Tabcorp has been ordered to pay $30K AUD in fines and legal costs for publishing an inducement to gamble or open an account on Instagram. 

Charges were brought in response to an investigation by Liquor & Gaming NSW, that found Tabcorp had run an advertising campaign on 13-14 December 2019, via Instagram Stories, aimed at Tabcorp account holders. 

Details of 900 New South Wales residents who had closed their Tabcorp accounts had also been provided to Facebook, Instagram’s owner, for the advertising campaign. 

The NSW Betting and Racing Act makes it illegal to publish gambling advertisements that include any inducement to participate in gambling or open a betting account. 

The gambling operator pleaded guilty to the offence on 25 November, at the Downing Centre Local Court, Sydney. Regarding the 900 former account holders’ details, the company said the information had been included due to human error. 

Magistrate Erin Kennedy warned Tabcorp that some of the 900 former account holders may have closed their accounts due to gambling problems, and that they shouldn’t have been exposed to gambling advertisements. 

Tabcorp was convicted and fined $18K AUD, with $12,276 AUD in legal costs. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the total fine and legal costs amounting to just under €18,500 euro, we doubt Tabcorp is going to notice the financial penalty, but the negative press is very damaging to the Australian gambling industry’s cause, and plays straight into the hands of those pressing for further repressive legislation.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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EPIC Risk Management has partnered with RecoverMe, a new mobile health app to help people manage gambling addiction. 

RecoverMe was developed by three junior doctors in consultation with psychologists, psychiatrists, and people suffering from gambling addiction. 

The collaboration will see the RecoverMe app included as part of selected EPIC Risk Management educational programs, aimed at supporting people who are at risk from, or already suffering from gambling problems. 

Discussing the new app, co-founder of RecoverMe, Dr. Minal Jain, said:

“We are delighted to announce our collaboration with EPIC to combine our efforts to reducing gambling-related harm across the country. Collectively, we can provide education, prevention, and management support within organisations where there is a higher prevalence of problematic gambling. Highlighting the need for all three of these fundamental components going forward.”

While Director of Educational Programmes at EPIC Risk Management, Patrick Foster, added:

“RecoverMe share many of EPIC’s values and approaches to reducing gambling-related harm. They share EPIC’s belief of how integral education is to provide a holistic approach to support individuals who may be at risk of developing a gambling addiction, or those who are already experiencing one.

“Furthermore, EPIC recognise and believe that everyone who is struggling with issues with gambling addiction is able to access support and treatment, and RecoverMe allows individuals who may not have a recognised support pathway to immediate, accessible and effective treatment.”

AYO.NEWS says:

This is yet another welcome development in tackling problem gambling. As we often say here at AYO.NEWS, effective, accessible tools and education are key to dealing with the issue, rather than draconian, blunt bans and restrictions. 

In October, EPIC Risk Management stepped up its efforts to minimise gambling related harm in the esports world, appointing Jonathan Peniket as an online gaming and esports consultant. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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Gaming matchmaking platform FASTCUP has partnered with identity verification platform Sumsub. 

The partnership will see the companies implement customer verification to ensure FASTCUP players are unable to cheat by creating more than one account per user. 

FASTCUP is an esports league platform that caters for Counter-Strike 1.6 (CS1.6) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and has more than 200,000 users worldwide. 

The platform allows players to team up against each other, matches them based on rank, and provides detailed profiles with rank, statistics, previous matches etc. League matches and tournaments give players the opportunity to win real money prizes from the $5,500 prize pool. 

However, FASTCUP has been concerned about users creating multiple accounts to increase their chances of winning prizes. Sumsub’s KYC/AML solution will now stop fraudulent signups and the abuse of the onboarding system. 

Commenting on the development Chief Operating Officer at FASTCUP, Ruslan Buhryn, said:

‘When we started leagues, we faced a problem where some users would create multiple accounts. As a result, they took up more places and stole prizes from other players. So, we needed to find a way to filter out cheaters to ensure fair play. 

When we implemented Sumsub’s onboarding solution, the number of unique user accounts grew, and the number of multiple accounts fell to almost zero. Thanks to Sumsub, we don’t have to stress about security and compliance while expanding our customer network.’

While Co-founder of Sumsub, Jacob Sever, added:

‘Like many other services, gaming platforms onboard a wide range of users from different age groups and locations. Because these platforms often involve monetary prizes, it inherently brings up the question of how to fairly and securely verify such a broad spectrum of users, while abiding by compliance laws and without harming conversion rates. We are happy to help FASTCUP create a safe and cheat-free environment for their dedicated players.’

AYO.NEWS says:

While we frequently hear about the importance of KYC solutions in the igaming industry, with online casinos and sportsbooks going to great lengths to remain compliant and protect their businesses, it’s an issue that is less talked about in the world of video gaming and esports. However, with the rapidly increasing popularity of platforms like FASTCUP, and the serious money now involved, we expect to see many more adopt KYC solutions like Sumsub’s. 

Staying with Sumsub, just last week Curaçao-based online betting operator, Pinnacle, announced it would be using its identity verification platform to improve onboarding for users.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

At long last, Canada could be on the verge of legalising single-event sports betting, with a bill set to go before the House of Commons.

If passed, Bill C-218, or the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, will provide the country with the framework and necessary tools for a functional regulated sports betting market. 

Responding to the news, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), said:

“The CGA is pleased that the federal government has recognised the urgent need to amend the Criminal Code to offer safeguards to Canadians as well as an economic recovery tool for the provinces.”

The CGA also pointed out how the small change to the Canadian Criminal Code would help communities economically recover from the COVID-19 crisis, and once again reminded people of how much Canadian money is currently being wagered through offshore online sportsbooks each year – over $4B CAD, compared to just $500M wagered on the legal sports lottery products currently available to Canadian bettors. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s been a long time coming, but it looks unlikely that this bill won’t pass, especially given the added need to stimulate the economy due to the COVID-19 crisis. A fully functional, regulated Canadian sports betting market would no doubt be very attractive to many operators, especially those already heavily committed south of the border in the United States, given the similar sporting tastes in both countries. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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Sports data company Sportradar has renewed its integrity partnership with India’s premier football league, the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL). 

The multi-year renewal extends a relationship that originally began in 2016, and will see Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), organisers of the Hero ISL, benefit from Sportradar Integrity Services monitoring of all matches, using its proven and advanced Fraud Detection System (FDS). 

FDS uses sophisticated algorithms, a constantly maintained database of data, and expert analysts to detect suspected match-fixing. Sportradar will also be providing access to its specialist Intelligence & Investigation Services (I&I), as required. 

Discussing the renewed partnership Managing Director of Sportradar Integrity Services, Andreas Krannich, said:

“Hero ISL renewing its partnership with us only shows how committed they are towards maintaining integrity in the game and proactive towards the growth of football in the subcontinent. As a global leader in sporting integrity, we want to continue to provide our expertise and help protect the tournament against all integrity-related issues.”

Sportradar also provides integrity services to major leagues and federations, including FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). In India, the company has also supported the Pro Kabaddi League, and recently announced a partnership with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

The seventh season of Hero ISL 2020-21 started on 20 November in Goa. 

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GVC Holdings has appointed Dr. Mark Griffiths as a special advisor on player protection and safer gambling issues. 

Dr. Griffiths, a Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction and Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, will audit GVC’s policies and processes relating to responsible gambling, and make suggestions for improvements. 

An expert in the field, Dr. Griffiths was part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) working party that formally recognised ‘gaming disorder’ as a psychological condition in 2019. His appointment will be instrumental in delivering ARC – the group’s Advanced Responsibility & Care (ARC) programme. 

ARC will use scientific analysis of player behaviour to help enhance player protections, and see GVC’s data scientists develop predictive models and analytics to score players for potential indicators of issues. Each player will thus get a dynamic risk rating, enabling real-time monitoring and early interventions. 

Helping Dr. Griffith and GVC’s scientists, will be the findings amassed from the behaviour of over 160 million players on the group’s global database. He will also draw on GVC’s existing partnership with Harvard Medical School, which is now two years into a planned five-year study into addiction.

GVC’s CEO, Shay Segev, last week set out the direction for the group, which is soon to rebrand as ‘Entain’, based on two strategic pillars of sustainability and growth, underpinned by industry-leading proprietary technology. 

AYO.NEWS says:

GVC, under its new leadership, definitely seems to be getting serious about tackling the responsible gambling issue. Of course, whether that’s down to a genuine desire to help, or just because the group senses time is running out to avert more draconian regulation, is anyone’s guess. But, whatever the reason, hats off to GVC, or should we say ‘Entain?’

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.