Publication date: 02 Jun 2023
The month of May 2023 has been full of various bills and innovations in the gambling industry. In addition to new laws regulating betting and gambling, new regulations on advertising, taxation and player protection are being developed in different countries. 3S.INFO gathered all the important news that occurred in the regulation of casinos and betting companies in May!
The best news from France! The new draft law No. 1248, which will legalize online casinos, has been published here!
It is planned that a fully regulated online gambling market will be launched within 5 years. First, permits will be granted to national operators, who currently own land-based establishments. After that, the market will be available to other interested companies. In this way, the French authorities aim to create a safe environment for players as well as to generate additional tax revenue for the country.
In Peru, there is a new draft law on the regulation of online gambling. The document was drafted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) and takes into account all comments made by the public at the end of 2022.
- The new online gambling licenses will cost 2.97 million soles ($810,000).
- Once licensed, operators will be able to choose the name for the site from a list of the only possible domains ( .com.pe, .pe, .bet and .bet.pe.)
- Tax for gambling operators will be 12% of turnover.
- Minimum financial guarantee is increased: 600 Peruvian tax units (810 thousand US dollars) or 3% of annual gross revenue.
- Criminal penalties for activities of online operators without a license are introduced: from 1 to 4 years of imprisonment.
Furthermore, the Economic, Banking, Finance and Financial Intelligence Commission has passed an opinion to change the local law on gambling and betting. Ultimately, anonymity in online casinos and online sports betting will be prohibited in the country.
We’re also keeping a close eye on what’s happening in Brazil! The Brazilian government has finally published documents on the temporary regulation of sports betting:
- only licensed companies will be able to accept bets related to sporting events;
- gambling operators will pay a tax: 6% of gross gaming revenue (GGR). Players will pay 30% income tax on each winnings.
The introduction of gambling regulation in Brazil is planned to bring in R$6 billion a year to the country’s budget.
The rules have been drawn up by the Ministry of Finance. They must now be signed by the Brazilian president. The Ministry of Planning, Management, Health and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports will then proceed to adopt the rules.
Kenya has turned its attention back to taxes! The Finance Bill for 2023, drafted by the Kenya Revenue Authority, proposes an increase in the excise tax rate: from 7.5% to 20%. Moreover, the definition of “winnings*” itself and thus the amount to be taxed is proposed to be changed.
*The amount of winnings is now considered as the margin between the amount of money won and the amount of bets. The new document proposes “winnings” as payments from bets, games, lotteries, contests, gambling without a deduction for the amount bet or the amount staked.
In May 2023, a bill to abolish the Ukrainian Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) was sent to Parliament for consideration. From now on, it will issue licenses to gambling operators by means of an online algorithm. This will help to get rid of the “human factor” and avoid mistakes and corruption in reviewing the application.
New restrictions for gambling business will be introduced in Kazakhstan:
- limiting advertising of betting shops and sweepstakes in the mass media.
- imposing administrative responsibility on legal entities for allowing persons under 21 to gamble.
- prohibition of banks and payment systems to carry out operations in illegal activities of foreign gambling organizers
- a ban on gambling for those with credit.
What is new in other CIS countries?
- Azerbaijan has an interesting situation with gambling.
- In 2022, gambling regulation in the Kyrgyz Republic has reached a new level: a law allowing casinos and betting offices has been adopted.
- Moldova is a very attractive country for the promotion of casinos and betting companies in Europe.
Spain is introducing more than 30 changes to protect players under 25. It is now forbidden to target advertising to players under 25 who have never gambled before. The use of credit cards for deposits and betting is also banned. Separate restrictions are being introduced to combat gambling addiction: those who have spent more than €200 (under 25) or €600 (over 25) on games in a three-week period will be added to the category of “avid players”. Those in the at-risk group will receive personal alerts on possible risks with the possibility of blocking the account after 72 hours (in the absence of confirmation from the player).
The Spanish association of online operators JDigital has already called the new rules “one of the toughest in Europe”.
In Spain, there will also be created a registry of casino streamers: it will store the streamers passport details, tax identification number and contacts.
Germany has introduced a new ban on advertising: legal operators will not be allowed to advertise on sites that already advertise illegal online casinos. This may fail to give the impression that “legal and illegal gambling are of equal importance to players”. Affiliate sites must also inform users about the German “white list” of legal operators and the risks associated with gambling.
The Netherlands imposes new restrictions on gambling advertising. In April 2023, a decree was published banning casino and bookmaker advertising in media and public places from 1 July 2023. Internet advertising is allowed. but with a condition: at least 95% (including through affiliate websites) of gambling advertisements are targeted at an audience over the age of 24.
At the moment, no mechanism has been developed to verify and control the percentage of advertising. Consequently, unclear rules, experts say, could lead to a total ban on gambling in the Netherlands.
A reform of gambling law in Curaçao is also planned, influenced by the Netherlands. The main proposals for a new, stricter gambling regulation are published in May 2023:
- creation of a new regulator, the Curacao Gaming Authority
- increased supervision and with a primary focus on anti-money laundering
- higher licensing fees: €400 per application, €12,000 per year after licensing, €250 per month per domain name. Existing licensees will have to submit a new application and go through the procedure all over again.
Curaçao’s gambling reform is expected to take place in 2023.
In Norway, gambling limits will be introduced for players under the age of 20. The decision was announced by gambling company Norsk Tipping (a monopolist in the casino and sports betting market). The limit will be 2,000 NOK ($178) per month. For all other Norsk Tipping customers, there are also loss limits: a maximum of NOK 20,000 (USD 17,800) per month.
In Sweden, gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has been given new powers: from 1 July 2023, officers will be able to purchase gambling services anonymously in order to control gambling companies in a regulated market. Perhaps soon, Spelinspektionen will also have access to data from the country’s Financial Supervisory Authority. This will help to ensure full control over monetary transactions in gambling. In turn, gambling companies will be obliged to report gambling offenses to the police.
