HOW TO PROMOTE BETTING AND GAMBLING: MAY RESULTS

Publication date: 07 Jun 2024

May 2024 is over, but gambling remains! A lot of interesting things happened during the last month of spring. More and more African countries are allowing online casinos and bookmakers, which greatly expands the opportunities for promoting betting and gambling. The full compilation of news and important developments regarding the regulation of online casinos and betting sites around the world is available on 3S.INFO!

Gambling Laws and Regulations: News 2024

The most important and interesting news about new laws regulating online casinos and bookmakers in May came from Africa! 

Another country in Africa, Malawi, has moved closer to new gambling regulation. On May 30th, the Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (MAGLA) announced that all stakeholder comments have been incorporated into the new regulations and will be published soon.

The current Malawi Gambling Act of 1996 authorizes all types of gambling (casinos, sports betting, slot machines) but does not regulate the online sector. 

• New report on 3S.INFO: How to promote online gambling and betting in Nigeria? 

Congo is also about to consider new bills aimed at regulating gambling. One of the bills involves the creation of a global framework that will regulate gambling and betting in the country, as well as protect players from all kinds of risks. The second bill concerns the creation of a regulatory body that will report to the Ministry of the Budget and oversee the gambling sector.

On May 15, 2024, Guinea appointed the members of the Board of Directors of the Authority for the Regulation of the Gaming Sector and Assimilated Practices (ARSJPA), which was created in January 2023. The regulator includes representatives from the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy, the National Agency for Digitalization, the Ministry of Territorial Administration, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and YellowBet BC.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, the Gambling Control Bill has been delayed once again. It was passed by the National Assembly on December 6, 2023, but again did not get to the Kenyan Senate for a vote. Recall that the new law, if passed, will regulate bookmakers and casinos: 

• A new regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya, will have full control over the entire gambling sector. 
• The Gambling Appeals Tribunal will ensure that disputes in the gambling industry are resolved.
• The minimum deposit will be increased tenfold to Sh200 million.

Meanwhile, another law was passed in May regarding the taxation of Kenyans. According to the Finance Ministry’s bill for 2024, the tax on betting will be 20%: that is, from every 100 shillings bet on sports, 20 shillings will be paid to the budget. The document has now been submitted to Parliament, where it will be debated until the end of June. If approved, the new rate will be effective from July 1, 2024. to Parliament for discussion and approval by the end of June.

But in Europe, everything is stable and on schedule. In Spain, work has begun on the creation of a single gaming registry. The regulator, the DGOJ, will collect data on customers of all gambling operators licensed in Spain. This will provide a solid basis for monitoring and enforcing the highest standards of responsible gaming. The registry will come into force in early 2025.

For the second half of 2023, the Spanish regulator imposed fines of 81 million euros on 17 online betting sites. The 10 sites with the most serious violations were closed.

Betting and gambling advertising: new rules 

Kyrgyzstan has partially allowed bookmakers to advertise: read the details in the updated guide “How to promote online betting and gambling in Kyrgyzstan”.

Changes to the gambling legislation in Bulgaria came into force on May 17.

The new legislation represents the biggest restructuring of the gambling market in the last 10 years. The most important change is a complete ban on advertising for casinos and betting shops, including on online platforms. Compliance with this rule will be monitored by Bulgaria’s media regulator, the Council for Electronic Media. If a violation is found, the Council will notify the National Revenue Agency (NRA), which regulates gambling in the country, to impose penalties.

In India, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs takes action against any advertisement that promotes illegal betting and gambling. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has been tasked with identifying violators and taking appropriate legal action against them. This includes imposing fines and banning betting and gambling applications.

At the same time, Meity advised celebrities and influencers to refrain from promoting offshore online gambling operators on social media, noting that they could be prosecuted for doing so.

Ukraine has banned all gambling advertising. However, the restrictions will remain in place until the new law against gambling addiction, which is currently being drafted.

And we will continue to collect and analyze the most important news from the online betting and gambling industry for you! Be the first to know, stay in touch with 3SNET!