Overview of Worldwide Gambling Regulations for April 2023

April seems to have been quite a busy month for the global online casino industry as it was marked with multiple noteworthy changes. Chile and Brazil updated their respective taxation systems, while Denmark and the Netherlands leveled up their responsible gambling and player protection measures.

Speaking of, The American Gaming Association (AGA) updated its Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering. As per the new rules, the use of the term “risk-free” and college partnerships are prohibited. On top of that, person under the age of 21 cannot participate in gambling advertisements.

Let’s take a closer look at the most recent updates in US states, and retrospect all the changes that took place in Europe and the rest of the world!

Newest Updates from California, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Vermont

In California, where the Assembly passed legislation to place a new 20-year moratorium on new cardrooms opening in the state. As per bill AB 341, existing cardrooms that operate up to 20 gaming tables would have permission to add a maximum of 10 new tables over the 20-year period. Other cardrooms add two new tables in the first year and two more every four years afterwards. The bill progressed to the Senate for consideration

As for Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear signed HB 594 to specifically ban the operation of any coin-operated amusement machines that incorporate any element of chance and offer any prizes of value.

In addition to this…

…he signed HB 551, a bill that permits retail and online betting, giving approvals to nine racetracks to gain licenses and operate retail betting and online betting via three skins. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will oversee the industry and the tax rates were set at 9.75% of gross win for retail and 14.25% for online betting.

North Carolina and Vermont had their respective sports betting bills (HB 347 and HB127) approved by the House and forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

Insights from Rhode Island, Kansas, Missouri, and New Hampshire

Rhode Island approved legislation to allow betting on college sports events that involve Rhode Island collegiate teams or any collegiate events that take place in the state and submitted it to the House for consideration.

Kansas came up with legislation to permit the state’s tribes to offer retail and online sports betting beyond their reservation boundaries, whereas the State Lottery of Connecticut is in search of a new partner to manage its sports betting business, as it terminated the partnership with Rush Street Interactive.

Missouri’s bill to regulate retail and online sports betting, HB 556, was approved by the House and progressed to the Senate for consideration. New Hampshire’s legislation to permit online casino table gaming in the state (SB104) received Senate’s approval, after which it progressed to the House for consideration.

Not the Brightest Month for Georgia, Oklahoma, and Maryland

On the other hand, Georgia won’t welcome sports betting any time soon, as the legislation to authorize and regulate retail and online sports betting in the state did not receive the support of the Senate. The same happened to Oklahoma’s bill for retail and online sports betting (HB 1027), as it wasn’t passed by the legislative deadline.

Furthermore, Maryland will have to wait a bit more to have online casino gaming introduced, as the bill which was supposed to approve this activity (SB 267) didn’t pass the Senate by the crossover deadline. Senator Watson, who went live with this proposal, noted that he intends to conduct a study on gambling regulation over the summer, before presenting the legislation again in the next session.

Highlights from Europe

As far as the Government of the Netherlands confirmed, it is expected that new restrictions on untargeted ads, which include a ban on gambling advertisements on radio, television in print, or in public spaces, will take effect on July 1, 2023, at the latest. These changes were supposed to come into force on January 1 this year but some delays in the Council of State postponed it.

Finland considers ending the current country’s gambling monopoly…

…and replacing it with the commercial multi-licensed system. It was noted that if the Government is interested in maintaining the monopoly, it should be granted the power to block uncertified gambling platforms and payments.

Ensuring a high level of player protection in all fields, the Ministry of Taxation in Denmark made a decision to align land-based Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering requirements with those in place for the interactive gambling market. Scheduled to become effective on October 1, 2023, the new rules bring mandatory loss limits, the ban on sending promotional material to self-excluded players, and activity tracking, among all others.

South America Overview

Colombia expanded the selection of games by giving approval for operating instant win lottery games online. Meanwhile, Chile and Brazil made some significant changes with regard to taxation.

Chile’s Internal Revenue Service imposed regulations to tax players’ online gambling earnings. Starting April 1, 2023, citizens who gain profits or capital increases by taking part in online gambling activities are required to declare gambling as income.

As for Brazil, the special adviser to the executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance confirmed that the tax rate on sports betting will amount to 15%, whereas bettors themselves would have to pay 30% as a part of players’ income tax returns.

The Rest of the World

After numerous ups and downs, The Government of Japan greenlighted Osaka’s integrated resort plan which proposed a $9bn development by MGM Resorts and ORIX-Corp. The resort is expected to open in 2029.

In India, the State of Tamil Nadu enacted legislation to prohibit all forms of online gambling, including games of skill. The Government also began investigating operators that had been targeting players in the State.

Meanwhile, in AU, the Victorian Government ordered the Crown Melbourne Casino to implement time limits on customers' gambling. Players who have gambled for 3 hours will be required to take a mandatory break of 15 minutes, whereas those who’ve gambled for 12 hours need to pause for 24 hours. Also, the weekly gambling limit is set at 36 hours.

Source:

H2 Gambling Capital, April 2023