Daily News: New gambling regulator in Austria and more

New regulatory body will be formed in Austria.

Currently, the Austrian Treasury is responsible for the regulation and licensing of the gambling sector in the country. The new regulator will strengthen control over the implementation of rules to protect players, and will also create its own blacklist of unlicensed operators.

According to the finance minister, Austria would seek to replicate Germany's regulatory model by introducing measures such as monthly deposit limits, as well as betting and playing time limits for online slots.

It is difficult to predict the further development of events after introducing of the new regulator, since the situation is ambiguous. On the one hand, most of the brands in this GEO operate under the MGA license, so it will be difficult for a legally new regulator to get close to them. On the other hand, theoretically, it would be able to sanction and fine brands through Malta. The situation will become clear after the powers of the new regulatory body come into force.

Gambling tax in Ukraine will amount to 10% GGR.

Committee for the Finance, Tax and Customs Policy of Ukraine has approved a gambling tax bill that sets a flat rate of 10% for all types of gambling. Winnings achieved trough gambling exceeding the amount of the minimum wage over eight months (currently UAH 48,000) will be taxed as income.

Spaceiks and Parimatch have recently received their first licenses.

Even in spite of the relatively low tax rate, there will unlikely be a large queue of those wishing to obtain a KRAIL license now. Whatever one may say, $3 million for a license is a cosmic price for many operators.

FansUnite has applied for a UKGC license.

Canadian betting operator and software provider, FansUnite, applied for a license from the UK Gambling Commission yesterday.

The company currently operates under the MGA license and owns the McBookie, Bet Maker Labs, Vamos GG, Esports Pools and Esports Bets brands.

The UKGC license is highly valued around the world. Of course, the operator will most likely receive a huge chunk of UK traffic, as the pools of players will be new and fresh. This is important news for affiliates.

Two new casinos will be opened in Odessa and Lviv

The Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries of Ukraine issued licenses to the "Nebula Games" and "Prium" companies to open a casino.

Nebula Games LLC plans to open a casino with an area of 500 sq. m in the premises of the Grand Hotel Lviv. Prium LLC will place its casino on the first and seventh floors of the Gagarinn Hotel in Odessa. The total area of this gambling establishment will be over 4200 sq. m.

It has been reported earlier that the first license to open a casino had been issued to the Fairmont Grand Hotel in Kiev.

Seven underground gambling establishments have been liquidated in Moscow in January-February

According to the Moscow Department of Regional Security and Anti-Corruption, seven illegal gambling establishments have been revealed in the first two months of 2021.

Since the beginning of the year, 11 raids have been conducted in Moscow to suppress illegal gambling. Three underground clubs located in apartments and a number of establishments with gambling terminals were liquidated. In total, in the course of control measures, 160 pieces of equipment intended for the provision of gambling services have been seized.

Earlier in the Nakhimov Municipal District, law enforcement officers identified and liquidated two illegal gambling clubs.