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Australian Communications and Media Authority Blocks Five More Gambling Websites

acma-orders-blocking-of-five-more-offshore-gambling-websitesThe Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Australian government agency that oversees regulating online and media, has ordered another five offshore gambling websites to be blocked.

The websites in question are Viperspin, Just Casino, Betandplay, Play Fina and Comic Play Casino, which the Australian Communications and Media Authority found to have been operating illegally in Australia. The regulator announced that the respective websites breached the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority asked internet service providers in the country to block access to these online casinos, so when somebody tries to access them they will see a message from the government instead of the home page of the website.

ACMA released a statement in which it underlined once again that players from Australia who use such illegal gambling websites will not be protected by Australian laws. “This means our laws can’t help if something goes wrong, like if the service provider withholds winnings,” the regulator explained.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority can act against gambling websites that do not hold licenses to operate in the country or if they offer prohibited services such as online slot games or in-play sports betting. Moreover, publishing ads for another website that is unlicensed or runs prohibited services is also forbidden and can lead to ACMA requesting the respective publisher to be blocked.

835 Websites Blocked and Counting

Before this latest blocking request, the Australian Communications and Media Authority had successfully blocked 830 gambling and affiliate websites. The regulator also determined 215 services to exit the Australian market since ACMA began to crack down on illegal offshore gambling in 2017.

Last month, ACMA ordered the blocking of Crown Pokies and Play AUD, which the regulator deemed as operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. In July, the Australian Communications and Media Authority blocked another five websites: Reef Reels, Royal Reels, Ricky Casino, Slots Gallery and Slotastic.

June was by far the most prolific month of the year for ACMA as it blocked no less than 12 websites that month, after having managed to shut down another three websites in May 2023.

Source: “ACMA orders blocking of five more offshore gambling websites“. iGaming Business. September 20, 2023.

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Tabcorp Set To Receive Massive Refund From Australia’s Tax Authority

Tabcorp, the large Australian gambling and racing operator, gambled on its tax obligations and beat the house. It fought the Australian Tax Office (ATO) over certain tax calculations and won, leading to a refund of around AUD83 million (US$53.2 million).

Tabcorp Marquee at the Birdcage
Tabcorp Marquee at the Birdcage. The gaming operator has won a battle with Australia’s tax authority. (Image: FabulousFemme.com)

Tabcorp announced the settlement via a filing with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) yesterday. It brings to a close a drawn-out fight the company had with the tax authority over payments it previously made.

The results come at a good time for Tabcorp. It recently received a fine of AUD1 million (US$638,600) from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) for violating the regulator’s rules two years ago.

Tabcorp Scores Against the ATO

The ATO previously demanded Tabcorp pay certain tax amounts on its licenses and other provisions. The company paid the full amount, but launched a legal battle, as it felt the tax authority wasn’t calculating the tax obligations properly.

Possibly in an effort just to avoid a lengthy fight, the ATO agreed to work with Tabcorp, with the refund amounting to around 20% of what the company had paid. However, it brings closure and allows the ATO and Tabcorp to move forward with one less legal headache to worry about.

When the company files its annual financial health report in June of next year, it will reflect the reimbursement. It will also show a payment of about AUD37 million (US$23.7 million) that it will have to make to The Lottery Corporation. That comes from the demerger Tabcorp underwent last year.

As a result, according to the ASX announcement, Tabcorp will show a benefit next June of around AUD45 million (US$28.7 million). That same report will display a new arrangement on certain license fees as well, which the company said must be treated as “capital.” However, it added that this shouldn’t impact its overall results one way or another.

Australian Gaming Operators Face Changes

Australia’s entire gambling ecosystem is undergoing some changes, several of which could impact how operators are able to interact with consumers. If Tabcorp’s recent settlement with the ATO won’t impact its results, some of these definitely would if they come to life.

Adam Rytenskild, the company’s Managing Director and CEO, doesn’t believe a complete ban on inducements, as some legislators and anti-gambling pundits have recommended, would be a smart move. Although he recognizes and supports changes to how operators can advertise, blocking any type of offer that attracts wagers goes too far.

Rytenskild expressed his position in an interview he conducted with Racenet, a news platform about horse racing in Australia. He was responding to a question about a recent parliamentary inquiry on online gambling, where the topic of a complete ban on inducements surfaced.

If the ban were to come into effect, a process that could take up to three years to complete, it could harm the regulated gambling market. The initiative would prevent the advertisement of inducements from regulated platforms, but wouldn’t be able to stop those from offshore operators on many websites.

Rytenskild, as well as others in the industry, has suggested a compromise – allow inducements, but not in advertising. While not a perfect solution, it’s one that would still benefit, not harm, the regulated market.

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Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Set for Big Pay Raise, Bonus

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) CEO Steve Hill is poised for a significant pay raise for leading the agency responsible for keeping Southern Nevada bustling.

Steve Hill LVCVA Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, stands on the left next to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (middle) and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. Hill has been recommended for a large pay raise by the LVCVA’s Compensation Committee. (Image: R&R Partners)

The destination marketing organization’s Compensation Committee this week made the recommendation that Hill’s salary be increased by 7.5% and his bonus be elevated by a whopping 40%. The six-member committee highlighted Hill’s performance over the past 12 months in concluding that better compensation for the agency’s leader is warranted.

The Compensation Committee endorsed increasing Hill’s base pay by $33,570 to bring his salary to $481,179. The panel additionally backed a meaningful hike to his bonus, bringing the annual award to $179,043.

The LVCVA Board of Directors is expected to approve the compensation increases during its meeting on July 11. If that happens, Hill’s package for 2023 will be roughly $660,222.

The LVCVA is primarily funded by Clark County’s nightly hotel room occupancy tax. With Las Vegas casino resorts charging higher rates over the past year because of inflation and increased overhead, the LVCVA has seen its revenues surge. The LVCVA also generates income by owning and managing the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Pedal to the Metal

Hill and the LVCVA were instrumental in bringing Formula 1 to Las Vegas, with the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix set for November. The tourism agency is a major sponsor of the F1 race.

LVCVA officials are also playing a critical role in trying to find the Oakland A’s a home ballpark should the MLB franchise formally decide to relocate to Las Vegas. Hill’s leadership of the LVCVA also resulted in landing the 2024 Super Bowl LVIII and the NCAA March Madness Final Four in 2028.

This year would have been easy to come out here as a leader and talk about F1, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and do a mic drop,” said Compensation Committee member Scott DeAngelo. “But you didn’t take your foot off the gas. In fact, you pushed harder.”

Hill told the Compensation Committee that there remains much work ahead. Among his top goals for 2023 and beyond are driving visitation to record highs, keeping the Las Vegas Convention Center booked with marquee events, and seeing the $600 million renovation of the North, Central, and South halls to completion.

Hill also said the authority will continue to improve the culture and work environment at the LVCVA.

LVCVA Compensation Committee members reasoned that in order to continue Las Vegas’ reign as one of the premier destinations for tourism and major events, the city marketing agency must be willing to shell out big bucks for the best executives in the business. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that even after Hill’s proposed compensation increases, his pay package would still “leave him below the average pay rate given to top leaders of destination marketing organizations nationwide.”

Lofty Convention Segment Goal

The LVCVA has set the goal of attracting 8.3 million convention attendees to the destination by the calendar year 2026. The current record for conventioneers in a single year is 6.6 million businesspeople, which was set in 2019.

Only five million people arrived in Southern Nevada last year primarily to attend a convention.

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The Malta Gaming Authority Releases 2022 Annual Report and Financials

the_malta_gaming_authority_Releases_2022_annual_report_and_financialsThe Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has released its 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements. The move and similar moves by government entities are widely seen as efforts to provide clarity of mission and transparency of operations.

In that light, Malta has been mostly successful throughout the years, at least in as far as the information provided is somewhat useful to potential license holders and consumers. However, the type of information and the depth to which activities are reported can leave a lot to be desired.

5,280 players requested assistance

While the number of player complaints is reported, the type and severity of potential violations are not reported in context nor are the results of any decisions related to specific disputes. Further, alternate dispute resolution is mandatory so it is assumed that only complaints that fail arbitration and that ADR service providers consider worthy to escalate are ever considered by the gaming authority.

As well, plans to change the law or even bills introduced to mdo so are rarely ever reported either on the website news section or in the periodic or annual reports until policy or law has changed such as when operators may have been aware of a comment period but players had no clue that the minimum theoretical return to player percentage (RTP) for MGA-regulated online slots would drop from 92% to 85%, ostensibly to bring it “into line” with the land-based sector.

More recently we had to learn from news outlets that follow such disputes that a bill had been introduced to the legislature which would modify the gambling act yet apply to all other European Union trade disputes absolving any Malta-registered company from responsibility to conform to EU trade law by escaping enforcement of judgments when a Maltese licensed online casino is sanctioned or fined by another EU member state.

While the previously mentioned and other information may be available in official government gazettes or press releases, in the spirit of transparency and consumer confidence it should at a minimum be linked to from the MGA website if not included in periodic and annual reports.

The topline numbers and a link to the financials and report can be found here (here).

A brief summary follows:

  • 5,280 players requested assistance
  • 28 compliance audits were conducted and 228 desktop reviews
  • 25 licensees were subject to remediation and/or administrative measures
  • 6 individuals and companies were deemed by the Fit & Proper Committee to not be up to the Authority’s probity standards due to various factors
  • 41 gaming license applications were received during 2022. Thirty-one (31) licenses were issued
  • 1,500+ criminal probity screening checks were undertaken
  • 48 interviews with prospective Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLRO) and key persons carrying out the AML/CFT function
  • 9 Letters of Breach were issued following breaches of the Commercial Communications Regulations
  • 85 responsible gaming-themed website checks were performed with 38 URLs found to have misleading information

In publishing the report, MGA CEO, Dr Carl Brincat said: “This report is testament to our collective efforts in promoting a fair and sustainable gaming ecosystem. Through proactive measures and leaner regulation processes, we strive to ensure a level playing field that nurtures innovation while safeguarding against any potential risks.

“As the global gaming landscape evolves, our role becomes even more critical. We embrace this responsibility with utmost determination, working tirelessly to stay ahead of emerging trends, technologies, and challenges. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of robust frameworks that inspire confidence, protect vulnerable individuals and render Malta the home for gaming operators of goodwill.”

Source: The MGA publishes its 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements, Malta Gaming Authority News, June 2, 2023

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