Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. Today we take a look at the ASA and CAP annual report, a California goldmine, UK land-based casinos and Safer Gambling Week 2020.

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The Betting and Gaming Council has confirmed that land-based casinos throughout England will be ready to reopen from July 4 with strict anti-COVID standards to be adhered to.

The government confirmed last month that hospitality and leisure facilities, such as casinos, are part of the third and final phase of its plans to ease restrictions with land-based establishments around England having been closed since lockdown was introduced on March 23 in an effort to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

Yet casino operators have revealed that they are preparing to reopen doors for customers again from the government mentioned date, with entry limited to one person at a time with a two-metre social distance being enforced.

Upon reopening, stringent hygiene and distancing measures will be introduced at all casinos to ensure the safety of staff and customers. This is apparently set to include customers using hand sanitisers before entering, as well as when joining and leaving a gaming table.

The BGC highlighted that table capacity limits will be ‘enforced’ whilst face covering will be made available to customers on request.

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Should votes in the state of California approve online and real sports betting later this year it will open the door to a market that has the potential to generate more than $30bn in wagers annually, according to projections from PlayCA.com.

The California assembly took a significant step towards legalisation in the Golden State last week by adding implementation details to ACA 16 and SCA 6.

The new language in the bills, which were originally introduced in June 2019 by Senator Bill Dodd and Assemblymember Adam Gray, would amend the state constitution to authorise the activity at the state’s tribal casinos and racetracks if approved by voters, but not at its cardrooms.

Furthermore, a tax rate of 10 per cent on gross revenue for in-person wagering and a 15 per cent tax for mobile or online wagering would be set, as well as imposed taxes on the platform operators rather than directly by the tribes, which would be done to avoid sovereignty issues.

By comparison, New Jersey, the nation’s largest online sports betting market, levies a 13 per cent tax on online sports betting revenue and 9.75 per cent tax on revenue from retail sportsbooks. By contract, Pennsylvania levies a 36 per cent rate, by far the highest in the nation.

2020

The UK gambling industry has announced that Safer Gambling Week 2020 will take place from November 19-25.

Led by the Betting and Gaming Council, the Bingo Association and the British Catering Trade Association, the annual campaign builds on the success of Responsible Gambling Week, which began in 2017 to unite all sectors of the gambling industry.

‘Let’s Talk About Safer Gambling’ is set to remain as the strapline for Safer Gambling Week 2020 with the message lauded by supporters as research suggests that it ‘strikes the right chord with the wide and diverse range of audiences’.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “As the new body representing the betting and gaming industry, the BGC is committed to driving up standards and promoting safer gambling.

“Safer Gambling Week is a fantastic initiative which the BGC are proud to play a leading role in. This awareness campaign is now in its fourth year and it has achieved a significant increase in engagement at all levels on the tools and support available to customers.

37,717

The Advertising Standards Authority has revealed in its 2019 Annual Report that it had resolved 34,717 complaints relating to 24,886 advertisements throughout the year.

Stated in the report, of those complaints 16,767 were about 14,775 online advertisements, with 9,971 complaints regarding 5,216 TV advertisements. The report revealed that more than a quarter of all online complaints related to influencer advertising, with 4,401 complaints about 3,670 ads.

The ASA confirmed in the report that it resolved 4,468 own-initiative compliance cases which resulted in 8,881 advertisements either being amended or withdrawn

The ASA, alongside the Committee of Advertising Practice, highlighted how the use of technology has allowed them to be more effective in regulating UK advertising and protecting both consumers and businesses.

As part of a five year strategy, the report emphasised the use of ‘cutting-edge technology’ to monitor and tackle ‘problem ads’ at scale and speed. This includes using new avatar monitoring technology to visit over 250 websites 196,000 times. The report claimed that the new technology has helped the ASA capture and review 95,000 ads, which resulted in action being taken against a small number of ads in order to protect children.

88

AFC Bournemouth has ended its three-year association with shirt sponsor M88 as media outlets report that an investigation into the online betting and gaming firm is being undertaken by the UK Gambling Commission.

M88, the Asian-facing subsidiary of gambling operator Mansion Group, which boasts a variety of brands such as Mansion Casino, Casino.com and Slots Heaven as part of its portfolio, first aligned with the Premier League club before the 2017/18 season.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, M88 is being investigated by the Gambling Commission alongside Mansion Europe, with the UKGC said to be currently looking at various aspects of the model and operations of both. The club’s sleeve sponsorship with the parent company is reportedly unaffected.

With the football season set to restart this month following a temporary suspension due to the global health crisis, it is said that the club is considering adorning its strips with a message to key workers for the remainder of the 2019/20 fixtures.

The club is also thought to be exploring the possibility of finding a new shirt sponsor before the Premier League’s resumption on June 17.