Connect with us
MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit 2024

Latest News

Slovakia cracks down illegal gambling

Published

on

Slovakia’s Financial Administration has carried out the biggest illegal gambling crackdown ever in the country.

The process resulted in the seizing of five so-called quiz machines seised and 75 gaming machines. Subsequently, tax officers confiscated the accounting documents of 14 companies that ran the businesses.

The combing operation was held last month on June 28–29. In the move, 180 comptrollers and custom officers combed approximately 100 gambling facilities across Slovakia.

 “It wasn’t an easy action,” said Ľudovít Makó, head of the Financial Administration’s criminal department, as quoted in a press release.

First, the comptrollers had to visit the facilities and try the machines to ascertain whether their use could be deemed as gambling or not.

“In some facilities the gambling machine was turned off during the investigation, while in the others there were missing internet connections and power supplies,” Makó added.

Customs officers subsequently sealed dozens of facilities, while others were secured for further analysis. The Financial Administration will continue with the inspections.

Quiz machines will be checked

Playing the quiz machines is also considered to be a form of gambling as the players need to answer a simple question, according to Imrecze. However, to prove that they are gambling machines the Financial Administration sent them to the Technical Testing Institute for examination.

If it is proven that the quiz machines were used for gambling, the Financial Administration will adopt further steps. The operators of the machines and the facilities where they are placed would be faced with high fines, the SITA newswire reported.

Moreover, there is a suspicion that the operators did not prevent people under the age of 18 or those drawing material need benefits from gambling.

In addition, the quiz machines often have servers situated outside Slovakia. The law on gambling, however, stipulates that the servers need to be located in Slovakia.

Currently, there are about 800 quiz machines. Most are registered in Bratislava, Trnava and Žilina Regions, Makó said, as reported by SITA.

Accounting seised

As part of the operation, the Financial Administration confiscated the accounting books for 2017 and 2018 of four companies operating the quiz machines and the accounting books from 2018 of companies that run the facilities where the machines were located.

Tax officers will now check whether the documents correspond with the data from the servers of the quiz machines’ operators and whether they tried to evade paying VAT and corporate income taxes.

If the Financial Administration reveals any flaws, the operators would face criminal consequences, SITA reported.

More fines issued

The number of fines for gambling operators who violate the law, as well as their amount, increased in 2017 compared with the previous years.

A total of 210 fines amounting to €378,660 in total were imposed in 2017, which is 153 more than in 2016 and 200 more than the year before. As for the amount, the sum increased by €13,680 (or 3.75 per cent) in 2017 compared with 2016, and by €245,460 (or 184 per cent) compared with 2015, the TASR newswire reported.

 “We welcome the fact that the state has the ambition to fight illegal gambling but we have to realise that it cannot erase the legal concerns,” said Dominika Lukáčová, spokesperson for the Association of Entertainment and Gambling, as quoted by TASR.

She continued, saying that the illegal market is a result of excessive regulation and prohibition, with the criminal groups one step ahead of the comptrollers. They can even erase the software used in the machines from a distance to avoid fines.

However, legal gambling operators in Slovakia have never used such practices, Lukáčová added.

Source: spectator.sme.sk

Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

Latest News

ACR POKER’S NEXT HIGH STAKES ADVENTURE COMES TO STUNNING MONTENEGRO WITH LIFE-CHANGING PAYOUTS

Published

on

Reading Time: < 1 minute

 

ACR Poker’s High Stakes Adventures are the richest travel prize packages in poker and now they’ve unveiled the next destination with stunning Montenegro in Southeast Europe.

The High Stakes Adventure: Montenegro is guaranteeing two packages via a Main Satellite on Sunday, April 28th at 2:05pm ET. Each includes $110,000 in tourney buy-ins / entry fees to a Super High Roller Series from May 12th-26th, plus business class airfare and luxury accommodations.

“Our High Stakes Adventures in 2023 included world-class destinations like London and Monte Carlo, and we kicked off this year with exotic Jeju Island in South Korea,” stated ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “We predict Montenegro will be just as memorable with its rich history, breathtaking scenery and vibrant culture.”

Package winners can spread their $110,000 in buy-ins over multiple events or use it in one giant shot. Either way, they will compete for life-changing payouts against the world’s most elite players. Also making their way to Montenegro will be separate ACR Pro and Stormer package winners, adding to the VIP experience even more.

The Main Satellite on Sunday, April 28th costs $2,650 but Moneymaker noted that players can qualify for a fraction of the cost via their Super Satellites.

For more on the High Stakes Adventure: Montenegro, visit the promo page at ACRPoker.eu.

 

 

The post ACR POKER’S NEXT HIGH STAKES ADVENTURE COMES TO STUNNING MONTENEGRO WITH LIFE-CHANGING PAYOUTS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Barcelona will take ‘extraordinary ICE to another level’ – predicts safer gambling expert

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

Art Paikowsky has served as President of the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) since October 2021.  During this period, he has helped to more than double the level of resources secured by the organization resulting in over 25 studies currently being conducted. At ICE 2024 the ICRG was one of two safer gambling organisations to share the £41,000 pool raised by brands comprising Light and Wonder, Flutter, Betsson Group, IGT, Novomatic, Neccton and Playtech.

What are your overall impressions of ICE and how much are you looking forward to its relocation to Barcelona?

AP: “ICE itself is an amazing seamless exercise that is so fantastically well planned that it’s almost unbelievable.  With the continued upgrade in content, I believe that Clarion is committed to improvement which I have experienced each year.  Barcelona is one of my personal favorite European cities, the conference center is in an excellent location and the food is to die for. I can only expect that the move will take an already extraordinary event to another level.”

Have you decided how you will be using the £20,500 – is there a specific project or piece of research that it will fund/help fund?

AP: “We were surprised and elated to receive the award and we are very grateful to Clarion for all that it has done on behalf of ICRG.  One of the methods of funding research is that investigators from all over the world apply for grants from our unrestricted funds.  These requests are reviewed independently by the Scientific Advisory Board and are awarded several times throughout the year.  These funds are a significant allocation to our grant pool.”

How important is it for a major b2b gambling event to have a show feature that’s dedicated to safer gambling?

AP: “Even as recently as a couple of years ago at conferences that I attended it was difficult to locate anything featuring safer gambling.  Not only did ICE feature this important topic but the content was of such value that it was difficult to get a seat at the sessions! Thanks should go to Clarion for its leadership here.”

From a safer gambling perspective what were the main talking points at ICE 2024?

AP: “The UK government’s White Paper was very much in the mind’s eye and there was a great deal of attention as to how technology might impact safer gambling.  Our research has identified emerging adults as an at risk market and the accessibility of gambling options on the phone must be examined more closely: we have several studies underway to learn more about this.  Sports betting, regulation and advertising were all top of mind.”

2024 marks your 25th anniversary year – how good was it to celebrate the landmark at ICE?

AP: “One of the things that I noted when I started at ICRG two and a half years ago was that the organization had done terrific work but generally flew under the radar screen.  To launch our 25th anniversary year at ICE with the exposure that we received and the recognition as Charity of the Year was of tremendous value.  This will help stage both our 25th anniversary golf tournament in May in Las Vegas as well as our signature educational conference scheduled in October.”

The post Barcelona will take ‘extraordinary ICE to another level’ – predicts safer gambling expert appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Endorphina releases its newest title – Jolly Queen!

Published

on

Reading Time: < 1 minute

 

One of the top casino game providers, Endorphina, has announced the release of its brand-new title, Jolly Queen, which will join its portfolio on April 27th. Jolly Queen is a 5-reel, 5-row fruit slot with 50 fixed paylines, introducing players to the lifestyle of the nobles.

On top of the aristocratic ambiance, Jolly Queen provides players with Free Games, allowing them to master the reels. During the Free Games, at least one Expanding Wild Joker is guaranteed to appear on the screen.

Furthermore, Jolly Queen also features the Royal Treasures Pick Game, enabling players to get a taste of the noble lifestyle. In the Bonus Game, players can choose from three gold-filled treasure chests, containing prizes of 10x, 30x, and 50x their total bets.

The post Endorphina releases its newest title – Jolly Queen! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Trending

We are constantly showing banners about important news regarding events and product launches. Please turn AdBlock off in order to see these areas.