Compliance Updates
BetMGM Names Rhea Loney Chief Compliance Officer
BetMGM, a leading sports betting and digital gaming entertainment company, announced that Rhea Loney will join its executive team as Chief Compliance Officer. Loney will oversee BetMGM’s compliance department, including online and retail operational compliance, registration and licensing, AML and financial compliance, and responsible gaming.
“Rhea brings extensive industry knowledge and regulatory experience to BetMGM and is a phenomenal addition to our team as we continue to grow rapidly in a dynamic industry,” said Adam Greenblatt, CEO, BetMGM.
Loney joins BetMGM from Penn Interactive, the online subsidiary of Penn Entertainment, Inc., where she served as VP of Compliance, Regulatory Affairs & Strategy. While at Penn, she helped build the compliance team, including licensing, regulatory affairs, operational compliance, risk & fraud, AML, and responsible gaming departments. Additionally, Loney oversaw the online launch of Barstool Sportsbook in 13 states, iCasino in 4 states and over 20 retail sportsbook launches.
Upon her appointment, Loney said, “I’m thrilled to play a meaningful role in BetMGM’s continued commitment to excellence in compliance. BetMGM is uniquely positioned in the market, and we will continue to be a leader and innovator in responsible gaming and compliance.”
Prior to Penn Interactive, Loney served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice, Division of Gaming. While there, she represented and provided legal counsel to the Louisiana State Racing Commission from 2011 to 2019 and was first to administratively prosecute the Dermophin (Frog Juice) cases in the U.S.
Loney holds a J.D. from Tulane Law School, and a B.S. from Southeastern Louisiana University.
Compliance Updates
eCOGRA Approved to Operate in Arizona, Indiana and Panama
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.â€
Compliance Updates
GLI Becomes First Laboratory to be Accredited in Maranhão, Brazil
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
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.
-
Latest News3 days ago
Full House Resorts Announces New Leadership for Rising Star Casino Resort
-
Latest News4 days ago
Arizona Department of Gaming Investigation into Illegal Gambling Leads to Record-Breaking Firearms Seizure
-
eSports4 days ago
Influencers, Content and eSports: Unleashing the Power of Dynamic Strategies in the eSports Ecosystem
-
Latest News1 day ago
BGaming pens Brazilian multi-brand agreement with Cometa Gaming
-
Latest News4 days ago
Amusnet Expands Latin American Presence Through Strategic Partnership with bet365 in Peru
-
Latest News4 days ago
Lorraine Bencivengo-Ziff, the “Goddess of Slots,†Takes Gaming World by Storm with Major Milestones and New Ventures
-
Compliance Updates4 days ago
Chris Christie bets on Texas to approve OSB in 2025
-
Financial reports23 hours ago
Commercial Gaming Revenue Growth Continues in Q3 2024, Driving Industry’s 15th Consecutive Quarter of Growth