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The Guardian Bans Gambling Advertising

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The Guardian Media Group has announced a global ban on gambling advertising, arguing it is unethical to take money from services that can lead to “addiction and financial ruin”.

Anna Bateson, the chief executive of Guardian Media Group, said advertising, particularly online, could trap gamblers in an “addictive cycle” that caused financial distress, mental health issues and wider social problems.

She said: “Guardian journalists have reported on the devastating impact of the gambling industry in the UK and Australia, helping to shift the dial and ensure the issue remains high on the public agenda. Studies highlight a clear correlation between exposure to gambling advertising and increased intentions to engage in regular gambling.”

Bateson said a particular concern was how bookmakers used targeted online adverts to lure back individual gamblers. “Ultimately, we believe that our primary obligation is to do the right thing for our readers, which is why we’ve decided that there are other ways to generate revenue,” she said.

The ban covers all forms of gambling advertising, including promotions for sports betting, online casinos and scratchcards. It will apply worldwide to all of the company’s online and print outlets, including the Guardian, Observer and Guardian Weekly.

Lottery advertising has been excluded from the ban, with a spokesperson for the Guardian saying it could have social benefits through raising money for good causes and typically involved “non-instantaneous draws”.

The Guardian already has a ban on adverts from fossil fuel companies, which has been in place since 2020.

The decision to exclude gambling advertising from the Guardian’s publications follows the rapid growth of online betting on sporting events, aided by deregulation and the huge increase in the number of smartphone users. The US has recently embraced online betting on sports, following the lead of Australia and the UK, where gambling has exploded in popularity over the past decade.

In order to sustain their profits, gambling companies spend enormous sums of money on advertising to attract new customers – and to persuade existing ones to return for one more flutter.

Many media outlets are increasingly reliant on money from betting companies. British television channels have said their business models increasingly depend on advertising from bookmakers, while TikTok is trialling gambling advertising in Australia, and the US outlet Barstool Sports was bought outright by a casino group.

There are signs of growing discomfort about this approach among the public and prominent journalists, at a time when other countries are instituting outright bans on gambling advertising. The veteran football commentator Clive Tyldesley recently left the radio station TalkSport because he felt uncomfortable with the obligation to promote bookmakers and odds during matches.

Guardian Media Group increasingly relies on contributions directly from readers, rather than advertising, for its income.

Bateson said: “We are able to make these types of decisions due to our independent ownership structure, balancing purpose and profit.”

She said the Guardian’s own reporting had shown how the UK’s government’s proposed betting reforms “fell short on any meaningful action on gambling advertising”.

She said: “We understand and respect that millions of our readers, including our reporters and staff, are passionate sports fans who may occasionally choose to engage in gambling as part of their sporting experience. It is a matter of personal freedom, and we have no issue with that.

“We fully support the enjoyment of sports and respect individuals’ choices to participate in occasional gambling on football, horse racing, or any other sport. Our concern lies with the pervasive nature of retargeted digital advertisements that trap a portion of sports fans in an addictive cycle.”

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.

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License Fees under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (“LOK”)

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Definitions

Certificate Application: The CGA may issue a certificate, for a period of up to three years, to natural persons or legal entities offering gaming-related services or goods to holders of a license. Categories of entities requiring certification will be issued separately by CGA in a Certification Policy.

Domain: The unique address used to identify a website on the internet. A policy regarding the acceptability of Mirror Domains and applicable fees in this regard will be issued separately by the CGA.

Gambling License: B2C Operating license

Listed UBO: a UBO which shares are publicly traded on an exchange.

Qualified Interest Holder: A natural person holding direct or indirect interest of at least ten percent of the subscribed share capital, or a similar interest, or the ability to directly or indirectly exercise at least ten percent of the voting rights, or similar control.

Supplier License: B2B platform/software license

UBO: A natural person who is the ultimate owner, or has ultimate control, of a legal entity, by directly or indirectly holding more than ten percent of the shares, voting rights, or ownership interests in that legal entity.

Application Fee

B2C Applications (Gaming license)

A non-refundable fee must be paid prior to a license application being processed by the CGA.

Application fee for B2C license One-time EUR 4,592
     
UBO Each person, one-time fee EUR 150
     
Qualified Interest Holder Each person, one-time fee EUR 150
     
Listed UBO Addition Each entity EUR 2,551
     

B2B Applications (Supplier license)

A non-refundable fee must be paid prior to a license application being processed by the CGA.

Application fee for B2B license One-time EUR 4,592
     
UBO Each person, one-time fee EUR 150
     
Qualified Interest Holder Each person, one-time fee EUR 128
     
Listed UBO Addition Each entity EUR 2,551
     

Annual Fees – B2C

First Invoice

Initial Annual Fees are calculated pro-rata for the year of issuance. These are required to be paid within 14 days of notification by the CGA to the local director of the company of the license grant.

Annual Fees

Annual Fees are for all subsequent years are payable in full by January 15th on receipt of invoices by the CGA.

There will be two invoices simultaneously issued. One for the Curacao government (National Treasury) (the License Fee) and one for the CGA (the Supervisory Fee) each payable in full electronically in accordance with banking instructions specified on each invoice.

All fees are non-refundable.

License Fee (to National Treasury) Annually in full by 15th January EUR 24,490
     
Supervisory Fee (to CGA) Annually in full by 15th January EUR 22,960
     
TOTAL   EUR 47,450
     

Annual Fee – B2B

First Invoice

Initial Annual Fees are calculated pro-rata for the year of issuance. These are required to be paid within 14 days of notification by the CGA to the local director of the company of the license grant.

Annual Fees

Annual Fees for all subsequent years are payable in full by January 15th on receipt of invoice by the CGA.

The fee is payable in full electronically in accordance with banking instructions specified on the invoice.

All fees are non-refundable.

License Fee to National Treasury Not applicable for B2B EUR 0
     
Supervisory Fee (to CGA) Annually in full by 15th January EUR 24,490
     
TOTAL   EUR 24,490
     

Other Administrative Fees

Addition of domains One-time payment on EUR 250
  application to add domain to  
  license  
     
Certificate Application One-time payment on EUR 383
  application  
     
Change or addition in UBO Per person EUR 128
     
Change or addition of Qualified Interest Holder Per person EUR 128
     

Transition Period 2025

Under the NOOGH (the legislation prior to enactment of the LOK) there was only one single type of fee of ANG 120,000 for any issued license; which was charged by way of an initial fee, followed by monthly fees.

Under the LOK both B2C and B2B fees exist. To this end transition fees will apply to holders of licenses issued under the NOOGH.

  1. No further invoices under NOOGH will be issued.
  2. No further monthly invoices will be issued.

IRRESPECTIVE OF THE ABOVE POINTS 1 AND 2, ANY LICENSE HOLDER (B2C, B2B2C and B2B) WITH OUTSTANDING INVOICES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUED MUST BE PAID IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THE INVOICE IN ORDER FOR CONTINUITY OF LICENSE HOLDERS OPERATIONS.

NOOGH B2C License Holders – Green Seal

For avoidance of doubt regarding this transition period a B2C license holder under NOOGH includes both B2C and B2B2C.

To facilitate the transition license holders at the point of LOK enactment (i.e. Green Seal holders) will be issued with four individual invoices over the course of 2025.

Annual License fee to Curacao Government Jan – Jun: EUR 12,245 (Invoiced Feb 2025)
(National Treasury) July – Dec: EUR 12,245 (Invoiced June 2025)
   
Annual Supervisory fee to CGA Jan – Jun: EUR 11,480 (Invoiced Feb 2025)
  July – Dec: EUR 11,480 (Invoiced June 2025)
   

Each invoice must be paid in accordance with the terms of that invoice. For clarity, the separation of invoices in this manner (Payable for periods of 6 months) is for 2025 only in order to accommodate the transition period of LOK provisional licenses – which allows a period of 6 months to reach compliance with the LOK (followed by an additional 6 months as required and if permitted by the CGA). In July provisional license holders who are non-compliant and are not granted the further 6-month period to become complaint will not be issued with the second invoice and their license will be revoked.

NOOGH B2C Approved (No Green Seal yet)

An approved license holder is only formally granted the license and issued with the Green Seal on payment of their initial invoice. If the CGA approved a B2C operator in 2024 but their initial invoice was not paid prior to December 24TH the following applies.

  1. The license holder must pay the outstanding invoice (if they have not already)
  2. The amount paid for that invoice will be credited against the first 2025 invoice to the National Treasury (i.e. The annual LOK license fee is EUR 24,490).
  3. This operator will subsequently receive an invoice during 2025 for the amount outstanding to complete the whole amount of the LOK license fee. (the remaining balance of the License Fee to the National Treasury)
  4. The operator will receive the invoices of the Supervisory Fee to the CGA. (i.e. The annual supervisory fee is EUR 22,960)

B2B License Holders

No further invoices will be issued under NOOGH fees in 2025. However, any invoices that have already been issued in 2024 with payment outstanding by should be paid by the license holder.

B2B license holders

Annual Supervisory fee to CGA

Jan – Jun: EUR 11,480 (Invoiced Feb 2025)

July – Dec: EUR 11,480 (Invoiced June 2025)

Each invoice must be paid in accordance with the terms of that invoice. For clarity, the separation of invoices in this manner (Payable for periods of 6 months) is for 2025 only in order to accommodate the transition period of LOK provisional licenses – which allows a period of 6 months to reach compliance with the LOK (followed by an additional 6 months as required and if permitted by the CGA). In July provisional licensed holders who are non-compliant and are not granted the further 6-month period to become complaint will not be issued with the second invoice and their license will be revoked.

Please note, the CGA is aware that due to fee reduction for B2B license holders under the LOK that some license holders will have overpaid during 2024. The CGA will inform the operator on a case-by-case basis about how the CGA and/ or the National Treasury will handle any overpayment done in 2024, by crediting future invoices.

Changing license type

Existing license holders who wish to change their license type (from B2C or B2B2C to a B2B) will be required to follow an administrative process once the CGA portal re-opens in mid-March. Further information on the administrative process and fees will be announced shortly.

Invoicing Process

The CGA will email the invoice to the email address provided by the local director and will also send a ticket in the online portal announcing that an invoice has been issued.

Notice

  1. Please note that in the event of any discrepancies between this announcement and the LOK, the LOK will always take precedence.
  2. The amounts mentioned in this document may be modified by national decree containing general measures.

The post License Fees under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (“LOK”) appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Grow the Xing Fú Fortune™ Money Trees and collect golden prizes with FBM®!

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Prosperity, Strength, and Fortune are the foundations of the Xing Fú Fortune™ Money Trees’ entertaining power. The latest addition to FBM®’s slots portfolio offers a fresh gaming experience with a bonus mode where players can try up to seven gaming dynamics based on three money trees and conquer four jackpots. Xing Fú Fortune Money Trees is a 243-ways game introducing novelty and value to FBM®’s slot lineup. Its unique mechanic, centered around three money trees, keeps players guessing what gaming dynamic they will experience in the link bonus. This element of surprise increases the players’ engagement and retention levels, allowing casino operators to offer a product that blends an exciting gameplay with compelling payouts.

Three Money Trees open a fortune-filled bonus

The Xing Fú Fortune Money Trees link bonus aggregates several layers of excitement. By offering free spins with distinct game dynamics, this feature can start when a player obtains a blue, red, or green coin during a game round.

When the bonus starts, three free spins are automatically awarded, and five golden coins will randomly appear on the empty individual slots. Each money tree can unlock the bonus independently or in combination with others, offering up to seven distinct game experiences to the players.

Now, let’s see what the Prosperity, Strength and Fortune bonsais have to offer in the bonus free rounds:

  • Prosperity – the coins of Prosperity are blue, and attribute a random prize for players to collect when they appear on the reels.
  • Strength – the red coins symbolize Strength, and they multiply the values of all coins available on the reels to get a numeric prize value then.
  • Fortune – the Fortune coins are green, and have the collector effect. When they appear on the reels, they accumulate the value of all the other coins.

When two or more money trees activate the bonus simultaneously, their effects combine, enabling players to secure impressive wins. But that is not all about the rewarding power of the Xing Fú Fortune link bonus.

This game mode is also the gateway to obtain one of the four jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major or Grand. To obtain a Mini, Minor, and Major jackpot, players just need to get jackpot coins during the bonus rounds and wait for the final revelation. The Grand jackpot is achievable through a single coin and by filling all the 15 positions available in the reels during the bonus.

An Oriental-themed slot to play on two casino cabinets

Xing Fú Fortune Money Trees immerses players in a world inspired by Oriental culture, featuring bonsais, dragons, frogs, carps, ema plaques, and fans. The sounds and graphics developed for the game merge with these visual references to deliver an authentic Asian gaming experience.

Available for the Galaxy II and Auria casino cabinets, this slot game ensures a friendly integration on different casino floor layouts.

Following the recent launch of Jin Qián Link Spirits™, FBM® continues to expand its offer to slots fans in Mexico. Xing Fú Fortune Money Trees reinforces the brand’s commitment to bringing disruptive, trustful, and high-performing casino games that can add value to the casino operator’s portfolios.

The post Grow the Xing Fú Fortune™ Money Trees and collect golden prizes with FBM®! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Casino Guru Awards 2025 Announces Sponsors for Exclusive Live Ceremony in Malta

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Casino Guru is proud to announce the official sponsors of the third annual Casino Guru Awards, a prestigious event recognizing excellence in the iGaming industry. The 2025 edition marks a milestone, introducing an exclusive live ceremony to celebrate industry leaders who exemplify transparency, social responsibility, inovation, and positive influence.
Taking place on June 6, 2025, at the Hilton Hotel in St. Julian’s, Malta, the Casino Guru Awards 2025 will bring together shortlisted companies, esteemed judges, media partners, and industry pioneers for an elegant evening of recognition, networking, and celebration.
A Night of Recognition Backed by Industry Leaders
The Casino Guru Awards 2025 has attracted prominent industry sponsors who share the event’s commitment to fairness and responsible gambling. PayOp, Medier, BGaming, Evoplay, PIN-UP Global, and Winfinity are among the key sponsors supporting this initiative.
Anastasiia Semenkova, CEO of PayOp, the event’s Diamond Sponsor, emphasized the significance of the Awards in shaping industry standards:
“Casino Guru has established itself as a platform that empowers rational users and ensures their voices are heard. PayOp is honored to sponsor the prestigious Casino Guru Awards, celebrating nominees who uphold the highest standards of transparency, fairness, and ethical business practices. Together, we are setting exemplary benchmarks for the entire iGaming industry.”
Other sponsors also shared their enthusiasm for supporting the event:
Marina Ostrovtsova, CEO at BGaming, stated:
“No doubt, the rise of iGaming awards marks an exciting trend, and we’re thrilled that the Casino Guru team has elevated their Awards to a new level. BGaming is proud to sponsor the Casino Guru Awards, an event celebrating transparency and responsible gambling practices. Our participation as a sponsor reflects our endorsement of these essential values. We’re eagerly anticipating the exclusive live ceremony in Malta!”
Ihor Zarechnyi, CBDO at Evoplay,added:
“I’m honored to be a part of the Casino Guru Awards 2025. Casino Guru has always been at the forefront of promoting fair and responsible gambling, and their commitment to innovation resonates strongly with us at Evoplay. I’m excited to contribute to the selection process and help honor those who are making a significant impact on the industry.”
The PIN-UP Global Team shared their perspective:
“PIN-UP Global is thrilled to become a sponsor of the Casino Guru Awards. This prestigious event stands out in the industry for its commitment to recognizing excellence, transparency, and innovation in the gaming world. We see it as a great opportunity to support an event that not only celebrates achievements but also fosters positive changes and responsible gaming practices. PIN-UP Global looks forward to contributing to an evening of celebration and setting new standards for the future of the iGaming industry.”
Mary, Affiliate Director of Medier, expressed excitement:
“We’re really excited to be a Gold sponsor for the Casino Guru Awards. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the amazing achievements in our industry and connect with so many talented people. We can’t wait to see the outstanding work being recognized, which is sure to inspire everyone involved and drive further progress in the iGaming community. Looking forward to a beautiful and memorable event!”
The Casino Guru Awards 2025 will continue its tradition of recognizing industry leaders across ten categories, including the newly introduced Players’ Choice and iGaming Changemaker of the Year, alongside other established awards that highlight fairness, responsible gambling, and ethical business practices.
Applications remain open until February 28, 2025, with the voting process for Players’ Choice and Voice of the People beginning after shortlisting. The winners will be unveiled during the exclusive live gala in Malta.

The post Casino Guru Awards 2025 Announces Sponsors for Exclusive Live Ceremony in Malta appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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