California is the scene of an unprecedented political and cultural confrontation. Four tribes from the north of the state gathered in front of the Capitol in Sacramento on 8 September to protest against AB 831. The bill, which aims to ban online gambling linked to sweepstakes promotions, could disrupt a sector estimated to generate more than a billion dollars in annual revenue.
In Greece, a large-scale investigation has revealed an unprecedented money laundering scheme: public officials and civil servants are alleged to have used licensed gambling platforms to transform suspect funds into legitimate winnings. The scandal, which implicates up to ten operators and nearly 200 people, is putting the credibility of the gambling sector and the solidity of the Greek regulatory framework to the test.
In 2010, a Hot Lotto lottery jackpot was mysteriously left abandoned, triggering the discovery of one of the biggest fraud cases in the United States. Behind the manipulation is a computer security expert who uses his position to rig draws, embezzle millions and defy the system.
Gambling in Belgium is enjoying surprising growth. While the country has banned all advertising and tightened its regulatory rules, the online market continues to prosper, reaching record levels. The Right to the Source podcast looks at the issue.
The future of hundreds of disputes relating to gambling losses in Germany remains uncertain. On 5 September, an opinion delivered by the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) recognised the validity of certain actions against online gambling operators, but did not settle the central question: the compatibility of the German gambling treaty with EU law.
The highly active Gaming Commission (GC) maintains a blacklist of illegal sites, which is regularly updated when unauthorised operators are identified. These sites expose players to risks such as fraud, lack of data protection and non-payment of winnings.
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