Legal – Page 7 – FairOdds Network

January 25, 2024

Svenska Spel loses appeal against ATG over naming rights

Svenska Spel has lost its appeal against Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG) over the use of the phrase “Trav och Galopp” in a new racing product.

Svenska Spel’s use of the phrase, which translates to “trot and gallop” in English, was considered by the Patent and Market Court of Appeal to be an infringement on ATG’s company name.

ATG launched the initial trademark lawsuit back in December 2020. This was after a war of words between ATG chief executive Hasse Lord Skarplöth and his Svenska Spel counterpart, Patrik Hofbauer.

In a statement announcing ATG’s court victory, Skarplöth said: “That the supreme court also followed our line was expected. It must never be okay to use someone else’s company name and it feels good that the matter is now settled once and for all.

“It was important to establish that a competitor does not have the right to use our company name and exploit its good reputation.”

Another blow for Svenska Spel

The failed appeal comes in the wake of Svenska Spel announ..

January 24, 2024

North Carolina to launch mobile sports betting on 11 March

North Carolina will launch online sports betting on 11 March 2024, with retail wagering to follow shortly afterwards.

Today (24 January), the North Carolina State Lottery Commission approved the launch date.

Players can begin to register for accounts on 1 March 2024. They can also begin to fund their accounts from this date.

If all goes to plan, North Carolina’s online sports betting market will be up and running in time for March Madness – the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) yearly college basketball tournament and a crucial time for sports betting.

Speculation ramped up over North Carolina’s go-live date earlier this month, when the Commission set 26 January as the deadline for operators to submit their proposed internal controls. Those hoping to operate in North Carolina must receive approval for their internal controls.

Start of the journey for sports betting in NC

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission is currently overseeing the licensing process. Cha..

January 22, 2024

ATG CEO Skarplöth calls for differentiated tax following 4% rise proposal

Hasse Lord Skarplöth, the chief executive of Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG), has called for differentiated tax in response to the government announcing proposals to increase gambling tax by 4%.

In September, Sweden’s government (Regeringen) outlined plans to hike the gambling tax rate in the country from 18% to 22% of gross gaming revenue (GGR). If approved, the tax rise will come into effect in Sweden from 1 July 2024.

While Regeringen believes the move could bring in an additional SEK540.0m (£39.3m/€45.5m/$48.4m) in tax revenue each year, the proposals met with strong opposition from the industry, including the ATG.

In a blog, Skarplöth labelled Regeringen’s plans a “shock”, and called for taxes on horse and other sports betting to remain the same, while increasing those on igaming. Skarplöth cited examples of other European countries with differentiated gambling taxes as reasons for the Regeringen to rethink its proposals.

Skarplöth said: “It came as a shock, the proposal fo..

December 15, 2023

ACMA flags gambling giants for breaching in-play betting rules

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed four leading online gambling brands have breached in-play betting rules in the country, with Ladbrokes and Bet365 among those flagged.

ACMA said the operators breached interactive gambling rules through the use of “Fast/Quick codes” to facilitate in-play betting on sports. Entain-owned Ladbrokes and Neds, as well as Hillside’s Bet365 and Sportsbet, were the four guilty parties named by ACMA.

Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits in-play betting on sports matches, with only limited exceptions. These include placing the bet over the phone, whereby the player must make an actual phone call to make the wager.

Players must first gain a Fast/Quick code from an operator’s website or app to build an in-play wager. This code embeds the event, bet selection and bet type of the in-play bet. The player then quotes this code when making the call to finalise the bet.

However, ACMA said this was not the case with..

December 11, 2023

FanDuel lobbied against New York rules on advertising near colleges

FanDuel Group lobbied against rules that prohibit advertising sports betting near colleges and universities in the state, according to unredacted documents released by the New York State registrar.

Updated rules on sports betting in New York were introduced in October. This came after the New York State registrar considered opinion from various licensees, including Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel.

The ban on betting adverts near education establishments is now in place. However, state registrar documents now show that FanDuel voiced its opposition to such a move.

NEW YORK STATE REGISTRAR DOCUMENTS SHOW FANDUEL LOBBIED AGAINST ADVERTISING NEAR COLLEGES

Dated 18 October, the document said FanDuel objects to a ban on adverts in the “area of a college or university campus”. This, the document says, may be interpreted to “include unaffiliated residential and commercial areas that border a college or university campus”.

However, the New York State Gaming Commission disagreed. The r..

December 7, 2023

Brazil gambling regulation vote delayed to 12 December

Originally scheduled to take place at 2pm local time (5pm GMT) on 6 December, Brazil's senate vote has now been rescheduled until Tuesday 12 December.

Prospects are now bleak that it will be approved this year.

While the proposal of Brazil’s gambling regulation remained on the agenda, senators were unable to vote on the bill due to the lack of quorum.

As the minimum number of senators needed to vote was not met, it was not possible for the vote to go ahead as approval of the bill risks being compromised.

Factors behind the delay

When Brazil’s Economic Affairs Commission (CAE) approved Bill 3,626 two weeks ago, the industry thought the senate plenary vote would follow shortly after. But this has not been the case.

The senate plenary’s vote was scheduled for 29 November – but the vote was delayed until December after more than 100 amendments were added to the bill.

The major reason behind the delay is that 15 key senators were attending the United Nations Climate Summit (C..

December 6, 2023

Brazil: Could today’s vote be delayed?

Today (6 December) Brazil's senate plenary is set to vote on whether to approve Bill 3,626/23, which would legalise sports betting and igaming. But could this crucial vote be delayed?

When Brazil’s Economic Affairs Commission (CAE) approved Bill 3,626 two weeks ago, the industry thought the Senate plenary vote couldn’t be too far away. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

The senate plenary’s vote was initially scheduled for 29 November. However, the vote was delayed until December after more than 100 amendments were added to the bill.

This takes us to the present day. The senate plenary’s vote is scheduled to take place at 2pm local time (5pm GMT).

iGB understands that this vote will be delayed by six days, to take place on 12 December. Senators have allegedly been told that the minimum number of senators needed to vote today will not be met.

In this case, the vote could not go ahead because approval of the bill may be compromised.

What effect would this have?

If this vot..

December 6, 2023

Australian Senate approves credit card online gambling ban legislation

The Australia Senate has approved legislation to prohibit the use of credit cards for online gambling in the country, with a near-blanket ban set to come into effect within six months.

The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023 was introduced in September. This legislation seeks to ban credit cards and other credit-related products, as well as digital currencies, in Australia.

Australia’s House of Representatives passed the bill last month, allowing it to progress to the Senate. Today (6 December), the Senate also approved the legislation, clearing the way for it to pass into law.

The country already has a ban in place on gambling with credit cards at land-based venues. This means the bill effectively places a blanket ban on credit card gambling across Australia.

What is in the credit card bill?

Aside from a ban on credit products, the bill features several other related measures. These include fines of up to AU$234,750 (£122,475/€143,003/US$154,282)..

December 6, 2023

Amendments submitted for California sports betting ballot

Eagle1 Acquisitions Corp, the group of backers for a proposition to legalise sports betting in California, has made several amendments to its ballot initiative in an effort to gain further tribal support.

Tabled in October, the Sports Wagering Regulation and Tribal Gaming Protection Act, would allow for legal betting. If approved, the ballot would amend Article IV, section 19 of the California constitution. This will grant tribes exclusive rights to offer retail and online betting.

The initial version of the ballot set out several measures. These included tribes submitting 15% of adjusted sports betting gross gaming revenue into a tribal wagering revenue sharing trust fund.

Tribes would also contribute 10% of their adjusted sports wagering GGR into the California homelessness and mental health fund. It was also stated that tribes would need to partner sports betting operators, which would operate as vendors. These will require approval from both the Tribal Gaming Agency and Califor..

December 4, 2023

DeSantis team requests to dismiss petition against betting in Florida

Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ office has formally requested the state's Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit challenging sports betting in the state ahead of its scheduled expansion this week.

Attorney-general Ashley Moody claimed the petition brought by pari-mutuel betting operator West Flagler Associates is “unjustifiable”. The submission defended the state’s gambling compact between the Florida authorities and the Seminole tribe, which was signed in 2021.

Last month, the Seminole tribe, which has the exclusive right to offer gambling in Florida, re-launched its Hard Rock Bet service in the state.

Among the reasons Moody puts forward for the dismissal is the more than two years West Flagler took to submit its petition, following the signing of the gambling compact. Moody also argues that West Flagler’s petition for writ of quo warranto fails to meet legal standards.

Finally, Moody argues the petition is incorrect to claim sports betting is “casino gambling” as defined in th..

December 1, 2023

North Carolina approves online sports betting licence applications

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission has approved applications for sports betting licensure, with operators able to begin applying for licences in the state.

Online sports betting operators, as well as associated sports betting suppliers and providers, can now submit applications. The North Carolina State Lottery Commission will review any applications put forward.

The approval takes North Carolina a step closer to launching its legal sports betting market. Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347 into law in June, officially legalising wagering.

However, a launch date for the market has not yet been confirmed. Commission chair Ripley Rand said this will depend on a number of factors, primarily how long the application process takes.

Rand said the Commission will need to review all applications and supporting information. It will also need to complete background checks and analyse all internal control details before it can set a launch date.

The Commission has 60 days to r..

November 27, 2023

Brazil’s upcoming vote: Everything you need to know

Brazil's Senate plenary could vote to legalise sports betting and online casino on Wednesday (29 November). Ahead of the vote, we bring you all you need to know about the journey so far.

Before we delve into the complex legal history of sports betting in Brazil, let’s start off with last week’s key step.

Last Tuesday (21 November), the industry was waiting eagerly for Brazil’s Economic Affairs Committee (CAE) to vote on whether to greenlight sports betting and igaming through Bill 3,626/2023. This was delayed by one day on the request of senators, according to Senado Noticias.

The bill will now head to the Senate Plenary this Wednesday (29 November)

The CAE’s eventual approval on Wednesday 22 November gave the thumbs-up for the bill to move to the Senate plenary. This session will now take place this Wednesday (29 November). If the plenary vote goes in the bill’s favour, sports betting and igaming will officially be legal in Brazil.

Importantly, the outcome at the CAE confirm..

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Tag: Legal