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The latest revealed an increasing number of children in England, Scotland, and Wales aged 11 to 17 spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling over the past year.

Tim Miller, the Gambling Commission executive director for research and policy, said: “Where it relates to regulated forms of gambling we use the data to continuously keep under review and, where needed, strengthen the suite of protections for young people that we require gambling companies to have in place.

“However, the report also shows that young people often gamble in ways that do not require regulation, such as betting with their friends. Yet these forms of gambling can also lead to some experiencing harm. Our report points to the opportunities that parents, schools and other groups have to also help reduce gambling harm among children and young people.”

Approximately 27 percent of 3,869 pupils surveyed in the report using the Ipsos Young People Omnibus gambled in the past 12 months, with 20 percent playing arcade machines, 11 percent placing bets with friends or family, and 5 percent playing cards with friends or family for money.

Of these respondents, 21 percent spent their own money on regulated forms of gambling, including playing gaming machines, which they are allowed to play.

When arcade gaming machines are removed from the definition, 6 percent of young people spend their own money on regulated forms of gambling, an increase from 4 percent in 2023.

Approximately 15 percent of the survey respondents said they had spent money on unregulated forms of gambling in the past year, defined as falling outside the remit of the Gambling Commission.

The proportion of young people experiencing problem gambling has also seen a “statistically significant increase”, rising from 0.7 percent in 2023 to 1.5 percent in 2024.

Exposure to adverts via online platforms also increased from 53 percent in 2023 to 62 percent in 2024, which is in line with 2022 findings.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has awarded environmental, social, and governance (ESG) seals to 14 online gambling licensees, including a mix of suppliers and operators.

MGA CEO Charles Mizzi believes the seals will “significantly enhance the industry’s reputation and sustainability credentials.”

“By integrating ESG considerations into their operations, gaming companies not only contribute to the well-being of society and the environment but also strengthen the trust and confidence that consumers, investors and regulators have in the industry. This initiative sends a clear message: sustainability, in the broadest sense of the word, is integral to the future of the gaming sector,” he said.

The ESG Code Approval Seals are awarded for submitting ESG disclosure returns, following the launch of the voluntary ESG Code of Good Practice for the remote gaming sector in November 2023.

The code includes 19 ESG pillars and offers a strategic roadmap for online gaming companies to streamline two tiers of reporting; Tier 1 establishes foundational ESG standards, and Tier 2, represents a “more aspirational approach,” according to the MGA.

A different seal is awarded to companies that meet Tier 1 or Tier 2 reporting requirements.

Seals can be renewed in the next reporting period and companies can change the tier that they report on each year.

A of ESG code-approved companies can be found on the MGA website. 

The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) confirmed Thursday (November 7) that Curaçao-based Bovada is no longer available to residents in the state, ending a confrontation between the regulator and the offshore sportsbook and casino gaming operator.

Bovada notified account holders on Tuesday that it was permanently closing Tennessee accounts and returning available balances to account holders. The state is the 16th U.S. market Bovada has placed on its restricted list.

The SWC imposed a $50,000 fine last month against Bovada after the offshore operator failed to comply with cease-and-desist letters sent in recent months to the company for illegally operating in the state.

Regulatory officials were subsequently able to place wagers with Bovada from within Tennessee on three separate occasions, resulting in the accumulation of $50,000 in applicable penalties, the SWC said.

“Our licensed sportsbook operators provide important consumer protections not found in the illegal market, and the closure of Bovada’s virtual doors in Tennessee is an important step toward the eradication of unlicensed, illegal sportsbooks in Tennessee,” Billy Orgel, chairman of the SWC, said in a statement.

Gaming regulators did not confirm if Bovada, along with cutting off access to its website, paid the $50,000 fine. Tennessee is the first state to announce a penalty against the operator for non-compliance with such an order.

Running Aces, a cardroom and racetrack that previously opposed sports betting legislation, has now expressed its support, advocating for a compromise benefiting Minnesota tribal casinos, racetracks and charitable gaming.

Lawmakers have debated legalizing sports betting in Minnesota ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal ban, but the state’s two racetracks have opposed efforts that grant tribes exclusivity on wagering. 

In a letter to the Minnesota Indian Gaming Commission, Taro Ito, president and CEO of Running Aces, stressed the importance of tribal gaming in Minnesota and the economic support that it provides to each of the sovereign tribal nations in the state. 

“We also believe that racetracks, tribal casinos and charitable gaming all provide important and distinct benefits to the communities we each serve and broad benefits to all Minnesotans,” Ito wrote. “We believe it is possible to work through any disagreements and arrive at successful compromises.”

“Based on numerous public polls, 90 percent or more of Minnesotans support a sports betting bill that is beneficial for the horse industry, tribal communities and local charities, and we are hopeful that the gaming industry can come together, at the Capitol (in St. Paul), to pass sports betting legislation that reflects an appropriate compromise.”

Ito added that they were hopeful that legislators and the gaming industry could all work together to ensure the passage of a sports betting bill that benefits all three of these entities. Minnesota lawmakers will convene the 2025 legislative session on January 14.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has settled a complaint against Hard Rock casino for $42,000 for allowing underage persons to gamble for more than two years, according to a list of Actions of the Director released on Wednesday (November 6).

The DGE cited specific conduct from September 2021 until March 2024, in which Hard Rock permitted underage persons to remain in the casino and wager at various slot machines undetected. 

The two-page order, dated October 16 and signed by Mary Jo Flaherty, DGE’s interim director, announced the fine but did not include any additional details on how the underage gambling was allowed to take place at the casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

The took place between October 16 and October 31. Flaherty also approved a request from Freehold Raceway to surrender its sports-betting license.

Freehold Raceway, which was acquired for $46m in 1998 by a joint venture between Penn Entertainment and Greenwood Racing, announced in September that it was ceasing all live racing and simulcast operations at the end of the year after more than 170 years in operation. The track launched a Parx-branded retail sportsbook in 2020.

Colorado voters approved Proposition JJ on Tuesday (November 5), a ballot measure that allows the state to keep all of the sports-betting tax revenues it collects to spend on water projects.

As of Wednesday, Proposition JJ had received 75.9 percent of votes in favor and 24.1 percent opposed, according to the Associated Press. Known as the Retain Sports Betting Tax Revenue for Water Projects Measure, the initiative eliminates the current cap of $29m of annual sports-betting tax revenue the state may allocate to water conservation and projects. 

The measure instead allows the state to retain and allocate all sports-betting tax revenue for water protection programs. Currently, Colorado’s 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights requires sports-betting tax revenue exceeding $29m to be refunded to sports-betting operators and casinos.

The 10 percent tax on sports betting was established in 2019 when voters approved retail and online sports betting by passing Proposition DD.

Accel Entertainment has purchased an 85 percent ownership stake in Toucan Gaming and LSM Gaming, two Louisiana-based route operators and owners of licensed video poker establishments, further diversifying the company’s business beyond Illinois.

The ownership interests in both companies were purchased for approximately $40m, Accel announced on Tuesday (November 5).

The combined business will operate as Toucan Gaming throughout Louisiana and will be led by Stan Guidroz, the current CEO of Toucan Gaming. Guidroz owns the remaining 15 percent of Toucan and will oversee the company’s growth in Louisiana. 

Andy Rubenstein, CEO of Accel, said the acquisition of Toucan expands Accel’s reach into the attractive southeastern U.S. market, where he believes there is significant untapped demand for route operations. Toucan is expected to generate approximately $25m of revenue in 2025.

The deal adds 13 truck stop locations with 450 terminals, and 60 three-machine locations for an additional 180 terminals. Accel ended the third quarter of 2024 with 4,014 locations and 25,729 gaming terminals in its portfolio. 

Accel, which is based in Chicago, operates in Illinois, Nevada, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The company also sells its terminals in South Dakota and West Virginia.

The Chinese state-owned contractor ordered to pay $1.6bn in compensation for wresting the Baha Mar integrated resort (IR) from its billionaire creator has secured an emergency stay on the liquidation of Bahamian assets.

An appeals bench of the New York State Supreme Court on Monday (November 4) granted an injunction to China Construction America (CCA) that suspends enforcement of the court’s award to businessman Sarkis Izmirlian.

The award of $845m plus a decade of interest was handed down on October 18 after a Supreme Court judge found the company sabotaged the opening of the property and deceived Izmirlian on construction progress before taking over and selling the property.

CCA appealed the ruling to protect, in part, its liquidity and two resorts in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, the Bahamas Tribune Daily reported on Tuesday.

The bankruptcy of the CCA and possible disruption of its US contracts on top of its subterfuge would reflect poorly on its behemoth state-owned parent, China State Construction and Engineering Corporation, which Bahamian observers have called on to settle the case.

A Brazilian football star, Flamengo player Luiz Henrique, was the prime target of a raid on Tuesday morning (November 5) at Ninho do Urbu, Flamengo’s training ground. 

The agents of the police and the Special Task Force to Combat Organised Crime were there as part of their investigation into possible match-fixing.

Henrique was not yet at the grounds when the police arrived, although he was scheduled to take part in training that day.

The investigation involves his family, as 11 other warrants are being carried out at addresses associated with them. Henrique is suspected of tipping them off that he would deliberately incur a yellow card. He did, allegedly as promised, in the 50th minute of the 2023 Brazilian championship game between Flamengo and Santos.

Henrique is also the subject of an investigation in Spain, where he once played for Real Betis. The Spanish government suspects that he is involved in a “criminal organisation dedicated to the manipulation of results in sports betting”.

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has issued three warnings to gambling operators for breaching new sponsorship rules.

The KSA also stated on October 4 that “it is up to the operator to make clear agreements with external parties”.

“This includes the use of sponsor materials, the time at which sponsor messages are shown and the way in which they are distributed. In addition, it is also up to the provider to ensure that external parties adhere to these agreements,” the KSA said.

The KSA issued one warning for an operator's name being included in promotional materials of an unnamed national event, despite the sponsorship contract being expired.

After receiving a warning, the logo was removed from the promotional materials.

A second operator was also penalised because of its sporting event sponsorship deal with a third party, as in the run-up to the tournament, children and young adults played sports at the location where the operator's adverts could be seen both inside and out.

The KSA said the operator is responsible for the sponsorship’s visibility and should have been aware that it was visible outside the tournament.

A third operator had its logo on t-shirts of a famous athlete sold online, including shirts available in children's sizes.

After receiving a warning, the operator took immediate action to remove its logo from the children's shirts.

The KSA warned that if there are additional offences it “may take enforcement action”.

Since July 1, 2024, sponsoring television shows and events are no longer permitted. Sports sponsorships are allowed until July 1, 2025, but must not target vulnerable groups, including minors and young adults.

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has published a notice in the Federal Register that estimates the average casino will spend more than 100 hours annually to establish an anti-money laundering (AML) program.

In, the agency reminded financial institutions, including casinos, that they must establish AML and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) programs to guard against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

These programs must include, at a minimum, the development of internal policies, procedures and controls, as well as the designation of a compliance officer. Programs also need ongoing employee training programs, and an independent audit function to test programs.

FinCEN issued regulations in 1993 requiring casinos to develop and implement Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance programs. The agency subsequently amended these regulations after the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001 to state that a casino would be “deemed to satisfy the requirements of (federal law) if it implements and maintains” an AML program.

According to the notice, FinCEN estimates that 1,277 casinos in the U.S. will establish an AML program annually, with the estimated time per response at 100 hours and 10 minutes. FinCEN estimated 127,912 total hours spent on casino AML programs. 

With election day on Tuesday (November 5), the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) has released a statement warning residents that election betting is not legal and that there are only three licensed online sports-betting platforms available in the state.

“We know elections sometimes feel like a sports, but the reality is they are not,” DCP commissioner Bryan Cafferelli said in a statement. “Wagering on an unlicensed platform just to bet on the election leaves consumers personal information and money vulnerable to theft and fraud.”

Cafferelli stressed that any platform offering wagers on elections is unregulated by the department.

“No licensed platform may offer wagers on election outcomes in Connecticut,” he added.

The three online platforms authorized to offer sports betting in Connecticut are DraftKings, through its affiliation with Foxwoods Casino; FanDuel, partnering Mohegan Sun; and Fanatics through its affiliation with the Connecticut Lottery Corporation.

Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino also offer retail wagering at their casinos.

The clarification on the illegality of election betting and what sportsbooks are legal comes as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) appeals a federal court’s latest decision rejecting its attempt to prohibit online platform Kalshi from offering event contracts involving elections.