Final Recap for 2021

The time has come for another insightful report on trends and tendencies from land-based and online industries from all over the globe. Slightly less dynamic than November, December was marked with approvals for sports betting in multiple US states, among which Ohio and Virginia.

Meanwhile in Brazil, the dedicated group is working on legislation to provide a well-regulated framework for gambling activities. More than 10,000 kilometers away, Finland is reinforcing its player protection sector by implementing multiple measures, among which payment blocking systems.

Keep reading for more info!

Key Regulations from the United States

Following the District Courts' decision to deny its stay of the ruling request, the Seminole Tribe in Florida announced it had temporarily stopped taking bets via its Hard Rock Sports betting app. Maryland’s MGM National Harbor became the first casino to introduce sports betting in the state on December 9, 2021. A day later, Live! Casino and Horseshoe Casino Baltimore launched retail sportsbooks.

On December 15, 2021…

…Virginia welcomed online sportsbooks thanks to Colonial Downs and PointsBet agreement. Six days later, on December 21, 2021, BetMGM launched its retail sportsbook at the Emerald Queen Casino in Washington.

Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine signed HB29 into law to greenlight online and retail sports wagering. In addition to this, he granted 25 Class A licenses to the state’s casinos and permit one online skin. Should the Commission approve it, one more skin will be added. The tax rate was set at a flat rate of 10% of the gross win.

As for Illinois…

…the Chicago City Council lifted its ban on sports betting which enabled sportsbooks to be established at sports stadiums in the city. The Council imposed an additional 2% tax on sports wagering gross win from sportsbooks in the city.

Finally, the amendments to the tribal gaming’s compact signed between The State and the St Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin allow tribes to offer retail sports betting services at their land-based casinos in the state. As a small reminder, the Oneida Nation rolled out retail sports wagering at the Oneida Casino on November 30, 2021.

South and North America Overview

Uruguay is taking steps towards legalizing web-based gaming, as the executive branch submitted a bill to Parliament aiming to give the General Directorate of Casinos (DGC) permission to grant online casino licenses. Those permissions would be issued not only to operators of state-run venues but privately run companies as well.

Furthermore…

…Puerto Rico is making progress in the land-based sector, as the local Gaming Commission is planning to award three new casino approvals in the upcoming year. As stated, the facilities would be located in San Juan, Dorado, and Ponce.

Legislators in Córdoba Province in Argentina came up with a bill to regulate online gambling. If approved, the initiative would allow the Lottery of Córdoba to offer up to five approvals for a maximum of twenty years. Also, the legislators in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires suggested credit cards should be banned for online gambling. They also proposed a ban on advertising gambling via television, radio, and advertising boards.

In El Salvador, the Ministry of Finance presented a law to the Legislative Assembly which would give the National Lottery (Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia de El Salvador) the right to both supervise and manage sports betting and online casino games nationwide.

Before submitting it to the President of the Chamber of Deputies…

…the working group in Brazil presented the draft of Bill which aims to regulate the gaming industry. One of the suggestions is the establishment of the new federal regulatory body called SINAJ – The National Gaming and Betting System.

In addition to this, the draft indicates that gambling companies must have headquarters and offices in Brazil. Regarding the permitted activities, those would be the operation of casinos, bingo halls, sports betting, online gambling, skill games as well as street lottery “the animal game.” To limit gambling-related harm, the group suggested the creation of a national database of players.

Highlights from the Rest of the World

Let’s start with the Netherlands, where the Dutch gambling operators association (VNLOK) established a bonus cap of €250. Moreover, the Association banned 18-24-year-old clients from redeeming bonuses and stated it would not advertise bonuses on TV and radio.

Meanwhile in Finland…

…Parliament approved amendments to the Lottery Act which were initially scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2021. As soon as they become effective, the changes will ban gambling advertising for slot machines and put in place payment blocking measures for all illegal online gambling service providers.

Finally, the Ministry of Finance in the Republic of Georgia suggested legislation to increase online gambling tax, raise the minimum gambling age from 21 to 25 and ban gambling ads. As far as proposed, the tax would be inclined by 65-70% while all forms of gambling advertising except for sports team sponsorship would be prohibited. The Prime Minister supported the reforms.

Source:

H2 Gambling Capital, December 2021