Monthly Archives: September 2016

UK Gambling Commission files first charges against eSports betting promoters

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched the the nation’s first legal action involving eSports betting.

On Friday, the BBC reported that Essex residents Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby have been charged with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. The pair made a brief appearance in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court and will have a followup hearing on Oct. 14.

The charges, which also include inciting individuals under the age of 18 to gamble, were brought by the UKGC. In August, the UKGC announced that betting licenses were required for any website that provides “a service designed to facilitate the making or accepting of bets between others.’

Douglas (pictured, not wearing hat), known as Nepenthez on YouTube, publishes videos on online games to his 1.3m subscribers, with an emphasis on EA Sports’ FIFA product. Douglas’ videos include the promotion of sites that offer betting using a virtual currency known as FIFA Coins.

UK Gambling Commission files first charges against eSports betting promoters

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched the the nation’s first legal action involving eSports betting.

On Friday, the BBC reported that Essex residents Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby have been charged with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. The pair made a brief appearance in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court and will have a followup hearing on Oct. 14.

The charges, which also include inciting individuals under the age of 18 to gamble, were brought by the UKGC. In August, the UKGC announced that betting licenses were required for any website that provides “a service designed to facilitate the making or accepting of bets between others.’

Douglas (pictured, not wearing hat), known as Nepenthez on YouTube, publishes videos on online games to his 1.3m subscribers, with an emphasis on EA Sports’ FIFA product. Douglas’ videos include the promotion of sites that offer betting using a virtual currency known as FIFA Coins.

Greece’s new online gambling licenses to be made available in October

Greece is finally moving ahead with its plans to implement a new licensing regime for online gambling operators.

On Sept. 5, Greek Deputy Finance Minister Trifon Alexiadis informed legislators that the relevant provisions of the new online gambling licensing rules had been finalized and would be made public “in a maximum of one month.” Gambling Compliance subsequently reported that a public tender for online licenses would open in October.

Alexiadis said the Greek government had learned a lot from its failed experiment of issuing 24 ‘temporary’ online gambling licenses in 2011. These licenses were suspended the following year as the government sought to boost the value of Greek betting monopoly OPAP ahead of the government’s sale of its one-third stake in the company.

Alexiadis underscored the desire of the government to curtail the activities of online gambling companies who “avoid paying huge amounts of taxes, simply because they are established in other countries.” Alexiadis said the government would ensure that this “lawlessness” would end.