British gambling operator Entain has announced a partnership with financial security technology services provider Synalogik. 

The collaboration makes Entain the first major iGaming operator to harness Synalogik to strengthen its identity, financial, and credit checks.

Synalogik’s technology significantly speeds the processes involved with checking and risk-scoring customers, taking just seconds and being able to process thousands of customers simultaneously. 

Commenting on the news, Brendan MacDonald, Director of Customer Protection at Entain, said: “This delivers on our vision of leveraging innovation and technology to create the best experience for every customer whilst delivering the highest standards of compliance effectiveness and corporate governance.”

While Gareth Mussell, CEO at Synalogik, added: “We are delighted that Entain is using our Scout system to support its compliance and governance processes. This unique solution provides an enriched customer view, in near real-time, drawn from multiple data sources, which enhances decision making and delivers significant efficiency and cost savings.” 

Staying with Entain, last week the company launched the affordability component of its new Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC) platform across all 14 of its UK brands.

The call to ban gambling advertising in Australian sports is getting louder, with the Alliance for Gambling Reform launching a new campaign in the country. 

Chief advocate of the Alliance, the Reverend Tim Costello, has accused the federal government of failing to protect Australians from sports wagering – an industry which has doubled in value over the space of five years, with annual losses now north of AU$1 billion. 

Regarding the situation, Costello said: “We must nip this in the bud right now, and the quickest and easiest way to do so is to end gambling advertising. Other countries have done so, including Italy, because they recognise the harm gambling does, and that it is completely inappropriate to promote it. It’s time Australia did the right thing too.”

However, Costello has also been accused of making an issue out of a problem that doesn’t exist in Australia, with chief executive of gambling industry lobby group Responsible Wagering Australia, Brent Jackson, pointing out that problem gambling rates in the country are falling, and complaints about gambling advertising are at record lows. 

Responsible Wagering Australia currently represents major international bookies including bet365, betfair Exchange, Ladbrokes, neds, Entain, sportsbet, and Unibet, 

Just last week, Aussie rules football club Sydney Swans and pro soccer club Macarthur joined the Reclaim the Game, Be Gamble Aware program, being run by the New South Wales Office of Responsible Gambling, and committed to support the campaign against gambling advertising.

AYO.NEWS says:

As we’ve pointed out many times regarding the situation in countries like the UK, Sweden, Spain, and Italy, in reality this issue is an ideological one. It will make no difference what the gambling industry does in terms of improving responsible gambling measures, or what research and facts it provides to back-up its claims – those against gambling will always keep moving the goalposts until gambling itself is banned.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched a three-year plan aimed at reducing gambling risks. 

According to the UKGC, it has identified five main objectives:

1. Protect children and vulnerable people
2. Create a fairer market with more informed customers
3. Root out crime from the industry
4. Ensure a smooth transition of the National Lottery to its new license holder in 2023
5. Improve gambling regulation

In stating these objectives, the Gambling Commission pointed out that the rates of problem gambling in young and vulnerable people remains stubbornly high, and that its research has found the level of public trust in the gambling industry had fallen from 49% in 2008 to 29% in 2020. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With a major review of the UK Gambling Act currently underway, and some influential figures even calling for a new regulator to replace the Commission, its plans could well end up changing significantly. 

Staying with the UKGC, last month its CEO, Neil McArthur, announced his intention to step down after fifteen years with the regulator. 

British gambling giant Entain has launched the affordability component of its new Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC) platform across all 14 of its UK brands. 

The technology-driven approach harnesses vast quantities of data and the latest behavioural science to hyper-personalise customer protection, and manage risk exposure in real-time. The operator says the complete ARC will go live in the UK sometime during the summer, and extended to other countries later in 2021. 

Group operations director at Entain, Peter Marcus, said: “We have been working on player affordability concepts for the past 18 months as part of our ARC affordability programme. For those we believe are at most financial risk, we set limits which only increase if those individuals share certain information about their affordability.”

Entain CEO, Jette Nygaard-Andersen, added: “We firmly believe that a more personalised, individual approach to player protection is the way forward which is why, for the most vulnerable customers, we have taken action as soon as we can. We are deeply committed to giving every customer the best experiences and protection we can, tailored to their particular needs.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Obviously, ARC now has to prove itself in the real world, but with the UK regulatory environment already among the strictest in the world and set to get even harsher, it seems unavoidable that only operators able to invest heavily in the latest AI-driven compliance tech, like Entain is doing, will remain viable. Already, we’ve seen operators like Betsson withdraw most of their brands from the UK market, and we expect more will follow over the coming months and years. 

Bet365 operator Hillside Sports has been fined SEK1m (approx. €98,000) by the Swedish gaming regulator Spelinspektionen, for offering bets on a football match in which most players were minors. 

The offending match was a friendly played between Kronängs IF and Mariedals IK on 28 March, 2020, in which 24 out of 34 participants were under the age of 18. By offering odds on the game, Bet365 breached Chapter 8, Section 2.2 of the Swedish Gambling Act. 

Responding to the fine and warning, Hillside said it had believed it could legally offer bets on the fixture because it was not specifically an underage match, and that it was just an “unfortunate coincidence” that the majority of the players turned out to be under 18. It has now taken the decision to stop offering bets on lower-division friendlies to avoid the risk of it happening again. 

However, Spelinspektionen says it was clear that the Swedish Gambling Act prohibited betting on the match, and the breach was serious. But, the regulator has accepted it was a one-off incident, and has acknowledged that the operator has taken action to avoid it happening again.

A body representing international gaming companies operating from Malta has urged authorities in the tiny Mediterranean country to take “clear and decisive” action against corruption. 

IGEN (iGaming European Network) has warned that corruption in Malta is now causing real damage to the sector, with the island’s high-profile corruption cases attracting international media and political attention, resulting in “higher costs, an increase in operational complexity, loss of business and substantial reputational damage.” 

IGEN’s membership includes Aspire Global, Betsson Group, GiG, Kindred, Catena Media, Mr Green, LeoVegas, Entain, Casumo, Raketech, Bethard Group, VideoSlots, ComeOn, Tipico, Betway, NetEnt, Genesis, SuprNation, Trustly, Microgaming, Hero Gaming, Greentube, Gamesys Group, Singular, and Relax Gaming.

The association said it backs the Maltese police and judiciary in their efforts to investigate corruption, and has urged authorities to prosecute any guilty parties to the fullest extent of the law, with iGEN Chairman, Enrico Bradamante, saying: “We are satisfied to see that the relevant institutions have started to take decisive action against these claims, but much more remains to be done. Anyone who is or was involved in corruption and graft must be held accountable, and a clear message must be sent to demonstrate that the law applies to all without fear or favour.”

Down the Rabbit Hole on Corruption Island

Though Malta has long been known as a hotbed of political and commercial corruption, the past year has seen investigators uncover shocking levels of crime, involving some of the island’s most prominent business people and officials. 

From the arrest of business tycoon Yorgen Fenech in November 2019 in connection with the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (who uncovered extensive Maltese connections to the so-called ‘Panama Papers’ scandal), as he attempted to flee the country on his yacht, to the recent criminal charges levied against former Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) CEO, Heathcliff Farrugia, for his dealings with Fenech, the country is facing a growing corruption crisis. 

Indeed, Farrugia isn’t the only official who has been accused of being far too close to Fenech. Local newspaper The Times of Malta also revealed that former head of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), Joseph Cuschieri, had gone on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas with Fenech. Cuschieri, who was forced to resign after details were made public, had previously been head of the MGA. 

If that wasn’t bad enough for the MGA, it has also emerged that the MFSA’s legal counsel, Edwina Licari, who previously served with the gaming regulator, had drafted a letter for Fenech, regarding an application to expand his Casino. Licari also accompanied Fenech and Cuschieri on their Las Vegas trip. Despite this, Licari is denying any wrongdoing and is still with the MFSA. .

However, the web of corruption in Malta expands far beyond gaming. Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to former Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, along with ten others have also been charged with corruption and money laundering, among other things, after police traced millions of dollars in dodgy transactions and backhanders relating to the sale of printing machines. 

And, things could get a whole lot worse as investigators continue to follow trails. Vincent Muscat, who is now serving a fifteen-year prison sentence after confessing to murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia, has alleged that a former Maltese government minister has also involved in a plot to murder the journalist. 

All of this comes at a time when Moneyval is deciding whether or not to greylist Malta, which as previously reported, could effectively destroy the nation’s financial services and remote gaming industry. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Malta really is on a knife edge. For years it has enjoyed incredible economic growth, driven by mass tourism, iGaming, and financial services. Indeed, until last year, the iGaming industry contributed around 13% of Malta’s GDP. However, since the utter decimation of the country’s tourism sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its relative importance has no doubt increased significantly.

At the same time, the iGaming industry is changing, and Malta’s inherent appeal is facing other challenges too. Firstly, as more countries regulate and introduce their own gaming licenses, the value of a generic license like Malta is undeniably diluted. 

Secondly, Malta’s long-time rivals are upping their games. In the Caribbean, Curacao is forming a new regulator and vowed to bring its standards in line with the Netherlands. Though this may scare off dodgy operators, it could make it more attractive to legitimate players, like those currently based in Malta.

Meanwhile, in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man, which has handled the COVID crisis far better than Malta, and has a much better reputation in terms of integrity, is investing heavily in infrastructure and services, for example setting up Digital Isle of Man – which has resulted in a significant increase in license applications over the past year. 

Thirdly, even before the COVID-19 crisis, Malta-based iGaming companies were starting to find recruitment challenging. With rents rocketing, infrastructure buckling, and the local environment being destroyed, companies found they couldn’t easily tempt and keep talent from elsewhere in Europe with the promise of a cheap, relaxed life in the sunshine anymore.

Maybe the COVID-19 crisis, which may still have a long way to go before its over, will serve as a wake-up call for Malta to clean up its act and reassess its economy? To ensure a long-term future for the gaming industry, the country needs to focus on creating a better environment in every way. But, is it too late?