Japan sends IR bill to the Diet for Vote
The HALLO ECHO

Japan’s government has finalised the closing piece of legislation required to license the country’s first casinos, after the ruling coalition reached agreement on last week on the terms of the integrated resort (IR) implementation bill following months of political wrangling. The bill will now be presented to the Diet, Japan’s parliament, for debate. However, its…

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China’s ban on South Korean online games fuels IP theft
The HALLO ECHO

The Chinese government is sticking to its ban on providing licensing rights to South Korean developers for distributing mobile games inside China, is not only hurting the bottom line of the established developers but also allowing local copyright infringers and intellectual property thieves to thrive in the Chinese market. China stopped new licensing for product…

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Pennsylvania releases explanation to new Online Gambling regulation
The HALLO ECHO

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), an attempt to clear up the confusion caused by the introduction of the new gambling legislation last week, has offered new explanatory package to the regulations. The main issue is the definition of skins or branded online casino websites. The PGCB now defines skins as: “portal or portals to an interactive gaming…

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No gambling special session in Florida
The HALLO ECHO

It is final. There will not be a special session on gambling in Flordia. The legislators in the state have decided to pass on a proposed special session to discuss gambling despite recent negotiations. There has been pressure on the legislators from Sen Bill Galvano and Rep Jose Oliva to hold a special session to…

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Delaware to reduce casino taxes
The HALLO ECHO

The Senate Finance Committee of Delaware Senate has approved the casino relief bill, which proposes to reduce the taxes and fees at the casinos. Senate Bill 144 would reduce the tax almost by a half – from 29.4 per cent to 15 per cent – and do away with the licensing fee. It would also…

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GOCC commission seeks to split PAGCOR
The HALLO ECHO

The Governance Commission for Government-owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC) declared on Wednesday it has suggested the separation of regulatory and commercial functions of Philippine Amusement and Gamong Corp (PAGCOR). The GOCC commission made the suggestion to President Rodrigo Duterte, stateting it was “due to PAGCOR’s conflicting proprietary activities and regulatory functions in which its operation…

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Norway to continue payment restriction for gambling sites
The HALLO ECHO

Norway’s government is becoming more protective in the online gambling arena. The government is planning to propose new curbs on payment to international gambling websites. This move for stricter monitoring of online gambling payment processing is to further reduce the competition towards the state-owned Norsk Tipping, which enjoys gambling monopoly, including. Lotteri-og Stiftelsestilsynet, Norwegian Gaming Authority,…

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Denmark legislators move to restrict gambling bonus offers
The HALLO ECHO

Jesper Petersen, a Social Democrat MP in Denmark, revealed the legislators’ concern over the spiraling gambling bonus offers. He said in television interview that online gambling sign-up bonus offers, especially those through television promos, were getting out of control. He pointed out that some operators provide bonuses as high as DKK10k (US$1,640). According to Petersen, bonuses…

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