Gaming Report: Gujarat HC Adjourns Poker Hearing to May, Coronavirus Scare Keeps Poker Players Away from Vegas Poker Rooms & More

Gaming Report - Utah, Las Vegas, Gujarat HC & Betway
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  • Namita Ghosh March 17, 2020
  • 4 Minutes Read

The question about the legality of poker in Gujarat has been hanging in the balance for some time now. Back in January, the court had adjourned the hearing of letters patent appeals filed by the various stakeholders fighting for poker legality in the state to February 17. These again got pushed back to March 9. On the set date, the Gujarat High Court once again did not take up the matter but instead re-scheduled them for May 5. This is starting to look like a long fight!

The COVID-19 outbreak has everyone worried. With the global death toll in the thousands, the panic has not spared anyone. As with all other industries, even the poker world has been impacted significantly by the outbreak. Like many other public establishments, casinos and poker rooms all across the globe have shut down, resulting in poker brands having to cancel or postpone tournament stops. The mecca of live poker, Las Vegas, has been one of the worst-hit by the pandemic with global giants like the MGM Resorts and Wynn closing all their establishments as a precautionary measure.

In other reports, the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) has handed out its biggest fine to-date. The regulator has slapped global online gambling giant Betway with an £11.6 Million ($14.3 Million) fine over several serious regulatory lapses.

Utah has also taken a decisive step toward legal gambling. Last month, Senate minority leader Karen Mayne had introduced legislation to restrict fringe gambling. In the latest development, both the Utah House and Senate have approved the bill.

In Germany, legislators have given the green signal for new regulations envisaging the legalization of online poker and casino from July 1, 2021.

 

Gujarat HC Adjourns Poker Appeals Hearings to May 5

Delaying the hearing on the poker appeals once again, a division bench of Gujarat High Court has now adjourned the matter to May 5. The bench comprising Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice AJ Shastri took the decision during the hearing scheduled on March 9.

Gujarat High Court

The letter patent appeals challenge the court’s 2017 order that ruled that poker was a game of chance, considered gambling making them illegal in the state. The petitions have been filed by Indian Poker Association (IPA) secretary KN Suresh, Aman Chhabra, Hotel Ramada, and Dominance Games Pvt. Ltd.

The hearing of the appeals has been pending before the court for more than two years now. Last November, the matter had been adjourned by the court that had started that the case would be heard day-to-day from December 2019 onwards. However, the scheduled hearing on December 18 did not take place, and the same was listed for hearing on January 8. The hearing was subsequently moved to February 17, and later to March 9.

 

Las Vegas Poker Fraternity Begins to Self-Quarantine in the Wake of COVID-19 Pandemic

Just days ago, it seemed that Sin City was unaffected by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Poker rooms were running as usual, and players didn’t seem bothered by the fear of contracting the virus.

Things, however, took a serious turn and fast. On March 16, we had reported that MGM and Wynn in Las Vegas had shut down all its properties in Sin City temporarily. The WSOP Circuit has also canceled its stops at Bally’s Las Vegas.

Even the poker community in Las Vegas has decided to stay away from the poker rooms that remain open. As a result, most of the poker rooms in Las Vegas now wear an empty look. The same goes for the sportsbooks across Vegas that are near-empty since most of the college and other tournaments have been canceled across the U.S.

Usually, around 15-20 cash game tables are running in poker rooms like Aria, and many people can be spotted waiting in queues to play. This is the time when the poker rooms host special events themed around the March Madness, Spring Break and St. Patrick’s Day. However, there are no takers for the games running at the few establishments that continue to operate.

As on March 12, the Bellagio had only nine cash games running, with fewer players participating than ever before. No cash games were running in casinos like the Harrah’s and the Venetian.

Bellagio and Aria have since announced that they will be shutting down on March 17.

For now, the Venetian remains open, though the management has announced that it is bringing in strict policy to enforce social distancing and limiting the number of players per table. The Orleans that is situated a mile west of the Las Vegas strip will also continue to run, with social distancing precautions thrown in.

Effectively, out of the 31 poker rooms in Vegas, only 18 will continue running after today though it’s still unclear for how long. But with players opting to stay away from the poker action owing to the Coronavirus scare, player traffic can be expected to reduce further!

 

Betway to Pay Record £11.6 Million Gambling Fine

The online betting firm Betway will pay a record £11.6 Million settlement for accepting stolen money from high-spending ‘VIP’ customers, some of whom were displaying clear signs of gambling addiction.

Betway

The Gambling Commission said that Betway had allowed £5.8 Million to flow through its business, which “has been found, or could reasonably be suspected to be proceeds of crime.”

The regulator found a series of “failings” in Betway’s dealings with seven so-called VIP customers, including one who deposited £8m over four years and lost half, without the betting firm ever asking where those funds had come from.

Elaborating on the issue, the Gambling Commission Executive Director Richard Watson, stated, “The actions of Betway suggest there was little regard for the welfare of its VIP customers or the impact on those around them.”

It said, Betway, whose investors include the South African entrepreneur Martin Moshal, had proved “inadequate” in its dealings with seven customers, failing to fulfill its obligations to prevent both money laundering and problem gambling.

Betway accepted £8 Million by way of deposits over four years from one customer, who lost £4 Million and whose account was flagged as a potential risk 20 times. On each occasion, staff accepted the gambler’s word as evidence of their source of funds.

After an external report failed to verify the customer’s ability to afford the bets, the case was referred to Betway’s board of directors, who decided to allow the gambler to keep playing. The account was only closed after the police contacted Betway about the customer.

Chief Executive at the company, Anthony Werkman, said Betway “takes full responsibility for the small number of historic cases which have led to this settlement.”

“We have fully cooperated with the investigation and will take further proactive steps to ensure all recommendations and findings are implemented,” he added.

The commission’s record fine for Betway follows criticism that it is too weak as a regulator, with the National Audit Office (NAO) warning that the watchdog was being outpaced by gambling companies.

The NAO said earlier this year that the regulator was “constrained by factors outside its control, including inflexible funding and a lack of evidence on how developments in the industry affect consumers.”

 

Utah House Passes Bill to Control Fringe Gambling

The Utah House has passed a bill drafted by Sen. Karen Mayne (D-West Valley City) on a final procedural vote to ban the “fringe gambling” elements in the state. The ban refers to the slot machine-like games that operate out of places like convenience stores, mini-marts, and laundromats, etc.

The bill SB214 that passed by a 63-8 vote, was then presented to the Senate before it reached the Governor, Gary Herbert, for final approval.

While discussing the bill, it was claimed these machines hurt poor people, and these locations have become hubs of drugs, prostitution, and other illegal activities. Passing the bill will allow the government to kill two birds with one stone.

“It’s a little like a game of whac-a-mole,” House sponsor Rep. Timothy Hawkes told reporters after the bill was passed.

Mayne had told the press last month, “It’s a cancer that needs to be out of the state of Utah. These are slot machines that are in mini-marts, laundromats, beauty salons, and they’re more aggressive every single day.”

 

Online Poker & Casino to be Legalized in Germany

The German legislators recently approved the newly drafted gambling regulations that will legalize online poker and casino in the country from July 1 next year. The bill named Glücksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStv) will take the regulated gaming market online but requires the approval of the European Commission. The bill was passed after no significant amendments in the draft, which was made public earlier, were proposed.

The bill permits sports betting, online poker and online casino games including slots but with restrictions. The market will be supervised by a new regulatory authority.

For slots, there will be €1 per spin stake limit, and games with autoplay functions or jackpots will not be allowed. There will also be a mandatory deposit limit of €1,000 across all providers, and the bill restricts advertisements between 6 am and 9 pm.

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