Thursday, October 24, 2019
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By Andrew Tottenham
Managing Director, Tottenham & Co
Much has been made of developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it can be used to solve real world problems. Within the world of gambling there are several general areas where AI could be useful, but before going further it is helpful to understand what AI is and how it works.
AI is, like any other computer program, a set of instructions, an algorithm. The difference from non-AI programs is that AI analyses extremely large data sets to look for patterns in or connections between variables in those sets. Once it identifies what appears to be a pattern it makes an assumption, for example that W, X, Y and Z are connected in some way, and assesses the validity of these assumptions through repetition, continually refining the assumptions, trying to get the best fit, and “learning” as it goes. (This is a simplistic description, but you get the drift.) Once it has completed its work it is able to make a prediction with a probability attached, such as that there is a 68% probability that Chelsea will beat Ajax in the Champions League game. After the match, the data from that game and others can be analysed and further predictions made.
Humans are able to see patterns in visual form. For example, our brains have evolved to recognise individual faces in a large crowd, even when moving. For a computer this is a surprisingly difficult task. However, humans are not able to comb through millions of data points to hunt for patterns, as AI can.
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By Willem van Oort
Founder, Gaming in Spain and Gaming in Holland
After a long and arduous political process, the regulated Dutch online market is now set to open on January 1, 2021. There is, however, a catch.
After a lengthy and torturous political process of almost ten years, the Dutch Remote Gaming Act was finally adopted by the country’s Senate in February of this year, having passed the Lower House in July 2016. The act will come into force on July 1, 2020, with the opening of the regulated online market scheduled for January 1, 2021. But not every operator will be immediately welcome.
The current situation: At present, roughly one million players spend around €500m annually in a completely unregulated environment.
Earlier this year, the local regulator, the Netherlands Gambling Authority, announced that it had received 183 expressions of interest from various parties who are seriously considering applying for a remote gaming license once the market opens. The regulator expects that between 80 and 100 operators will be able to meet its licensing criteria.
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The Euro News Revue
by Hannah Gannagé-Stewart and Andrew Tottenham
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iGaming Business - 21 October 2019
The German Slot Machine Association (DAW) is calling for a “re-regulation” of the entire gambling industry in Germany in response to the country’s new Interstate Treaty on Gambling. Like most countries, gambling in Germany has historically been regulated in silos – each sector has a different set of regulations, and the focus has been on controlling locations. So, for example, slot machines in arcades and bars have different regulations than those in casinos. And regulation has been premised on the belief that casinos offer a more controlled and less accessible environment and so could offer games with higher bets and pay outs.
The advent of online gambling and the ubiquity of smartphones means that the location of high-paying gambling games can no longer be controlled, yet politicians and regulators continue to use location of land-based products as a basis for regulation. The DAW wants a more holistic approach to regulation and also one that helps distinguish between legal and illegal operators.
(AT)
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SBC News - 21 October 2019
Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK, is to review the health effects of gambling-related harm, culminating in publication of its findings in Spring 2020. The study will consist of a project analysing the effectiveness of national and international policies designed to reduce gambling-related harms, and a separate evidence-based review of the social and economic consequences. The research is a continuation of work done by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport last year, resulting in the clampdown on FOBTs.
(HGS)
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iGaming Business - 17 October 2019
Paf, the Åland Islands-based operator, has joined forces with Betsafe, Optibet, 11.lv, and Feniksscasino to strengthen its responsible gaming efforts in Latvia, where it operates as PafBet. The coalition of operators makes up 90% of the Latvian online gaming market, where official restrictions related to responsible gaming are minimal. The operators plan to introduce their own deposit limits and self-exclusion tools, as well as closing certain game categories in the jurisdiction to help protect players. It follows Paf’s decision last month to reduce its loss limit from a self-imposed cap of €30,000 to €25,000. The Latvian initative is to be in place by 30 June, 2020.
(HGS)
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World Casino Directory - 16 October 2019
Austrian gaming technology giant Novomatic has continued its expansion drive in Slovenia, according to local media in the region. The operator is understood to have acquired Casino Riviera, in Portorož, for approximately €10m. The deal adds to an existing portfolio of eight casinos; there are a total of 26 licensed casinos in the country. In June, Novomatic purchased Casino Princess from Turkish chain Princess Group International, and in recent years picked up casinos Kongo, near Grosuplje just south-east of Ljubljana, and Lev, in Ljubljana, from Slovenian entrepreneur Joc Pečečnik. Sales growth is reported to have increased at the company after Pečečnik's Elektronček was folded into the Novo Investicije group.
(HGS)
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European Gaming - 15 October 2019
Norway’s gambling regulator Lotteri-og stiftelsestilsynet (Lottstift) has reported a decline in gambling advertising on television in the country. It states that spending by offshore operators has fallen by 19% year-on-year, while the overall number of gambling-related ads fell by 13% between August 2018 and July 2019. Gunn Merete Paulsen, the director of Norway’s gambling regulatory body, credited the decline to effective work by the regulator. For several years Lottstift has been working to reduce advertising by offshore operators, who currently are able to exploit a loophole allowing them to broadcast to Norwegian viewers from outside of the country.
(HGS)
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Insider Sport - 15 October 2019
Svenska Spel president and CEO Patrik Hofbauer has backed proposals by the Swedish government to crack down on niche sports betting markets. The proposals are about bets that could be influenced by individual players, such as yellow cards, corners, and dismissals. The recommendations follow a recent meeting between Sweden’s social security minister Ardalan Shekarabi, the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), and the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, which addressed match fixing in certain markets. The move follows complaints by SvFF earlier this year that the Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen does not prohibit operators from offering bets on a domestic football club competition, in which match-fixing is suspected.
(HGS)
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G3 Newswire - 15 October 2019
The new Greek Government has published its legislative proposal for online gambling. For online operators it is pretty good news. Unlike previous proposals, games based on random number generators (RNG) - casino and slot games - will be allowed. The cost of a licence will decrease from €4 million to €3 million and the length will be extended from 5 to 7 years, all of which is in line with the current Government’s pro-business stance. On the downside, an increase in the corporate income tax is being mooted.
(AT)
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G3 Newswire - 10 October 2019
Everybody wants money! The Latvian Government has approved a measure to increase the tax on slot machines and table games, which are taxed on a per unit basis rather than a percentage of gross gaming revenue (GGR). This basis is not unusual; it originates from tax authorities lack of confidence that the amount of GGR will be accurately reported, whereas a quick count of the machines and tables on the floor, by the authorities, can determine exactly how much is owing. Whilst the central government expects the number of machines in operation to decrease by approximately 5%, that will be compensated by the increase in tax per unit. But municipalities will lose out –they currently receive 25% of the total tax take, while under the new proposals they will receive only 10%.
(AT)
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Tottenham & Co
232 Cranmer Court
London SW3 3HD, UK
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