New rules on online gambling in June 2021

Publication date: 01 Jul 2021

The global gambling industry continues to develop steadily as gambling grows in popularity. There are many reasons for this, and most of them are associated with the online sector. As a result, gambling laws around the world are being revised. Some people want to ban online casinos and sports betting, but others want to take advantage of the prosperous and well-regulated gambling industry.

Europe wants more money: taxes, fines, license costs are increased

Great Britain increased fees for gambling operators The UK government has announced that it will increase the commission for gambling operators legally working in the country. From the 1st of October, 2021, annual licensing fees for online gambling operators will be increased by 55%, discounts on annual fees for several licenses will be canceled, and fees for all applications will be increased by 60%. Germany begins issuing licenses The new State Gambling Agreement in Germany will come into full legal force as soon as the 1st of July, 2021. Thereby, online slot machine games, online casinos and online poker will be possible in Germany. The Gaming Authority of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt will issue licenses to those companies that have completed all the necessary bureaucratic procedures. Potential operators should be registered in the European Union and the European Economic Area. There is every chance here to win the desired market – even from abroad – in spite of all the restrictions. Learn more about the situation in Germany! Also, the German Parliament has imposed a tax for operators who provide gambling on the Internet. Deputies decided that companies dealing with online slots and poker should pay to the state 5.3% of the turnover. The Netherlands raises license fees The Dutch government has announced changes to the amount of tax on online gambling and license fees to be paid by online market operators must pay from the 1st of October, 2021. The gross income tax will increase from 1.75% to 1.95%. The rise is due to the increased regulatory costs incurred by the Dutch gaming authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). The rate will be reversed within the next ten years. Meanwhile, license fees will also change. Fees for lottery and casino operators will decrease from 48,000 to 28,000 euros. The fee for online gambling operators will remain the same – 48,000 euros. Sweden introduces a new fine for gambling operators The Swedish gambling regulator supported the introduction of a new fine by the government for violations of advertising legislation related to the activities of gambling operators. The proposal calls for stricter measures and careful development of marketing materials used to advertise gambling. The maximum fine is proposed to be set at 4% of the annual turnover of the gambling operator. The proposal should come into force on the 1st of July, 2022. New gambling law introduced in Norway The Norwegian authorities introduced a new law on gambling, which aims to combat offshore gambling operators. The Act gives the Norwegian gambling regulator new tools to identify, respond to, and punish violations. According to the document’s provision, selling gambling products and providing gambling services to children and self-excluded gamblers will be facing criminal liability. In addition, the use of credit cards in gambling is prohibited. New gambling rules in Ukraine Henceforward, operators are obliged to train their employees to identify customers with signs of ludomania – i.e. gambling addiction. Customers of gambling facilities must now have an open opportunity to designate their financial betting limits in casinos and betting companies, as well as to put their name on the list of self-excluded players. And on the 15th of June, 2021 the Registry of persons with limited access to gambling began to operate in pilot mode. This was announced in the decision of the state gambling regulator, adopted on the 11th of June, 2021. In addition, the Ukrainian authorities are planning to reduce tax on gambling business from the established 18% to ten. Besides the issue of reducing the tax charge for gambling operators, the proposed bill includes an initiative to abolish the current tax on winnings, if the amount of monetary reward does not exceed the limit of forty-eight thousand hryvnia – eight minimum wages in Ukraine.

More and more states in America are making gambling and betting legal

In the United States, the process of creating gambling laws is transferred to the local level, each state has the right to choose its own regulatory regime.

• The Louisiana government has signed a law to legalize sports betting. Anyone over the age of 21 can place a bet through a licensed operator’s mobile app.
• The legislation of the State of New Jersey has enacted the law on legalization of bets with fixed odds on horse races. According to the document, such bets can be offered by bookmakers with an official license issued in the state.
• The Ohio Senate passed a bill to legalize betting. Through the document, Ohio provides 25 licenses for companies that accept sports betting through mobile apps.

Read more about the nuances of American law, the rules of advertising, and attracting players. Canada legalized betting on individual events In Canada, work on the legalization of sports betting for certain events has been going on for more than 10 years, and the law passed by parliament has received wide support. Previously, in this country, the authorities allowed players to bet on only a few events, otherwise, players were prosecuted. The upper house stated that before the bill was passed, Canadians were betting billions of dollars a year on foreign sites. This is an important step by Canadian authorities to bring back Canadian players from U.S. casinos, foreign gambling sites and illegal betting offices. But it has been possible to play at casinos in Canada for a long time now!

Gambling becomes legal in Africa

The meeting of Nairobi City District, the capital of Kenya, decided on gambling and the regulatory body for gambling. The Nairobi gambling industry will be overseen by a nine-member betting, lottery, and gambling board. The agency issues licenses for one year (renewable). Operators will have to pay $26,200 for a public lottery license, $6,550 for applying for such a license, and $6,550 for renewing that license. For a license for gambling halls and casinos – $9,830, for the application and renewal of the license – $65. Sports betting license – $3,930, license application and renewal – $65. Gambling operators are required to pay a tax – 10% of gross revenue from betting, lotteries and gambling. The decision of the Nairobi Assembly came into force. The Zambian authorities are establishing the Unified State Gambling Regulator. They are also working on the formation of a unified legislation on gambling, said the government. It was noted that the current legislation on gambling in the country is fragmented, due to omissions in it the budget of Zambia loses revenue from gambling. The Caribbean islands continue to develop and improve the gambling business At the instance of Puerto Rico’s head of state, an advisory group on sports betting will be assembled. The commission will have to decide how and under what scheme target payments will be made from legal operators of offline and online betting on sports events in various formats. Today, the estimated revenue of local bookmakers is about $40 million a year. Local authorities are discussing the possibility of allocating half of this amount to pension funds for civil servants. The local authorities of Trinidad and Tobago intend to increase taxes on gambling businesses. The document adopted by the government contains information about changes in rates for slot machines, gaming tables and poker tables. Payments will be different for various types of games. There is a $5 million fine for illegal gambling activities. Fines of up to one million in local currency have also been introduced for unlicensed equipment.