Germany

Betting offices in Bremen remain closed for the time being

In Bremen, betting offices must remain closed for the time being, according to information from Senator for the Interior Ulrich Mäurer. Although most of the providers for the licensing procedure had submitted required evidence. However, this would open a new licensing procedure in each case and the providers may not reopen until the approval is available.

Illegal gambling and drug trafficking – raid in Düsseldorf

Police in Düsseldorf seized cash and drugs during a raid for illegal gambling and drug dealing. A 52-year-old as well as a 70-year-old man had been caught during a restaurant search with illegal gambling, with the 52-year-old had been seized thereupon drugs in the dwelling.

Lotto Lower Saxony in search of winners

In Lower Saxony, two of the high prizes are in danger of being forfeited at the end of the year if the winners of the jackpots from 2019 and 2021 do not come forward in time. The state lottery company Lotto Niedersachsen is therefore currently looking for the winners again and is asking for winning tickets from the corresponding years to be checked.

Lottery funds for Thuringian food banks open for applications until mid-September

The state lottery operator Lotto Thuringia is providing funds for Thuringia’s food banks. Until mid-September, according to the state’s Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health and Women, applications for such support can be submitted.

Arcade robbed in Bochum – customer injured

Armed men have robbed an amusement arcade in Bochum, slightly injuring a customer. The perpetrators fled with cash from the cash register and are now wanted by the police.

Sport1 cooperates with sports betting service provider Better Collective

The broadcaster Sport1 announced this week that it will offer sports betting in the future. For the development and expansion of the sports betting offer, Sport1 is working with the service provider Better Collective with immediate effect.

Spielbank Neuenahr plans new concept

The Neuenahr casino, which was destroyed during the Ahr flood in mid-2021, is planning a new concept for its new premises. There will be less space, however, the casino will rely on the mixed-gambling concept in the future, in which there will no longer be a separation of state-of-the-art slot machines and traditional tables.

International

Opening of Crown Casino in Sydney – a danger for gamblers?

This week, Crown Casino in Sydney opened its doors to players under a provisional license. Access is granted to high rollers who are registered members. Among player protectors, the opening has met with criticism. Among other things, they criticize the relatively low stakes starting at AUD 20 at some tables.

Ireland: Illegal award of licenses for online gambling?

Irish gambling law does not currently provide for clear regulation of online gambling. Nevertheless, the Revenue Authority is said to have granted licenses to several operators for this purpose. Politicians are now calling for clarification of the facts.

US political betting platform PredictIt to be banned

US regulators have revoked the license granted in 2014 to political betting platform PredictIt. The operator now has until February 2023 to remove the service from the US gambling market.

Canada: gambling group Flutter supports research project on gambling advertising

Gambling group Flutter has announced funding for a Canadian research project to study gambling advertising on a global scale. The study aims to develop new standards for marketing in the gambling industry, it said.

Blizzard announces lootbox phase-out for Overwatch

Overwatch developer Blizzard has announced in a blog post that after the anniversary event “Anniversary Remix Vol. 3” at the end of August, there will no longer be the option to acquire Lootboxes in the popular game. These will only be available through skill from that point on. Nevertheless, there will be other in-game purchases.

Data abuse? Criticism of gambling company Flutter

According to reports in the Financial Times, gambling groups such as Flutter are said to use tracking of user data to create profiles of problem gamblers. These would then be targeted with advertising campaigns. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating a complaint from Clean Up Gambling.

Poker Pro Arrested After Scam in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas, a professional poker player is alleged to have systematically defrauded major casinos together with two accomplices by manipulating playing cards. In total, the trio allegedly scammed an estimated $126,000 using the method. Police arrested the man this week.

In other news

Switzerland: Gambling-addicted priest convicted of commercial fraud

New details have come to light in the case of a priest from Küssnacht who was addicted to gambling and defrauded parishioners and the parish of several million Swiss francs. According to media reports, the reasoned verdict shows that the priest had fraudulently deceived his borrowers over a long period of time and defrauded them on a commercial basis.

Superenalotto jackpot in Italy rises above EUR 250 million

In Italy, the jackpot of the Superenalotto lottery has reached new records. For the first time, it has risen above EUR 250 million. The lottery can be played not only in Italy, but also from other countries via the provider’s website.

Federal addiction commissioner criticizes sports betting advertising

Federal addiction commissioner Burkhard Blienert (SPD) has spoken out to the Ippen media group in favor of restricting or banning sports betting advertising. He criticized the connection between sports and sports betting and advocated a regulation like the one that exists for online casinos, banning advertising between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm.

Streamer xQc v. Bloomberg: dispute over online gambling totals

Canadian streamer Felix Lengyel, aka xQc, is currently in dispute with financial magazine Bloomberg over the amount of his wagers with an online gambling operator. Bloomberg stated that Lengyel shared a promotional code for the gambling provider Stake, which helped the operator to make $119 million in wagers. Lengyel disputes the amount.

Gastronomer claims EUR 72,000 from illegal gambling

A restaurateur from Düsseldorf has sued in the Administrative Court for the surrender of EUR 72,000. The money had been seized by the police during a search of one of the man’s premises. There they had come across illegal gambling and the money. The man explained in court that he had given the money to a business partner. However, the court assumed that the sum was related to illegal gambling and refused to pay it out.

Lotto Hamburg reports positive operating result for 2021

State lottery operator Lotto Hamburg has reported positive results for fiscal year 2021. The company reported that stakes remained stable at EUR 167.5 million per calendar week. At EUR 4.2 million, the operating result was even better than the previous year’s EUR 3.7 million.