104% during 2017

UK Lottery Sector Sees Significant Diversification, Says UKGC Executive Director

Today, the Lotteries Council gave the start to its two-day Annual Conference and Networking Event, with various exhibitors taking part.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) also became part of the Conference and its Executive Director Tim Miller gave a speech, addressing the event’s participants and praising the work done by the Lotteries Council.

Mr. Miller used the opportunity to highlight the relationship between lotteries and good causes, revealing that the demand for services provided by charity organizations and good causes has significantly risen over the last few years. The Executive Director of the Commission further reminded that lottery has been an essential source of income for various good causes which local communities take advantage of.

In his speech over one of the first speaker sessions at the Conference, Mr. Miller explained that lotteries and returns to good causes optimization has been one of the five key objectives included in the three-year Strategy which the UKGC published in November 2017. He further shared that the major gambling regulator in the UK remains focused on making sure that lotteries would be able to contribute to society through good causes donations.

Miller Brings More Light on UK Lottery Sector

According to Mr. Miller, optimizing returns to good causes from UK lotteries is a good starting point when it comes to the Commission’s intentions to ensuring a safe and transparent lottery sector. He confirmed that the gambling regulatory body intends to continue making efforts to provide lotteries with the chance to generate as much as possible for good causes.

The UKGC Executive Director also brought more light to the steps that the Commission plans to take in the future in order to optimize returns to good causes in society lotteries. In addition, he reminded that the main principle for running lotteries under the Gambling Act is that UK lotteries are aimed at raising money for good causes, rather than for any commercial gain. According to Mr. Miller, the fact that the proceeds gathered by local lotteries are redirected to various good causes aimed at helping communities is among the main motives for people to continue playing lotteries.

For the time being, approximately 500 society lotteries and 40 External Lottery Managers are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. As revealed by Mr. Miller, there has been a significant increase in the number of local authorities that promote lotteries in order to raise funds for a certain cause. Currently, a total of 30 local authorities have been granted with a UKGC license, with another 10 applying for one. In any case, the Executive Director of the UK gambling regulator confirmed that growth has been marked in the lottery sector of the UK.

Mr. Miller also emphasized on the fact that these days the country’s lottery sector has been diverse, especially considering the fact that customers are provided with the chance to take part in lotteries through various online applications, as well as through more traditional methods. He shared that the marketing in the sector has become more sophisticated, with special attention paid on the TV, social media and other online advertising methods.

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Second edition of Prague Gaming Summit sees growth

It has been three weeks since the second edition of the Prague Gaming Summit has come to an end and organizers of the event have announced noticeable growth for the conference. The Vienna House Prague hosted the event on March 29th, with tickets selling out, which led to organizers extend seating from the originally planned for […]

Pennsylvania casinos reach record 300m

Latest figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) show a record breaking $300m was raised by the states twelve casino’s during March