Christina Thakor-Rankin has over 25 years’ experience in the global betting and gambling sector. She is currently Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd working with start-ups, investors, operators, regulators, law enforcement and industry groups across the world, advising on all aspects of the betting, gaming and gambling cycle. to be is starting from a position of social responsibility and player protection, and both Sweden and Belgium look set to continue with their efforts in this area going forward. The great unknown currently is the biggest European market of all, the U.K. The review into the Gambling Act 2005 has long predicted new and more stringent measures to safeguard players, including mandatory deposit limits and affordability checks as well as new restrictions on advertising, marketing and incentivised play. With arguments for and against more restrictive measures, the latter being that greater restriction will drive customers to the unregulated and black market (not dissimilar to the arguments in Germany) it is too early to say what the future will look like. At time of writing, nothing is certain, however, following the closure of the call for evidence at the end of March and the government has stated its intention to publish its white paper before the end of the year, at which time affiliates might get an idea of what the U.K. landscape could look like. Not a great outlook. But not all doom and gloom either. Where doors in Europe may be closing, others are moving closer to be opened. Parts of Latin America, and also markets in Africa, are moving towards stability. For those affiliates who understand the customer psyche and can navigate the line between land-based bookies and casinos and a predominantly cash-based economy, the opportunity is there for the taking. More exciting still, Canada has moved toward a more robust regulated sports market, with the launch of single-event sports betting. Ontario, a huge market, is looking set to go even further faster. Same goes for Ireland and New Zealand. All three are significant gambling markets and fall into familiar affiliate territory. While all have focused on social responsibility being a key part of their regulatory framework there is no indication yet that they are likely to mirror the more stringent restrictions in Europe, so, don’t fret, at least affiliates have some reason to be cheerful. The growth of sports betting in the U.S. is starting to garner interest from big names and brands from outside the world of gambling . . . For some, this will create an opportunity and help boost revenue. For others, it could result in slimmer margins and a fight for survival. REGULATIONS 23 G P W A t i m e s . o r g
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