As Brazil’s sports betting regulation picks up speed, the Ministry of Finance has passed an Ordinance designed to provide a clear framework for the activity of bookmakers and bettors in the country. Fernando Haddad, the Brazilian Minister of Finance, signed the document.

Normative Ordinance No. 1,330 was communicated on October 26, 2023, in compliance with Law No. 13,756 of December 12, 2018, and Provisional Measure No. 1,182 of July 24, 2023. The latter was published to amend the original legislation and regulate the activity of sports betting operators in Brazil.

In addition to providing general conditions for the activity of fixed-odds sports betting and the rights and duties of bettors, the Ordinance aims to establish anti-money laundering and responsible gambling rules, as well as advertising guidelines. As the Ministry of Finance confirmed, the Ordinance was effective immediately. Sports betting operators who abide by the provisions of the Ordinance are not entitled to specific rights or exempt from obligations to pursue authorization of their activity in Brazil.

First and foremost, the Ordinance establishes there are no limitations on the number of applicants and their distribution channels, physical or online, which aims to create a competitive environment. Native and foreign legal entities are entitled to take part in the sports betting industry so long as they are legally established in the national territory. Foreign entities are required to set up a subsidiary in Brazil. As published in the Federal Official Gazette of Brazil, operators are given a 30-day timeframe to declare their willingness to operate within the country.

Among other technical and operative requirements, sports betting companies are obliged to provide round-the-clock customer service via telephone and live chat facilities to respond to customers’ issues and queries in a timely manner. They are also bound to join national or international entities dedicated to upholding integrity and transparency within the industry.

The Ordinance explicitly highlights that legal entities failing to comply with regulations will not be granted authorization. Furthermore, professional athletes, referees and sports team managers are forbidden to participate in sports betting activities.

The next chapter of the Ordinance clarifies bettors’ rights and obligations. They are entitled to receive safe, quality and adequate service, with freedom of choice. They also have the right to receive information on how to place wagers, the fixed odds established for each market, and the contact details of the operator. On the other hand, bettors must provide consent for the processing of their data and use a bank account to receive their winnings.

Brazil’s Sports Betting Ordinance Delivers Comprehensive Requirements for AML, RG Practices and Advertising

As far as money laundering and other criminal offences are regarded, operators are obliged to communicate any evidence of such to the Financial Activities Control Council (COAF), following the specific instructions provided on the electronic portal of the entity.

Responsible gambling practices are also within the scope of the Ordinance. Operators are obliged to adopt guidelines and practices to impede compulsive gambling and protect vulnerable groups of society. Only individuals aged 18 or above can take part in sports betting. To certify their identity, they must provide full name, date of birth, ID document number, Individual Taxpayer Registry number, or equivalent document, if a foreign citizen. Furthermore, operators must implement control mechanisms including gambling limits, and temporary and permanent self-exclusion facilities.

Last but not least, the Ordinance focuses on communication, marketing, and advertising activities related to fixed-odds sports betting. They must be guided by socially responsible practices and promote safe gambling.

Shane Pinto, center of the Ottawa Senators, was punished with a 41-game suspension by the NHL on Thursday. This suspension is the result of an NHL investigation into sports betting, and according to the league’s Thursday announcement, the player was found to have placed bets on non-league matches. Apart from assuring that evidence suggesting Pinto had placed bets on NHL games has not been found, the league did not provide further information and stated that it “considers the matter closed.”

In an apology issued after the announcement, Pinto addressed the situation. He apologized for his wrongdoings and said he took “full responsibility” for what he had done.

Pinto will not file an appeal, and his suspension will last until January 20, 2024. He will be permitted to once again play for the NHL starting January 21.

The Ottawa Senators made a statement where they made it clear that they knew Pinto deeply regretted his actions and that they were in full support of the NHL’s sports betting rules. They continued, expressing the team’s intention of supporting and staying “committed to” Pinto, and vowed to assist him in confronting his problems.

Sports Betting Bans are a Rarity When it Comes to the NHL

Pinto is the first NHL player in the twenty-first century to face punishment for violating the NHL’s gambling rules. The last sports betting case happened in 1948, when Don Gallinger and Billy Taylor of the Boston Bruins were banned for wagering on Boston Bruins games. Unlike Pinto, however, Gallinger did not immediately admit to committing the transgressions once the situation came to light. Instead, it was only when it became clear that the evidence against him was overwhelming that he came clean. The ban was lifted in 1970, more than two decades after it was issued.

Two years prior to Gallinger and Taylor’s suspension, the NHL banned Walter Pratt. The reason for his ban had to do with him placing bets on league matches. However, the said games were not matches that his team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, had participated in. Pratt’s admission of committing his wrongdoings led to the suspension, which was supposed to last a lifetime, being lifted after he was absent from 9 games.

Ultimately, prohibitions that have to do with sports betting are not a common occurrence for the NHL. If we look beyond the scope of the NHL, however, things are different. A number of players of the NFL league, in particular, have also faced suspensions tied to gambling. The year 2023 alone saw multiple bans, with the latest players to face suspension being the Indianapolis Colts’ Isaiah Rodgers Sr. and Rashod Berry, who wagered on NFL games, and the Tennessee Titans’ Nicholas Petit-Frere, whose suspension was the consequence of him placing bets on games outside the league. Last year, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons was prohibited from participating in the 2022 season as he had wagered on NFL games. The year 2019 saw the suspension of Josh Shaw, cornerback of the Arizona Cardinals, for the same type of transgressions.

In a recent interview, Hassan Ayariga, founder of the All People’s Congress (APC), and one of Ghana’s presidential candidates, pledged to ban sports betting in the country, if elected in the forthcoming Ghanaian general elections in 2024.

When asked about his attitude toward sports betting, he condemned the practice and voiced his dedication to outlawing it, if he emerged victorious from the presidential race. Instead of letting Ghana’s young population gamble, he would direct his attention toward utilizing their capabilities to their fullest potential. In particular, he stated that technological innovations should be prioritized to drive the country’s economic growth.

Over the last couple of years, sports betting has become one of Ghana’s most popular forms of entertainment, with a surge in the number of gambling operators establishing a foothold in the West African country. Consequently, gambling’s ever-growing allure has provoked extensive discussions in Ghanaian society. While proponents argue that the practice can be a legitimate source of income generating revenue for the government as well, opponents are concerned about its negative impact on young people, especially gambling addictions.

Ghana Revenue Authority Implements 10% Withholding Tax on Gambling

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) implemented a 10% withholding tax on all sports betting activities, games of chance, and lottery products, applicable from August 15, 2023. This has come as a result of gambling’s rising popularity over the last couple of years. Thus, the revenue authority of the second-most populous country in West Africa plans to generate GH¢1.2 billion at the outset of implementation. Expectations past the initial stage reach as much as GH¢3 billion in taxation revenue. The recent governmental measures have provoked collective disfavor, especially among the young population.

According to Hassan Ayariga, Ghana’s young population was drawn to gambling, as it perceived it as a source of income, considering the high unemployment rate in the country. He highlighted that under his rule, sports betting, games of chance, and lotteries would become illegal since they promoted laziness in young people. The presidential contender reaffirmed his stance that he would need their potential to design new technologies and boost the country’s development. Ayariga’s strong disapproval of gambling is part of his agenda for Ghana’s future progress and its younger generation.

Other political figures in Ghana have also voiced their disapproval of gambling and sports betting. They shared Ayariga’s opinion that the practice promotes idleness among the young population. Kennedy Agyapong is among the politicians who have expressed their support for the recent implementation of the 10% betting tax, adding that “betting is not anything good” and that winnings from it are temporary. Instead of relying on their luck, he encouraged the young population to harness their potential into more significant avenues of life.

The national betting company of Finland, Veikkaus, is set to no longer be the sole operator permitted to offer online gambling to Finnish gaming and sports betting enthusiasts. Finland’s Ministry of the Interior is moving forward with a gambling reform project that will make it possible for independent gambling operators to obtain licenses and operate within the country legally.

Earlier this year, a government study on the Finnish gaming sphere’s current monopoly status examined how effective two possible approaches to curbing illegal offshore gambling would be. The first one entailed sticking to the monopoly model and introducing stricter measures like the prohibition of ads, the restriction of payments, and the blocking of offshore websites. The other option involved doing away with the monopoly system and, instead, adopting a licensing model.

According to the study, the latter would be better suited for preventing Finnish gambling enthusiasts from seeking out illegitimate gaming companies. Soon after, the government announced its plans to introduce a licensing system for independent operators, and now the legislators’ official project for making this a reality is underway.

The New Licensing Model will be Implemented by 2026

Finland’s government officials will prepare legislation proposals that will outline which gambling games will be covered under the new legislation and how gaming companies will be taxed. Licensing fees will be outlined and prepared as well. The government will also address issues such as problem gambling. In addition, a steering committee and an intersectional working group have been established. According to the Ministry of the Interior, a proposal’s submission is intended for early 2025, and current plans point to 31 December, 2025 as the project’s end date.

The ministry aims to mitigate and outright prevent the potential harmful consequences of gambling with the reform, as stated by a spokesperson of the ministry. It was also highlighted that Finland’s channelisation rate, i.e., the rate of how many bets are placed at legitimate gambling operations as opposed to illegal ones, is relatively low and warrants improvement.

This summer, the Swedish channelisation rate was found to be approximately 77%, which was considered low. In contrast, the channelisation rate of Finland’s monopoly is 50%, as shown in the government study.

Veikkaus Will Continue to Exist After the Licensing Model Becomes a Reality

The government’s project will revolutionize the gambling landscape in Finland, and the system will undergo significant changes. This does not mean that Veikkaus will no longer be in operation once 2026 rolls around, however. Instead, the company will be split into different gambling companies that would fall under the Veikkaus group.

Furthermore, it seems that Finnish officials’ main targets when it comes to the monopoly system of Finland’s gaming sector are online gaming and remote sports betting. It is currently assumed that Veikkaus will maintain its function as a monopoly when it comes to the country’s lottery, and the same can be said about the operation of slot machines within brick-and-mortar gambling establishments.

Nonetheless, the company will likely suffer consequences from the licensing model, and preparations have been made for job cuts and the closure of Veikkaus land-based businesses. In September, the operator announced that around 240 job positions could be terminated, while plans suggest that between 40 and 50 retail gaming locations will be left after licensing of independent operators commences, compared to the current 65. In spite of this, Olli Sarekoski, the CEO of Veikkaus, did clarify that the intentions behind the possible changes have to do with achieving the company’s goal of being competitive under the new system and becoming the “most successful gambling company” in the country.

Frank Weerwind, the Dutch Minister for Legal Protection, confirmed the launch of a multi-year program aimed at bolstering digital resilience amid growing apprehensions over cybercrimes associated with online gambling.

The nationwide initiative came in response to concerns shared by fellow members of parliament from the Socialist Party, the Christian Union, and the Christian Democratic Appeal. More specifically, the practice of match-fixing through social media outlets came under scrutiny.

The Minister explained that the campaign was aimed to raise cyber security awareness among Dutch citizens and inform them of the potential risks of online fraud. It would initially prioritize younger members of society. It would educate them to discern the telltale signs of scams and identify fictitious offers.

While Weerwind shared his apprehensions about online scammers focusing their attention on vulnerable groups of society, such as the young, he added that, at present, no evidence supported instances of their engagement in match-fixing.

Back in 2022, the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), already warned operators to refrain from using influencers, former professional sports personalities, and celebrity role models for the purposes of online gambling marketing campaigns. Their appeal to the young demographic might lead them to succumb to problem gambling behavior.

The Dutch Minister for Legal Protection Confirms that Responsible Gambling and Addiction Prevention Are among the Fundamental Objectives of His Policy

In a broader context, Weerwind has not failed to respond to increasing concerns over gambling’s potential harms since its legalization in the Netherlands on October 1, 2021. He stated that prevention of gambling addiction was among the fundamental objectives of his policy. He reminded the public of the steps that had already been taken to refine and improve the regulations of the Remote Gaming Act.

As of June 30, 2022, the Dutch Minister for Legal Protection banned the use of influencers and role models to promote gambling products. To further enhance the protection of vulnerable groups of society, the government introduced a broader ban on untargeted advertisements of online gambling as of July 1, 2023. Sponsorship deals also fell under the prohibition of untargeted advertising, with a transitional period granted for already concluded ones.

Furthermore, the Dutch government is about to review the Remote Betting and Gaming Act in 2024 and assess if the set goals concerning the regulation of online gambling products are met. The Minister for Legal Protection commented that he would not jump to hurried conclusions until the scheduled review.

The hands-on approach of the Netherlands’ government with respect to safeguarding young individuals from gambling’s potential harms involves other initiates too. One of them is the “Bright at School” program developed by Trimbos Institute. It aims to educate school children and raise awareness about risky behaviors associated with problem gambling.

During a recent press-conference, coach of the Italian club Pescara Zdeněk Zeman expressed his disapproval of the punishment Italian football players are facing after being found to have gambled illegally. He stated that player bans tied to sports betting should be more severe.

Nicolò Fagioli, midfielder of the Serie A club Juventus, was found to have placed bets on sports events. The Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, or FIGC) strictly prohibits sports betting, with the typical punishment being a ban that lasts a minimum of three years. Fagioli, however, pleaded guilty, and he is now facing a seven-month ban instead. The player was also given a fine of €12,500 (around $13,200).

Another individual who is a part of this scandal is Sandro Tonali, midfielder of Newcastle United and Italy’s national football team, and he has also admitted to betting on sports events. The bets in question involved AC Milan games, which is the team he played for at the time the bets were placed.

In his statement, Zdeněk Zeman put an emphasis on how football players are prohibited from any and all forms of gambling and that this is a well-known fact. He continued, stating that the punishment for gambling is supposed to last at least three years according to the rules of the FIGC, yet the rules “are not respected in Italy.”

Earlier this month, Fagioli opened up about how when he broke down on the substitute bench during a Juventus match against Sassuolo in April, the reason behind his loss of composure had to do with gambling debts. According to the player, he was suffering from gambling addiction, and was €3 million in debt after incurring substantial losses at illegal sports betting websites. Zdeněk Zeman addressed this as well, noting how he did not see the situation as an issue tied to gambling addiction.

Italy’s Football Scene is no Stranger to Gambling Scandals

In his statement, Zdeněk Zeman also suggested that scandals are typical of Italy. Indeed, such situations have plagued Italian football for many years, and 2023 has been no exception. October also saw sports betting accusations against El Shaarawy, who plays for AS Roma and made a comeback after recovering from an injury. Unlike Fagioli’s and Tonali’s respective cases, however, the AS Roma player was not guilty of partaking in sports betting.

Shaarawy was later issued an apology by the anonymous source who spread the allegations against him and his fellow player Nicola Zalewski and who shared them with Fabrizio Corona, an Italian gossip columnist. Ultimately, Shaarawy decided to file a defamation lawsuit against Corona, and after a match where Roma won against Monza, he tearfully expressed how hurt he felt by the situation.

In May of this year, Monza defender Armando Izzo was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his alleged association with the Italian criminal organization Camorra and for sports fraud. This was not the player’s first football-related scandal, as in 2017, he was banned for 18 months by the FIGC for match-fixing.

According to the latest press release by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), the regulator imposed a $30,000 fine on Live! Casino Pittsburgh. The gaming and entertainment venue, located in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was penalized for breaching regulations regarding gambling access to underage and self-excluded players.

More specifically, a man under 21 and two self-excluded women set foot on the casino gaming floor with no trouble. Accordingly, the regulator imposed a $10,000 fine for breaching underage gambling regulations, and a $20,000 fine for allowing access to gambling to individuals who were on the board’s Casino Self-Exclusion List. Besides those fines, the casino was supposed to pay an additional $5,000 to cover board staff expenses.

As per information from the board’s officials, one of the women spent more than seven hours engaging in casino games before she was dismissed from the establishment. The 20-year-old man spent seven minutes playing slot games prior to being removed from the casino floor.

Sean Sullivan, General Manager at Live! Casino Pittsburgh commented on the cases through an email statement. He said that the business was well aware of the gravity of both underage and problem gambling. Sullivan assured that the establishment regularly reviewed its policies and procedures regarding security procedures. According to him, such incidents occurred rarely, as the business aimed to provide a safe and fun environment for all patrons.

Richard McGarvey, PGCB’s Spokesperson, Comments on the Board’s Self-Exclusion and Underage Gambling Practices

As part of its commitment to responsible gambling practices, the PGCB offers self-exclusion programs that enable individuals susceptible to problem gambling to willingly exclude themselves. Richard McGarvey, PGCB’s spokesperson explained that participation in the board’s self-exclusion programs was possible for one year, five years or a lifetime. He added that self-exclusion violations have generated $760,000 in fines from casino operators across Pennsylvania.

The board’s spokesperson further explained that casino operators were banned from providing player cards and promotional materials to persons who had enrolled in a self-exclusion program. Lists of participants in those programs were updated weekly and sent over to casinos’ security departments which were supposed to impede such players’ access to casino gaming floors.

As far as underage gambling is concerned, it is also among the board’s main priorities, with $3.6 million in fines issued over such violations from 2007 to date.

According to the same press release from the PGCB, the regulator imposed a total of $73,075 in fines. Besides the above-mentioned violations associated with Live! Casino Pittsburgh, resulting in $30,000 in fines, two other businesses were penalized.

The first one was Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc., which suffered a fine of $25,000 for not delivering the board with information on ownership structure changes concerning its five VGT Truck Stop Establishment locations. The second one was Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., which was penalized $18,075 for neglecting to submit two license renewal applications on time.

Online gambling is now confirmed illegal under Malaysia’s Common Gaming Houses Act 1953. The ruling was decided upon by the Malay Court of Appeal after two individuals, who were convicted for offenses tied to illegal gambling, questioned the court on whether a “common gaming house,” as defined in the country’s Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, also referred to locations where no gaming machines are utilized, and gameplay is achieved through the usage of computers.

Roseaini Johor, was caught operating a gaming house, and Rashid Mahmud, who was found to have gambled online illegally, referred to Section 2(d), where it is stated that any location where at least eight individuals partake in gaming, a banker’s game is played, or games are played at a financial cost is considered a “common gaming house.”

According to the judge of Melaka’s High Court, the act does not require gambling machines to be physically located within the premises of a given location for it to be a “common gaming house.” Justice Vazeer Alam stated that he, Justice Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, and Justice Datuk S.M. Komathy Suppiah shared this view.

The Appellants’ Had Made an Appeal for their Convictions and Sentences to be Dismissed

Although Roseaini Johor and Rashid Mahmud had filed an appeal against their convictions and sentences, it was ultimately dismissed by Justice Vazeer Alam. Prior to the ruling, the now convicts’ lawyer, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, made the argument that physical equipment such as roulette wheels, roulette balls, and roulette betting boards were necessary for online gambling to be considered an offense under Act 289’s Second Schedule. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nahra Dollah challenged this by saying that under the Common Gaming Houses Act, both online and land-based gambling was considered illegal, and that there was no legal distinction between the gambling methods. She continued, arguing that computers and laptops fell under the definition of “gaming machines” and that a location where remote gaming was done through a computer was a “common gaming house” as described in the act’s Section 2(d).

Roseaini Johor was served a five-month prison sentence in 2020 for operating an illegal gambling house. She was also required to pay a fine of RM10,000 (around $2,000). Her fine was later lowered to RM5,000 (roughly $1,000), and her prison sentence was shortened to four months and three weeks. As for Rashid Mahmud, he faced charges for partaking in remote gaming on a laptop. His punishment involved a one month prison sentence and a fine of RM3,000 (around $600). However, the fine was eventually raised to RM5,000, while his prison sentence was suspended.

The Malay Common Gaming Houses Act came into effect in 1953, and has since seen multiple amendments. There are forms of gambling that are legal within the country, but this refers strictly to specific brick-and-mortar establishments that have obtained the necessary licenses in order to operate legally.

The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has published an announcement unveiling Blue High House, the operator of Betonline.ag, received a cease-and-desist notice for offering unauthorized gambling content in the Netherlands. The regulatory authority has warned the gambling services provider to discontinue its activity on the Dutch market. Failure to comply with this notice would result in weekly fines of €43,000, up to a maximum of €129,000.

The regulator revealed it had commenced its inspection of the company’s activities in December 2021. A month later, in January 2022, the authority conducted a second check. KSA’s officials involved in the investigations shared that they could create an account, fund it, and place wagers from the Netherlands. Although the operator did not hold a Dutch gambling license, there were no technical arrangements in place to hinder access from the country. Furthermore, the dropdown list of countries in the sign-up form included picking the Netherlands as a country of residence along with the country’s telephone code.

The Dutch gambling supervisory body revealed that more than a year and a half into the launch of its investigations, in August 2023, it was still possible to access the platform from the Netherlands. The website traffic analysis data indicated there were more than 136,000 visits from Dutch IP addresses, spanning a period from May 2022 to May 2023. Blue High House was given a deadline to respond until October 13, 2023, which it failed to observe.

As the regulator explained, its inspections were based on an analysis of the estimated number of visitors with a Dutch IP, among other things. The website traffic check of Blue High House indicated that the platform attracted a large number of Dutch players. The ensuing investigation confirmed the company offered unauthorized games of chance via several websites facing players based in the Netherlands. KSA’s announcement also revealed that the company could file an objection against the decision.

KSA’s First Full-Year Report Indicates a Record Amount of Fines

Earlier this year, in March 2023, the Dutch gambling regulator published its first full-year report since the regulation of the Dutch market took place in October 2021. According to it, the authority has issued a record EUR 29,7 million in fines, with the exclusion of orders subject to penalty.

This trend shows no indications of slowing down in 2023, with millions of Euros already generated from fines. The total volume of fines imposed by the Netherlands gambling authority for Q1 and Q2 of the current year exceeded EUR 10 million.

As already covered by SuperCasinoSites last week, the gambling authority imposed a fine of €2.07 million on L.C.S. Limited, which was also revealed to offer unlicensed gambling services in the Netherlands through its domain, Sonofslots.com. The company disclosed it would object to the regulator’s decision, arguing its estimated turnover was not an actual representation of the real figures.

Timothy Surgen, resident of Kent, Florida, faces more than 100 charges for his alleged possession of slot machines and for operating the said pieces of casino equipment within his Treasure Island Arcade, Black Beards Super Game Room, and Games N More adult arcade establishments. The alleged illegal operations were conducted through his company, Surgen Enterprises LLC.

The allegations against Surgen include accusations of money laundering for over $100,000, as well as 120 counts of unlawful possession of a slot machine and two counts of keeping a gambling house. The defendant pleaded not guilty on all 100+ counts.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s website shows that Surgen’s company, Surgen Enterprises LLC, was established in 2012 in the state. The said year also saw him creating an Akron-based tanning salon. Surgen Enterprises LLC was moved to Florida six years later, and in 2019, Surgen opened the Treasure Island Arcade, which had 50 arcade machines, according to his business application. Games N More and Black Beards Super Game Room were both opened in 2022, with the latter closing in 2023. The two locations had included over 40 arcade machines combined before Beards Super Game Room’s closure, according to Surgen’s listings.

All establishments were supposed to house ordinary arcade machines, but Florida authorities allege that the retail venues were instead used for the operation of illegal slot machines.

The Palm Beach County’s Office Has Been Investigating Surgen’s Adult Arcade Locations for Months

The accusations follow a thorough investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The operation was conducted due to a complaint filed in 2022 that concerned illegal gambling. Between November 2022 and September 2023, Palm Beach authorities organized eight undercover operations that uncovered the activities that took place at all three of Surgen’s adult arcade establishments.

At Games N More and Treasure Island Arcade, agents found around 60 slot machines. The said pieces of equipment were found to be illegal after Palm Beach authorities tested the machines with a budget of $580. The slots awarded the investigators with cashout tickets, and the purpose of the said tickets was for patrons to exchange them for cash and gift cards. Another concerning detail about Surgen’s venues has to do with the fact that each location was protected by armed security guards.

In the end, Surgen was found to have leveraged Surgen Enterprises LLC in order to earn around $304,000 from illegal gambling operations, with $140,000 of the said sum being laundered. The rest of the funds were utilized to finance the continued operation of the adult arcades.

In Florida, the operation of cash-based slot machines which reward players with money is against the law. The only types of retail casino locations that are considered legal are tribal gambling establishments, with the Miccosukee Tribe being in charge of the Miccosukee Casino & Resort, while the Seminole Tribe operates multiple land-based casinos.

The law has not yet expanded to other forms of casino businesses, and Florida authorities have been cracking down on casino operations masked as adult arcade businesses. Besides Surgen’s case, this October also saw the arrest of two individuals who owned 20 illegal slot machines that were operated within the owners’ Beach Side Social Club arcade.

As online games incorporating gambling elements or forms of gambling become increasingly popular, the National Child Protection Commission of Indonesia (KPAI) prompted the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) and the National Police (POLRI) to ramp up their efforts to block them.

Established between 1998 and 2001 with much support from UNICEF, KPAI’s principal objective is to protect, respect and fulfil children’s rights. Diyah Puspitarini, Commissioner of KPAI, commented on the issue, stating her opinion that the government should take measures to detect and block online gaming sites offering such type of content. The commissioner said that regarding online gambling content, Kominfo and the National Police are best suited to combat its proliferation.

In Puspitarini’s opinion, the government should act resolutely and take down such domains to safeguard children from the devastating impact of gambling addiction. She drew a parallel between gambling sites and adult content sites, stating that Indonesia’s government had the necessary tools to screen and eradicate the former, as it had been focused on the latter.

According to KPAI’s commissioner, children’s curiosity made them vulnerable to online games incorporating gambling elements or forms of gambling. Furthermore, they could easily fall victim to online gambling and become addicted, propelled by the constant quest for new challenges. The addiction would lead, in turn, to a decline in physical activity and other potential health implications.

As per the laws of the Republic of Indonesia on child protection, the state, community, family, and parents share the obligation and responsibility to protect children. Puspitarini further added that parents should raise their awareness of parental control apps and similar tech developments to oversee their children’s online activity.

PPATK’s Research Indicates a Surge in Underage Participation in Online Gambling

The statement of the Commissioner of KPAI was preceded by research carried out by the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK). According to the analysis of more than 159 million online gambling transactions in 2023, their total volume amounted to IDR 160 trillion. Among other findings, the research indicated a surge in the number of children who participate in online gambling.

Last Friday, Usman Kansong, Director General of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, spoke to the press regarding the state of the current governmental control over online gambling in Badung, Bali.

He stated that the Ministry alerted Meta’s management in Indonesia (the company that owns and operates Facebook) to expedite the removal of online gambling content, such as ads and promos available on the platform. Kansong said that the ministry required a report on the number of removed items. He further added that online gambling content is subjected to strict censorship, with approximately 1.2 million items removed from 2018 to date.