Two UK gambling companies were hit with total of £675,000
big penalties
Two UK gambling companies were hit with fines totaling £675,000 (US$841,908) from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The UK gambling regulator announced these sanctions against Jumpman Gaming Limited and Progress Play Limited on Tuesday.
Most of the issues relate to anti-money laundering and responsible gaming deficiencies.
It should be noted that Jumpman Gaming has to pay a fine of £500,000 ($623,636) and Progress Play has faced a fine of £175,718 ($219,168).
The money goes to the national strategy to reduce game damage.
Nonetheless, sloth operators fully complied with the UKGC’s investigations.
Speaking about the action, UKGC director of enforcement and intelligence Leanne Oxley said: “We will always clamp down on operators who fail in their obligations to keep gambling safe and crime-free.”
She went on to encourage other operators to look at the failings in these particular cases and to see areas in which they might be able to improve their own operations. 안전한카지노사이트
Jumpman Gaming’s failings
Jumpman Gaming operates 243 websites in the gambling space; there were a number of areas of concern that the UKGC flagged.
Generally, most of the issues related to anti-money laundering and responsible gambling failures.
The company allowed users to deposit and lose significant sums before conducting affordability checks.
Jumpman Gaming Limited and Progress Play Limited are both white-label providers of online casinos.
The UKGC began its regulatory review into Jumpman Gaming in September 2020 after concerns were identified in July 2020 through a compliance assessment. The operator’s processes when it came to preventing money laundering.
And protecting those who are vulnerable were found to be inadequate. In addition to the £500,000 ($623,636) fine, Jumpman Gaming will also have to cover the £13,594 ($16,955) worth of UKGC investigation costs.
Progress Play’s deficiencies
Progress Play Limited has 201 websites under its umbrella. Its regulatory review by the UKGC began in August 2020. Similar to Jumpman Gaming, the main failings found relate to the prevention of money laundering and then the protection of vulnerable people.
The UKGC is the chief regulator of gambling operators in the UK, overseeing the operations of licensees and taking action in cases where there are regulatory breaches.
In some instances, players were able to continue gambling for two weeks after the operator had requested source of funds information 메리트카지노. Actually, there were also failures to conduct affordability checks on people who had triggered gambling harm warnings.
On top of the £175,718 ($219,168) fine, Progress Play also has to cover the £12,466 ($15,548) worth of UKGC investigation costs.
Malta: The Lighter Way to Enjoy Poker
The Battle of Malta and Malta Poker Festival are in the books. In pre-pandemic times, both were staples of the European fall schedule but this year, both sought to take advantage of the pent-up hunger for live poker by launching spring editions.
Such was their success, a testament to the power of both brands, that it would not be surprising to see them both become bi-annual festivals going forward.
The €555 ($585) buy-in Battle of Malta went first, smashing its €500,000 ($527,455) guarantee. In fact, 2,592 entries generated a prize pool of €1.24m ($1.31m) and a top-heavy first prize of €200,340 ($211,341) which was won by the impressive Italian player Giuseppe Rosa.
Then it was the turn of the €550 ($580) but-in Malta Poker Festival to wallop its €300,000 ($316,473) guarantee, 1,014 players contributing to the €486,720 ($513,446) prizepool. Daniel Lakerfeld emerged victorious to scoop the €71,000 ($74,899) first prize.
poker events aimed at this price point are the bedrock of a healthy poker ecosystem
In a game where the media coverage and column inches tend to go to the players in the upper echelons, these festivals were a celebration of grassroots poker. Credit is due to PokerStars and the Unibet DeepStack Open for getting behind the Battle of Malta and Malta Poker Festival, respectively.
Thus, this priced poker event is the cornerstone of a healthy poker ecosystem, a poker vacation that blends pub poker / night casino tournaments with larger tours.
The Battle of Malta has fascinated poker groups from all over the world.
In 2018 CasinoMalta acquired the Battle of Malta from Pokerlistings and moved home from Portomaso Casino.
Hence, there was already competition between the two casinos, so it can be said that love was not lost after this transition. The event set a new record in 2017 and achieved a prize pool of € 1 million (US $ 1.05 million) for the first time.
Kevin DeCesare, co-owner of Casino Malta, said at the time: Our two hotels provide the largest number of rooms situated around a casino in Malta, while our Arena can easily take some 140 poker tables all on one level and Casino Malta is significantly larger than any other casino in Malta.”
To be fair, he was right, and the event’s numbers swelled to 3,816 in 2018 and a shirt-busting 4,657 in 2019.
All things considered, the Main Event reaching 2,592 entries was a huge success
The 2020 and 2021 live editions were cancelled due to COVID-19 카지노사이트 restrictions but in January of this year, the casino announced its return for an earlier-than-expected April slot on the calendar. With partnerships galore, branded side events ranged from €120 ($127) to €1,100 ($1,160), including “Let’s Play Poker Live,” “Poker League of Nations,” and “Israeli Poker Tour” events. It was clear that The Battle of Malta was drawing on poker collectives from all over the world and all things considered, the Main Event reaching 2,592 entries was a huge success.
Unsurprisingly, the Main Event final table was an international affair with players from Italy, France, Poland, Estonia, Israel, and the Netherlands. With three left, all the players were guaranteed six-figure scores. Yossef Cohen and Stan van Dijk put in tremendous performances to finish third and second, respectively, but in the end it would be Giuseppe Rosa who would take home the trophy and the lion’s share of the prizepool, a whopping €200,340.
- Battle of Malta Main Event Final Table Results
- Giuseppe Rosa – Italy – €200,340
- Stan van Dijk – Netherlands – €140,000
- Yossef Cohen – Israel – €100,000
- Noam Garama – Israel – €72,000
- Federico Petruzzelli – Italy – €54,120
- Jeremy Soreau – France – €41,680
- Karol Szyszko – Poland – €29,240
- Valter Marchi – Italy – €18,040
- Peep Kivistik – Estonia – €10,580
Montealegre bottles magic twice with the Malta Poker Festival
After the sale of The Battle of Malta brand to Casino Malta, the Portomaso Casino immediately got to work building another poker festival brand.
Spearheading this was the former Battle of Malta Project Director Ivonne Montealegre who firmly believed that she could bottle magic twice.
However, in 2018, The Malta Poker Festival smashed its €500,000 ($527,455) guarantee when 1,366 players showed up for its inaugural main event. Not surprisingly, 1,324 players took their place the following year.
The same fate befell the Malta Poker Festival in 2020 and 2021, but the event is back in force again with 1,014 players in last week’s Spring Edition. Founder and event director, Montealegre, told VegasSlotsOnline News what the festival means for the island of Malta.
This event brings back an element of fun that has long been lost in the poker industry.”
“The Malta Poker Festival has become an important part of Malta’s national GDP. In the off-season, more than 1,000 athletes from all over Europe and the world tour the island for a week to enjoy the full tourism experience as well as the competitions. Our community is very proud of this event as it brings back the element of fun.” Long lost in the poker industry. With such positive feedback from this Spring edition we are gearing up for a wonderful autumn event between the 24th and 31st of October.”
The emphasis on fun was echoed by the festival’s Social Media coordinator Donna Morton, who also spoke to VSO News:
“I especially loved the fact that so many amateurs came to play the MPF. Without grass roots tournaments like this I very much doubt that poker would survive. Ivonne and her team have brought together people from all over to play, make friends and network. I cannot wait for the festival in October and my inbox is already full of people saying that they want to come back. I think this is testament to the friendly atmosphere, the great structures and how well run everything was.”
Unibet DeepStack Open very proud to power the Malta Poker Festival
Unibet Poker has always prided itself on two things: a healthy poker ecosystem and five-star customer experiences. That’s why the Malta Poker Festival naturally fits into the poker brand that recently set foot in the live arena.
Alex Henry, founder of Unibet DeepStack Open, spoke to VSO News and expressed his joy at the partnership.