EDITORIAL
A view from the top
How time flies. We are already in the fourth year of the IMGL Magazine and I have been gratified by the positive feedback received. I trust we have set a high bar for quality required by an authoritative publication. That said, I have been thinking for some time about ways to contrast the substantial, sometimes long and technical articles with a lighter format with personal insights, without compromising the high-level content that our readers are acquainted with. The result is a one-on-one interview format with senior figures in our industry sharing perspectives well beyond corporate messaging: personal observations on the industry, developments and challenges and not least on what it’s like to do their jobs. I am delighted that we are kicking off this new format with Mr John McManus, an eminent industry figure who sits at the top table at MGM Resorts International. While I love the idea of sitting down with John and discussing industry matters over a beer, the reality is that we spoke over Zoom while we were both travelling for work. I would like to thank John for his willingness to join us in this new format and his generous allocation of time and thoughts to our readers. There has been a lot of talk about enforcement in recent years. In Europe, enforcement actions by
regulators have often been focused on licensed operators. From the perspective of the licensees, this can be quite frustrating: As a ‘tradeoff’ for the payment of license fees and sizeable sums in tax, licensed operators can feel they end up under fire from regulators, media and politicians, while unlicensed operators continue unimpeded. This can be for various reasons, depending on the jurisdiction and the powers of regulators. Legally advertising their licensed products is one of the few tangible advantages that licensed operators enjoy, yet it appears that this advantage is increasingly whittled away as advertising bans have spread like a virus throughout Europe. I was interested to read from our Portuguese colleague of industry efforts in his country to agree to voluntary controls on promotional content as a way of avoiding restrictions on advertising. It is not easy to get such voluntary deals to stick especially if companies operating in the grey market are able to do so with impunity. Which brings us back to enforcement. We know from criminology that law-abiding (corporate) citizens feel satisfaction when they see those that break the law suffer the consequences. The opposite is also true: nothing erodes confidence in the law more than seeing corruption and
SIMON PLANZER PHD, Editor in Chief IMGL MAGAZINE
Contents 6
Brazil scores a winning goal with sports betting & igaming regulations France opens market for games based on monetizable digital assets
13 18 22 26 32 38 41 45 50 54 58
Artificial Intelligence in the Gaming Industry
Void In Quebec: Sweepstakes Contests in La Belle Province
Preparing for India’s new data protection law
Full revamp of Argentina’s AML/CFT regulations applicable to the gambling sector
Unregulated Skill Gaming – Is it time for regulation? How do virtuals with AI technology get licensed? Time for Africa? Regulator’s big beasts visit Botswana
The case for legalized gambling: how legal, regulated sports betting benefits society
The domino effect of regulation
IMGL’s spring conference in Tampa Bay will banish the winter blues
IMGL MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2023 IMGL MAGAZINE | APRIL 2024
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