Wire EMEA
Kyrgyzstan Reverses Gambling Ban
Te Kyrgyz parliament voted in June to reverse its gambling ban, backing legislation that will allow casino, sports betting and igaming for foreigners.
Passed by the legislature, the bill awaits the signature of president, Sadyr Japarov. If the bill is signed into law, it will come into force six months after its publication.
KRYGYZSTAN LEGISLATION
CYPRUS – City of Dreams Mediterranean, Cyprus’ first integrated resort (IR) and the largest in Europe and the wider region, is bringing to Cyprus the prestigious European Dealer Championship next year. As Europe’s longest-running competition of its kind, participants from across the continent will display their skills in the ‘art of dealing’ at City of Dreams Mediterranean in June 2023.
Organised by the European Casino Association (ECA), the 15th edition of the championship will be hosted in Europe’s upcoming integrated resort, overlookingthe Mediterranean Sea.
Attendees will have the opportunity to see croupiers display their talents in the most popular games of American Roulette and Blackjack, as well as those who have mastered chipping, card handling, cutting chips, pushing stacks, and mathematics.
MALTA – Malta has officially had its grey-list status removed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Mediterranean island was put on the FATF list in 2021 for having “weak measures” as regards to money laundering and financial crime safeguards.
As the home to hundreds of online gambling companies, Malta won the dubious honour of being the first EU member state to find itself with th grey- list label, instigating special measures and enhanced international scrutiny and monitoring by the FATF for suspected fiscal irregularities.
In June, a vote by the 37 jurisdictions and two regional organisations, the European Commission and the Gulf Cooperation Council, who make up FATF, Malta’s action plan to strengthen its anti- money laundering and funding of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework was deemed acceptable.
However, those gathered subsequently found another territory wanting, placing Gibraltar on the grey-list, swapping one Mediterranean online hub for another.
FRANCE – Française des Jeux (FDJ), the operator of France’s national lottery games, generated a turnover of €2.256bn in 2021, up 17.5 per cent year on year. The second European and fourth world lottery generated group EBITDA of €522m, up 22.3 from 2020 with net profit of €294m, up 37.6 per cent compared to the previous year.
“The Group has returned to its pre-health crisis growth trajectory,” said Stéphane Pallez, Chairman and CEO of the group. “All our financial indicators have improved, compared to 2020 of course, but also and above all compared to 2019. We have thus been able to erase the impact of the crisis and come out of it stronger.”
P16 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
A bill legalising casinos for foreigners in Kyrgyzstan passed its second and third readings at the Kyrgyz parliament on June 22. Te bill “On Gambling in the Kyrgyz Republic” legalises a wide range of forms of gambling, including: casinos, slot halls, retail bookmakers, computer simulators, interactive facilities and e-casinos.
Te law reverses a ban on gambling activities in Krygyzstan which was imposed upon casinos in 2012, which was expanded in 2015 to include all types of gaming activity in the country.
Te new gambling act dictates that only foreigners over 21 years old can will be allowed to gamble, meaning that the 6.5 million Kyrgyzstan citizens won’t be allowed to play.
What’s surprising about the gambling bill is that the Ministry of Economy plans to charge operators five per cent of GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) without paying other taxes. Tis is one of the lowest tax rates among countries with a developed system of gambling regulation. Tough it will be necessary setup a ‘reserve fund,’ the size of which depends on the location of the institution. It is proposed that a gambling licence will be valid for 10 years. Casinos located in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek must have at least 10 gaming tables, while those elsewhere must have at least five. Slot halls must contain at least 30 machines. Use of credit cards and loans to gamble is prohibited, except for playing land- based slots.
Slot machines must also have a return to player (RTP) of at least 75 per cent.
In April 2021, deputies Baktybek Turusbekovand Dastanbek Dzhumabekov developed and submitted to parliament draft law on opening a casino in Issyk-Kul region. Later, the document was withdrawn, but then the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Zhaparov, supported the initiative and proposed to open a casino throughout the republic.
What’s strange about the bill is that provisions have been defined to regulate the land-based gambling business, without explicitly regulating the features of online operations, though online casinos are part of the legislation.
In the case of advertising, the bill proposes to lift the ban on gambling advertising, as this industry becomes regulated. No other special restrictions are implied. So, the general provisions of advertising legislation will apply to the gambling business without any special restrictions. Subjects of gambling activity are legal entities, including foreign ones, registered according to the established order and carrying out gambling activity, independently organising and carrying out their activity within the competence and rights established by the law and the current legislation. Only legal entities in the form of a limited liability company or a closed joint-stock company have the right to engage in gambling activities.
Holland Compodis partners with TransAct Technologies
Compodis, a Dutch-based components distributor has entered into a strategic non- exclusive relationship with TransAct Technologies. Te relationship will see the companies dedicate joint sales and marketing efforts to better support customers across Europe.
During a difficult time for the electronics component industry, TransAct has managed to rapidly ramp up production to pre- pandemic levels to meet the unprecedented demand we are seeing today as the gaming industry springs back to life. Te partnership will help support these efforts by boosting its sales network in Europe.
Te TransAct products will complement Compodis’ components portfolio and create an opportunity for them to offer even more comprehensive, high- quality bundles to their clients. As they are also extremely flexible, they will be able stock and supply small-volume, short lead time orders for clients across Europe. Tey will offer the full range of TransAct gaming printers: Epic Edge, Epic 950, Epic Edge TT and the Epic 888 Roll printer.
Compodis are a one-stop solution provider in the segment of components with a wide network of customers with whom they have formed strong and strategic relationships.
Netherlands
TCSJohnHuxley, will be celebrating a number of landmarks at the forthcoming iGB Live! show. Not only will the gaming brand be making its show debut, but it will also constitute its first appearance at a European-based in-person event since the pandemic. Nicci Smith, MD UK/Europe confirmed: “As the online market has evolved, our iGaming offering has developed and grown in importance, now constituting a substantial part of our business. We feel this is the perfect time to showcase our innovative products, allowing us to meet the on-line industry at a dedicated event.”
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