Ban it!
New push in Australia to axe gambling ads
Pressure increases not to water down Oz gambling ad ban.
In +More: Macau, Indonesia and Thailand news.
Las Vegas Sands prepares for another Texas casinos push.
Intralot faces a probe in Washington DC.
The time has come, a fact’s a fact.
Oz ad ban call
Kill your television: An open letter signed by two former prime ministers addressed to the administration of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton has called for the full implementation of the complete ban of gambling advertising as recommended by the 2023 Murphy Report.
The letter, signed by 74 politicians and social health professionals, including ex-PMs John Howard and Malcolm Turnball, said gambling advertising is “out of control” with over 1 million ads having been aired in the past year.
“Our children are also being targeted by the tsunami of gambling ads that assault our screens,” the letter continued.
Cap in hand: Previous reports have suggested the government had been persuaded to introduce a cap on the number of ads rather than a total ban, while pitchside hoardings and shirt sponsorship placements would also continue to be allowed.
But the letter urged the government to “publicly commit to the swift adoption and implementation” of all 31 recommendations of the Murphy Report into online gambling.
“Please act now,” it signed off.
Asking for trouble: A Labor minister on Monday shot back at the call, saying free-to-air broadcasters would be in “diabolical trouble” financially without the money brought in by gambling advertising.
Bill Shorten said on TV news he was “not convinced that complete prohibition works.”
Shorten accepted this position “won’t please” those advocating “complete abolition” because it “sounds a bit moderate… and not tough enough”.
He promised further work “on the other forms of the promotion of gambling” including on jerseys and in stadiums.
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+More
Welcome to the machine: Gaming operator Merkur has launched a lobbying campaign targeting 253 MPs in the new UK parliament over proposed reforms to the land-based sector. The group has invited the MPs of every constituency in which it has venues to enjoy a bit of hospitality at the “modern and professional environments,” where they will discuss ways to fast track the changes outlined by the previous government.
Don’t change: Macau is to criminalize illegal money exchanges inside casinos as part of new laws aimed at cleaning up the sector. The draft Law to Combat Gambling Crimes will contain penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment and a two-to-10-year ban from entering any casino in Macau for anyone busted using or operating an unlicensed money exchange.
Lotus position: The Sri Lanka-based hotel operator Golden Island and offshore Goa casino operator Majestic Group are partnering on a casino project in Colombo, Asia Gaming Brief has reported. The casino will be located at the Lotus Tower landmark in the Sri Lankan capital, which was targeted for a near-$1bn expansion back in 2022. Majestic Pride is the largest off-shore casino operator in Goa.
Indonesia’s government is cracking down on digital payment platforms that facilitate online gambling transactions as part of its efforts to combat online betting, according to Asia Gaming Brief.
Warning letters from the government have been sent to 21 providers operating a total of 42 digital payment applications, after reports platforms were being used to facilitate iGaming payments.
Digital payment platforms have been ordered to conduct internal audits and submit findings to the government within seven days.
Thai progress: According to local media, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the Entertainment Complex Bill will be one of the topics being discussed in a monthly meeting at Government House between leaders and representatives of the coalition parties. The report said the bill is already completed.
Brazil: A bill to regulate casinos has been pushed back until after the municipal elections in October. The bill was set to be discussed in the Senate last week. President Lula has already indicated he will sign off on the legislation should it pass the legislature.
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Texas hold ‘em
Guess who’s back: After licking its wounds for over a year, Las Vegas Sands is gearing for another push to legalize casinos in Texas.
The operator is engaging with – and making financial contributions to – business and political leaders as it aims to build support ahead of the next legislative session in January.
In December last year, Miriam Adelson, widow of former casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, was part of a group who bought the Dallas Mavericks, along with more than 100 acres near the former Texas Stadium site earmarked for a casino resort.
In the final days of the last legislative session, state senators threw out a Sands-backed bill aiming to legalize casino gambling.
Time is a great healer: On the recent Q2 earnings call, COO Patrick Dumont said that, alongside potential development opportunities in Thailand and New York, Las Vegas Sands has been “spending a lot of time in Texas.”
However, CEO Robert Goldstein insisted at the same time that any investment in the state in actually constructing a property was not imminent.
“If we do invest in new opportunities, that’s not in the near future,” he told the analysts.
North America
The Southeastern Conference plans to require injury reports from teams before games this season in response to growing sports-betting activity, according to CBS Sports. The move follows another college conference, the Big Ten, which added injury reports last year.
Injury reports are expected to reduce the opportunities for insider information regarding player health to be shared by coaches, players or staff members.
Propper channels: A trio of Ohio Republicans are pushing back against the state’s ban on college player prop bets.
The GOP lawmakers have signed policy recommendations that say the decision is unnecessary given student-athletes can now profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL).
Reps. Jay Edwards, Jeff LaRe and Cindy Abrams, said the elimination of the betting lines reduces the choices for punters and has little bearing on college players. As student-athletes can now receive NIL money, they should be treated similarly to professional athletes, the group argued.
DC probe
Follow the money: It may not exactly be Watergate, but Intralot will be sweating on a request for documents in Washington DC from the district’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who has instigated an investigation into the Greek betting, gaming and lottery operator/provider’s running of the sports-betting franchise.
According to the Washington City Paper, DC Superior Court filings show the AG’s office is demanding documents from Intralot.
The report suggested the AG is investigating under the auspices of “false claims” laws.
The most common examples of such violations “include contractors and grantees who seek to have the District pay for work that was not fully or properly performed.”
Better late than never: The news of an investigation comes after Intralot finally lost its controversial monopoly position in the District of Columbia after years of underperformance.
Most recently, it sub-contracted operations to Flutter’s FanDuel.
Subsequently, the market has more fully opened up with DraftKings and BetMGM having launched in recent weeks.
An adverse finding from the investigation would still be problematic for Intralot despite the loss of the betting monopoly. It is also the DC lottery provider and, as the paper suggested, “still a major city contractor.”
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Calendar
Sep 5: Sports Integrity Summit, São Paulo
Sep 10-13: European Conference on Gambling Studies, Rome
Sep 24-26: SBC Player Protection Summit, Lisbon
Oct 7-10, G2E, Las Vegas
Nov 5: Gaming in Germany, Berlin
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