At the British Gambling Commission’s Raising Standards Conference in November 2017, George Lusty, Project Director at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (‘CMA’), outlined changes that the CMA is expecting from operators to address the CMA’s and the Commission’s concerns around unfair practices, as part of the two bodies’ joint work on the matter. David Clifton of Clifton Davies Consultancy Ltd discusses the concerns relating to unfair practices that have so far been at the centre of the CMA’s enforcement work and what the CMA believes operators need to do to address those concerns, as outlined in Lusty’s speech. / read more

Following the publication of its Strategy 2018-2021, the British Gambling Commission hosted its Raising Standards Conference 2017 on 21 November, which further explored some of the themes emerging from the Strategy and the Commission’s priorities for the next few years, which include industry collaboration, the Commission’s work with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (‘CMA’) on consumer T&Cs in relation to promotions, and industry compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation. Susan Biddle, Legal Consultant at Kemp Little LLP, reflects on the themes raised at the Conference. / read more

Following their annual conference in late October 2016, the Prime Ministers of the German states announced that the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling is to be amended, and on 9 November these changes were notified to the European Commission. The changes anticipated by the German states are hardly a major overhaul of the German gambling market but rather a ‘minimalist reform,’ which is how some of the Prime Ministers describe the changes. Dr Joerg Hofmann and Dr Matthias Spitz of Melchers Law provide their thoughts on the amendments. / read more

At some point, the talking will have to stop. The question of regulation and social gambling games dominated the gambling industry's conference circuit of 2012. Will the debate rage on throughout 2013 or will we finally see words being turned into meaningful action? Tom Grant, a Partner at Harris Hagan, discusses where we have to go from here in terms of social gaming. / read more

Speaking at an international gaming conference in South Africa (SA) recently, the country's Trade Minister, Rob Davies, seems to have raised more questions than answers on the status of e-gambling there. / read more

The Council of Europe's Informal Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport Adopted September 2010 Resolution reads: 'Betting operators should be banned from...sponsoring teams or individual competitors if they manage bets placed on competitions in which they are participating'. Gambling operators are amongst the most enthusiastic sponsors of EU sports but sponsorship activities can be restricted by challenging regulatory landscapes. With the EU institutions finally focusing on the regulation of online gambling, Andrew Danson, a Senior Associate at K&L Gates LLP, examines the existing landscape and the potential for change. / read more