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Casinos in Sikkim have been shuttered again, hardly 10 days after they had reopened. The closure came into effect after a rise in COVID-19 cases forced the Sikkim government to reinstate the statewide lockdown, banning all social, religious, and entertainment gatherings for a month.
In similar news, Goa has extended the lockdown till July 26, effectively declaring that all offshore and onshore casinos in the coastal state will have to wait longer before resuming operations.
Moving to the international updates, Slovakia has banned popular video live-streaming service Twitch on the grounds that it promotes illegal gambling. The action was taken after a local Twitch streamer ‘dDandis’ streamed his online poker session.
Brazil has effected changes in its taxation laws for sports betting. Henceforth, the country will consider gross gaming revenue (GGR) as opposed to turnover to calculate taxes payable by sports betting operators.
The US-based fantasy sports operator DraftKings has unveiled plans to launch DraftKings Marketplace. This digital collectibles ecosystem will allow customers to buy, sell and trade digital collectibles in sports, entertainment, and culture. The company has entered a strategic partnership with NFT to become the exclusive distributor of NFT content from the NFT platform, Autograph.
Sikkim Casinos Closed After State Records Rise in COVID-19 Cases
All three casinos in Sikkim have closed down again, following a fresh surge of COVID-19 cases. The state government reinstated the restrictions on July 16.
The government had permitted casinos and other commercial establishments to reopen on July 6, after the daily count of COVID-19 cases fell below 100. However, there has been a rapid rise in incidences of infection, and the state has been reporting close to 300 COVID-19 positive cases daily. The current positivity rate in the state has been reported at 20.7%.
On July 15, the state reported 137 new cases in just 24 hours, prompting Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to hold a high-level meeting. Responding to the health situation, the government ordered a ban on all social, religious, and entertainment gatherings for the next 30 days.
The new diktat essentials mean that the three casinos that include the Delta Corp-owned Casino Deltin Denzong, Casino Sikkim, and Casino Mahjong will remain shut until August 16 (at least).
Goa Casinos to Remain Shut Until July 26
All casinos in Goa have been non-operational since April-end, and the Pramod Sawant-led government has yet again extended the statewide closure for another week, i.e., till July 26.
There has been a palpable slowdown in the number of active COVID cases in Goa. The current caseload is reported at 1,413. Earlier this week, the state had reported a 2.60% positivity rate. Clearly, despite the reduction in numbers, the government is taking no chances.
Delta Corp, which owns casinos in Goa, and Sikkim, submitted in a recent regulatory filing that its casinos in Goa would remain closed. The company further announced that the Deltin Denzong in Sikkim has closed operations for an indefinite period, reiterating that it was unable to “estimate the quantum of potential losses on account of this temporary closure and the pandemic at this time.”
Slovakia Bans Twitch For Allegedly Promoting Illegal Gambling
Slovakia has banned the US-headquartered video live-streaming service Twitch because it permits poker streaming. The country’s authorities banned the platform for promoting illegal gambling after a user streamed his online poker session.
The user in question was Slovakian Twitch streamer ‘dDandis,’ who has over 35,000 followers and streamed an online poker session. Slovakia, like Sweden and Poland, has some of the most stringent gambling regulations in Europe.
According to Slovakian authorities, they received complaints from sponsors and audiences that illegal content was being streamed on the Amazon-owned platform.
Reacting to the news, popular Twitch streamer Asmongold tweeted: “Twitch needs to ban gambling streams full stop. Just looking at EU gambling laws, anyone could see this will not end well.”
Brazil Shifts to New Gambling Tax Law
Brazil’s official gazette published Law no. 14,183 on July 14, marking the country’s move to a change in sports betting taxation. The gazette publication was made after President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, gave his signature of approval, enacting the new law.
President Bolsonaro had underlined last August how a change in sports betting taxation was one of his government’s priorities. The new law received approval from the country’s Chamber of Deputies in June.
The new law brings a significant change in the way taxes for sports betting operators are computed, moving to gross gaming revenue (GGR) from the previous turnover model. The tax base will now be applied after the taxes on winnings and social security payments are dealt with. Earlier, taxes were computed from the turnover as opposed to revenue at a rate of 3%.
The bill emphasizes that the new taxation regime will “guarantee the functioning and to improve the physical and pedagogical infrastructure of educational establishments.”
The government has also announced that 0.82% of the tax income will be distributed to schools that reach their performance goals in national exams, 2.55% to the National Public Security Fund (FNSP), and 1.63% to sports clubs, and 95% will be for lottery operators.
DraftKings Unveils Plans to Launch NFT Marketplace
US-based fantasy sports operator DraftKings has announced plans to launch DraftKings Marketplace, a digital collectibles ecosystem. Once live, the Marketplace will provide mainstream accessibility, offering curated NFT drops and support for secondary-market transactions. It will allow DraftKings account owners to buy, sell and trade digital collectibles in sports, entertainment, and culture genres.
A new strategic partnership also makes DraftKings the exclusive distributor of NFT content from the NFT platform, Autograph that leverages official licensing of athletes and celebrities for providing a wide range of digital collectibles.
The company tweeted about its plans on Wednesday.
Today, @DraftKings revealed plans to launch DraftKings Marketplace, a digital collectibles ecosystem designed for mainstream accessibility that offers curated NFT drops & supports secondary-market transactions. For more details, visit: https://t.co/57w3SvdO1h pic.twitter.com/XudBrcP65F
— DraftKings News (@DraftKingsNews) July 21, 2021
DraftKings co-founder and president Matt Kalish underlined that the NFT boom has reinvented the collectibles industry. “The DraftKings Marketplace will sit at the center of this technological and cultural phenomenon, providing our immense existing customer base with an easily accessible experience that rivals all legacy marketplaces. This initial vision in collaboration with Autograph, and its coveted collection of official digital collectibles, is a vital first step as we enter the emergent NFT market.”
The Autograph advisory board will aid in designing custom NFTs that will be released through DraftKings Marketplace drops. The first collectibles to be introduced to the Marketplace will be in the form of the “Pre-season Access” collection, offering collectibles from iconic athletes who are part of Autograph’s roster.