Hammered: Paquetá scandal deepens

Soccer scandal, Reputation Matters 2023, no North Carolina hold up, Kentucky now eight, Germany cries foul +More

Compliance+More

Aug 24, 2023

Good morning. On today’s agenda:

Lucas Paquetá is being investigated over opening day yellow.
+MoreMedia’s Reputation Matters 2023 event launches.
North Carolina online instant win approval won’t delay OSB rollout.
Kentucky now has eight for launch.
Germany cries foul on Malta’s shielding attempt.

Two pints of lager and a Paquetá crisps, please.

Paquetá trouble

The latest allegation surrounds a booking the Brazilian international received on opening day.

Oh, what a thing to have done and it was all yellow: A yellow card Lucas Paquetá received in West Ham’s first game of the new Premier League campaign against Bournemouth is part of the FA’s investigation into alleged breaches of the rules on betting.

According to The Times, a five-month investigation intensified after betting integrity partners highlighted a suspicious number of bets on the West Ham striker getting a card in the 1-1 draw.
Paquetá earned his card in the last minute after pushing an opponent and subsequently showing dissent to the referee.

Cook the books: Earlier this week it emerged that Paquetá was the subject of an investigation being undertaken by the English FA into allegations of betting breaches. According to MailOnline, bets on the player receiving a yellow card during a match last season were traced back to the player’s hometown in Brazil of Isla de Paquetá.

The bets were not placed by the player but, according to the paper, people close to him are being investigated. Paquetá denies any wrongdoing.
The suspicions were raised by the operator Betway, which, as it happens, is also the front-of-shirt sponsor of West Ham.
The matches occurred in March when West Ham played Aston Villa and the clash on the last day of the season with Leeds.
It has been reported the rapporteur of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies’ parliamentary investigation into match-fixing (CPI), Felipe Carreras, has also requested that Paquetá be summoned to testify before the congressional panel.
The latest news is that the FA has put its investigation on hold to give Paquetá and his club time to respond.

According to the Mail, the news of an investigation cost Paquetá an £85m transfer to Manchester City, which called a halt to talks when the club got wind of the allegations. The player continues to don the claret and blue shirt and scored a goal in last weekend’s 3-1 victory over London rivals Chelsea.

However, according to Sky Sports News, Paquetá has been withdrawn from the squad for Brazil’s upcoming World Cup qualifying games.
The site suggested Paquetá denied placing any bets himself and is “said to be shocked by reports”.

Report due

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Sports Integrity Global Alliance is set to present its independent integrity report on Brazilian football during the Parliamentary Front for the Modernization of Football Sports Integrity Week on September 5.

The group has urged national stakeholders, including the Brazilian Football Confederation, state federations, high-level football clubs, athletes and associations to establish an open dialogue on football integrity.
The Parliamentary Investigation Commission continues to prepare a report on betting fraud and match-fixing scandals in the aftermath of betting fraud scandals from 2021 to 2023.

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Reputation Matters 2023

An +MoreMedia event to discuss the future of the UK gambling sector takes place in London at the Barbican on the afternoon of October 26.

After the White Paper: Reputation Matters returns on October 26, this time to the Barbican in London, where representatives from Entain, Playtech, Gamban, Regulus Partners and many others will convene to discuss the next steps for the sector following the publication earlier this year of the UK government’s Gambling Act Review.

Sponsored by UK law firm Wiggin, the event consists of an afternoon of panels, fireside chats and keynotes.
Tickets can be purchased for the event via the Reputation Matters 2023 Eventbrite page.

The line-up includes:

Grainne Hurst from Entain, Ian Ince from Playtech and Stephen Ketteley from Wiggin discussing the legal response to the White Paper.
A fireside chat between Matt Zarb-Cousin, co-founder of Gamban and a high-profile figure in the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, and Dan Waugh, partner at gambling consultancy Regulus.
A keynote from ex-BHA CEO Nick Rust on the future of horseracing and betting.
Representatives from Armalytix, Department of Trust, Betsmart Consulting and ClearStake discuss how the financial risks debate is being pushed towards open banking solutions.
Roberta Caccia from Investec, Simon French from Panmure Gordon, Sam Sadi from LiveScore and Robin Chhabra from Tekkorp discuss where the industry goes from here.

For ticket details, go to the the Reputation Matters Eventbrite page.

No NC delay

Online instant win approval in North Carolina won’t delay OSB rollout.

Delay of game: The North Carolina Lottery’s approval of online instant win lottery tickets will not delay its rollout of mobile sports betting, per Steve Bittenbender. “NC Lottery told me that its staffers are progressing on both sports betting and iGaming and that one is not causing a delay in launching the other.”

North Carolina has targeted March 1 for its sports betting.
The Lottery’s online instant win ticket sales are expected to launch on November 15.
The same commission responsible for writing the sports-betting rules will also oversee the rollout of the new online lottery games, which some feared may cause a delay.
Bittenbender suggested the Commission has enough resources to handle both.

North Carolina Lottery communications director Van Denton told BetCarolina.com on Tuesday that lottery staffers are "working hard to make sure we have sports gaming in place in an effective and appropriate fashion as soon as possible”. And different teams are working on online sales and sports betting.

However, Van Denton “reiterated that the law tasks the Commission with launching mobile sports betting by June”.

Snowballs and hell: In other North Carolina news, it looks like online gambling is not on the cards this year. When PlayUSA’s Matthew Kredell asked if online gambling could sneak into this year’s budget, State Sen. Jim Perry said: “Not a chance in hell.”

Perry’s opposition is telling, as he was a vocal supporter of online sports betting, indicating that online casinos are a bridge too far.
“There are no jobs created in the state. There are no entertainment districts created,” Perry said. “There is no development that provides a recurring ad valorem revenue stream.”
Perry told PlayUSA he would vote against online casinos and would “work hard to bring others with me.”
Perry is a member of the budget conference committee.

Then there were eight

Kentucky: Fanatics Sportsbook has added its name to the list of applicants for an OSB license in Kentucky, bringing the current tally to eight, along with bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Circa, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel.

On Tuesday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved all eight applicants for temporary licenses as the state continues to barrel down the tracks Casey Jones style to its September 7 retail launch and September 28 OSB launch.
Several boxes are still to be checked, as regulators have yet to provide operators with a list of approved markets.

18 or 21: One intriguing part of the Kentucky market is the state’s 18+ legal betting age. Some operators have said they will restrict betting to 21+, but DraftKings and Churchill Downs have indicated they will not follow suit and will allow anyone 18+ to bet.

As Robert Linnehan tweeted, “Interestingly enough, it looks like Churchill Downs Racetrack will allow those who are 18+ to enter the race and sportsbook to place a wager. The other licensed CDI tracks (Derby City, Ellis Park, Newport Racing, Oak Grove, Turfway Park) are 21+.”
“DraftKings is committed to following the age restrictions set forth by each individual jurisdiction,” Griffin Finan, DraftKings’ senior vice-president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement to BetKentucky.com on Tuesday.
That could create a significant competitive advantage and could result in the 21+ crowd reversing course.

Missouri: The MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals president Bill DeWitt said supporters of legalized sports betting in Missouri are exploring the possibility of putting that issue on the November 2024 ballot as a referendum, according to Missourinet.

DeWitt said in a statement to Missourinet that the team is committed to working with partners and legislators to pass a gambling bill, but given State Sen. Denny Hoskins’ position, a ballot initiative might be necessary “to get this across the finish line”.
Organizers would need more than 107,000 valid signatures by May 5 to put the referendum on the ballot next year.

Unlawful charge

Germany’s gambling regulator says Malta’s attempts to shield Maltese companies from being sued by German (and other foreign) litigants is unlawful.

Maltese cross: The Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) said Malta’s Bill 55, which needs final approval from Brussels to enter the books, does not comply with European Union law.

Passed by Maltese lawmakers in June, the bill ostensibly permits Maltese courts to refuse the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements related to local licensees.
Germany said Malta only introduced the bill due to the big uptick in gambling loss repayment claims against Maltese gambling companies.
Many players have successfully argued in court that as they lost money gambling on overseas sites that aren't legal in their home land they should be refunded.

This one is set to run, as last month the European Commission announced a thorough assessment of Malta’s gaming bill in a bid to ensure its compliance with EU law.

Oh, Savage

William Hill has avoided censure for a promoted tweet that was flagged by the UK advertising regulator’s AI monitoring bot, because it featured a soccer player who had retired several years ago.

Savage love: The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) uses a web-scanning tool to search for content considered too risky for young people.

It said William Hill’s use of Robbie Savage, a well-known media pundit and former Leicester and Derby County player, discussing the relegation of Leeds United could appeal to under 18s.
William Hill said it has carried out “a thorough analysis” of personalities who feature in its advertising, and the ad had been specifically created for an older audience.
Despite Savage’s frequent appearances across BBC broadcasting, the regulator said an investigation had concluded his use in the ad didn’t breach any policies.

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Listiscle

Australian regulators have blocked a further 20 sites alleged to be offering illegal gambling services to punters down under. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) requested that local internet service providers cut off the unlicensed operators.

It said Crown Pokies and Play AUD were among websites found to be in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
In total, some 823 sites have been blocked since November 2019.
Around 210 unlicensed gambling businesses have pulled out of the Australian market since 2017.

Sports integrity notebook

The PGA Tour said it hasn’t seen an increase in spectators attempting to distract golfers for betting purposes since sports betting has become legal in many US states, according to ESPN.

The report comes after a fan was kicked out of the BMW Championship on Saturday for allegedly yelling, “Pull it!” while golfer Max Homa was attempting a put on the 17th green.
Homa said the fan had bet $3 on him to miss the putt, but he made it.

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