Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. Today we address action undertaken by regulators in the Netherlands and United Kingdom, updates at the Hellinikon Project and a charity drive.
400,000
The Kansspelautoriteit, the gaming authority covering the Netherlands, has issued further fines for offering games of chance to consumers within the country.
Stressing that “online gambling is currently prohibited,” Royal Panda and LeoVegas are the two organisations to have fallen foul of the KSA, and were subsequently handed fines of €400,000 and €350,000 respectively.
This follows research undertaken the authority during the second half of last year and the early stages of 2019, which it states showed that both Royal Panda and LeoVegas “despite this prohibition, still focused on the Netherlands with their offer”.
Providing examples of actions that constituted the receival of the two penalty fees, the KSA firstly emphasised that the websites of both companies were accessible with a Dutch IP address.
Furthermore, it was also possible on both sites to pay with the Dutch iDEAL payment method, with it also stressed that numerous games of chance were offered on the sites of the companies, including casino titles, virtual slot machines and sports betting.
50,000
Gaming platform creator FlowPlay has launched its second in-game fundraising campaign of the year in partnership with the American Cancer Society, and in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The new push is to raise money through the firm’s flagship social casino Vegas World, which boasts in excess of 45 casino-style games such as slots, roulette, poker, bingo and blackjack.
Until Monday 4 November FlowPlay will offer a virtual, in-game American Cancer Society-branded charm for players to purchase in support of the cause.
During a similar campaign held earlier in the year the FlowPlay community raised in excess of $50,000 to support the American Cancer Society’s patient lodging and Road To Recovery programs in Washington.
In the last four years more than $235,000 has been raised by the company for charitable causes, including $60,000 being donated to other organisations through similar in-game campaigns, including GirlStart and earthquake relief in Nepal.
7,000
Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment has unveiled Inspire Athens, a proposed integrated resort and casino development for Greece’s Hellinikon Project to be constructed should the firm triumph over Hard Rock International and secure the one gaming licence on offer.
Incorporating a luxury hotel, entertainment venues, convention centre, shopping, dining, casino and “a comprehensive mix of premium amenities,” MGE states that its proposal will launch “a new era of tourism growth and economic prosperity for all of Greece and the entire region”.
The Inspire Athens development is slated to create in excess of 7,000 jobs for the region during and after construction, including direct, indirect and induced.
Upon completion the firm expects an increase of at least of ten per cent in international tourism in the Attica region, as well as the contribution of millions of euros annually to both the government and the people of Greece in the form of taxes, infrastructure improvements and public services.
322,000
Betfred is to pay a £322,000 regulatory settlement package after the UK Gambling Commission received a tip-off that a convicted fraudster had been spending stolen money through several gambling operators.
The case concerns Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, trading as Betfred and holder of a combined remote operating licence, which was found to have failures in its anti-money laundering protocols.
An investigation was launched following information passed to the Commission regarding a customer that had been convicted of a £2m fraud, who it was said was spending stolen money through several operators, including Petfre.
Subsequently it was found that the customer had opened multiple gambling accounts in a very short period of time, making large deposits and experiencing significant losses. In respect of Petfre, over a 12-day period in November 2017 he deposited £210,000 and lost £140,000.
