Compliance Updates

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Says Pace-O-Matic’s Pennsylvania Skill Games Are Legal

Published

5 years ago

January 23, 2020

Pace-O-Matic of Pennsylvania (POM of PA), the entity that markets Pennsylvania Skill games, received a substantial victory in today’s Commonwealth Court opinion, which makes clear our games are legal.

Matt Haverstick, Esq., who represented POM of PA in the lawsuit said, “The Commonwealth Court agreed that our games are presumptively legal. The injunction was denied for locations that have illegal gambling devices comingled with our legal POM games. We are seeking clarification that the injunction is still in place for locations that have only POM games. Ultimately, the Court was concerned that the injunction might hamper the Bureau of Liquor Control and Enforcement’s ability to conduct investigations into illegal gambling and slot machines where a POM machine may also be located. That is a position that POM of PA supports as we have been on the front lines pointing out the proliferation of illegal gambling devices and min-casinos.”

Click here to read the opinion.

The Court made it clear that they consider our games legal, “This Court recognizes that unless, or until, POM Games are considered to be illegal gambling devices under the Crimes Code, POM may suffer harms to its reputation and property interests as a result of the seizures.”

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The Court also made it clear that they saw the difference between “POM machines” and illegal gambling operations, “The tiny fraction of POM machines that have been confiscated as part of larger investigations and confiscations into illegal gambling operations, and the fact that POM does not intend to challenge these isolated seizures as long as POM is not specifically targeted, the Court finds no improper conduct by the PSP that warrants the imposition of an injunction at this time.”

Pace-O-Matic Director of Communications Mike Barley added, “We understand the confusion that exists as law enforcement has a difficult time discerning between what is a legal skill game and what is an illegal gambling device. Our commitment is to continue working with the legislature to regulate, tax and provide strict enforcement of the legal skill game industry. The revenue we are providing to small businesses and fraternal clubs, the jobs that are being created and the tens of millions of dollars we have paid in taxes to the state prove that we are laying a solid foundation for the legal skill game industry that benefits Pennsylvania.”

Pace-O-Matic’s Pennsylvania Skill products are manufactured by Miele Manufacturing in Williamsport, which has created over 100 manufacturing and manufacturing-related positions in our Commonwealth. Additionally, Pennsylvania Skill games are helping to support and grow businesses that were struggling and are now thriving and creating jobs. The revenue generated by our games has become a lifeline to fraternal clubs and organizations across the Commonwealth, including American Legions, VFWs and local fire companies. Pennsylvania Skill has donated over $700,000 over the past year to local charities, including food banks, children’s hospitals and senior centers.

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance, Pace-O-Matic employs a team of former state troopers to enforce the terms of our contracts and our codes of conduct. These contracted terms limit the number of machines and where they are placed in a location and have protections in place to prevent anyone underage from playing our devices.

In 2014, the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas ruled Pace-O-Matic’s Pennsylvania Skill games are legal as games of predominant skill. That court decision can be found by clicking here.

SOURCE Pace-O-Matic

Compliance Updates

eCOGRA Approved to Operate in Arizona, Indiana and Panama

Published

2 days ago

November 22, 2024

Niji Narayan

eCOGRA, a leading international authority in Testing, Inspection and Certification services for the iGaming industry, has secured new regulatory approvals across three key jurisdictions: Arizona, Indiana and Panama. With these developments, eCOGRA strengthens its position in the U.S. and Latin American markets, offering excellence in compliance through their Quality, Speed, and Service promise.

This strategic expansion allows eCOGRA to conduct independent compliance audits and certification services in each region, addressing the growing demand for rigorous regulatory oversight in the fast-evolving global iGaming industry.

Securing approval in Arizona, where eCOGRA has now been licensed as an Event Wagering Ancillary Supplier, enables the International Testing Laboratory (ITL) to audit event wagering licensees in line with Arizona’s expanding regulatory landscape. Indiana, which introduced online sports betting in September 2019, has authorised eCOGRA to perform regulatory compliance audits, providing licensed operators with crucial assurance in meeting the state’s high standards.

In Panama, the Board of Gaming Control officially recognised eCOGRA as an Authorised Entity for Compliance Certification, specifically for slot machines and gaming software. This endorsement reinforces eCOGRA’s role as a trusted partner for operators seeking to meet stringent regulatory requirements in Latin America’s emerging iGaming sector.

“Our recent approvals in Indiana, Arizona, and Panama underline our dedication to continually expand our offering, to support our growing portfolio of clients with their global growth plans. We are committed to ensuring that we bring the same quality, speed and service that marks us out to both our clients and regulators in these dynamic markets,” said Will Shuckburgh, Group CEO of eCOGRA.

Bradley Khoury, Chief Technology Officer at eCOGRA, said: “Securing licensure as an Event Wagering Ancillary Supplier in Arizona and an Authorised Entity in Panama underscores our dedication to supporting responsible and sustainable iGaming operations. We are committed to driving trust and accountability within the industry by providing compliance solutions that uphold the highest standards.”

Compliance Updates

GLI Becomes First Laboratory to be Accredited in Maranhão, Brazil

Published

4 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

4 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.