Germany

Casino games developer Gamomat in exclusive interview

This week’s special highlight is the insight that Casino Online. de’s newsroom got into German casino games developer Gamomat. In the interview, the company explained, among other things, what its corporate philosophy is and how the development of its products proceeds.

Lotto Brandenburg and Eurojackpot report records

The Eurojackpot, which was filled with around EUR 89 million, was cracked last Friday by a player from Norway as well as a player from Finland. A player from Stuttgart, on the other hand, was able to enjoy the correct numbers for the second prize category and won EUR 2 million. However, it was not only the players who set records, but also the Land Brandenburg Lotto GmbH lottery company. According to its annual report, it took in the highest stakes of the past ten years in 2021.

Questions after “clan marathon” against illegal gambling in NRW

Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia have cracked down on criminal activity and illegal gambling in the clan milieu in a large-scale raid known as the “Clan Marathon.” A total of around 1,500 police, customs and regulatory officers were involved in the operation. In view of the scale of the action, SPD politicians have asked the Ministry of the Interior how many of those arrested in connection with the raid are still in custody.

NRW: Years of legal wrangling over minimum distances for gambling halls invalidated

In a ruling published this week, the Münster Higher Administrative Court has declared invalid all proceedings regarding minimum distances between gaming halls in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia that had begun before July 1, 2021. Due to the new State Gambling Treaty, it was necessary to submit new applications as of July 1.

Lotto Hessen reports strong sales in fiscal year 2021

Lotto Hessen announced its business figures for 2021 at its annual conference in Wiesbaden. According to the report, the lottery provider generated EUR 2 million in daily sales. In total, a turnover of EUR 732 million had been generated. Although this corresponds to EUR 2.7 million less than in 2020, there was also one billing week less. On the basis of 52 weeks, a sales increase of 1.8% was achieved.

Ruling: No claim from winnings payout in gambling in online casino from Malta

In a legal dispute between a German gambler and an online casino licensed in Malta, the Frankenthal Regional Court has ruled that there is no legal claim to a payout of winnings. It is not clear why the gambling provider had refused to pay out EUR 40,000. However, since the online casino was not licensed in Germany, the player also had no claim to his winnings.

International

Criticism of lack of animal welfare at Cheltenham festival

The Cheltenham Festival has led not only to victories, but also to negative headlines. Four horses have died in the races this year. As a result, various animal welfare organizations have called for measures to be taken to reduce the risks to the animals. For example, they say, the use of whips should be banned.

Netflix series Bad Vegan: Ruined and manipulated by a gambling addict.

Last week, the Netflix series “Bad Vegan” launched. It is based on the true story of chef Sarma Melngailis, who owned a popular vegan restaurant in New York. However, Melngailis failed with her restaurant due to manipulation by her gambling-addicted husband, who used perfidious psychological methods to drive her to financial ruin.

Declining participation in illegal gambling in the Netherlands

The 2021 annual report of the Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) shows that the illegal gambling market in the country has been shrinking since the legalization of online gambling. So far, the gambling regulator has issued 18 licenses, he said. Sales of more than EUR 185 million in the fourth quarter show that the intended channeling of players into the legal gambling market is proving successful.

EUR 14 million funding for female-focused gaming platform Dorian

Dorian is a gaming platform aimed primarily at female developers and gamers. The company has now succeeded in raising a total of EUR 14 million in a financing round. The money will be used for the development of new functions. In the future, the platform will not only be available to female authors for monetization through gamification, but an art marketplace is also planned.

Launch of the WSOP Spring Online Circuit Series

Online poker provider GGPoker announced this week the start of the WSOP Spring Online Circuit tournament series. This would take place from March 24 to April 17. In the price pool would be 100 million USD. In addition to the tournaments, a charity event is planned to collect donations for Ukraine.

King’s Casino operator Tsoukernik organizes children’s party for refugees from Ukraine

The operator of King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Leon Tsoukernik, last week offered accommodation in hotels to 475 refugees from Ukraine. Among them are 168 children. For them, he organized a children’s party with numerous attractions such as carousels and bouncy castles, as well as food to distract them from what they had experienced.

Fine for operator of the British National Lottery Camelot

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fined lottery operator Camelot GBP 3.15 million. Camelot had violated various license conditions as well as the gambling law. The reason is said to be technical errors in the app, which led to advertising to blocked players, among other things.

Eurovision Song Contest: Ukraine as favorite of betting providers

On May 14, this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) will start in Italy. Many bets are already being placed on the possible winner. The favorite by far is the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra with the song Stefanija. The bookmakers calculate a probability of 35% for a win. While Ukraine is given odds of 2.0, Italy and Sweden follow at some distance with odds of 5.1 and 6.2.

JNS Gaming bets on the Metaverse with online casino Lynbet

iGaming company JNS Gaming has launched LynxBet, a new online casino and sports betting brand. The platform is said to be inspired by the Metaverse and aims to offer users an immersive gaming experience.

European gambling association establishes team of experts against cybercrime

The European Gaming Association (EGBA) has established a task force to increase cybersecurity within the gaming industry. It is tasked with helping members of the gambling association protect themselves against cybercrime. The exchange of information on pishing, ransom attacks, etc. is intended to help in this regard.

Loto-Québec adds Evolution to its range of live casino games

Canadian lottery operator Loto-Québec has become the first online gambling operator in Canada to include dual play live gaming tables from Evolution in its offering. This will make it possible to combine terrestrial gambling with online gambling. The Evolution Roulette and Baccarat games will be hosted by Casino Montreal.

France’s gambling authority criticizes violations of advertising guidelines

France’s gambling authority, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has announced in a press release the results of its review of licensees’ compliance with advertising guidelines. It had examined the advertising concepts of a total of 15 private as well as those of the state gambling operators and found violations of the guidelines. Especially the online gambling operator Winamax as well as the betting providers Française des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) were accused of violations.

In other news

United Kingdom: Gambling association promises government help for treasury

The British gambling association Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has pledged help to the country’s government in restoring the nation’s coffers. After Corona aid and tax shortfalls have torn a hole in the treasury, the gambling body wants to help generate revenue, it said. However, this would only be possible if the industry were legally granted the appropriate foundations for this in the new gambling law.

Trio of pensioners plan casino fraud with manipulated roulette ball

A trio of pensioners aged 60, 66 and 70 have made headlines after their scheme to gain an advantage at roulette in a casino was discovered in a Messenger group. The seniors are said to have developed a ball with remote control, which makes it possible to control the roulette ball. As tests in the Casino Wiessee had shown, the roulette ball had actually been functional. However, the fraud was discovered before the three men with criminal records could have put it into practice.

Crypto lottery app with 1 million profit planned

Cryptocurrencies are increasingly making their way into the gambling industry. The developers of the cryptocurrency Lucky Block Coin (LBLOCK) have now announced that they will launch a crypto lottery as an app. It will be available in the Google Play Store. Initially, a beta version is planned, later the lottery function will be activated. Tokens worth USD 1 million will be available in the weekly lottery pot.

Illegal gambling – still no penalty for Swedish daily newspaper

The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has concluded an investigation into the daily newspaper Aftonbladet. The latter had offered a betting game on its website until mid-2021, which according to the gambling authority was to be regarded as gambling requiring a license. However, since the newspaper had discontinued the game when the authority began its investigation, a fine could no longer be issued.

Casino project planned in Russia’s Primorye

Many companies are currently withdrawing from Russia due to the Ukraine war. Nevertheless, it became known this week that a South Korean corporation is planning a new casino in the Russian Special Administrative Region of Primorye. The casino, for which an initial investment of the equivalent of around EUR 22 million is planned, is to be completed by the end of 2025.

United Kingdom: Higher number of problem gamblers than previously identified?

A recent study from Great Britain indicates that the number of problem gamblers in the country could be higher than previous research has determined. The analysis commissioned by the gamblers’ protection organization GambleAware, for example, assumes that the figure is nine times higher. According to the study, of more than 18,000 adults surveyed, 2.8% are considered problem gamblers.

Switzerland: Grand Casino Baden comments on importance of reviews on Google

Grand Casino Baden has discussed to media what importance it attaches to reviews on Google. The Swiss gaming operator takes customer feedback seriously, but does not overrate it. Many of the negative reviews would criticize points over which the casino had no influence.

Gambling fair ICE London: Rocket League e-sports tournament announced

A Rocket League tournament with a prize pool of GBP 25,000 (EUR 30,000) is to be held at the ICE London gambling exhibition, which will take place at ExCel London from April 12 to 14. Visitors are to be able to place bets on the tournament. The aim of the tournament is to give more visibility to e-sports as part of the gambling and sports betting industry, he said.

Red Rock Casino must pay DJ Kaskade USD 8 million in compensation

Performances by stars and starlets are often part of the ambience of Las Vegas casinos. Planned shows by DJ Kaskade now cost the Red Rock Casino dearly, however. The musician had sued for compensation due to cancellations on the part of the casino and got right in court. The casino operator was ordered to pay USD 8 million.

Three applicants for Chicago casino license remaining

Three applicants could prevail in the race for a Chicago casino license. According to media reports, they are Bally’s Corporation, Rush Street Gaming and Hard Rock International. Who will receive the license for the planned casino resort in the future, is to be announced at the beginning of the summer.

Crackdowns on illegal gambling in three states

Authorities this week carried out raids against illegal gambling in three German states at once, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. During the operation, in which around 300 officers were involved, 30 properties were searched in which there were indications of the manipulation of gaming machines. In addition, officers in Hamburg came across four illegal gaming machines during a search of a bar.

Strong revenue growth at Greek gambling provider OPAP

Greek sports betting and gaming operator OPAP has published its annual report for 2021. This shows that the company was able to increase its revenue by around 36% year-on-year to EUR 1.53 billion. The largest contribution would have come from lotteries, whose revenue would have been around EUR 549 million. The land-based betting shops, on the other hand, would have posted sales of EUR 283 million.

Liechtenstein: Popular initiative takes action against casinos

The growing number of casinos in Liechtenstein has long been a source of criticism. Now, the popular initiative “IG VolksMeinung” has submitted a petition to the government for preliminary examination, calling for a ban on casinos. If the citizens’ group is successful, the casinos in the Principality would have to cease operations within five years.