On 9 November 2017, the Belgian Constitutional Court ruled, in response to three joined cases referred to it by the Council of State¹, that the Belgian Gaming Act violates the Constitution insofar as it allows the accumulation of the exploitation of several supplementary licences of different classes through one and the same domain name and the URLs linked to it. Patrick Van Eecke and Kaat Scheerlinck of DLA Piper provide detailed analysis of the three joined cases, the Court’s decision, and the implications of the decision for the Belgian Gaming Commission’s licensing process and the Belgian gambling sector in general. / read more

Since the end of restrictions on domain name extensions in 2012, a wide variety of domain name extensions have become available as excellent alternatives to the existing generic extensions (e.g. .com) and country level domains, which are now crowded with existing brands and cyber squatters. Many of these new extensions are marketed at specific industry sectors, and in some cases are restricted to specific types of holders. Recently, the .bet and .poker extensions have been opened for public registration. / read more

Black Friday is now synonymous with the move by the Department of Justice to seize five US poker domains believed to have violated the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, engaging in fraud and money laundering to process transfers. The aftermath of this notorious case has left uncertain tax implications for those customers who have yet to receive their winnings. Brad Polizzano, an Attorney at Karen J. Tenenbaum, discusses the current US tax policies, the ambiguities and the likelihood of repayment following the Black Friday events in April 2011. / read more

Domain names are a very valuable asset for gambling operators as they are the online representation of an organisation's brand name and reputation. Joel Vertes, Associate at Olswang LLP, examines the disputes that have arisen regarding the ownership of domain names, especially in the 'Kentucky domain names' case. / read more

A US court of appeals heard an oral argument against a Kentucky county court Seizure Order of 141 domain names associated with online gambling, on 12 December. / read more

Internet gambling operator Bodog is still fighting claims to its www.bodog.com domain name, after it was transferred to 1st Technology following a patent suit that Bodog failed to answer. Deborah Peckham and Anthony Holtzman, of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, Preston Gates Ellis LLP, analyse the case and the lessons that it provides for online gambling operators. / read more

Bodog, the Antigua-based online gambling operator, has lost the rights to its domain names in a patent infringement case following a $49 million default judgment obtained by a US technology company. / read more

Gambling has been a diversion of mankind since our early beginnings; it is considered harmless entertainment by some, a dastardly vice to be outlawed rigorously by others. Gaming has come a long way, from using shells or stones or beans to today’s sophisticated electronics. Based on considerable experience in valuing online enterprises, Corporate Valuation Services Limited of Toronto, Canada, has developed valuation techniques for all types of businesses. This article looks at how to value online gambling enterprises. / read more

The Camelot Group, who run the UK national lottery, have lost their claim to have the domain name Camelotto.co.uk transferred to them. / read more