Germany is making a new effort to adopt national sports betting legislation after similar attempts failed in recent years. Earlier this month, the third version of the Interstate Game Treaty was published and the top representatives of the 16 states of the country were invited to act on the piece so that it could be implemented throughout Germany at the beginning of next year.
The leaders of the 16 states will discuss the bill recently presented at a conference specially scheduled for March 21, 2019. If all German states ratify the proposed Interstate Gambling Treaty in its current form, the legislation will come into force on 1 January 2020
In general terms, the Treaty allows online sports betting operators and retailers interested to apply for a license and provide their services to German customers in a regulated environment. An important change in the new version of the legislation is the elimination of a maximum limit of the maximum licenses that will be issued according to the new rules. Previous versions of the Treaty proposed a limit of up to 20 licenses, which was not well received by those interested in the industry and the EU authorities.
In fact, the limit proposed above was what prevented the adoption of the legislation. Its original version was presented in 2012. The Treaty was faced with great discontent and multiple legal challenges, due to the limitations of the license. In 2017, a second version of the piece failed to gain sufficient support among the leaders of the 16 states.
It is expected that this time, the lack of a limit on the number of licenses available will get the support of the legislators.
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Parliament restricted gambling advertising on Tuesday. The texts were adopted unanimously at second reading with 198 votes in favour.
Advertising of gambling is prohibited in radio and television programmes, except for the broadcasting of the draws of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator and their announcement, in printed works and electronic media, including websites, on state-owned and municipal property and on sites licensed under this law.
It is allowed to advertise gambling on outdoor constructed billboard-type facilities located no less than 300 meters from educational institutions – schools, universities, kindergartens, community centers, playgrounds, etc.
Advertising of gambling is allowed on equipment, sports facilities, sports halls, stadiums and swimming pools, materials or products of sports federations, clubs, associations, and organizations, except on sports equipment, materials or products intended for use by minors.
Gambling with slot machines and in a gaming, casino will only be allowed in settlements with more than 10,000 inhabitants, giving operators a three-year period to bring their operations in line with the adopted changes.
The Municipality of Salerno, through a union ordinance, has established that for public gaming halls and betting halls (including bowling and bingo halls) with gaming as their exclusive or main activity, and in which access to minors is prohibited, the following timetable must be observed: from 10am to 2am.
For businesses - equipped with slot machines - with exclusive or prevalent activities other than gaming (bars, tobacconists, etc.), and in which access to minors is not prohibited, the machines may remain switched on during the following hours: from 9 am to 12.30 pm, and from 14.30 pm to 23 pm.
The ordinance does not apply to businesses that have installed exclusively gaming machines without cash prizes and in any case to machines without cash prizes installed outdoors inside public establishments.
The UK government has published its response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons observing sessions and consultations related to the Gambling Review.
Chaired by Dame Caroline Dinenage (MP), in December, the Committee published its ‘second report of sessions 2023-to-2024’ related to implementing changes and proposals outlined by the Gambling Review’s White Paper.
The remit saw the Committee underline the 17 overarching policy proposals of the White Paper to include “new protections for online gambling consumers; the creation of a statutory gambling levy to raise money for problem gambling research, prevention and treatment; the relaxation of certain restrictions of land-based gambling premises, as well as new powers for local authorities which licence them; and the creation of a non-statutory gambling ombudsman to adjudicate disputes between gambling companies and the customers relating to social responsibility failings.”
Further proposals include strengthening the Gambling Commission with new powers to tackle unlicensed online gambling, and a review of how the Commission’s fees are set and applied.
Observing the White Paper’s proceedings, the Committee detailed recommendations that “the government must set out a detailed timetable for the delivery of the White Paper’s proposals, including when relevant primary legislation will be introduced to Parliament.”
However, the government expressed its commitment to proceeding with the consultations on the White Paper swiftly and has highlighted the ongoing work to implement the proposed measures.
Work to date includes the three public consultations on key proposals from the White Paper related to new land-based gambling measures ,the design of the Statutory Levy for safer gambling, and new stake limits for online slots.
A representative of the Gibraltar Gaming Division specializing in sporting integrity issues has attended a high-level workshop jointly organized by the International Olympic Committee and UEFA at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was a seminar to optimize prevention regarding fraudulent sports betting and match-fixing.
The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) hosted a UEFA seminar on match-fixing at the Rock, which was also attended by representatives from the Gaming Division. Andrew Lyman, Gibraltar's Gambling Commissioner, highlighted: “Work on integrity in sport and engaging with parties interested in match-fixing is an important part of our work that often goes unnoticed.”
In the 22/23 season, the Gibraltar Gaming Division received 42 betting integrity reports from betting operators and 13 requests for assistance from the Olympic Movement Unit on Prevention of Manipulation of Sports Competitions. In addition, according to the Gibraltarian authorities, he participated in many communications to national and international sports governing bodies (including FIFA and UEFA), as well as in engagement with law enforcement.
Facua [The consumer association FACUA-Consumers in Action] has requested the Government to promote a modification of the Gaming Law and other laws that affect the matter in order, according to the association, to correct the inconsistencies that exist between them and that have led to the Supreme Court to annul several articles of the regulations implemented in 2020 to limit advertising of betting houses and their products.
The Supreme Court indicates that it is necessary to annul a series of articles, since there is no prior legal authorization that allows this rule to regulate certain issues, including limitations on attracting clients or the prohibition of advertising by famous people.
The association considers that, even though betting houses are dedicated to a legal activity, they are especially harmful to vulnerable groups such as minors or people with few resources, as well as users who already have gambling problems and that through the internet, they have direct and easy access to these betting platforms.
This Supreme Court ruling opens the door to a flood of betting house advertisements on social networks, media, or websites, also using famous people as a lure.
Facua points out in its statement that, although gambling is a legal activity that people of legal age can voluntarily access, this does not prevent the danger that it can pose for certain especially vulnerable groups from justifying the State from limiting its advertising to all the citizens.
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