Compliance Updates

Massachusetts Gaming Commission Names Director of Investigations and Enforcement Bureau and Executive Director

Published

8 months ago

March 22, 2024

The MGC met on January 31 in a public meeting to interview candidates for the role of IEB Director. Following those interviews, commissioners voted 5-0 to appoint Caitlin Monahan Director of the agency’s IEB. Monahan served as Interim Director of the IEB and before that served for three years as a member of the MGC’s legal division, recently as deputy general counsel. Prior to joining the MGC, Monahan was a litigator in the Boston office of the law firm WilmerHale. She started her career as an assistant in the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Monahan graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

“I am excited for this important opportunity to lead the Commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau. Having served in the MGC’s legal division previously and in this role on an interim basis, I know the essential work in front of us and look forward to continue to collaborate with my colleagues across the MGC to ensure the integrity and safety of gaming in the Commonwealth,” said Monahan.

The IEB is the largest division at the MGC and is responsible for ensuring the integrity of Massachusetts gaming operations. The IEB has an investigatory side, staffed with members of the Massachusetts State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit and financial investigators, who complete background checks and ongoing suitability determinations on operators, vendors and employees of the gaming establishments. The IEB is a law enforcement agency, with subpoena power and broad investigatory authority to make sure that the people and business entities involved with gaming meet the established standards of integrity, honesty and good character. The IEB also has an enforcement side, staffed with Gaming Agents, who ensure that the Massachusetts casinos are in compliance with all regulations promulgated by the Commission. Additionally, the IEB oversees the MGC’s licensing division.

“Caitlin has been a valued member of the MGC team for a number of years, first in the legal division and recently as interim IEB Director – this experience will help ensure her success as she begins this new role. Her contributions have been essential to the work of the MGC in the regulation and oversight of casino gaming, horse racing, and establishing sports wagering in the Commonwealth, and I know she will continue to meet and surpass our high expectations as a leader of our organization,” said Chair Cathy Judd-Stein.

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Much like final interviews for the IEB Director, Commissioners met in a public meeting on Monday March 18 to interview two final candidates for the role of executive director. Following interviews and deliberations, commissioners voted 4-0 to appoint Dean Serpa as executive director of the MGC. Throughout his career, Serpa has served in multiple senior roles throughout Massachusetts state government including leadership roles for the office of Governor Charlie Baker. He currently serves as the chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Policy Advisory Committee (GPAC).

“I want to thank the commissioners for entrusting me with this important role, and I look forward to joining the committed team at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. I am passionate about moving projects from inception to competition and working with teams to get things done – I am excited to build on my experience with GPAC as I get started as executive director of the Commission,” said Dean Serpa.

The executive director serves as the executive and administrative head of the MGC and is responsible for administering and enforcing the provisions of the law relative to the commission and each of the agency’s administrative units. The executive director reports to the five-member Commission.

“Dean’s unparalleled operations experience and record of leadership and service to the Commonwealth will allow him to step into the role of executive director and have an immediate impact on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. His time as chair of the Gaming Policy Advisory Committee will provide him with an essential level of familiarity regarding MGC policies and programs as he begins his tenure,” said Commissioner Eileen O’Brien.

Commissioners Nakisha Skinner (chair) and Brad Hill served on the initial screening committee for the new IEB director and were joined by Chief People and Diversity Officer David Muldrew. Commissioners Eileen O’Brien (chair) and Jordan Maynard served on the initial screening committee for the executive director and were joined by Chief People and Diversity Officer David Muldrew and Chief Financial and Accounting Officer Derek Lennon. Former interim IEB director, Heather Hall, also served on the ED screening committee until she departed the Commission.

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GLI Becomes First Laboratory to be Accredited in Maranhão, Brazil

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Niji Narayan

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has become the first laboratory to achieve accreditation in Maranhão, Brazil. The accreditation allows GLI to perform tests and certification for the gambling and lottery industry interested in working with lottery and fixed-odds betting operators in the state of Maranhão.

The milestone is the latest in a series of regulatory achievements for GLI in Brazil. Lottery of the State of Maranhão is the third jurisdiction in Brazil to accredit laboratories, and GLI is accredited in all and the first to be authorized in all.

Cassiano Pereira Junior, president of Maranhão Parcerias (Mapa), highlighted the importance of the partnership between the Maranhão State Lottery (Lotema) and GLI. “Every day we strive to make Lotema even better, providing greater security for its users. The partnership with GLI is a concrete way of achieving this goal, as its certification laboratories play an important role for the gaming and lottery industry, guaranteeing the conformity, security, and integrity of the products and systems used by Lotema,” Cassiano explained.

“We are grateful to the Lottery of the State of Maranhão for granting GLI the laboratory accreditation, becoming the first to be authorized in Maranhão. It is extremely gratifying to see how Lotema empower themselves by trusting the technical compliance process to provide transparency, integrity, and accountability to all the industry stakeholders through the certification process. The laboratory accreditation is the first step for a successful implementation of the certification based on jurisdictional standards, and the reason why we at GLI take this step very seriously and with great priority every time a new jurisdiction opens. We feel responsible for being part of the solution towards a fast and efficient implementation of regulations, thus supporting further local industry development and sustainable growth. We are grateful to Lotema and excited to be part of its thriving industry,” said Karen Sierra-Hughes, Vice President of Latin America, Caribbean, and Spain.

GLI has been working with regulators, lotteries, and industry stakeholders across the Latin American and Caribbean region for more than 26 years in their efforts toward regulation, sustainable growth, and eradicating illegal gaming. In Brazil, GLI has been side by side with government entities and all industry stakeholders for nearly 20 years, participating in public hearings in the Senate, Chamber of Deputies, and State government level, and in recent years, adding strategic local representation to strengthen their local support.

Compliance Updates

Betano Receives Licence to Operate in Colombia

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Niji Narayan

Kaizen Gaming Colombia, owner of the Betano.co brand, was authorized by Coljuegos to operate online betting in the country. With this new operator, there are now 16 web platforms that have the approval of the entity to market games of chance online.

“We continue to strengthen the online gaming industry. We hope that, with the entry of this new operator, we can continue to increase transfers for the health of Colombians. At this time, the platform is already operating for the betting public,” said Marco Emilio Hincapié, president of Coljuegos.

The entity is also in the process of authorizing an additional operator called Bingo Casino, which is expected to begin offering bets in the coming weeks.

It is worth mentioning that, by 2024, it is estimated that online betting portals will pay around $419,527 million to Coljuegos for exploitation rights, which represents an increase of 31% compared to the same period in 2023. All of these resources are transferred to the health system.

“We are seeing that online betting is a sector of the economy that has driven the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. That is why we are working to make the market even more attractive and to provide more options to bettors,” said the president.

According to financial projections, this new operator is expected to pay Coljuegos around $21.513 billion over the next five years for operating rights and administration costs, resources that can be transferred to subsidize health and scientific research.

Compliance Updates

Chris Christie bets on Texas to approve OSB in 2025

Published

4 days ago

November 18, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has backed Texas to legalise online sports betting in the state’s next legislative session.

Christie helped pave the way for sports betting liberalisation across the US by bringing the Supreme Court case that led to the repeal of PASPA.

The case was fought and won by prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who Christie hired to argue the case for states to make their own decisions on sports betting. Olson died last week at the age of 84.

After Missouri became the 39th US state to legalise sports betting in some capacity, attention has quickly turned again to the big three states of Texas, California, and Florida.

“I think it’ll happen in Texas in the next legislative session,” said Christie, speaking to Covers.com. The next session is due to commence in Texas on January 14, 2025.

Christie is less confident about California, however, where competing sports betting ballots failed in 2022 amid a bitter dispute and lobbying war between online operators and local tribes.

California is seen as essential to the future prospects of US sports betting operators, given its size and wealth and dramatic impact on the country’s total addressable market (TAM).

“I don’t know about California,” said Christie. “This really takes gubernatorial leadership, and Gavin Newsom has got to decide if this is one of the issues he wants to lead on.

“Without gubernatorial leadership, the legislature won’t do it because they’re pulled like taffy in too many directions by too many different interests. Without the governor pushing for it, I just don’t think it’ll happen.”

Despite another potential setback in California, Christie has backed sports betting to penetrate pretty much every state eventually.

“I really believe sports betting is inevitable to go just about nationwide, because people in America love their sports, they just do,” he said. “I think it is in the leagues’ best interests to grow their audience. The government gets some piece of the pie out of that which they enjoy, and the public seems to be pretty happy for the most part.”

Depending on expansion, US sports betting could, in theory, reach every state. It would then become a national issue, but Christie has warned the federal government not to interfere.

“Let the states handle it,” he said. “The states are doing fine. You haven’t heard of anything awful or irreversible happening since each state has been involved and they should have the ability to decide whether they want gambling or not.

“I don’t think the federal government should have anything to do with it and I don’t think they ever should have. I don’t think they have to be babysitters for the governors of the country.”