Gambling regulation

“All Bets in? - A Case Examining Charitable Gaming in North Dakota (USA), The Birth of a New Gaming Site, and the Outside Influences that Help Shape the Gaming Industry in North Dakota, USA”, Invertis Journal of Management, Volume 1, Number 1, July – December, 2009, pp. 73 – 89, ISSN: 0975-6310. (With Melissa D. Regalado, and James Ondracek)

Most European sports betting operators now feature “cash out” functionalities in their online platforms. This means (as outlined
in the examples above) that bettors can withdraw their bets before the event bet upon has concluded, obtaining a smaller but guaranteed return if the outcome of the bet is going their way, or, conversely, cutting down the monetary impact of a foreseeable loss. The cash out functionality
has rapidly become popular among sports bettors that bet in-play (i.e., during the game on things such as soccer matches and horse races) as a way of maximizing value on the bets they have made.

Der Glücksspieländerungsstaatsvertrag von 2012 hat die Rechtsgrundlage für Art und Zuschnitt des Wettangebotes in wesentlichen Teilen geändert. Live-Wetten auf das Endergebnis sind vom Verbot der Live-Wetten ausgenommen. Sogenannte Ereignis-Wetten sind zumindest als Live-Wetten jedoch nicht erlaubnisfähig. Der Begriff der Spielabschnittswette wurde ebenfalls neu eingeführt. Angesichts der nur plakativ getroffenen Regelungen fehlt der Vollzugspraxis der für eine sachgerechte Auslegung und Handhabung erforderliche Beurteilungsrahmen. So ist die rechtliche Zulässigkeit von Torwetten oder beispielsweise Wetten auf den erfolgreichsten Torschützen umstritten. Der vorliegende Beitrag beleuchtet diese Fragestellung aus juristischer, ökonomischer und statistischer Sicht und strebt eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Definition der Begriffe „Ereignis“ und „Ergebnis“ im Kontext der Sportwetten an.

This guide has been written by Vegasmaster. This guide aims to provide you with all the information you may possibly need to safely play & enjoy your playing experience.  Online casinos can seem intimidating or unsafe but our beginners guide to online casinos section aims to provide you with the best information on the most commonly asked questions about online gambling  and casinos.

Le succès contemporain des jeux d'argent peut être expliqué par leur banalisation et par la popularité de certains jeux comme le poker. En dépit de cela, les conséquences négatives du jeu excessif sont connues. Dans plusieurs pays européens, le jeu pathologique est considéré comme un problème de santé publique. La responsabilité est devenue le nouvel emblème dans la lutte contre la dépendance au jeu. Les jeux d'argent sont une source de profits financiers considérables pour les États européens. L'enjeu social est de réguler le marché ludique en ligne et de trouver l'équilibre nécessaire entre les bénéfices et les coûts sociaux.

Mots-clés: jeux d'argent, régulation des jeux d'argent, dépendance au jeu, jeu responsable, marché ludique en ligne

We report data collected in a representative sample of 17-year-old Norwegians to investigate prevalence rates of non-problem, risk, and problem gambling, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). In addition, we explored the importance of demographic, personality, motivational, social, and health variables explaining variance in adolescent gambling. Prevalence rates of risk and problem gambling were low but similar to those found in previous studies outside of Norway using the PGSI in adolescent samples. With regard to the relative importance of the various covariates, we found that motivational variables (future gambling intentions, attitudes toward gambling, and gambling-related knowledge) distinguished best between those who did not gamble, non-problem gamblers, and risk and problem gamblers. Furthermore, social variables were important covariates of adolescent gambling; significant associations were found for family and friends' approval of gambling, parenta...

"Gaming has grown steadily in Finland since the early 1990s. Gaming now forms a significant sector, which has been subjected to little financial research in Finland. The Finnish gaming system is currently run by three legal monopolies.

The purpose of this study is to examine Finland’s current gaming system from different points of view. The gaming system is seen in a broad context comprising issues such as problem gambling, the connections between the current gaming system and the funding of Finnish team sports, the links between integrity in sports and gaming, and the economic perspective on all of these areas. The study also considers alternative models for the arrangement of gaming in Finland.

The authors hope that the study will form a basis for dispassionate and analytical debate on the needs for improvement and future scenarios of the Finnish gaming system. Such debate is needed, because the EU gaming market will most likely continue to change in the coming years. This means that sooner or later the Finnish gaming system will face strong pressure to change. Now is the right time to think about the sorts of changes for which Finland should be prepared. In considering alternative systems, we must begin by scrutinising the European states that have begun to dismantle their gaming monopolies."

The legalisation of online gambling in multiple territories has caused a growth in the exposure of consumers to online sports betting (OSB) advertising. While some efforts have been made to understand the visible structure of betting promotional messages, little is known about the latent components of OSB advertisements. The present study sought to address this issue by examining the metaphorical conceptualisation of OSB advertising. A sample of Spanish and British television OSB advertisements from 2014 to 2016 was analysed (N = 133). Following Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphor theory, four main structural metaphors that shaped how OSB advertising can be understood were identified: betting as (1) an act of love, (2) a market, (3) a sport, and (4) a natural environment. In general, these metaphors, which were found widely across 29 different betting brands, facilitated the perception of bettors as active players, with an executive role in the sport events bet upon, and greater control over bet outcomes.

Conceptually, there is a common association between gambling games with fast speeds of play and problem gambling. This relationship however, is largely correlational in nature, which comes at the expense of carefully controlled empirical investigation. Research that does exist aimed towards investigating the impact of gambling speeds on psychological and behavioural factors, is in its relative infancy, and the research possesses disparate methodologies and variables of interest. The aims of the current review is therefore to evaluate and summarise the existing body of evidence relating to speed of play in gambling, as well as discuss how this evidence can be used to inform harm minimisation approaches aimed at facilitating self-control during gambling. Eleven studies were selected for review based on the inclusion criteria, comprising nine experimental and two qualitative studies (one self-report focus group study and one observational study). There was a consistent finding across studies that games with faster speeds of play were preferred and rated as more exciting for all gamblers, ranging from non-problem to problem gamblers. Of concern, was the repeated finding that fast games are particularly appealing to those suffering with a gambling problem. Behavioural results were more inconsistent across studies, though the general trend supports the notion that games with faster speeds of play encourage more wagers, longer game play, and caused players, particularly problem gamblers, to experience difficulty in ceasing gambling. The implications of these findings for gambling policy, harm minimisation approaches, and future research are discussed.

Canadian federal law has been interpreted by provincial governments as allowing them to legally operate an Internet gambling website as long as the patronage is restricted to residents within that province. First Nations have however on two separate occasions challenged the provinces of Quebec and Alberta for jurisdictional primacy over the right to regulate online gambling: the Kahnawá:ke First Nation in Quebec and the Alexander First Nation in Alberta, both contend that they are sovereign nations empowered to enact their own gambling legislation, an authority grounded in their respective treaty relationship with the federal crown and its predecessors. In the wake of the ongoing debate between the Kahnawá:ke First Nation and Quebec, and the brief encounter between Alberta and the Alexander First Nation (2006-07), this chapter seeks to elaborate on two key questions: (1) to what extent do treaties establish First Nations as sovereign bodies? and, (2) do the treaties provide the Kahnawá:ke and Alexander First Nations’ peoples the right to operate online gambling?

This essay examines public legal gambling in Italy since the mid-twentieth century from a field perspective based on Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework. Gambling is explored as a social arena where several players fight and/or cooperate for a stake which is the control over the field itself. The argument is that gambling concessionaires and the state are involved in capital conversion projects where the former try to convert their economic resources into symbolic capital through a strategy based on corporate social responsibility, and the latter turns political capital into fiscal revenue. Both projects must deal with increasing external pressures applied by the media and (both lay and Catholic) non-profit organizations - agents which in recent years have intensified their battle against the excesses of the gambling industry. The distinctive feature of the Italian case is the soaring level of symbolic capital that non-public enterprises have accumulated, thereby challenging the «natural» equilibrium between a dominant and monopolist state and dominated private companies. The article provides an overview of gambling studies, traces a concise history of the field in Republican Italy and then focuses on the autonomy of the field, an «invariant property» together with struggle, internal hierarchy, and field preservation. The production of a gambling-oriented subjectivity in the neoliberal framework is also discussed. Finally the essay proposes an agenda of further issues to be explored by gambling studies.

The essay looks at male gambling by investigating it as a form of resistance to the utilitarian values which lie at the base of the market logic. Excess is viewed as a central notion in opposition to that of utility. Far from minimising the negative impact of excessive gambling on society and individuals, this contribution attempts to go beyond an analysis based on the categories of pathology and expenditure. Through excess, the pathological gambler unveils the symbolic and arbitrary ideology of capitalism which sees economic success as a sign of election or a choice whereby money is used not as an investment or to access to goods and services, but 'wasted'. The article attempts to answer the following research question: How does excess manifest in male gambling practices? Risk factors for extreme gambling are analysed, with a particular focus on the relationship between gambling and masculinity. Gambling locations are studied and understood as facilitators of excess, while the life stories of pathological gamblers discussed. The paradoxical ambivalence of gambling practices is highlighted: on the one hand a form of domination of the subordinate classes, on the other an opportunity to resist through an anti-utilitarian act.

LB Haringey is preparing a Development Management Policy (DMP) as part of its Local Development Framework (LDF) to guide retail provision in the borough. The Public Health Directorate requested Ben Cave Associates Ltd (BCA) to review the health evidence that surrounds this policy. In this review we examine the health effects linked with three types of retail outlet: hot food outlets; betting shops and high street money‐lenders (such as pay-day-loan shops). Haringey residents have also expressed concern about a growth in the number of these types of outlets.

RESUMEN: La publicidad del juego y la ludopatía en el Derecho español: especial referencia al juego online en los medios audiovisuales El presente estudio pretende realizar un análisis crítico del tratamiento normativo de la publicidad del juego y la ludopatía, en relación con la protección de la sociedad que propugna la legislación vigente. En primer lugar, se analiza la Ley Reguladora del Juego de 2011 y su normativa de desarrollo. Seguidamente, también dentro del ámbito estatal, se estudia la autorregulación como complemento de la actual legislación y se cuestiona su efectividad como forma de control. En segundo lugar, se estudia la prolífica normativa autonómica y sus decretos de desarrollo, cuestionando los aspectos antes mencionados desde el punto de vista autonómico. Finalmente, se comentan brevemente las dos posibles líneas de actuación sobre la materia y se realizan unas propuestas de actuación futura.

ABSTRACT: The following paper gives a critical review of the regulatory approach to gambling advertising and compulsive gambling, with reference to society's protection as tackled by current legislation. Firstly, Gambling Act 2011 and its implementing legislation are reviewed. Then, also on the statewide level, self-regulatory mechanisms are considered as a complement to current legislation, and its effectiveness is questioned as a supervisory system. Secondly, the prolific regional legislation and its implementing legislation are examined, questioning the above mentioned issues from a regional point of view. Lastly, brief remarks are made on possible future approaches for action on this topic, and a call for action is made.

In many countries gambling has been progressively legalized over the past decades and has generated an ever-expanding industry able to influence state policy. The transformation of gambling into a mainstream leisure activity goes along with the «colonization» of the social imaginary by images and symbols related to hazard products, which are at the same time promoted through advertisements and sold in ubiquitous and easily accessible shops. This expansion has resulted in an animated debate between the advocates and opponents of gambling. Among the former are concessionaires and trade associations, while the latter often include both lay and religious not-for-profit associations whose aim is to protect citizens from risks such as gambling addiction, usury and racketeering. The literature, which largely adopts medical and psychological approaches, has paid relatively little attention to the role of advertising in creating a «landscape» that normalizes the presence of gambling in everyday life. In this paper I analyze a corpus of 369 commercials that appeared in Italy in two periods (2010 and 2012-2013) and were promoted by major gambling concessionaires. Relying on a socio-semiotic approach, I identify the main representations that the commercials contain and the risks related to such representations of gambling. My argument is developed against the background of analysis of Italian legal gambling as a social field where a struggle among the State, concessionaires, media and opponents of gambling is fought. The paper shows that commercial advertising works as a means to dampen the tone of the struggle because concessionaires accept some restrictions on communication in order to be perceived as responsible players. This (apparently) weak approach contributes to mystifying the real processes taking place in the field, especially the neoliberal transformation of the State from an agent in charge of protecting citizens into a weakened market regulator that gives «chances» to consumers.

This paper presents the findings of a systematic search undertaken for the period January 1990 to June 2011 of references including original, empirical findings of the relationship between accessibility of electronic gaming machines and rates of gambling involvement, problem gambling, or gambling-related treatment seeking. Titles and abstracts of 2156 references were reviewed, yielding 39 references meeting inclusion criteria. The review has revealed that the relationships between the physical accessibility dimensions of proximity and density and gambling involvement and problem gambling are complex. Research is only beginning to elucidate these dimensions, and many questions and methodological challenges remain to be addressed. The strengths, limitations, and gaps in the literature are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research. Cet article présente les résultats d'une recherche documentaire systématique, effectuée entre janvier 1990 et juin 2011, incluant des ...

There is a surprising paucity of information about urban Aboriginal gambling behaviours and practices considering that the urban Aboriginal community is the fastest growing demographic group in Canada and that indigenous people have some of the highest rates of gambling and problem gambling. Interpreting the focus group findings from First Nations and urban Aboriginal participants in Alberta, this study provides insights about urban Aboriginal and rural First Nations attitudes about gambling and the perceived value of the provincial First Nations gaming industry. Although the First Nations focus groups’ were aware of gambling’s associated positive and negative outcomes, they were generally supportive of their communities’ decision to pursue casinos. The urban Aboriginal focus group however identified little positive about the casinos, even if its participants supported the First Nations capacity to pursue casino development. These tensions demand policy makers’ attention, for the First Nations Gaming Policy has the potential to amplify what is a growing ideological divide evident between First Nation and urban Aboriginal peoples.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the responsible gambling tools which are available to online gamblers at Irish online gambling websites. The present study used a similar methodology to a recent study carried out on the world's most popular websites (Bonello and Griffiths Gaming Law Review and Economics, 21, 278-285, 2017), where 50 of the most advertised online gambling websites were evaluated in relation to their responsible gambling (RG) practices. The present study evaluated 39 gambling websites with either a ".ie" or ".com/ie" domain. Each website was evaluated by checking for a number of RG practices, including presence of a dedicated RG page; age verification; access to gambling account history; the availability of RG tools, such as limit setting facilities and exclusion settings; and links to limit-setting options on the deposit page. Descriptive statistics were then performed on the results from each website. Of the 39 online gambling operators identified, 22 redirected gamblers to a ".com" domain, while 17 operators remained as a ".ie" domain. Thirty-five websites (89.7%) visited had a dedicated RG page. Responsible gambling features were evaluated and demonstrated to be available in an inconsistent manner across online gambling websites. Irish websites were shown to perform poorly in comparison with non-Irish counterparts in the provision of RG tools. The researchers of the present study are not aware of any similar studies conducted to date in Ireland.

This article surveys the application of normative tax theory to gambling tax policy. The analysis suggests that fixed license based taxes may be preferable to taxes on gross gaming revenue. Where output based taxes are used, the types of gambling whose demand is more price sensitive, and the types that have positive links to other industries, should be taxed at comparatively lower rates. Sin-based taxes are noted to increase economic welfare, but only when applied with a rate commensurate to harm that is external to the gambler and the operator. Finally, inter-jurisdictional competition is identified as an important consideration in tax policy and enforcement.

A number of troubling trends characterize the varied First Nations attempts at containing unionism, perhaps the most disturbing being First Nations leadership’s failure to acknowledge that their own employees – Aboriginal and non-Native alike – actively courted the unions. Equally problematic was the discovery by labour advocates working with gaming employees that most of their contacts demonstrated a general lack of union and labour consciousness, which undermined organizing efforts. Several independent and intersecting forces have led to this situation. Significant Aboriginal union participation in the early 1900s diminished noticeably after the 1920s. Limited work opportunities led to minimal labour union participation, and when union membership was possible Aboriginal workers often felt unwanted in organizations that perpetuated the racism that contributed to their marginalization. That Aboriginal people attached limited value to seeking skilled, permanent employment and refused to aggressively agitate for re-inclusion in unions that historically failed to provide them sanctuary should come as no surprise. Yet it is notable that internal requests and aggressive lobbying for unions at First Nations casinos occurred. In addition to demonstrating casino employees’ dissatisfaction with working conditions, it also hints at the evolution of a labour consciousness that undoubtedly threatens First Nations leaders. This movement demands investigation, in particular the conflicts that have arisen in response to Aboriginal and non-Native employees challenging First Nation business owners; and how the protagonists’ counter one another in the contemporary world of Aboriginal economic development and labour advocacy.

To date a dearth of data has made it difficult to evaluate the success of First Nations casinos in Canada. This paper helps remedy this situation by presenting a three-province overview (Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta) of First Nations gaming models. Two key findings are offered that First Nations seeking gaming market entry, and provincial officials should genuinely consider. First, while each province has adopted a unique approach to First Nations gaming policy they have each opted to direct substantial revenues out of First Nations communities and into their own treasuries. Second, the evidence suggests that larger gaming properties located nearby a significant market provide more benefits versus smaller properties situated in more isolated areas. The subsequent discussion elaborates each provincial model’s revenue generating power, how the revenue in question is being allocated and its corresponding socio-economic impact, whether increased problem gambling and crime have resulted as predicted, while exploring employment trends to determine whether they have developed as anticipated.

Since its inception, online gambling legalization has been a controversial and contentious subject among governments worldwide. Residents in these jurisdictions face an uncertain future regarding the liberty to gamble online. This study seeks to identify whether demographic, economic, political, technological, and/or sociological determinants contribute a government’s decision to allow their citizens to allow online poker gambling. A theoretical discussion of these categories’ importance to online poker is provided and then tested empirically. The analysis revealed support for all of the proposed categories of variables thought to be predictive of online gambling legality.

The essay looks at male gambling by investigating it as a form of resistance to the utilitarian values which lie at the base of the market logic. Here the excess is viewed as a central notion in opposition to that of utility. Far from minimising the negative impact of excessive gambling on society and individuals, this contribution attempts to go beyond an analysis based on the categories of pathology and expenditure only. Through excess, the pathological gambler unveils the symbolic and arbitrary ideology of capitalism which sees economic success as a sign of election or a choice whereby money is used not as an investment or to access to goods and services, but “wasted”.To address these issues, two complementary ethnographic methods are used: (1) a three-month ethnographic observation in 23 gambling locations in Milan’s metropolitan area; (2) 10 in-depth interviews with extreme male gamblers.The article attempts to answer the following research question: How does excess take place ...

The COVID-19 pandemic, with the consequent lockdown of about 3 months, can be viewed as an experimental model to observe the impact of the depletion of environmental factors that stimulate gambling, particularly electronic gambling machines (EGMs) that were set to zero. The effects of some structural characteristics of gambling activities that increase gambling behavior were studied among disordered gamblers in treatment in this unique scenario. In fact, studies investigating the effects of the lockdown on problem gamblers (PGs) under treatment are missing. The aims of this study were to analyze patients’ gambling behavior and craving during the lockdown and to conduct a comparison between gambling disorder (GD) symptoms at the beginning of the treatment and during lockdown. The study was conducted in Italy, the European country with the largest gambling market and the first to be affected by the virus. Data were collected through a semi-structured telephone interview conducted by h...

On July 1, 2021, a new State Treaty on Gambling (GlüStV) came into force for Germany. After years of legal disputes and obvious economic policy failures, this treaty is intended to finally guarantee a regulatory and legally reliable basis for the various forms of gambling in Germany. This article provides an overview of the gambling market and explains previous approaches to regulation against the background of regulatory principles. Finally, the new GlüStV is critically reviewed: It is shown that many economically and legally undesirable developments have indeed been remedied in the new GlüStV, but some regulatory problem areas still remain.

Negli ultimi decenni del secolo scorso il gioco d’azzar- do si è profondamente trasformato: da attività residuale, concentrata nei casino e negli ippodromi o relegata alla clandestinità, è diventata una pratica sociale diffusa e le- galizzata. Basta entrare in un bar tabacchi per accorgersi della varietà di prodotti a disposizione dei consumatori: lotterie istantanee, newslot, scommesse affiancano gio- chi tradizionali quali il Lotto e altri ormai dimenticati come il Totocalcio e le lotterie nazionali.
Il gioco è oggi una rilevante attività economica, sia in ter- mini di fatturato che di numero di addetti, per non parlare degli introiti fiscali che finiscono nella casse statali; ma è anche oggetto di un acceso dibattito a causa dei suoi po- tenziali effetti (il gioco patologico) e della sua diffusione ormai dilagante.
Questo dibattito ha avuto un punto di svolta nel 2012, quando il Decreto Balduzzi ha per la prima volta introdotto alcune restrizioni al settore dopo un ventennio di politiche di legalizzazione del gioco. Nello stesso periodo iniziava la battaglia degli enti locali contro il proliferare dei punti vendita sul territorio.
Quali sono le sfide che l’azzardo pone oggi alle istituzioni, agli operatori e alla società civile? Il seminario intende affrontare questo fondamentale problema, lasciando la parola a interlocutori che rappresentano posizioni etero- genee nel dibattito sul gioco.

The province of Alberta implemented the First Nations Gaming Policy in 2001, permitting First Nations to construct reserve casinos. A policy provision insisted that First Nations turn over 30% of casino gambling revenues to Alberta for use by provincial charities. In the six years since the first reserve casino opened its doors almost all provincial First Nations continue to lag behind mainstream Alberta society from a socio-economic perspective, while provincial charitable organizations have increasingly come to depend on reserve casino gambling revenues. This research examines the impact of the five provincial First Nation’s casinos in First Nation communities, and how much revenue these beneficiaries are losing annually through the 30% provincial allocation.