- Sweden -
Swedish regulator has “no objections” to proposed restrictions
 

The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) has said it would have “no objections” to the government introducing temporary online gambling restrictions similar to those in place earlier in the pandemic.
Sweden’s Ministry of Finance has proposed the reimplementation of temporary restrictions similar, but not identical to restrictions that applied for large parts of 2020 and 2021.
These previous measures were introduced to curb a purported rise in gambling-related public health problems, including a SEK 5,000 ($554) cap on deposits at online casinos and a corresponding loss limit for slot machines.
But these ended on 14 November 2021. However, citing the “increased spread” of Covid-19, the Swedish regulator said the circumstances surrounding the original measures’ introduction are once again valid.
“The current situation in Sweden, with an increased spread of the disease Covid-19, entails that the circumstances on which their introduction was previously based, are now again considered to exist,” said the SGA..

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Gamblinginsider.com, 17 January 2022

- Ireland -
Revolut to ban credit card deposits to gambling sites in Ireland
 

Banking app Revolut will block credit card payments to gambling sites in Ireland.
The decision was taken after an inquiry showed that betting firms in the country are taking advantage of credit card payments made through contactless apps such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Revolut.
Currently, direct credit card betting is banned under Irish industry rules.
A Revolut Spokesperson commented: “Revolut is planning to block the use of credit card funds on gambling sites in Ireland, in the same way that we do in the UK. This is in addition to the 48-hour gambling block that all users can currently activate themselves.”
The banking app can be funded via a credit card, bank withdrawal or debit card.
The company has developed a technology that identifies payments drawn specifically from credit cards to stop them from being used for gambling sites.

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Gamblinginsider.com, 21 January 2022

- Denmark -
Danish regulator warns Mr Green over money laundering rules breach
 

Denmark’s gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has reprimanded Mr Green after the operator was found to have breached regulations regarding assessing the source of funds for a player.
The warning was in relation to how a “young player” was able to deposit approximately DKK325,000 (£39,539/€47,292/$53,642) into his gaming account over the course of a year, without, according to the regulator, Mr Green having “sufficient knowledge” on where the funds originated from. The regulator did not mention the age of this “young player”.
Spillemyndigheden said Mr Green carried out a series of internet searches on the customer and established both his type of employment and immediate level of earnings.
The regulator said Mr Green was of the view that the player was able to afford this level of spending. The operator therefore did not carry out further investigation to establish the source of funds.

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Igamingbusiness.com, 21 January 2022

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- Sweden -
Kindred urges Swedish Govt. not to move ahead with proposed iGaming restrictions

Kindred announced wednesday it has submitted a written response to the Swedish government’s proposal for yet another set of temporary restrictions on licensed online gambling due to the ongoing pandemic, after having lifted them on November 14, 2021. 
The government intends to stop problem gambling, claiming there has been an increase in online wagering since the pandemic started. Among the proposals, online gamblers would be subject to a maximum weekly deposit of 400 SEK ($43,70); as well as a pre-established time limit. 
“Kindred’s overall assessment is that the measures weaken rather than strengthen consumer protection which is the stated objective of the proposed restrictions”, the company stated in an official release. “The restrictions will obstruct licensees’ duty of care and impact channelization negatively, something even representatives for gambling addiction organisations have noticed”.

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Yogonet.com, 20 January 2022

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- United Kingdom -
Online gambling businesses face regulatory action

Two online casinos will pay a total of £1.3m after Gambling Commission investigations revealed social responsibility failures at the businesses.
Rank Digital Gaming (Alderney) Limited – trading as bellacasino.com, grosvenorcasino.com, meccabingo.com and meccagames.com – will pay a £700,557 regulatory settlement for social responsibility failures.
Annexio (Jersey) Limited – trading as lottogo.com – will pay £612,000 regulatory settlement for both social responsibility and money laundering failures.
Settlement money will go to the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.

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Gamblingcommission.gov.uk, 20 January 2022

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- Spain -
Spain to Take Aim at NFTs, Play-to-Earn Games, and Loot Boxes

Spain continues to up the ante when it comes to protecting consumers. The latest move by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs charts a new way to address and talk about play-to-earn games, loot boxes and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Lawmakers have been asking for years to lump regulation of such games and digital goods with gambling laws, and there seems to be support for this in Spain. A band of MPs in the United Kingdom launched similar appeals for the upcoming Gambling Act Review, urging fellow legislators to consider adding loot boxes, P2E games and crypto together with gambling laws.
Spain has been at it for some time. Back in March 2021, the country launched a public consultation, seeking input from citizens and independent experts as how to proceed with loot boxes, an in-game microtransaction that has been likened to gambling in several studies commissioned by prominent gambling regulators around the world.
   
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Gamblingnews.com, 19 January 2022

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- United Kingdom -
YouGov Survey Shows Opposition To “Affordability Checks”

The YouGov survey for the Betting and Gaming Council revealed that just 16 per cent of those who enjoy a bet would submit themselves to so-called “affordability checks”, which are under consideration as part of the Government’s Gambling Review.
By contrast, some 58 per cent said they would not be willing to allow regulated betting and gaming firms to carry out the arbitrary blanket checks, which have been called for by anti-gambling campaigners.
The same poll also found that 59 per cent of punters believe that Government-imposed checks on whether customers can afford to place a bet would lead to a large or substantial risk of customers using unlicensed sites in the unsafe black market online instead.
These are thousands of illegal gambling websites that don’t adhere to the strict standards in the licensed and regulated sector.
This includes targeting problem gamblers, not carrying out strict ID and age verification checks or offering the range of safer gambling tools provided by BGC members, like deposit limits and cooling off periods.
In addition, the poll found that more than half – 51 per cent – of all adults believe that increased black market use will lead to a rise in problem gambling, compared to just 4 per cent who think it would bring down the problem gambling rate.
The findings were revealed as ministers continue the ongoing Gambling Review, with a white paper due in the spring.

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Gaming-awards.com, 20 January 2022