This Week in Gambling

Two men have appeared in court charged with offenses under the Gambling Act in what is believed to be the first prosecution involving betting on video games. Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby, who are both from Essex, are charged with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. Mr Douglas makes gaming videos on YouTube under the pseudonym Nepenthez. He is also charged with inviting children to gamble. The two men appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. The case has been adjourned until 14 October. The Gambling Commission, which brought the prosecution, has been looking into the rise of video game and…

Amaya Gaming has announced that it is to make a series of changes to the VIP programme for its PokerStars brand. In an email to customers, Amaya said a new rewards programme will be launched at some point next year, with the updated system to cover all PokerStars products, including the BetStars sportsbook. All players will move to the programme, although customers will not be required to play any specific product to build up certain rewards. “You won’t be required to play on any specific product, but your activity on all products will help you progress on your path to…

David Baazov, former CEO of Montreal online gaming firm Amaya, benefited from a kickback scheme in which he received payments in exchange for sharing privileged information about company acquisitions with friends and their families, Quebec’s securities regulator alleges. The allegations against Baazov, charged earlier this year following an investigation into accusations of insider trading, are contained in an amended 105-page document that L’Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) filed with the independent tribunal overseeing Quebec’s financial sector. “Several sophisticated agreements were negotiated even before the infractions were committed to pay kickbacks to the tipsters,” alleges the document. The document was filed…

The Canadian Province of Quebec had attempted to ban online gambling, but the federal government stepped in to save the day! Also, the NFL sports betting season just kicked off, and Sheldon Adelson has a new enemy in our industry. This week’s special offer is from Jackpot Capital!

The CRTC has told Quebec that the province cannot lawfully order Internet companies to block people’s access to certain websites without first obtaining the federal regulator’s approval. CRTC secretary general Danielle May-Cuconato told Quebec on Thursday about the broadcast regulator’s preliminary decision. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed an application with the CRTC in July asking it to state its position regarding the new law passed by the Quebec government. The law forces Internet companies to block citizens’ access to online gambling websites not authorized by the provincial government. Canada’s wireless telecom lobby has challenged Quebec’s legislation in court, calling…

This week, the first week of a new NFL season, is the biggest of the year for companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, the platforms that offer a “daily” alternative to traditional “season-long” fantasy sports. This week is when new users sign up in droves. But this season, there are more states where users can’t play DraftKings or FanDuel than there were one year ago. Amid widespread legal scrutiny after the two private tech startups flooded airwaves with $200 million worth of advertising, a few new states became unfriendly. (See where every state now stands on daily fantasy sports.) One of…