UKGC – GamblersNews

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission Taking Actions Against Two More Gambling Operators

Vedran Ostojic — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 19:44:18 +0000

One of the most prominent online casino gaming regulatory bodies, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission has been extremely busy these days especially when it comes to penalizing online gambling and betting operators in the last couple of months. Just several days ago, several news outlets reported that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission has taken actions against two more gambling operators.

According to the iGaming regulator’s latest reports, it has decided to suspend the iGaming licenses of two iGaming operators. As reported, the two online gambling operators will have their United Kingdom Gambling Commission-issued licenses suspended due to failing to entirely integrated the United Kingdom’s self-exclusion scheme named GAMSTOP into their online gaming platforms.

Sportito and Dynamic Lost Their UKGC Licenses

The two online gambling operators which have lost their United Kingdom Gambling Commission-issued licenses are Sportito and Dynamic. As revealed, the two operators who faced the UKGC’ wrath failed to entirely participate in self-exclusion schemes which are mandatory for operators active in the United Kingdom iGaming market.

Back in January of this year, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission informed all online gambling and betting operators that hold its licenses that they have to participate in its self-exclusion GAMSTOP scheme. This is basically a free service that provides players with the valuable opportunity to exclude themselves from online betting and gambling activities with online bookies and online casinos which are licensed in the United Kingdom for a specific time period.

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission regulated and licensed operates were ordered to integrated this self-exclusion GAMSTOP scheme by the 31^st of March which was several days who. Nonetheless, Sportito and Dynamic failed to include the GAMSTOP scheme with their online operations across their gaming platforms. Consequently, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission revealed a couple of days ago that it has decided to suspend the operators’ licenses.

The regulator’s officials also said that they have also instigated reviews into the two operators’ activities according to the Gambling Act’s Section 116 from 2005. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission believes that Sportito and Dynamic had breached certain conditions of their UKGC licenses, so they are not suitable to resume their activities in the United Kingdom iGaming market.

Sportito’s License Suspension Lifted

After Sportito faced suspension of its United Kingdom Gambling Commission-issued license, the operator has implemented the United Kingdom’s GAMSTOP self-exclusion tool, so the UK-based iGaming regulator decided to lift the operator’s license suspension. Nonetheless, the regulator plans to review the operator’s activities in the following months.

When it comes to Dynamic and its license suspension, it is set to remain fully in place until the United Kingdom Gambling Commission confirms that the online gambling operator has successfully implemented the GAMSTOP self-exclusion tool and that all of its activities are one hundred percent compliant with the UK’s Gambling Act from 2005.

Commenting on the news about the license suspensions for the two gambling operators, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission’s Chief Executive Mr. McArthur said that the regulator has made it very clear to all online betting and gambling operators that they are always ready to use their powers in order to protect players and all consumers.

He also added that one of those ways to protect players is the regulator’s mandatory self-exclusion tool which is there in place to protect the most vulnerable consumers. For this reason, the regulator made the integration of this tool compulsory for every single operator active in the United Kingdom.

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EveryMatrix Software Limited Collaborating with beBettor Limited

Ivan Potocki — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 21:33:16 +0000

Several days ago, one of the leading online casino content developers EveryMatrix Software Limited received very disappointing news about the suspension of its UK Gambling Commission-issued business to consumer gaming license. Despite this disappointing news, the company is about to initiate employing its rich gaming content alongside another business partner, beBettor Limited.

This news was revealed in the company’s official press release which shared that EveryMatrix Software Limited has just partnered with beBettor Limited which is another unique, very innovative technology company. This Valletta-based company is responsible for a great number of online gaming venues including some of the most prominent gaming destinations.

However, it had its United Kingdom Gambling Commission-issued iGaming license revoked recently due to the regulator’s concerns over the company’s customer interaction system and its overall compliance activity. Commenting on the news, the company’s officials stated in their official press release that they hope that they will be able to somehow reverse this move by partnering with beBettor Limited which may help EveryMatrix to improve its operational compliance and possibly be granted its UK Gambling Commission-issued license again.

Impressive Online Gaming Platform

EveryMatrix Software Limited is one of the leading iGaming providers of B2B software solutions to the entire iGaming industry. The firm has become extremely successful in what they do which includes everything from white label gaming solutions to remarkable games, gaming platforms and even solutions for licensing and much more. Over the years, EveryMatrix Software Limited received a number of prominent awards that speak greatly of its reputation in the industry.

Rather than being solely focused on crafting their own games, the company has scooped loads of important business partnership deals with a great number of leading providers in the industry such as Play’n GO, Leander Games, Greentube, Williams Interactive, Microgaming, NetEnt, IGT, Evolution Gaming, Bally Technologies, Thunderkick, 1X2 Gaming and many other. Since 2008 when the company was established, it has grown to become one of the industry’s leaders especially thanks to its popular CasinoEngine which today providers more than three thousand games.

The company’s CasinoEngine comes packed with a variety of live dealer games while it also supports all sorts of currencies thanks to the company’s GamMatrix payment system which features over fifteen different payment options. Moreover, EveryMatrix is home to its OddsMatrix sportsbetting platform which is easily accessible via all devices including mobile devices. It features more than fifty sports as well as over two hundred and fifty different betting types.

Focusing on the United Kingdom iGaming Market

Commenting on the news about partnering with beBettor Limited, the EveryMatrix Software Limited’s CEO Ebbe Groes said that the company’s latest partner is a highly unique technology company that offers innovative iGaming solutions to a variety of online casino operators. He also added that the company’s affordability API which regularly runs checks on customer affordability has been crafted for the United Kingdom iGaming market, so his company is thrilled to start working with beBettor Limited.

Mr. Groes also said that he believes that this latest partnership deal between the two companies will be beneficial to both sides as well as for the industry in general. His company plans on forcing better, more regular affordability checks for the UK iGaming market for a safer online gambling experience offered to every single player. All in all, both companies want to focus on shaping the sustainable gaming future in a truly collaborative way to eventually reduce any kind of long-term harm.

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EveryMatrix Gets UK Gambling Commission License Suspended

Vedran Ostojic — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 20:35:52 +0000

The EveryMatrix Software Limited company began its massive iGaming revolution back in 2008 thanks to its remarkable online gaming platform which combines many of the leading names in the industry into one impeccable product. The company’s gaming platform offers a variety of technologically advanced services to a number of iGaming operators in a way that is easily integrated across all sorts of gaming operations.

Moreover, the EveryMatrix iGaming platform allows online casino operators to deal with only one piece of technology required to manage as well as to run their online casino operations. Since its establishment, EveryMatrix Software Limited has partnered with many leading names in the industry while also focusing on enriching its gaming library that today, as a result, features thousands of games.

As previously mentioned, its gaming platform includes impeccable titles from a stunning variety of developers including 1×2 Gaming, BetSoft, NetEnt, Microgaming, WMS, Thunderkick, IGT, Bally Technologies, Ezugi, Play’n GO, IGT, Nyx Interactive and many others that offers their games to be fully deployed to loads of iGaming operators. Since the casino licensees can choose which titles they want to include at their casinos, players do not always come across the company’s full collection of games across all online casinos powered by EveryMatrix.

All in all, the company is definitely one of the biggest iGaming platforms which currently features more than three thousand games while new titles are constantly added. With such a massive gaming library, there are tons of extremely popular games including classic slots, video slots, progressive jackpot slots and much more that keeps players entertained for hours.

Facing Self-Exclusion Policy Issues

In the past, EveryMatrix Software Limited has faced some issues regarding its self-exclusion policy. The most common complaint regarding the company’s self-exclusion policy is that when players decide to self-exclude them from one EveryMatrix-powered online casino, they are automatically excluded from all EveryMatrix online casinos as well. Commenting on this particular issue, the company’s officials said that this happens due to the way their iGaming licenses have been issued within specific jurisdictions including Curacao, Ireland, Malta, and the United Kingdom.

Despite these common issues, the company’s gaming platform is one of the deepest that players can join online with thousands of games to enjoy across a great number of reputable, professional iGaming operators. On the other hand, the company is currently facing another problem related to its UK Gambling Commission gaming license. As it was reported recently, the United Kingdom’s gaming regulator has suspended the iGaming license for EveryMatrix Software Limited after its comprehensive investigation.

Concerns Over the Company’s Compliance Activity

As reported on Thursday, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission’s officials used an official press release to reveal the reasoning behind suspending the iGaming operational license for EveryMatrix Software Limited. In this official press release, it was stated that the regulator has thoroughly examined the company’s compliance activities by assessing the operator’s framework on customer interaction.

Once the examination was done, the regulator decided to suspend its license so several of the EveryMatrix Software Limited’s domains including DragonaraOnline.com, MrWin.com, WestCasino.com, PWRBet.com, Fantasino.com, Brookee.co.uk, PlayFrank.com, CasinoMulti.com, SportingIndex.com, and Jetbull.com are no longer licensed to provide remote gaming facilities with real-time betting except wagering on virtual events and pool betting.

In other words, the regulator has not suspended the EveryMatrix gaming license required for adapting or installing software and for supplying and manufacturing gambling software. The bottom line is that EveryMatrix-powered online casinos can no longer accept wagers from customers residing in the United Kingdom.

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VideoSlots Casino Introducing Mandatory Loss Limit Policy for Its British Players

Vedran Ostojic — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 23:35:16 +0000

One of the leading iGaming brands in the industry, VideoSlots Casino headquartered in Malta had announced that its VideoSlots.com had edited some of its responsible gaming policies. As of recently, the Panda Media Limited-owned and operated gaming facility is requiring all of its British players registered at VideoSlots.com to establish their loss limits before they invest their money.

The company located in the Valetta’s neighborhood of Is-Swatar made this revelation several days ago via its official press released. Before this official press release, the casino’s operator in another official press release revealed that the casino’s extremely rich collection of online slots reached the amazing 3,500 mark. Both revelations were published by European Gaming Media and Events.

VideoSlots Casino’s Extensive Gaming Library

As previously mentioned, VideoSlots Casino is one of the leading, most visited online gaming facilities in the industry. The casino was established back in 2011 and ever since opening its doors, it attracted a massive player base including customers from all over the globe. In terms of its gaming licensing, VideoSlots Casino was issued several licensed issued by the Swedish Gambling Authority, UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority.

It accepts players from all over the glove with several exceptions including players from Denmark, Estonia, France, and several more European countries. In order to cater to customers from different parts of the world, the website is accessible in Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, German and English. It also accepts different currencies including US dollars, Norwegian kroner, Swedish kronor, British pounds sterling, Euros and Canadian dollars.

VideoSlots Casino is both a mobile and instant play online gaming facility. In other words, its customers can access it via a wide range of gaming devices including portable devices, laptops and desktop computers. One of the biggest advantages of playing here is the venue’s extensive, ever-growing gaming library which as mentioned features more than 3500 slot games by leading brands.

Some of the companies which power its gaming library include Blueprint Gaming, Yggdrasil Gaming, BetSoft, Microgaming, Rival, NetEnt, Endorphina, Games Warehouse, Fantasma Games, Fuga Gaming, Play’n GO and many other. Besides an impressive selection of slots, VideoSlots Casino also offers a variety of classic table games, specialty games, video poker, and poker games as well as a number of live casino games.

Reaching Impressive Milestones

The company which operates the casino used its official press release in order to declare that the casino’s responsible gaming policies are being updated. It also added that the casino’s latest policy update is the very first policy of this kind resulting from the company’s effort to protect its customers at all times and ensure that gambling remains exciting and entertaining.

The company’s CEO Alexander Stevendahl also detailed that VideoSlots Casino as being licensed by the most prominent gaming jurisdictions including the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority always complies to all mandatory policies and one policy of this kind relates to its responsible gaming loss limits. With this updated responsible gaming policy for the casino’s United Kingdom-based customers, VideoSlots is actually helping its main gaming domain strengthen its responsible gaming position in the iGaming industry.

The casino’s official press release also details that responsible gaming at all times is the company’s number-one-priority and with its updated policy, the casino adds an additional safety level for all of its customers registered at VideoSlots.com.

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UK Gambling Operator Gamesys Limited Penalized by the UK Gambling Commission

Vedran Ostojic — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 22:21:48 +0000

In its home country, Gamesys Limited has been penalized by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission for breaching the commission’s rules on social responsibility and money laundering. The company is a member of the Gamesys Group which is one of the most prominent United Kingdom-based software operators and developers. The company currently operates a number of real money slot machines in the United Kingdom as well as several social platforms which are also active outside the UK’s borders.

Gamesys Limited is best known for their bingo and casino sites which work on all sorts of gaming devices including web and mobile. As of recently, the company alongside Facebook has launched its very first real money gaming apps which can be downloaded to Android and iOS-powered smartphones and tablets. The company has been present in the iGaming industry since 2001 when Andrew Dixon, Robin Tombs, and Noel Hayden get together with the same vision and goal.

Gamesys Limited currently employs more than one thousand professionals in different fields. The company has more than forty million users from all over the globe. Throughout recent years, Gamesys Limited has partnered with many other big brands in the industry such as Tropicana Entertainment, Caesars, Virgin Games, and Heart. Currently, the Gamesys Group includes Mice and Dice Ltd, Leisure Spin Ltd, Nozee Limited, Gamesys Spain Plc, Profitable Play Ltd, Entertainment Play Limited and Gamesys Limited.

Gamesys Limited Ordered to Pay a £1.15 Million-Worth Fine

As announced recently, the company has been ordered to pay a staggering fine of around £1.15 or $1.45 million after the United Kingdom Gambling Commission have found out that Gamesys Limited has breached its rules on several different accounts including social responsibility and money laundering. The UK regulator in its official press release stated that the UKGC had conducted a detailed investigation into the Gamesys Limited operations.

This was fueled by a certain police inquiry which had discovered several instances where customers had wagered stolen money on the Gamesys Limited-operated JackpotJoy.com two years between 2014 and 2016. The amount of stolen money gambled here totals to £460,472 or $583,749. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission further added that these specific instances had represented a huge breach of the commission’s regulations related to anti-money laundering.

The regulator in its official press release also stated that Gamesys Limited had failed when it comes to efficiently discover the core source of these fraudulent activities happening on its website. This naturally leads to a series of issues related to players’ protection. The official press release also states that the company’s lack of intervention after discovering fraudulent activities on its website had actually exhibited behavior which could potentially trigger more damage than that is already done.

Gamesys Limited Has to Return the Stolen Money

As a part of the settlement between the UK Gambling Commission and Gamesys Limited, Gamesys has to return the stolen money which was gambled on its website to its owners. Moreover, the company also has to hand over $874,783 or £690,000 in lieu. Following these events, the commission’s executive director, Richard Watson said that his group intends to use this settlement to accelerate the establishment of the commission’s National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms which is specifically tailored to diminish any kind of fraudulent activities and gambling harms.

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Why you Should Play with a Licensed Online Casino

Vedran Ostojic — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 08:47:42 +0000

When online casinos first started emerging almost three decades ago, there was no means of knowing if online casino operators were legitimate or not. Regardless of location, everybody could’ve accessed these sites in order to play. It turned out that, not so rarely, casino sites offered casino content without giving players a fair chance of winning, and in some cases, made sure that there was no chance of winning at all.

Fortunately, things have changed, and today, there are all sort of rules which online casinos need to follow so they can meet requirements, made by their regulatory body. The first country to feel the need that such regulations were necessary was the UK. With its primary goal to protect players, the country defined the entire online gambling industry under the Gambling Act 2005, and now, every online casino operator under UK jurisdiction needs to have a license, granted by the UK Gambling Commission.

What Licensing Means for the Players

As a part of the UK Government, UKGC is in charge of supervision of the entire gambling industry in the UK. For gambling activities to continue in a fair and open environment, it’s necessary for all the UK online casinos to be approved by the UKGC. As mentioned before, to do that, online casinos need to follow certain rules as well as pass thorough background checks. The process takes time as well as money. In addition, after a license is acquired, all online casino profits come attached with a 15% tax rate (a part of it is being distributed to programs against gambling addiction). On the other hand, players are not required to pay anything on their winnings while enjoying online casino services, provided UKGC-licensed online casino.

Despite pretty clear instructions on how to conduct gambling activities, thanks to technology advancement, it has become easier for online casinos to cheat on players. In such cases, the UKGC dispute resolution system acts as an objective third party with no interest in the matter but to protect players.

Also, with their most important goal to shield players from potential irregularities, UKGC continually checks regulations, bringing in new ones when it deems necessary. Their latest addition relates to minors, and very soon, new regulations should be expected concerning their welfare.

Additional Implications

For the UK online casinos, it is strictly forbidden to allow those under the age of 18 to take part in gambling. Thanks to the new regulations which concern this particular group, upon registration and before any deposits, the UK online casinos in ownership of license will have to demand identification as well as positive age verification. With verification enabled beforehand, withdrawals will be much quicker, and without additional delays.

Within their regulatory duties, UKGC has the power to put an end to money laundering and in the process, put a stop to serious crimes such as terrorism or any other form of criminal activities by cutting off their funding. Also, in addition to protecting players, a license also provides much-needed credibility to the gaming industry.

Image credits: https://www.bitcoingg.com

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