The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the federal entity overseeing commercial gaming activities in the United Arab Emirates, announced the award of a license to operate the UAE’s first authorised lottery operation. The announcement marks a new milestone in the GCGRA’s endeavour to establish a well-regulated commercial gaming sector in the UAE, built on the principles of transparency, accountability, consumer protection and responsible gaming practices.

The lottery license was awarded to The Game LLC, a commercial gaming operator specialising in game development, lottery operations and gaming-related content. Operating under the banner of the “UAE Lottery”, the GCGRA’s first licensee will offer a diverse range of lottery games and other games designed to cater to players’ variety of interests and financial preferences.

Jim Murren, the Chairman of the GCGRA, said: “The launch of the UAE Lottery is a pivotal event that not only marks the establishment of a disciplined world-class regulatory framework for lottery activities but also underscores our commitment to nurturing a secure and enriched commercial gaming environment in the UAE.”

Kevin Mullally, CEO of the GCGRA, said: “The GCGRA is steadfast in its commitment to global best practices in consumer protection and regulatory oversight. Our regulatory framework is designed to ensure the integrity, fairness, and transparency of commercial gaming activities in the UAE, which include lottery games. It also provides consumers with a comprehensive set of tools to monitor and manage their gaming activity. Additionally, we are leveraging new technologies to foster the creation of safe, entertaining games and drive consumer-focused innovation.”

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) today flagged a disinformation campaign through a memorandum purportedly ordering local government units to immediately terminate the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs by August, saying that the memo was fake.

Atty. Jessa Mariz Fernandez, head of PAGCOR’s Offshore Gaming Licensing Department, said the supposed memo to LGUs in Metro Manila dated July 26 was a forged version of an earlier memorandum she issued last July 23, a day after the President’s State of the Nation Address.

“We have not issued a memorandum ordering LGUs to immediately close down POGO operations in their jurisdiction because the President’s order is very clear: We have until the end of the year to wind down POGO operations, and we will follow that,” Atty. Fernandez said.

The fake memo was telling select LGUs in Metro Manila to terminate POGO operations “within the first week of August”.

“This is a clear disinformation intended to create chaos and confusion,” she said. “Whoever is behind this clearly has ulterior motives, and we shall ask the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate and unmask them to determine their motives.”

She said the spurious memo used her earlier letter to Internet Gaming Licensees and service providers last July 23 advising them that, “pending finalization of the details and process of winding down, operations may remain in the status quo”, referring to the President’s order to close down POGOs during his State of the Nation Address last July 22.

“We reiterate, and we advise our LGUs, that licensed IGLs can continue operating until we have determined the process of winding down their operations, which we currently have not yet finalized,” Atty. Fernandez said.

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, president of the ANJ, and Catherine Delorme, president of the Addiction Federation, signed a partnership agreement on July 23, 2024 to strengthen the prevention of excessive gambling and the protection of minors, through the implementation of joint actions.

In 2019, the Gaming Observatory estimated the number of at-risk players at 1.4 million, including nearly 400,000 at a pathological level. Problem gambling thus generates more than 38% of the sector’s turnover and 21% for excessive players alone. These figures, which should be updated soon, illustrate the reality of a social problem, for young people in particular, with collateral damage in the player’s immediate entourage: over-indebtedness, family problems, academic difficulties, etc.

In its 2024/2026 strategic plan, the ANJ has set as a priority objective to reduce the share and number of excessive gamblers and to strengthen the ability of gamblers to better control their gaming practices, through preventive actions against excessive gambling, in addition to those implemented by the public authorities.

This strategic plan is based on two cross-cutting foundations which are of particular interest to the partnership with the Addiction Federation: making scientific knowledge of the market and gaming practices the compass of regulation and strengthening the mobilisation of all stakeholders, in particular through the conclusion of partnerships with addiction professionals.

The Addiction Federation is the leading addictology network in France: it represents 850 health establishments and services and more than 500 professionals, individual members. It brings together 80% of addiction treatment, support and prevention centres (CSAPA) and reception and support centres for risk reduction for drug users (CAARUD) and 20% of health systems (addiction liaison and care teams, follow-up and rehabilitation care, addiction consultations, health networks).

The collaboration between the ANJ and the Addiction Federation will focus on different areas of intervention such as:

• Studies, prevention support edition,
• The development of tools to support players or addiction professionals,
• The design and intervention in training programmes,
• Joint organisation of events.

In 2024, the ANJ and the Addiction Federation will carry out joint training activities and publish a document on the regulation of gambling for addiction professionals.