Legal – Page 3 – FairOdds Network

January 14, 2025

DC Council fines Intralot $5 million for violating subcontracting agreements

The drama surrounding the Washington DC sports betting market continued with an announcement today (14 January) that the DC Council has fined Intralot $5 million (£4.09 million/€4.85 million) for violating small business subcontracting agreements in its sole-source sports betting and lottery contract.

In addition to Intralot, subcontractor Veterans Services Corporation (VSC) was also fined $1.5 million, bringing the total to $6.5 million. The fines were announced by the DC office of the attorney general (OAG).

The OAG said that when Intralot sought to secure the controversial contract in 2019, it did so with the premise that “VSC would perform 51% of the work – all with its own resources – and receive an equivalent percentage of the revenue”. DC law requires that 35% of large government contracts be subcontracted to local small businesses. The benefits to VSC and other local businesses was said to be among the primary reasons that the contract was awarded.

But that premise turned..

January 14, 2025

Esportes da Sorte avoids Loterj national betting ban with Federal Court injunction

Esportes da Sorte has obtained an injunction from the Federal Court of the Federal District that will allow it to operate in the licensed Brazil betting market, despite it only holding a Lottery state betting licence.

The Federal Court’s decision, taken on Monday (13 January), enables Esportes da Sorte Group to launch its Esportes da Sorte and OnaBet brands nationally in Brazil, even though it has not been granted a federal licence or provisional licence to operate in the legal online betting market.

On 3 January Federal Supreme Court minister André Mendonça passed a preliminary ruling to ban Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (Loterj) licensees from providing nationwide gambling activities.

Esportes da Sorte gained Loterj authorisation back in August 2024 after its owner, Esportes Gaming Brazil, became the controlling shareholder of Loterj-licensed platform owner ST Soft.

However, the new Federal Court ruling guarantees Esportes da Sorte will be granted special authorisation to operat..

January 14, 2025

First in line: Brazil licence holders KTO and Stake on licensing challenges and first-mover advantages

Among the first to gain access to the legal online betting market in Brazil, KTO and Stake sat down with iGB to uncover the licensing process and how their early entry will bolster credibility among consumers.

After years of delays, Brazil finally launched its legal betting sector on 1 January, with operators looking to tap into what is expected to become a top-three market globally. For companies who have already secured licensed approval, the first-mover advantage has provided them with an exciting opportunity to be trailblazers.

The legal betting market in Brazil launched with 14 companies initially receiving full licences, as well as 52 operators that were granted provisional authorisation.

Provisional licences were granted to companies who are facing setbacks with their applications, such as certification delays. The extensive requirements relating to certification, as well as the huge number of applications submitted to the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), have led to ..

January 8, 2025

Brazil Supreme Court rejects Loterj’s latest appeal in ongoing spat with federal government

Supreme Federal Court (STF) minister André Mendonça has rejected the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery’s (Loterj) appeal against the ban on state-licensed brands operating throughout Brazil.

On 2 January, Mendonça passed a preliminary decision to ban Loterj licensees from operating nationally across Brazil. The request was initially filed by the attorney general’s office (AGU) back in October, requesting the court suspended certain 2023 provisions that gave Loterj powers to regulate outside of Rio (Accreditation Notice 01/2023).

As a result of the court’s ruling, Loterj licensees were banned from accepting bets beyond Rio de Janeiro state borders and also mandated to reintroduce geolocation tracking to ensure bets are only being accepted within the state.

Mendonça’s decision gave Loterj five days from 2 January to halt its nationwide activities and impose these geolocation mechanisms.

Loterj immediately appealed the decision, citing “defects, omissions, obscurities and material errors..

December 18, 2024

Brazil betting CPI rapporteur hits back after claims of extortion

Senator Soraya Thronicke, rapporteur of the betting Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) in Brazil, has called for help from the federal police (FP) to investigate claims of extortion within the group.

In response to growing criticism of the betting industry in Brazil ahead of the legal market launch on 1 January 2025, the betting CPI was established in November at Thronicke’s request. It aims to investigate the “growing influence of online gambling on [Brazilian families’ financial spending]”.

Last week (13 December) however, the CPI was plunged into scandal after a report from Brazilian magazine Veja made allegations of extortion linked to businessmen within the gambling industry.

Veja reported senator Ciro Nogueira alerted congress president Rodrigo Pacheco to a lobbyist from Brasília named Silvio de Assis seeking to extort members of the industry.

The FP are already reportedly involved, with De Assis allegedly requesting BRL40 million (£5.2 million/€6.2 million/$6.5 million)..

December 13, 2024

Brazil regulator approves 71 betting licences

Brazil’s gambling regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), has issued 71 federal online betting licences ahead of the launch of the country’s regulated market next month.

In a meeting on Tuesday 10 December, Regis Dudena, the leader of the Brazil SPA, confirmed 71 licences are approved. The SPA is still evaluating the remainder of the 114 applications filed by the initial 20 August deadline.

Dudena did not disclose the identity of any of the successful applicants. However, he did say that all operators in this group have been contacted for final evaluation ahead of the market’s launch. Brazil is due to open its regulated market on 1 January 2025, with compliance prior to this required before an operator can launch.

“The final requirements here, in addition to some technical requirements such as certification of their betting system, are mostly related to financial matter, such as full capital, creation of a reserve account and payment of a concession fee,” Dudena said.

December 10, 2024

Weekend Report: footballer and tennis official banned for betting breaches, Omnigame secures Danish licence

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: bans issued to Irish footballer and Bosnian tennis official for breaching betting rules, Omnigame picks up Danish licence and Yolo makes new senior appointments.

Irish footballer faces ban over betting charge

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has issued a six-month ban to Finn Harps FC player Ryan Rainey after he was found to have breached betting rules.

Breaches are connected to a number of League of Ireland and Men’s FAI Cup games that took place between 2021 and 2024. The FAI said Rainey also placed a “significant” number of bets on football worldwide in 2024.

After a disciplinary hearing, an Independent Disciplinary Committee ruled Rainey should face a ban. This has since been confirmed by the League of Ireland, in which his team, Finn Harps FC, plays.

Rainey, who previously played for English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, to..

December 10, 2024

New Zealand government seeks to end greyhound racing

New Zealand's government has today (10 December) announced plans to end greyhound racing in the country, with racing minister Winston Peters hoping to introduce legislation to facilitate the shut-down next year.

Taking the decision, the government said the greyhound industry has been on notice over animal welfare concerns for several years. Three reviews into racing over the past decade all recommended significant changes within the sector.

Peters said a more detailed legislation will come to the table next year. However, he did reveal that the government intends to wind down greyhound racing over a 20-month period. This, he said, will enable the rehoming of dogs and provide a transition period for people involved in the industry.

“This isn’t a decision taken lightly but is ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs,” Peters said. “Despite significant progress made by the greyhound racing industry in recent years, the percentage of dogs being injured remains per..

December 5, 2024

KSA probe finds Dutch licensees breached youth betting rules

Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has issued warnings to several licensed operators after they were found to have breached regulations by offering betting on youth and amateur sports events.

Announced yesterday (4 December), seven Dutch licensees permitted betting on events where competitors were under the age of 21. Licensed operators in the country may only take bets on events where all players are at least 21.

KSA also discovered two licensees were offering prohibited bet types. These include betting on certain players to receive a red or yellow card, or total corners in a football match.

The regulator said all breaches took place during the 2023-24 football season. However, it did not disclose which operators breached the rules, nor the events or matches where the betting was permitted.

KSA contacted all licensees involved and ordered them to stop offering this type of betting to Dutch players. The regulator also warned other operators running these bets must al..

December 2, 2024

Argentina chamber of deputies approves bill to ban online betting ads

The chamber of deputies in Argentina has approved a bill to ban online betting advertising, with the hopes it will protect children from gambling harms.

In a special session on 27 November, the chamber passed the federal bill by 139 votes to 36. There was also 59 abstentions from the vote in Argentina.

The bill will now go to the senate, which will take into account the views of stakeholders such as Argentinian football clubs before deciding whether to progress the bill further.

Article 8 of the bill bans advertising, promotion and sponsorship of online betting on all communication platforms. This includes digital platforms like social media and outdoor spaces such as public roads.

Additionally, Article 8 prohibits online operators from sponsoring sports teams or athletes. This also includes the use of the company’s name to identify sporting venues such as stadiums or training centres. The promotion of online gambling on signage at such venues would also be banned.

Influencer adv..

November 22, 2024

Belgium’s BAGO urges action over illegal gambling among young men

The Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) has called on authorities in the country to take a stricter approach to illegal gambling websites after new research revealed almost half young men aged 18-21 are gambling with unlicensed operators.

Commissioned by BAGO, the research took place prior to new rules being introduced on the minimum gambling age in Belgium. As of 1 September this year, players must be at least 21 to participate in legal gambling.

Age requirements for sports betting, arcades and bingo have now been raised to be in line with land-based casinos. Since 2018, players have had to be 21 to gamble at casinos across Belgium.

However, research flagged almost half of men aged 18-21 in Belgium were gambling with illegal operators before the law became effective. This, in essence, meant the new regulations would not have impacted their activities on illegal sites, which are not bound by the same rules as licensed operators.

Furthermore, the research suggests awarene..

November 21, 2024

Could a 1% consumption tax topple Peru’s betting ambitions?

The reintroduction of a betting consumption tax looms over Peru, raising concerns that double taxation and a rise in black market activity could dampen growth.

It has been a huge year for gambling in Peru and industry commentators expect, thanks to recent online regulation, that it could become the third largest online betting market in South America. An amended Law No 31557 to regulate online sports betting and igaming in the country came into effect on 9 February, after initially being signed off by President Pedro Castillo in 2022.

The country’s gambling regulator, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur), started taking online licence applications in February and the market’s potential encouraged top tier operators such as Betsson, Rush Street Interactive and Stake to apply. By 21 March, 145 applications had been received.

The regulatory framework set out in Law No 31557 has been described as favourable for operators as it features a respectable 12% tax on gross gami..

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Tag: Legal