French police have questioned another batch of tennis players in a growing investigation into a match-fixing syndicate suspected of paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix low-level matches, judicial officials said Thursday.
Seven French players were taken into custody this week and later released, taking the total number questioned in France so far to 17, the officials said. An initial batch of four players was first questioned in January . The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
The probe is being led by authorities in Belgium, where the syndicate's suspected ringleader, an Armenian, is based. Belgian authorities say Grigor Sargsyan remains in custody in his home, monitored with an electronic bracelet.
Investigators say corrupted players bought off by the fixers knew Sargsyan as "Maestro". The massive scheme, organized via encrypted messaging and involving dozens of low-ranked players in small tournaments with little prize money, is believed to have spread tentacles to more than a half-dozen countries, including the United States. Belgian authorities say they've requested assistance from the FBI, as well as counterparts in Egypt, Slovakia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Germany.
This week's additional detentions were first reported Thursday by French sports daily L'Equipe. Officials didn't identify the players.
A Belgian investigator said five of the French players questioned so far have admitted to taking money from the syndicate to fix matches, and that one player believed to have fixed about two dozen matches confessed to police that he pocketed 30,000 euros ($ 34,000).
The probe has grown far bigger than Belgian authorities initially expected when they first swept up Sargsyan and others in a wave of arrests in June. He faces organized crime, match-fixing, money laundering and forgery charges.
The number of players suspected of involvement continues to grow. Belgian investigators, who have been pouring through phone records and other evidence, believe they have now identified 137 players suspected of fixing or attempted fixing. The syndicate allegedly paid 500 to 3,000 euros ($570 to $3,400) for fixed matches, sets or games. Police say the syndicate employed mules, people hired for a few dollars to place bets on fixed matches that were small enough to slip under the radar of gambling watchdogs.
The Belgian investigator said evidence collected so far suggests the syndicate knew other match-fixers in Spain but they weren't working together. Another investigator said several players who took money from the syndicate told the French police during questioning that they did so because prize monies at low-level tournaments are too small to pay their expenses.
Players told the police that they often saw the so-called Maestro at such tournaments, working to recruit other accomplices, and they described him as friendly and non-threatening, the investigator said.
So far, France has the biggest number of players questioned in the probe. The first four were named by investigators as Jules Okala, 21; Mick Lescure, 25; Yannick Thivant, 32; and Jerome Inzerillo, 29. None operated in the highest spheres of tennis. The career-best singles ranking of any of them was 354, reached by Inzerillo in 2012.
L'Equipe said it interviewed Inzerillo, accompanied by his lawyer, this week and that he told the newspaper that he had never been approached to fix a match.
Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgium. Show all posts
March 21, 2019
August 15, 2018
Belgium gives Ladbrokes a slap on the wrist
Ladbrokes has been put in timeout – literally. Belgium has reportedly punished the sports betting company for breaking gaming regulations and has ordered it to not offer any gambling activities for a day next month.
Media outlet The Brussel Times reports that Ladbrokes was slapped on the wrist after admitting it had received bets from players in Belgium for the outcome of virtual machine events until March 14. Virtual match betting allows gamblers to place bets on the outcome of fantasy competitions and the practice has been outlawed in the country since June of last year after being “tolerated” for about five years.
Ladbrokes’ subsidiaries in the country, Tierce Ladbroke SA and Derby SA, will not be able to receive any bets for 24 hours on September 3 due to the infraction. Ladbrokes has 300 agencies and around 100 sportsbooks, and a number of digital operations, linked to it in Belgium. The country’s gaming regulator indicated that Ladbrokes had “not contested the materiality of the facts” and continued to offer the betting activity “until it was legally banned from doing so.”
In a response provided to 5 Star iGaming Media, Ladbrokes said that it had not been notified officially of the sanction. It explained that it had only learned of the punishment after it was informed by an unidentified third party on August 7.
Ladbrokes further complained that it was received an email from the regulator the same day the news starting making its rounds in the various media outlets, adding that it “‘deeply regrets that such confidential information is transmitted to the press and to third parties even before it is informed.” It alluded to the possibility of filing a lawsuit for breach of professional secrecy, but plans to honor the sanction. The sportsbook also said that it may challenge the punishment before Belgium’s Council of State.
The one-day penalty pales in comparison to that seen by Ladbrokes last year. In November, it was hit with a $2.9-million fine for not intervening after two gamblers blew a little more than half of that in stolen money on the Ladbrokes Coral-owned Gala Interactive casino website.
Media outlet The Brussel Times reports that Ladbrokes was slapped on the wrist after admitting it had received bets from players in Belgium for the outcome of virtual machine events until March 14. Virtual match betting allows gamblers to place bets on the outcome of fantasy competitions and the practice has been outlawed in the country since June of last year after being “tolerated” for about five years.
Ladbrokes’ subsidiaries in the country, Tierce Ladbroke SA and Derby SA, will not be able to receive any bets for 24 hours on September 3 due to the infraction. Ladbrokes has 300 agencies and around 100 sportsbooks, and a number of digital operations, linked to it in Belgium. The country’s gaming regulator indicated that Ladbrokes had “not contested the materiality of the facts” and continued to offer the betting activity “until it was legally banned from doing so.”
In a response provided to 5 Star iGaming Media, Ladbrokes said that it had not been notified officially of the sanction. It explained that it had only learned of the punishment after it was informed by an unidentified third party on August 7.
Ladbrokes further complained that it was received an email from the regulator the same day the news starting making its rounds in the various media outlets, adding that it “‘deeply regrets that such confidential information is transmitted to the press and to third parties even before it is informed.” It alluded to the possibility of filing a lawsuit for breach of professional secrecy, but plans to honor the sanction. The sportsbook also said that it may challenge the punishment before Belgium’s Council of State.
The one-day penalty pales in comparison to that seen by Ladbrokes last year. In November, it was hit with a $2.9-million fine for not intervening after two gamblers blew a little more than half of that in stolen money on the Ladbrokes Coral-owned Gala Interactive casino website.
April 07, 2014
Betclic withdraw from Belgium, amid PPO investigation
Betclic senior management have chosen to withdraw the company’s operations from the Belgian igaming market as the Public Prosecution Office (PPO) charged the operator with alleged unlicensed igaming operations targeting Belgian igaming players.
Prior to the decision taken by senior management, the operator had suffered a confiscation of €60,000 by the Belgian Gaming Authorities, for servicing unlicensed igaming services to Belgium customers. Betclic were placed under the black list of igaming operators, who had been warned by regional authorities and restricted Belgian IP access to their igaming portals.
The PPO are set to investigate the operator, for illegal igaming operations, BetClic deny any knowledge of wrongdoing on their part. A company statement read “Betclic Everest Group expresses its total surprise concerning the information referring to criminal sanctions and fund blocking that the Group is said to face in Belgium,”
The PPO claim that the operator had been warned of servicing Belgian customers with unlicensed igaming services, furthermore they claim that the operator breached regional igaming laws by allowing payment process on Belgian credit cards. The PPO have further stated that it has proof from Belgian based financial institutions that the operator had processed these online payments.
If prosecuted members of the Betclic board could be held responsible by Belgian igaming authorities and could face prison sentences of six months to five years.
Prior to the decision taken by senior management, the operator had suffered a confiscation of €60,000 by the Belgian Gaming Authorities, for servicing unlicensed igaming services to Belgium customers. Betclic were placed under the black list of igaming operators, who had been warned by regional authorities and restricted Belgian IP access to their igaming portals.
The PPO are set to investigate the operator, for illegal igaming operations, BetClic deny any knowledge of wrongdoing on their part. A company statement read “Betclic Everest Group expresses its total surprise concerning the information referring to criminal sanctions and fund blocking that the Group is said to face in Belgium,”
The PPO claim that the operator had been warned of servicing Belgian customers with unlicensed igaming services, furthermore they claim that the operator breached regional igaming laws by allowing payment process on Belgian credit cards. The PPO have further stated that it has proof from Belgian based financial institutions that the operator had processed these online payments.
If prosecuted members of the Betclic board could be held responsible by Belgian igaming authorities and could face prison sentences of six months to five years.
June 24, 2013
Belgium, Bulgaria add names to online gambling blacklists
The itchy trigger fingers of the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) have added five new names to its online gambling blacklist, including Gibraltar-licensed BetVictor, whose CEO Michael Carlton co-authored a public letter last November expressing his disdain for Belgium’s protectionist online gambling stance. The BGC also blackballed two UK-registered firms – Casino GrandLuxe and MonaCasino – as well as two Curaçao-licensed outfits, City Club Casino and RoyalCasino. The additions bring the BGC’s naughty list to a total of 74 enemies of the state.
That’s 54 more names than on the first blacklist drawn up by the Bulgarian State Gambling Commission. Among the 20 names thus tarred and feathered are the familiar faces of 888, Bet365, Betfair, Befred, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet and Unibet. Bulgaria first announced plans to IP-block unlicensed gambling sites last year, with the digital firewall scheduled to go up this March. The move was supposed to precede the introduction of a regulated online gambling regime, but while the necessary legislation has been published, it has yet to be officially enacted.
In less punitive regulatory news, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has inked an info-sharing agreement with the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, which regulates gambling and lottery activity in the Baltic country. The goal of the agreement is to improve regulatory standards in both online and land-based gaming sectors to better protect consumers and to create efficiencies for businesses.
Not to be outdone, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has teamed up with Spectrum Gaming Group to help regulatory agencies craft online gambling regulations. Andre Wilsenach, exec director of the AGCC, says the new Alderney Spectrum eGaming Advisors (ASeGA) will provide “an opportunity to progress common best practice standards of operation.” Spectrum Gaming managing director Michael Pollock called the joint venture a “perfect fit between an experienced, respected regulatory agency and a private firm that already serves tribal, state and national governments around the world.” ASeGA will also provide due-diligence and background investigations to determine a licensee’s suitability to operate in a given jurisdiction.
That’s 54 more names than on the first blacklist drawn up by the Bulgarian State Gambling Commission. Among the 20 names thus tarred and feathered are the familiar faces of 888, Bet365, Betfair, Befred, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet and Unibet. Bulgaria first announced plans to IP-block unlicensed gambling sites last year, with the digital firewall scheduled to go up this March. The move was supposed to precede the introduction of a regulated online gambling regime, but while the necessary legislation has been published, it has yet to be officially enacted.
In less punitive regulatory news, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has inked an info-sharing agreement with the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, which regulates gambling and lottery activity in the Baltic country. The goal of the agreement is to improve regulatory standards in both online and land-based gaming sectors to better protect consumers and to create efficiencies for businesses.
Not to be outdone, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has teamed up with Spectrum Gaming Group to help regulatory agencies craft online gambling regulations. Andre Wilsenach, exec director of the AGCC, says the new Alderney Spectrum eGaming Advisors (ASeGA) will provide “an opportunity to progress common best practice standards of operation.” Spectrum Gaming managing director Michael Pollock called the joint venture a “perfect fit between an experienced, respected regulatory agency and a private firm that already serves tribal, state and national governments around the world.” ASeGA will also provide due-diligence and background investigations to determine a licensee’s suitability to operate in a given jurisdiction.
December 17, 2012
bwin.party and Belgian Gambling Commission will quarrel no more
Online gaming firm bwin.party digital entertainment has solved its Belgian woes by agreeing a deal with Belcasinos that will see the two collaborating to offer services in the country’s regulated gambling market. The land-based firm is a subsidiary of Groupe Partouche and it will give bwin.party the chance to offer online sports betting, poker and casino games using their brands in Belgium. (N.B. It wasn’t like they weren’t offering them before, they just realized after arrest-gate that Belgian meant business).
The deal has been rubber stamped by the Belgian Gambling Commission with the company’s sites “in the process” of being removed from the BGC’s blacklist. After the agreement Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, co-CEOs of bwin.party, added: “Following recent developments in Belgium and after further dialogue with the local regulator, we have put our differences of opinion behind us and are now focused on the immediate commercial opportunity.”
The “difference in opinion” relates to the fact that bwin.party continued to operate in the country unlicensed for some time and saw its sites put on the country’s blacklist of unlicensed sites. It culminated in the soon-to-be-lone CEO Teufelberger being detained for questioning by Belgian cops at the behest of BGC. Being detained in Belgian could have far reaching effects with some thinking the US regulators won’t look kindly upon it when they try to gain a licence in any state that decides to regulate.
Partouche now has a number of partnerships in the Belgian market with the bwin.party agreement added to another with WMS-owned Jackpot Party. These are in addition to the firm’s own partouche.be offering. Jacques Frojman, CEO of Belcasino and Partouche Belgium added: “bwin.party is a market leader in online gaming with strong brands in sports betting, poker and casino. We are thrilled to be working with such a quality partner in Belgium.”
The damage may already be done for bwin.party as the US regulatory system won’t look kindly upon the company CEO being harangued by various police forces over the past decade or so. This is before you take into account their selective compliance with regulatory regimes across their most important market – Europe. November and December has been an eventful couple of months for bwin.party and things aren’t about to slow down in 2013 in what will be a pivotal year for the company.
The deal has been rubber stamped by the Belgian Gambling Commission with the company’s sites “in the process” of being removed from the BGC’s blacklist. After the agreement Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, co-CEOs of bwin.party, added: “Following recent developments in Belgium and after further dialogue with the local regulator, we have put our differences of opinion behind us and are now focused on the immediate commercial opportunity.”
The “difference in opinion” relates to the fact that bwin.party continued to operate in the country unlicensed for some time and saw its sites put on the country’s blacklist of unlicensed sites. It culminated in the soon-to-be-lone CEO Teufelberger being detained for questioning by Belgian cops at the behest of BGC. Being detained in Belgian could have far reaching effects with some thinking the US regulators won’t look kindly upon it when they try to gain a licence in any state that decides to regulate.
Partouche now has a number of partnerships in the Belgian market with the bwin.party agreement added to another with WMS-owned Jackpot Party. These are in addition to the firm’s own partouche.be offering. Jacques Frojman, CEO of Belcasino and Partouche Belgium added: “bwin.party is a market leader in online gaming with strong brands in sports betting, poker and casino. We are thrilled to be working with such a quality partner in Belgium.”
The damage may already be done for bwin.party as the US regulatory system won’t look kindly upon the company CEO being harangued by various police forces over the past decade or so. This is before you take into account their selective compliance with regulatory regimes across their most important market – Europe. November and December has been an eventful couple of months for bwin.party and things aren’t about to slow down in 2013 in what will be a pivotal year for the company.
October 29, 2012
Kambi signs sportsbook deal for regulated Belgian market
Belgian licensed betting operator Napoleon Games has selected Unibet’s B2B sports betting division Kambi to deliver a fully managed sportsbook for both web and mobile in the regulated Belgian market.
Kambi Sports Solutions CEO Kristian Nylén said the agreement to provide sportsbook to Napoleon Games, a leading operator in Belgium, further demonstrates the success of Kambi’s strategy in regulated markets.
“I am delighted that Napoleon Games has chosen to partner with Kambi,” said Nylén. “This agreement is further evidence that Kambi’s Sportsbook allows its customers to go head-to-head with industry leaders from day one and of the growing success of Kambi’s strategy in regulated markets. Napoleon Games is an experienced gaming operator and is very highly respected by Belgian players. We look forward to working with Napoleon Games in its efforts to continue be a leading gaming operator.”
Dieter Vanlerberghe, sportsbook manager at Napoleon Games added: “This deal ensures we will have a world class Sportsbook service for our customers. Using Kambi’s Sportsbook, Napoleon Games will be provided with a constantly developing Sportsbook solution that, coupled with our marketing strategy, will leave us ideally placed to attract and retain both new and existing Sportsbook customers in the Belgian market.”
Kambi Sports Solutions CEO Kristian Nylén said the agreement to provide sportsbook to Napoleon Games, a leading operator in Belgium, further demonstrates the success of Kambi’s strategy in regulated markets.
“I am delighted that Napoleon Games has chosen to partner with Kambi,” said Nylén. “This agreement is further evidence that Kambi’s Sportsbook allows its customers to go head-to-head with industry leaders from day one and of the growing success of Kambi’s strategy in regulated markets. Napoleon Games is an experienced gaming operator and is very highly respected by Belgian players. We look forward to working with Napoleon Games in its efforts to continue be a leading gaming operator.”
Dieter Vanlerberghe, sportsbook manager at Napoleon Games added: “This deal ensures we will have a world class Sportsbook service for our customers. Using Kambi’s Sportsbook, Napoleon Games will be provided with a constantly developing Sportsbook solution that, coupled with our marketing strategy, will leave us ideally placed to attract and retain both new and existing Sportsbook customers in the Belgian market.”
September 07, 2012
Belgian Gaming Commission Adds More Online Operators to Ban List
Looks as though the Belgian Gaming Commission is keeping busy these days with the addition of ten new online operators to their blacklist of banned online operators. The newly formed list includes some well known operators bringing the list to 45 banned urls in total.
Please note that most operators added to this blacklist do hold licenses in other jurisdictions.
Here is the list of newly banned urls added Sept. 5th 2012
Betfred.com Bingocams.com 32redbingo.com Zeturf.com Winpalace.com Bidyes.com Gimigames.com www2.williamhill.com rivapoker.com Stargames.com
Please note that most operators added to this blacklist do hold licenses in other jurisdictions.
Here is the list of newly banned urls added Sept. 5th 2012
Betfred.com Bingocams.com 32redbingo.com Zeturf.com Winpalace.com Bidyes.com Gimigames.com www2.williamhill.com rivapoker.com Stargames.com
June 14, 2012
Bwin loses court bid to have name removed from Belgian blacklist
The Bwin half of online gambling operator Bwin.party has lost its legal bid to compel Belgian gaming authorities to remove its name from the country’s unauthorized operator blacklist. On May 9, Bwin found its dot-com site – along with that of Betfair, William Hill, Stan James and several others – on the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) most wanted list. Bwin earned this honor via its refusal to stop offering services to Belgian punters while its applications for land and online Belgian gaming licenses were pending. Bwin’s dot-com site was subsequently blocked by Belgian ISPs, but Bwin continued to email Belgian punters directions to unblocked Bwin domains. Bwin then proceeded to launch legal action against the BGC, demanding €300k for every day Bwin remained on the blacklist, prompting a tit-for-tat suit by the BGC demanding a similar sum for every day that Bwin continued to flout the law of the land.
In denying Bwin’s request, the President of the Court of First Instance in Brussels said Bwin’s claim had “no legal merit.” However, the Court declined to award the BGC the €300k/day fines it had sought, reasoning that since the ruling had rejected Bwin’s claim, the BGC’s counterclaim no longer had a reason for being. Totally Gaming quoted Bart Heynickx, one of the ALTIUS attorneys who represented the BGC in court, as saying the ruling proved that “an online gambling operator that willfully chose to undertake illegal activities cannot expect protection from the Belgian courts.” Bwin has offered no indication whether it plans to appeal the ruling.
The ruling could have repercussions far beyond Belgian borders. Last week, during the Nevada Gaming Control Board (GCB) hearing on William Hills’ 2011 acquisition of Nevada-based sportsbooks, regulators pressed Hills on its late May withdrawal from the Australian online gambling market. This abrupt Aussie exit was widely perceived as Hills’ attempt to shed any regulatory taint resulting from continued operations in a legally grey market. During the hearing, GCB chairman Mark Lipparelli said Hills should have made those legal determinations before accepting wagers from punters in such jurisdictions (rather than doing so only when it appeared to serve their interests in a potentially bigger market). Bwin.party has yet to have its day under the GCB’s microscope, but we’re sure Nevada regulators will have some pointed questions regarding Bwin’s determination to disregard the edicts of the GCB’s counterparts in Belgium.
In denying Bwin’s request, the President of the Court of First Instance in Brussels said Bwin’s claim had “no legal merit.” However, the Court declined to award the BGC the €300k/day fines it had sought, reasoning that since the ruling had rejected Bwin’s claim, the BGC’s counterclaim no longer had a reason for being. Totally Gaming quoted Bart Heynickx, one of the ALTIUS attorneys who represented the BGC in court, as saying the ruling proved that “an online gambling operator that willfully chose to undertake illegal activities cannot expect protection from the Belgian courts.” Bwin has offered no indication whether it plans to appeal the ruling.
The ruling could have repercussions far beyond Belgian borders. Last week, during the Nevada Gaming Control Board (GCB) hearing on William Hills’ 2011 acquisition of Nevada-based sportsbooks, regulators pressed Hills on its late May withdrawal from the Australian online gambling market. This abrupt Aussie exit was widely perceived as Hills’ attempt to shed any regulatory taint resulting from continued operations in a legally grey market. During the hearing, GCB chairman Mark Lipparelli said Hills should have made those legal determinations before accepting wagers from punters in such jurisdictions (rather than doing so only when it appeared to serve their interests in a potentially bigger market). Bwin.party has yet to have its day under the GCB’s microscope, but we’re sure Nevada regulators will have some pointed questions regarding Bwin’s determination to disregard the edicts of the GCB’s counterparts in Belgium.
May 11, 2012
Belgium Adds To Online Poker Blacklist
The Belgium Gaming Commission has expanded its blacklist of companies which internet service providers in the country must block.
New additions to the list include bwin.com, betsson.com, bet-at-home.com, betclic.com, williamhill.com, stanjames.com, and betfair.com, all of which offer online poker.
These companies join the likes of 888.com, titanpoker.be, winamax.fr and everestpoker.be.
Belgian authorities claim the blacklist offer opportunities to legitimate operators who apply for licences while protecting players from ‘illegal’ sites which operate without a licence in the country.
New additions to the list include bwin.com, betsson.com, bet-at-home.com, betclic.com, williamhill.com, stanjames.com, and betfair.com, all of which offer online poker.
These companies join the likes of 888.com, titanpoker.be, winamax.fr and everestpoker.be.
Belgian authorities claim the blacklist offer opportunities to legitimate operators who apply for licences while protecting players from ‘illegal’ sites which operate without a licence in the country.
July 21, 2011
myBet.com awarded sports betting licence in Belgium
JAXX subsidiary myBet.com said Thursday that it will open a number of betting shops in Belgium in the next few days after being awarded a sports betting licence by the Belgian Gambling Commission, paving the way for the company to launch online operations in the country once the regulatory framework has been finalised.
JAXX said that its newly established subsidiary, QED Belgium SPRL, was awarded an F1 licence in accordance with the new Belgian Gambling Law which was enacted on January 1st 2011, allowing the company to provide sports betting services over the counter at betting shops.
The company said that once the regulatory framework for online sports betting operations has been finalised, it is expected that the licence will be extended to include online products (F1+), with myBet.com having been one of the official participants in the 'Internet Test Group' set up by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
The F1 licence covers all three regions of Belgium and allows myBet.com to immediately offer sports betting in an unlimited number of betting shops. The company said that the first myBet.com shops are expected to be opened within the next few days.
“While Germany's federal states with the exception of Schleswig-Holstein are finding themselves increasingly isolated in the EU because of their protectionism, Belgium is yet another good example of how a market for gaming can be regulated sensibly and liberally - without stifling the emergence of competition in its infancy or neglecting sensitive topics such as player protection and gambling addiction,” said Mathias Dahms, JAXX’s management board spokesman.
“We are delighted to be able to compete in the Belgian market with such an outstanding brand as myBet.com.”
Belgium passed new gaming laws last year but currently has no government to sign them into existence. However, the Belgian Gambling Commission is granting licences despite the delay.
Last week Belgium published two decrees on online gaming licences in the Official Journal.
The first allows casinos, gaming halls and betting operators who already own a land-based license to apply for an additional online gaming licence from September 1st. Games and bets which they will be allows to propose must be identical to those offered in their land-based environment.
Secondly, the Belgian Gaming Commission may prosecute internet site who do not own a license as of next year and intends, among other things, to systemically block relevant sites. In the case of foreign sites, these will only be targeted if they target the Belgian market.
Until the entire licence procedure has been put in place, candidates for an additional gaming licence may offer their online gaming services in an 'experimental' phase, with temporary licences issued by the Commission.
JAXX said that its newly established subsidiary, QED Belgium SPRL, was awarded an F1 licence in accordance with the new Belgian Gambling Law which was enacted on January 1st 2011, allowing the company to provide sports betting services over the counter at betting shops.
The company said that once the regulatory framework for online sports betting operations has been finalised, it is expected that the licence will be extended to include online products (F1+), with myBet.com having been one of the official participants in the 'Internet Test Group' set up by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
The F1 licence covers all three regions of Belgium and allows myBet.com to immediately offer sports betting in an unlimited number of betting shops. The company said that the first myBet.com shops are expected to be opened within the next few days.
“While Germany's federal states with the exception of Schleswig-Holstein are finding themselves increasingly isolated in the EU because of their protectionism, Belgium is yet another good example of how a market for gaming can be regulated sensibly and liberally - without stifling the emergence of competition in its infancy or neglecting sensitive topics such as player protection and gambling addiction,” said Mathias Dahms, JAXX’s management board spokesman.
“We are delighted to be able to compete in the Belgian market with such an outstanding brand as myBet.com.”
Belgium passed new gaming laws last year but currently has no government to sign them into existence. However, the Belgian Gambling Commission is granting licences despite the delay.
Last week Belgium published two decrees on online gaming licences in the Official Journal.
The first allows casinos, gaming halls and betting operators who already own a land-based license to apply for an additional online gaming licence from September 1st. Games and bets which they will be allows to propose must be identical to those offered in their land-based environment.
Secondly, the Belgian Gaming Commission may prosecute internet site who do not own a license as of next year and intends, among other things, to systemically block relevant sites. In the case of foreign sites, these will only be targeted if they target the Belgian market.
Until the entire licence procedure has been put in place, candidates for an additional gaming licence may offer their online gaming services in an 'experimental' phase, with temporary licences issued by the Commission.
March 10, 2011
PartyGaming and Full Tilt given the boot in Belgium
PartyGaming and Full Tilt Poker are amongst a number of companies being asked to leave the fledging online market in Belgium or face criminal and administrative sanctions.
The Belgian Gaming Commission yesterday sent out letters to regulators in Alderney and Gibraltar asking them to tell any licensees operating illegally in Belgium to shut those operations down immediately.
In the letter to Alderney, seen by GamblingCompliance, PartyGaming Plc and Full Tilt Poker are picked out as “two operators with significant market share in Belgium” that are working without local authorisations.
Belgium’s updated Gambling Act came into force on 1 January this year, bringing the online market under a licensing system and controversially closing it off to any operator without a land-based permit.
As well as charging a number of online companies licensed in Alderney and Gibraltar with operating illegally in Belgium, the regulator notes that they are allowing players to break the 21 age limit on their sites.
“This means that, in addition to the primary offences identified above, your licensees are also engaged in money laundering because money is being moved through the financial system that is connected to the commission of these underlying crimes,” Etienne Marique, chairman of the Belgian Gaming Commission, states in the letters.
Marique goes on to say that he and his team expect co-operation from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and Gibraltar’s Gambling Commissioner by preventing the licensees from targeting Belgian players.
Otherwise, he adds, “in addition to pursuing the operators themselves, we will consider pursuing individuals of the [Alderney and Gibraltar regulators] personally for their liability in not preventing these crimes taking place.”
The Belgian regulator has given Alderney and Gibraltar until April 1 to respond, the same day that PartyGaming’s merger with Austria’s Bwin takes full effect.
Peter Naessens, legal counsel to the Belgian Gaming Commission, told GamblingCompliance that the letters were the first step towards ring-fencing the Belgian market against unlicensed operators.
Naessens explained that if the companies refuse to close their sites to Belgian customers, the regulator would pass their details on for criminal prosecution or pursue them with administrative sanctions themselves.
It is unlikely that any operator hit with such cases would then be granted an online licence, according to Naessens.
“These players have a dishonest competitive advantage in the Belgian market. We have to take action against them otherwise players will not move across to our legal operators,” Naessens said.
He used PokerStars, which is in partnership with Belgian firm Circus Groupe, as an example of a licence holder who could see their market share eroded by unauthorised rivals not tied to the same regulations.
Internet poker giant PokerStars launched its Belgium-facing website at the beginning of March and is targeting April or May for the start of its marketing campaign.
In an email to affiliates, PokerStars explained that due to legal restrictions the Belgian site will not offer first deposit bonuses for players and that Belgian residents will only be allowed to play other Belgian customers for cash games.
The new Belgian gambling legislation arms the regulator with internet filtering, advertising restrictions and financial transaction blocking to deal with unlicensed operators, Naessens says it is not ready to use them yet.
Agreements have been reached with internet service providers and financial institutions, he says, but the regulator will not be able to deploy the measures until the second half of the year.
The online market is also not yet fully operational, as it waits for approval from the European Commission on certain licensing regulations later this month.
Belgium has a further pile of royal decrees which need to be enacted to fully kit out the new gambling market, but without a formal government to pass them progress is slow.
Emergency cabinet meetings at the end of last year, though, ensured enough measures were in place for the new Gambling Act to come into effect on January 1.
Full Tilt Poker and PartyGaming were unavailable for comment yesterday.
London-listed PartyGaming said in its full year results last week: “While Belgium has enacted a law for the regulation of online gambling there, the requirement to first have a land-based license is seen by many as being in breach of EU law although no action has yet been taken by the European Commission.”
The Belgian Gaming Commission yesterday sent out letters to regulators in Alderney and Gibraltar asking them to tell any licensees operating illegally in Belgium to shut those operations down immediately.
In the letter to Alderney, seen by GamblingCompliance, PartyGaming Plc and Full Tilt Poker are picked out as “two operators with significant market share in Belgium” that are working without local authorisations.
Belgium’s updated Gambling Act came into force on 1 January this year, bringing the online market under a licensing system and controversially closing it off to any operator without a land-based permit.
As well as charging a number of online companies licensed in Alderney and Gibraltar with operating illegally in Belgium, the regulator notes that they are allowing players to break the 21 age limit on their sites.
“This means that, in addition to the primary offences identified above, your licensees are also engaged in money laundering because money is being moved through the financial system that is connected to the commission of these underlying crimes,” Etienne Marique, chairman of the Belgian Gaming Commission, states in the letters.
Marique goes on to say that he and his team expect co-operation from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and Gibraltar’s Gambling Commissioner by preventing the licensees from targeting Belgian players.
Otherwise, he adds, “in addition to pursuing the operators themselves, we will consider pursuing individuals of the [Alderney and Gibraltar regulators] personally for their liability in not preventing these crimes taking place.”
The Belgian regulator has given Alderney and Gibraltar until April 1 to respond, the same day that PartyGaming’s merger with Austria’s Bwin takes full effect.
Peter Naessens, legal counsel to the Belgian Gaming Commission, told GamblingCompliance that the letters were the first step towards ring-fencing the Belgian market against unlicensed operators.
Naessens explained that if the companies refuse to close their sites to Belgian customers, the regulator would pass their details on for criminal prosecution or pursue them with administrative sanctions themselves.
It is unlikely that any operator hit with such cases would then be granted an online licence, according to Naessens.
“These players have a dishonest competitive advantage in the Belgian market. We have to take action against them otherwise players will not move across to our legal operators,” Naessens said.
He used PokerStars, which is in partnership with Belgian firm Circus Groupe, as an example of a licence holder who could see their market share eroded by unauthorised rivals not tied to the same regulations.
Internet poker giant PokerStars launched its Belgium-facing website at the beginning of March and is targeting April or May for the start of its marketing campaign.
In an email to affiliates, PokerStars explained that due to legal restrictions the Belgian site will not offer first deposit bonuses for players and that Belgian residents will only be allowed to play other Belgian customers for cash games.
The new Belgian gambling legislation arms the regulator with internet filtering, advertising restrictions and financial transaction blocking to deal with unlicensed operators, Naessens says it is not ready to use them yet.
Agreements have been reached with internet service providers and financial institutions, he says, but the regulator will not be able to deploy the measures until the second half of the year.
The online market is also not yet fully operational, as it waits for approval from the European Commission on certain licensing regulations later this month.
Belgium has a further pile of royal decrees which need to be enacted to fully kit out the new gambling market, but without a formal government to pass them progress is slow.
Emergency cabinet meetings at the end of last year, though, ensured enough measures were in place for the new Gambling Act to come into effect on January 1.
Full Tilt Poker and PartyGaming were unavailable for comment yesterday.
London-listed PartyGaming said in its full year results last week: “While Belgium has enacted a law for the regulation of online gambling there, the requirement to first have a land-based license is seen by many as being in breach of EU law although no action has yet been taken by the European Commission.”
August 06, 2010
Players face court in Belgian match-fixing probe
A total of 31 people, including nine players, are to appear in court as part of a match-fixing probe in Belgium.
The players, connected to Lierse, newly promoted to the top flight, will appear at a pre-trial hearing on Nov. 30, a spokeswoman for Belgium's federal prosecutor said on Thursday. She declined to name the players involved, saying some may not end up being prosecuted.
Nobody at Lierse was immediately available to comment. The prosecutor's office said in a statement that St Truiden, FC Brussels and La Louviere, who merged with Couillet in June 2009 to form FCLL, were also involved.
St Truiden are in the top flight while FC Brussels play in the second division and FCLL feature in the fourth tier.
Belgian police launched an investigation after Internet betting exchange Betfair logged heavy betting patterns relating to La Louviere's 3-1 win over St Truiden in a first division match in Oct. 2005.
In a statement on Thursday, the prosecutor's office said Ye Zheyun, a Chinese businessman suspected of being the lynchpin of the scandal, will also be asked to appear in court.
Ye has previously denied any involvement in the affair.
A total of nine matches were manipulated during the 2004/05 season, the statement said. Sums of 5,000 to 40,000 euros ($6,562-$52,490) were paid per match and per player, it added.
The players, connected to Lierse, newly promoted to the top flight, will appear at a pre-trial hearing on Nov. 30, a spokeswoman for Belgium's federal prosecutor said on Thursday. She declined to name the players involved, saying some may not end up being prosecuted.
Nobody at Lierse was immediately available to comment. The prosecutor's office said in a statement that St Truiden, FC Brussels and La Louviere, who merged with Couillet in June 2009 to form FCLL, were also involved.
St Truiden are in the top flight while FC Brussels play in the second division and FCLL feature in the fourth tier.
Belgian police launched an investigation after Internet betting exchange Betfair logged heavy betting patterns relating to La Louviere's 3-1 win over St Truiden in a first division match in Oct. 2005.
In a statement on Thursday, the prosecutor's office said Ye Zheyun, a Chinese businessman suspected of being the lynchpin of the scandal, will also be asked to appear in court.
Ye has previously denied any involvement in the affair.
A total of nine matches were manipulated during the 2004/05 season, the statement said. Sums of 5,000 to 40,000 euros ($6,562-$52,490) were paid per match and per player, it added.
January 05, 2010
Belgium becomes latest to ignore EU online gambling agreements
Many countries are making their own laws regarding online gambling and are ignoring European Union trade agreements in the process. The latest to do so is Belgium, where lawmakers have inked new laws in an effort to regulate online gambling in the country.
Belgium lawmakers felt that the current Internet gambling system was being corrupted by organized crime. They believe that regulations would keep the crime out of the industry, but what they have come up with is in direct violation of EU agreements.
The European Union warned Belgium in a letter back in June of last year that these new laws would be a violation. Belgium, however, ignored the warning, and created new regulatory laws to oversee Internet gambling, more specifically, online poker.
Some of the top online poker players in the world reside in Belgium. With the new laws in place, major poker sites such as PartyPoker, Full Tilt, and PokerStars, would not be permitted to accept players from Belgium. That means that the top players could only play while putting themselves at risk of arrest.
The EU has not been consistent in their upholding of agreements. While Belgium and France has been warned about their nationalization of online poker, other countries such as Italy have been permitted to regulate their online gambling industry.
The US, which is the biggest online gambling market in the world, has been in violation of EU agreements since they enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act back in late 2006. Lawmakers in the US, however, are in the process of attempting to overturn the UIGEA and set up a regulated Internet gambling industry in the country.
Belgium lawmakers felt that the current Internet gambling system was being corrupted by organized crime. They believe that regulations would keep the crime out of the industry, but what they have come up with is in direct violation of EU agreements.
The European Union warned Belgium in a letter back in June of last year that these new laws would be a violation. Belgium, however, ignored the warning, and created new regulatory laws to oversee Internet gambling, more specifically, online poker.
Some of the top online poker players in the world reside in Belgium. With the new laws in place, major poker sites such as PartyPoker, Full Tilt, and PokerStars, would not be permitted to accept players from Belgium. That means that the top players could only play while putting themselves at risk of arrest.
The EU has not been consistent in their upholding of agreements. While Belgium and France has been warned about their nationalization of online poker, other countries such as Italy have been permitted to regulate their online gambling industry.
The US, which is the biggest online gambling market in the world, has been in violation of EU agreements since they enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act back in late 2006. Lawmakers in the US, however, are in the process of attempting to overturn the UIGEA and set up a regulated Internet gambling industry in the country.
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