Best of PRO This Week: UK Consultation, EU Parliament Vote and New Mobile Apps

Key Takeaways

UKGC Announces Consultation into Protection of Customer Funds.
EU Parliament Vote on Gambling: Industry Response and Analysis.

Lead Features

UKGC Announces Consultation into Protection of Customer Funds

Six potential options—from fund segregation, to trust funds, even reserves held by the regulator itself—are proposed, and the industry has until December to respond. The UK Gambling Commission has launched a consultation on the protection of customer funds. Responses are required by December 4, and the resulting license condition amendments will come into force at the earliest in April next year.

EU Parliament Vote on Gambling: Industry Response and Analysis

Industry organizations praise the parts they like and complain about the parts they don’t, as the EU Parliament approves a report that fails to provide a clear direction forward. The gambling industry has been quick to issue its responses to Tuesday’s vote in the EU Parliament which approved the resolutions on online gambling presented by the Internal Markets and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO).

Exclusive News Articles

bwin.party Share Price Bump Following Unlikely Google Acquisition Rumors

Daily Mail rumor leads to 4% share price rise. A rather unlikely rumor published by the This is Money financial blog was still enough to drive a share price rise in bwin.party, Friday morning.

Madrid Socialists Lack Enthusiasm for Eurovegas

The failure of Madrid’s Olympic bid leads to demands that the regional government stop supporting mega-developments like Eurovegas. The Socialist Party has tabled a resolution in Madrid’s regional assembly demanding that the government stop relying on risky projects like the Olympics and Eurovegas to pull the region out of financial crisis.

Customers Prefer Term “Gaming” to “Gambling”

Researchers at Kellogg and Cornell have found that using gaming to describe betting activities provides them with more legitimacy than the word gambling. New research from the renowned Kellogg School of Management and Cornell University has found that consumers are more likely to participate in online betting if it’s called “gaming” rather than “gambling.”

PMU.FR Online Poker Room Launches Native Mobile Apps

Pari Mutuel Urbain debuts its own native Android and iOS apps for phone and tablet. The online poker room for Paris Mutuel Urbain (PMU), the state-controlled betting operator, has launched its own native mobile poker apps for iOS and Android.

Tournaments Outstrip Cash Games in Spain Q2 Seasonal Decline

Overall falls in revenue are to be expected, but tournament revenues have dropped faster than cash games. The Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) in Spain waited until after the Summer break to produce its second quarter report, which shows an expected seasonal decline in poker over the previous quarter.

Social Gaming Industry Bodies Combine

Social Gaming Association & International Social Games Coalition become the International Social Games Association. A new organization, the International Social Games Association (ISGA), has been formed by the merger of the Social Gaming Association (SGA) and International Social Games Coalition (ISGC).

EU Parliament Votes for Pro-National Regulation Report

EU Parliament votes overwhelmingly in favor of national, rather than supra-national, gambling regulation. As expected, the EU Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg, has voted to adopt the report by the Internal Markets and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO). There were 572 votes for, 79 against and 61 abstentions.

iPoker Innovates with New “Toast” Notifications

New feature set to roll out soon allows players to control the action without restoring the window. iPoker latest client update, set to roll out across the network next month, includes a new popup notification feature that not only informs a player of pending decisions, but even lets them act without viewing the table.

Problems Still Plague PartyPoker’s New Software

Party’s traffic suffers as players still battle with an unresponsive client. Problems continue to significantly hamper bwin.party’s relaunched online poker product, with players still reporting issues with logging in, an unresponsive client, and graphical glitches.

AGCC Suspends Sheriff Gaming’s B2B License

Alderney regulator suspends category 2 license of Dutch 3D slots provider following three-month investigation. The Alderney Gaming Control Commission (AGCC) has issued a suspension notice to Bubble Group BV, trading as Sheriff Gaming, following an investigation into the company lasting more than three months.

Betfair “Sees Opportunity” In UK POC Tax

Gibraltar-based Betfair has stated it expects to benefit from the UK’s plan to implement a 15% tax on UK bets.

Dutch Gambling Authority Imposes its First Fine

Global Stars faces €100,000 fine for offering Dutch-language casino site and processing payments through iDEAL. Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit has handed down its first fine for offering online gambling to customers in the Netherlands without a valid license.

GBGA-EGBA Partnership Gives Gibraltar a Stronger Voice in Europe

The Gibraltar gaming industry group affiliates with the bwin.party-led European Gaming and Betting Association. The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) has become an affiliate partner of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). The affiliation is designed to provide a more effective channel for lobbying the European Union about the concerns of Gibraltar-based gaming companies.

iPoker Moves Ahead of Full Tilt, Regains Second Spot

The sixth position swap between the two competitors in the last three months puts pressure on September promotions to deliver. The number two slot in cash game traffic rankings has swapped between iPoker and Full Tilt half a dozen times in the last three months; this week, iPoker took the honors back.

Italian Parliament Fails to Read Fine Print, Bans All Gambling for a Year

The Italian government asks the Senate to look again at a motion passed last week which would ban all online gambling in Italy for 12 months. Last week, the Italian Senate voted to ban the issue of all new gambling licenses and impose a moratorium on all forms of gambling for one year. The motion was introduced by the Northern League who are in opposition to the government.

Gambling Compliance Launches eLearning Tools

Auditable elearning courses are the first in Gambling Compliance’s new business line. Gambling Compliance (GC) is expanding its information business into training with the launch of two new elearning courses on responsible gambling and anti-money laundering. The courses are delivered using an online platform using a GC-managed online Learning Management System (LMS).