EMEA
British MPs call for £2 limit on online slots
FINLAND – Finland’s gambling monopoly, Veikkaus has revealed plans to nearly halve the number of slots machines it operates at kiosks, supermarkets, and service stations within the next five years amid criticism over weak social responsibility policies.
Veikkaus currently operates 18,500 slot machines around Finland. The company’s management said, during a press conference held in November, that it would remove roughly 3,500 gaming devices next year and another 4,500 over the course of the next five years. It will thus have around 10,500 slot machines by the end of that period.
Veikkaus officials also said that the operator will look to implement a required identification verification technology across its gambling devices by 2021, a year earlier than previously expected. The technology will, among other things, enable players to ban themselves from gambling on slot machines temporarily or permanently.
Veikkaus CEO Olli Sarekoski said that the mandatory authentication will be rolled out across the operator’s other products, excluding scratch cards, by 2023. The official also noted that the planned changes across their slot machines will reduce Veikkaus’ annual profit by €150-200 million. The gambling operator previously revealed plans to reduce the number of its slot machines across Finland by around 3,000 to 15,500.
The decision by Veikkaus follows in the wake of a disasterous advertising campaign during the summer in which a radio ad featured a therapist encouraging her patients to satisfy their gambling needs on the racetrack or on the Veikkaus website. The ad was quickly pulled, but not before widespread condemnation and public outcry.
GERMANY – Spirit Gaming has signed up three additional casinos to its Moniko TITO tickets with Casino Mainz, Casino Trier and Casino Bad Ems.
Spirit Gaming is the exclusive distributor for Moniko in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and The Netherlands. The partnership was only sealed back in February at the ICE and already casinos in Germany are seeing the benefits of making use of Moniko TITO tickets.
Moniko places great emphasis on providing future- proof, environmentally friendly thermopaper. The TITO paper from Moniko is phenol free. Phenol is a hazardous substance that can cause skin damage. The EU has recognised the negative effects of phenol and passed a regulation in December 2017 to ban phenol from thermopaper from 2020 onwards.
P22 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
Te Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group has called for stake and deposits limits to be introduced on online gambling products
Te Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report follows a six- month inquiry into the harms caused by online gambling. Te inquiry was launched following growing disquiet among parliamentarians, charities, academics, families and individuals, at the high levels of harm caused by online gambling. Te report raises concerns about the lack of action from the Government and the Gambling Commission to effectively address the harms caused by the online gambling sector.
Te report also highlights the disparity in content controls and stake and deposit limits between online and offline games. It notes that the Government has accepted the principle that harm can be reduced by reducing staking levels and it is clear that stake and deposit limits are needed in the online world to limit harm. Te cross-party group argue that there is no
Belarus
Amatic Industries is the first company to receive official certification for its online games for the online market in Belarus, which was legalised in April this year. Amatic has rapidly expanded into the online gaming market and has partnered with N-Serve to launch the most popular Amatic games straight from the casino floor to be played and enjoyed online anywhere and anytime. All games are offered in HTML5 format, which allows them to be played on all desktop as well as on mobile devices of multiple platforms. Tatjana Bauer-Engstberger, Online Gaming Manager at Amatic Industries, said: "Amatic online games are being enjoyed in more and more jurisdictions. We have excellent testimonies from online casino operators around the world. Our games are now available to such operators in Belarus. We look forward to a successful cooperation. Tis business is being managed by our partner N-Serve.”
justification for having slot machine style games online with staking levels above £2, in line with land based venues.
Te report further notes that the Gambling Commission is looking at other aspects of regulation, but has made no mention of what is one of the key issues to address – stake and prizes online. As such, the Parliamentarians have raised concerns that the Gambling Commission is not fit for purpose.
Te group calls on online gambling operators to sign its ‘Charter for Regulatory Reform’, to signal their intention and support for the policy proposals and recommendations, outlined in its report. Te key recommendation of the report are that the Government should urgently introduce new gambling legislation with a focus on harm prevention.
Barcelona first Spanish city to block betting expansion
Spain
Barcelona has become the first Spanish city to prohibit the opening of gambling venues in order to curb gambling addiction. Te announcement was made by the second mayor deputy Janet Sanz, on the same day the measure was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona and entered into force. Te ban will last a year during which time the City Council will write up a new plan of action when it comes to regulating the industry.
Te new law aims to decrease gambling outlets in Barcelona of which there are 53 in all –35 slot parlours, 17 bingos and a casino. Te restriction means that when a gambling establishment is closed another may not reopen to replace it and that the distance separating them from health and educational centres must be greater than 100 meters, which is the limit currently set out by the Government of Catalonia. With this second measure, some of the current premises will become "irregular" according to municipal regulations, said Sanz, who has asked the Government of Catalonia to align with city hall and “allow them to close.”
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