ARJEL has signed its latest memorandum of understanding (MOU), this time with the UK Gambling Commission. The agreement, which will see cooperation and the exchange of information, was signed on July 1 by ARJEL president Jean-Francois Vilotte and Jenny Williams, executive director over at the Commission. In the wake of the agreement, Vilotte told Global Security Mag: “In the absence of a medium-term harmonization of the regulation of online gaming, and despite differences in national regulation, the bilateral nature very operation between public regulators provide more transparency to the service objectives public order and social control.” The news came after Vilotte predicted the U.K. would get involved in a threesome with themselves and Italy’s AAMS. Now the first part of this is underway expect to hear similar news on the Italian front in the next few weeks.
Bwin.party has bemoaned the predictable nature of Euro 2012 as one reason gross win was lower than usual, even though it delivered an uplift bets placed. They did manage to make it as one of the top three operators in Spain’s recently regulated market despite trading being just “in line” with expectations. In the coming months there’s likely to be more doom and gloom with “additional gaming taxes” in Germany and investment in their “social gaming initiative” affecting performance. They do expect there to be a “recovery” in sports gross win as well as poker to improve.
Speaking of Germany, Gaming Intelligence is reporting the country’s Monopolies Commission has launched a “scathing report” on the recently adopted State Treaty. It states regulations are “more often driven by fiscal interests than social goals”. It adds that they’ll be “ineffective in combating gambling addiction”. In the Commission’s view “a fundamental revision [of the regulations] is required”.
It was also time for some news on the OnGame Network that isn’t simply speculation. The company revealed that some “six potential purchasers” have declared an interest in acquiring the poker network and it’s sure to be something we hear about in due course.
