In its latest Statistical Bulletin, ADM stated that it collected €8.05 billion in gambling taxes as of 30 September 2024, marking a 6% decline from the €8.2 billion collected during the same period in 2023. For the entirety of 2023, ADM gathered €11.62 billion in gambling taxes. If the trend continues, 2024 will be the first year ADM sees a drop in tax revenues, excluding the pandemic-hit year of 2020.

The bulletin detailed a sharp decline in Q3 2024. Gambling tax revenues fell by 16% to €2.22 billion, compared to €3.3 billion in Q3 2023. ADM linked this drop to a 26% year-on-year decrease in net gambling expenditure, which declined from €5.9 billion in Q3 2023 to €4.35 billion in Q3 2024.

While gambling revenues fell, the tobacco sector performed strongly, generating €4.18 billion in Q3 2024—an increase of 5.77% compared to the previous year.

In the gambling sector, gaming machines remained the largest revenue source, contributing €910 million (41%) from net expenditure of €1.26 billion. Lotteries and number games followed, adding €870 million (39.08%), while betting brought in €180 million (8.17%), and other games accounted for €260 million (11.64%).

ADM introduced a new licensing scheme for online gambling concessions on 18 November 2024. This overhaul is the most significant change to Italian online gambling regulation since its launch in 2011. The new licences, which last nine years, cost €7 million each and include an annual fee of 3% on gross gaming revenue (GGR), excluding taxes and winnings.

ADM extended existing licences by one year, allowing them to remain valid until 31 December 2024, as per Budget 2024 provisions. The updated rules limit operators to offering “one app per gambling product type and one website.” ADM also implemented strict penalties for operators using skin websites to promote branded products.

ADM expects around 50 operators to apply for new licences, which could generate €350 million in concession fees and €100 million annually in fixed licence fees.

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The Supreme Court of Cassation and Justice announced the judgment and will evaluate the new land-based gambling restrictions which aim to reform Romania’s Criminal Code.

To change Romania’s Criminal Code, the Supreme Court has mandated a ‘constitutional review’ of the measure, prohibiting gambling in towns with fewer than 15,000 registered inhabitants.

In April, PM Ciolacu authorised the executive order of the ‘Legea Păcănelelor’ (The Pannel Law), which Parliament approved to enforce the headline measure.

The law will change Romania’s Criminal Code, making it a crime to operate slot-machine gaming devices without a municipal license, confirming that gambling venues must be in localities with over 15,000 inhabitants.

Penalties for violations range from three months to a year of imprisonment or a fine. Issuing a false population size certificate by the town hall will be punishable by six months to three years imprisonment.

The Supreme Court examined the headline measure and found that prohibiting gambling in rural towns violates Romania’s ‘bicameral principle’ on sanctioning federal laws. The proposed measures contain “constitutional flaws of both an extrinsic and intrinsic nature”.

In addition, the court highlighted the law’s deficiency in determining which Romanian towns will be subject to the law and how impacted venues will be required to relocate.

Further complications arise from the unclear enforcement of these regulations, especially in rural areas with limited municipal resources. The lack of compensation for local businesses affected by relocation mandates has also sparked contention among stakeholders.

The government is committed to stringent gambling regulations, as Ciolacu emphasised the need to protect public welfare over economic gains from gambling activities.

This commitment is evident in the recent appointment of Cristian-Gabriel Pascu as Vice President of the National Gambling Office (ONJN), despite his lack of experience in gambling or government, which raises concerns about effective enforcement.

As the government navigates legislative challenges, the focus remains on ensuring a controlled and regulated gambling environment, prioritising the well-being of its citizens.

Ciolacu stands by the executive measures of the Legea Păcănelelor as the most comprehensive action to end the exploitation of gambling in 90 per cent of Romanian towns.

Despite deferring summer enforcement, Parliament remains confident that the prohibition measure will stand. The government proposes no compensation for Romania’s 27 licensed operators of betting offices, including market leaders SuperBet, StanleyBet, Casa Pariurilor (Fortuna Entertainment) and Mozzart Kladionica.

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On 21 May, Twitch announced an update titled “We’re giving viewers more control over their Twitch experience.” The platform aims to create a welcoming environment and acknowledges that some content may not be suitable for everyone.

The update includes new content filtering and thumbnail blurring options to hide ‘Content Classification Labels’ (CCLs) that mark adult themes/streams.

Last year, Twitch began using CCLs to help viewers make informed choices. The new content filtering option allows users to exclude streams from specific CCL categories.

Viewers can find new filters in the ‘Content Display Preferences’ section of ‘Profile Settings.’

The filter lets viewers hide CCLs categorized as Sexual Themes, Drugs/Intoxication, Gambling, Violent & Graphic Depictions, Significant Profanity, and Mature Rated Games.

Users under 18 will have default filters for all CCL themes except Mature Rated Games. Logged-out viewers will have default filters for Sexual Themes and Gambling.

Guidelines state: “Streams labeled with CCLs you have chosen to filter out will not be recommended to you, and will not show up as you browse categories or search for content. If you follow a streamer, their content will be exempt from these settings and will always be shown, even if labeled with a CCL that you’ve chosen to filter out.”

The option to blur thumbnails is applied to content labelled with Sexual Themes CCL by default. Followed channels are exempt from blurred thumbnails.

The update warns content creators about tougher enforcement of CCLs. Repeated failure to correctly label streams will lead to a permanent label being applied to the channel.

Streamers should read Twitch guidelines to understand how to apply CCLs for adult content. In 2022, Twitch updated its community guidelines to ban streamers from promoting gambling content.

Twitch prohibits streaming gambling sites offering slots, roulette, or dice games unless they are licensed in the US or other jurisdictions with adequate consumer protection.

In August 2023, Twitch implemented an outright ban on all livestreams of gambling content to protect audiences from the predatory marketing of unlicensed gambling websites. The update specifically banned the online casinos of Blaze and Gamdom, targeting audiences directly.

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The Ministry of Finance‘s proposal will enforce an outright ban on all forms of credit for gambling transactions.

Current laws prohibit licensed operators from processing credit card transactions as specified by the Gaming Act of 2018, which re-launched Sweden’s gambling market. The new amendments go further, banning all forms of credit-funded payments for gambling.

This means that beyond credit card transactions, licensed operators won’t be able to process any credit-based funds, including personal loans, deferred payments, and overdrafts.

The Ministry’s comprehensive ban on credit transactions is part of a package calling for greater enforcement powers for the Gambling Inspectorate, Spelinspektionen, and new duty of care requirements to prevent excessive gambling.

The government is moving forward with the legislative process to implement this ban. A memorandum has been issued for comments by 23 May 2024, and Riksdag voting is expected in late 2024. If approved, the amendments will take effect on 1 April 2025.

BOS is responding to these developments by urging the government to reconsider the technical details of its proposed ban. Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS, argues that the responsibility for preventing credit card payments for gambling should lie with credit card issuers, not gambling operators.

“If the government goes ahead with the proposal, we believe the obligation to mediate payments for gambling should be placed on those issuing credit cards rather than on gambling operators,” Hoffstedt says.

BOS believes that further restrictions on legal gambling operators will fail to protect consumers and instead push them towards unregulated platforms, which lack stringent consumer protection measures.

By placing the responsibility on credit card issuers, supervised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen), the government can prevent payments via credit cards to all gambling companies, including illegal and unlicensed ones. Almost half of the Swedish online casino market is unlicensed and illegal due to heavy restrictions on the licensed market.

Hoffstedt emphasizes that new restrictions should not burden consumers betting on the legal market. Targeting credit card issuers will help manage the risks associated with credit-based gambling while maintaining a healthy, regulated market that protects consumers.

BOS’s stance reflects a commitment to maintaining a balanced regulatory environment that safeguards consumer interests without encouraging illegal gambling activities.

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The LSE technology group published its AGM trading update, providing investors with a general overview of corporate performance (non-financial) for the period from January 1, 2024 to April 30, 2024.

The firm’s B2B unit maintains revenue growth in regulated markets, prioritising services for key contracts and tighter cost controls.

As detailed on B2B trading: “Growth in regulated markets was led by the Americas, with the US and Canada increasing their contribution, albeit from a small base, while Mexico and Colombia continue to perform well.”

Product-wise, Playtech’s B2B unit is bolstered by a growing demand for live gaming services, alongside the tech group securing new customer launches for its SaaS solutions.

Led by Snaitech, Playtech’s B2C unit “performed well on an underlying basis,” matched against the tough comparatives of World Cup 2022 trading.

Snaitech maintained strong wagering volumes (online and retail), withstanding customer-friendly sporting results in Italy.

Playtech provided an update on its ongoing service fee dispute with its Mexican joint venture partner, Caliplay, a long-standing legal challenge that has been referred to the courts of London and Mexico City.

2023 saw Caliplay, the Mexican joint venture of Playtech and Grupo Caliente, annul service fee arrangements with Playtech due to disputes related to contract entitlements of the JV partnership.

Previous updates to the legal challenge saw Playtech claim that Caliplay owed circa €34m in unpaid service fees for the first six months of 2022.

Detailed as the main point of conflict, Playtech’s London appeal noted that Caliplay could only request service fee entitlements by mutual consent, requiring fee terms to be reviewed by an independent investment bank.

Updating investors, Playtech noted: “Caliplay remains a highly important customer and Playtech continues to maintain an open dialogue with Caliplay to discuss a path forward, although fees owed to Playtech remain uncollected.

“While the Company believes it has visibility over substantially all of the revenue generated by Caliplay’s business, and as such, can confirm that Caliplay continues to perform strongly, Playtech has been unable to obtain full financial information from Caliplay during the period. As a result, the revenue generated from the additional B2B services element of the agreement is partly based on an estimation, which takes account of prior trends and information provided.”

Playtech concluded: “Given the strategic progress being made across the business, the Board remains confident in Playtech’s ability to execute on the exciting growth opportunities across both B2B and B2C divisions over the medium term.”

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Publishing a Q1 trading update, Allwyn declared that its global lottery brands portfolio had achieved a combined ‘unaudited revenues’ of €2bn to €2.05bn primarily attributed to the ‘full contribution of its new UK segment’.

The figure is also the first time Allwyn has achieved €2bn revenue in a quarter (Q1 2023: €1.59bn).

Taking on costs and investments related to Allwyn UK becoming the chief operator of the National Lottery, group Q1 capital expenditures doubled to €45m (2023: €24.5m).

Q1 trading was ‘deemed solid’ as Allwyn International maintained Q1 EBITDA in the expected range (unaudited) of €355m to €365m (2023: €346m).

Per market, UK GGR remained flat year-on-year on a constant FX basis, despite numerical lotteries outperforming expectations.

Flat UK results were matched against the performance subsidiaries in Austria and the Czech Republic, which maintained GGR growth despite facing significant FX impacts.

Period trading concluded with Allwyn International securing terms on a $450m new debt note arrangement, which will be used to pay off €400m in debt, cover related costs and for general business purposes, with funds likely to be converted to a floating € rate.

Ahead of H2 trading, Allwyn announced that it had acquired a 70 per cent majority stake in Instant Win Gaming, expected to close in the interim period.

“2024 has started well, with trading broadly in line with our expectations at the start of the year, reflecting good operational and financial performance and our ongoing focus on the delivery of our growth strategies,” commented Robert Chvatal, CEO of Allwyn.

“Solid momentum in GGR growth continued in the first quarter, during which Allwyn successfully started the next 10-year licence period of the UK National Lottery, while we have delivered further progress in Adjusted EBITDA. Allwyn remains well positioned for 2024 and for the next chapters of its growth story.”

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The Committee was appointed in January by the FTSE gambling group’s board to undertake its review to maximise shareholder value and reflect the operational progress of the business, which declared outstanding losses of close to £900m in 2023. 

The strategic review concluded that “Entain has the appropriate portfolio of diversified strategic assets, brands, capabilities, and geographic footprint to ensure it is well positioned to deliver high-quality long-term growth”.

Entain’s board is recommended to continue making North American expansion a priority since it carries a ‘significant upside’ with organic growth and expanding operating margins. 

Maintaining a ‘robust financial position’, Entain’s balance sheet has been strengthened and improved following recent refinancing and term loan adjustments of $ and € debt equivalent to £600m. The review of Entain’s global portfolio saw the Committee deem Crystalbet in Georgia as non-core; strategic alternatives, including potential sale, are being considered.

On key recommendations, Barry Gibson, outgoing Chair of Entain, responded: “I am delighted that the Capital Allocation Committee has concluded its strategic review of our portfolio. 

“Whilst we still have more work to do to improve our operational performance, the Board is pleased with the progress Entain is making so far in 2024 in line with our strategy. The Group has the core strengths, brands, and products to be competitive across its markets and continues to be a global leader in betting and gaming.”

As part of its review, the Committee considered key market developments and operational progress.

In Brazil, the CAC noted that the operator is “returning to strong double-digit revenue growth during Q2” with actions taken to improve customer acquisition and retention accelerating our performance. 

Meanwhile, in the UK, the committee stated that new regulatory measures and an enhanced customer offer have expectations to bring its core brand in the region back to growth. 

Elsewhere, BetMGM’s product roadmap in North America advancing well, with recently launched MLB and NBA sports betting markets leveraging Angstrom’s capabilities.

In addition, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved Entain’s applications and “certain of its subsidiaries without limitation”.

Project Romer is on track to hitting cost savings expectations via operational simplification of the FTSE global operating structure. 

The CAC concluded that it will “continue to regularly review strategic progress and consider options to maximise shareholder value, including ongoing oversight of all significant aspects of capital commitments”.

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The stern response was issued by the charity this weekend, replying to a damning article by iNews (DMG Media) accusing GambleAware of promoting the interests of the gambling sector.

The article confirmed that a ‘regulatory compliance case’ had been opened by the Charity Commission, due to a complaint submitted by the Good Law Project.

A non-profit organisation led by Will Prochaska, the Good Law Project claims that GambleAware has failed in its regulatory duties as a UK-licensed charity due to a striking conflict of interest, being directly funded by the gambling sector.

The complaint further questioned GambleAware’s treatment services, educational materials, advertising, and self-help tools, accusing them of normalising gambling, promoting wrong advice, and stigmatising those with harms.

Issuing a response, GambleAware CEO, Zoë Osmond, stated that the allegations were “inaccurate and misleading” regarding how the charity operates, is governed, and raises funds to combat gambling addiction.

“GambleAware’s foremost priority is to prevent harm and provide accessible support to those affected. These services are vital, remarkably effective, and readily accessible.”

As the chief commissioning charity of gambling harm research, education, and treatment (RET) projects, services, and organisations operating in the UK, GambleAware holds the gambling sector accountable to licensing duties on social responsibility as part of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.

“Gambling operator funding remains the primary source of funding for prevention, treatment, and research into gambling harm. Many charities and organisations receive this funding through the Gambling Commission.”

Aware of concerns regarding its independence from the gambling sector, GambleAware has been the most ardent supporter of the government imposing a statutory levy on RET funding as proposed by the Gambling Review’s White Paper.

“We believe the gambling industry should be held accountable to contribute financially to the vital services that prevent gambling harms, which is why we have consistently advocated for a statutory levy.”

The response provided a full background on GambleAware, stating that “independence has been recognised by the Charity Commission for well over a decade, with previous accusations found to be ‘unsubstantiated’. GambleAware has evolved as an organisation over the years and maintained its independence, with a Board of Trustees made up of leaders in the NHS and public health.”

“Our robust governance and commissioning practices ensure that the industry has no influence over our operations. GambleAware’s independence has been widely recognised by a range of stakeholders including the Government, as evidenced in the Gambling White Paper.”

Osmond refuted the Good Law Project’s complaint, stating that it is “based on misleading and outdated information”. GambleAware is “confident that this complaint will not be upheld. We are deeply concerned that inaccurate headlines and misleading newspaper articles may have a damaging impact on our services and the people that rely on them.”

The iNews article highlighted concerns about the effectiveness of the treatment services commissioned by GambleAware, claiming that “a quarter of addicts treated show no improvement”.

GambleAware highlighted the National Gambling Support Network statistics detailing “patients who complete their treatment as planned, nine in 10 see an improvement in their condition. Among the minority of patients whose outcomes appear not to improve, in most cases (69 per cent) it is because they did not complete treatment.”

“There are a range of reasons why an individual might not complete treatment, including: being referred to another service for further support; being discharged by mutual agreement; an individual choosing to drop out of their treatment.”

Complaints lodged about ‘educational materials’ detailed that GambleAware advised audiences “not to demonise the gambling sector” and presented gambling as a normal and manageable activity.

GambleAware stands by its educational materials and programmes, that are designed with input from individuals with lived experience and subject to independent evaluation.

On criticism of its advertising campaign stigmatising gambling harms, GambleAware underlined its ardent support for tougher restrictions on gambling advertising, noting: “When the White Paper was published, we called on the lack of regulation in this space as a ‘missed opportunity’ and continue to encourage the Government to do more on this issue.”

As the government moves to finalise the structure of the RET Levy, with the support of the NHS to strengthen its National Gambling Support Network (NGSN), GambleAware will serve as a key stakeholder “dedicated to tackling gambling harms as a public health issue through a whole system approach and societal change”.

“We do this by bringing together public sector and charity partners into a coalition of expertise to provide targeted, innovative and effective services that help reduce gambling harm.”

The response was concluded by the lived experience of Ben Howard providing a personal testimony of GambleAware’s life-saving impact: “The NGSN not only provided me with life-changing guidance, but saved me from suicide in 2020.

“From this, I know first-hand just how essential and effective these services are and they continue to help thousands of people every year. Any claims that the services are unhelpful or inadequate are not only wrong, but also highly damaging and stigmatising for those needing support.”

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Operated by Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s Gambling Inspectorate, Spelpaus was established in January 2019 as the primary player protection service of the country’s relaunched online gambling marketplace.

By law, Swedish online gambling operators are required to connect their databases with the Spelpaus register, to ensure that self-excluded customers have no access to websites and cannot be marketed to.  

In 2022, Spelinspektionen was granted funds to launch the revamped Spelpaus 2.0 self-exclusion system, as part of the government’s review of Swedish gambling’s consumer protections and safeguards.  

Spelpaus 2.0 featured enhanced self-exclusion functionalities, improved ID verification services and a new website design with clear guidance on self-exclusion and family referrals.

Furthermore, 2023 saw the Inspectorate launch a nationwide campaign promoting the Spelpaus self-exclusion programme across Swedish provinces.

The most recent update sees Spelinspektionen detail a 25 per cent increase in self-exclusions registered by Spelpaus, which in 2022 recorded 80,000 users since its launch.

This September, the Swedish government confirmed that it will boost the Gambling Inspectorate’s budget by an additional SEK 20m (€1.7m) for the period of 2024-to-2026.

Additional funding is required for Spelinspektionen to revamp its sports betting integrity monitoring systems in line with those of the Macolin Convention of the Council of Europe.

Spelinspektionen has allocated further budget to develop new monitoring solutions and protections against black market operators targeting Swedish consumers.

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The Federal Authority has published an ‘FAQ section’ on its website in response to ‘common questions’ about LUGAS functions and how its deposit limit rules are applied across German states, restricting individual spending and activities in online gambling.

The notice references consumer questions such as: “Why do I have a cross-provider deposit limit? Can I have my limit deleted? Can the authority change my limit? Why can’t I play?”

LUGAS’s supervision of cross-provider deposit limits is required by federal law, as mandated by the rules of Germany’s Fourth Interstate Treaty on Gambling – the GlüNeuRStv regime.

All GlüNeuRStv licensed operators must inform new and existing customers to set their cross-border monthly deposit between €1 and €1,000. GGL recognises that deposit exceptions can be made for ‘special occurrences’ which must be documented by licensed operators.

Once verified by LUGAS, customers can change their deposit limits ‘at any time’. However, GGL notes ‘an increase in deposit limits only takes effect after a period of seven days’. 

The regulator continued: “Legally, this deadline is calculated so that the increase takes effect at the end of the seventh day after the day of the limit increase.”

Consumers were informed that the LUGAS cross-provider deposit system functions independently of deposit, stake, or loss limits protections offered by individual operators.

GGL cannot set individual limits on deposits, as GlüNeuRStv-licensed operators carry the responsibility of “issuing increased limits” across websites  –  as the “setting and changing of cross-operator limits is managed by the provider”.

Customer deposits will be restricted once “the cross-provider limit has been reached”, and “remaining balances are irrelevant.” Operators must maintain a record of customers’ failed deposits.

GGL will not address customer complaints about cross-provider limits; which must be directed to individual operators.

Consumers were reminded that cross-provider limits are applied every month, as ‘deposit amounts are restored to the customer’s desired amount from the first day of the month’.

The use of a cross-provider deposit limit has been criticised by the German Online Casino Association (DOCV) as a barrier to effective customer safeguards provided by individual operators.

Last month, at a meeting of gambling stakeholders in Dusseldorf, the DOCV demanded that GGL implement ‘instant corrections’ to the GlüNeuRStv regime.

Advocating for immediate changes, DOCV emphasised that GlüNeuRStv has not fulfilled its primary objective of developing a “controlled central system to protect consumers from online gambling threats”.

The leadership of GGL has stated that it recognises concerns about GlüNeuRStv limitations. Yet, its regulatory focus remains on strengthening the Interstate market against black market infringements, improving player protections and carrying out a review of advertising laws.  

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