UK Crypto Enthusiasts Find Clever Loopholes for Instant Gambling Action

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In a recent investigation, Sky News discovered a booming underground industry where crypto enthusiasts in the UK are easily gaining access to the excitement of unregulated gambling via the use of pre-verified accounts for well-known cryptocurrency casinos like Stake.com. With these accounts, which start at only £8, anybody interested in trying out cryptocurrency gaming can do so quickly and easily, without having to fill out any of the typical laborious paperwork or provide any personal information.

A Far-Reaching Phenomenon

Amidst the prohibition on crypto casinos in the territory, British gamblers are becoming creative to get around regulations and plunge headlong into high-stakes, unregulated gambling. This surge in popularity of crypto casinos, fueled by influential figures like rapper Drake, has given rise to a clandestine network where ready-to-gamble accounts are openly sold.

Despite the obstacles, determined gamblers are using open-source software to their advantage. Complying with regulations is so important to certain sites that they even demand picture identification from users when they create an account. If, on the other hand, the accounts that are being offered are pre-verified, purchasers can avoid these ID checks for as little as ten dollars (or seven and a half pounds).

These automated accounts are popping up all over social media, with vendors operating elaborate operations that include sales teams and “middlemen” who promise safe transfers for a cut of the activity.

Sky News’ months-long investigation has shown that Stake.com accounts are leading the way in this cryptocurrency gaming craze. One Discord server had over a hundred Stake.com accounts, and Facebook promoted almost two hundred of them. However, it is important to note that there is no evidence to suggest that the casinos were aware of or supported these activities.

Growing Concerns

Naturally, regulated casinos that accept cryptocurrency are making every effort to prevent fraud. They are highlighting their dedication to improving security measures and working together with authorities to combat this issue.

Still, some are worried that these accounts might fall into the wrong hands, especially young people and those struggling with gambling problems. Proponents of anti-gambling policies in the United Kingdom are concerned about the addictive potential of crypto casinos, which is exacerbated by features such as no time or bet restrictions.

The probe is still in its early stages, and social media platforms and cryptocurrency casinos are arguing over who is responsible. Nonetheless, increasing accountability is necessary, according to Carolyn Harris MP, who heads a parliamentary committee concerned with gaming’s negative effects in the region. Could this be the beginning of a ripple effect?

 

Japan Ramps Up Crypto Gambling Regulation

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Even though Japan is known to be one of the most welcoming environments for new technologies, the country is seemingly very cautious when it comes to gambling. In fact, it has been very strict about the spread of crypto gambling activities and this has been a major obstacle for the most, if not all, of the crypto gambling companies.

Most recently, in March 2019, the company behind renowned cryptocurrency Tron announced that it would no longer allow gambling DApps (Decentralized Applications) based on its platform to be used in Japan – this move was in compliance with the country’s regulations. Moreover, Tron has discouraged crypto enthusiasts in Japan from creating similar DApps while also imploring non-Japanese developers to block the country’s IP addresses from using their gambling platforms. To top it all off, the company has promised to work alongside Japanese authorities in order to identify breaches of the laws and regulations.

The State of Online Gambling and Crypto in Japan

Japan has been one of the most resistive territories in the world when it comes to gambling. However, the country has softened its stance in recent years with the legalization of casinos and resorts casinos – there was significant resistance to these plans particularly due to concerns that the move would result in more case of gambling addiction. As it turns out, there are already a number of illegal casinos operating across the country’s cities and therefore regulation might have been the best way to go about the issue.

Digital currencies and blockchain have also taken off in recent years and people and business have been working hard to find uses for them across several different platforms. Crypto gambling, for instance, has been one of the most widespread and interesting applications of the technology. In the simplest form, these digital currencies can be used in place of fiat currency in online gambling sites and this means that online gambling will be less costly, transactions will be faster and the gamblers can place bets anonymously.

Anonymity, while considered to be a desirable feature by very many gamblers, is not a very appealing idea for regulators. As such, the Japanese authorities have come to the realization that crypto gambling poses a threat to its ability to regulate the activity. This is precisely the reason why the agreement with Tron to purge all gambling DApps from the territory is a major win for the country as it fights to keep gambling activities under its control.

Crypto Regulation: What Was and What Could Be

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2018 was without a big year for cryptocurrencies as a whole particularly because it saw through a number of developments that kicked off in late 2017. There has been an equal measure of ups and downs in the crypto space which, in one way or the other, have been key to the growth of the industry. Keeping all that in mind, one of the key considerations that many people had in the last year and are looking to improve upon is regulation. With more and more institutional investors streaming into the blockchain and crypto space, there has been an outcry for increased regulation which is expected to be a key driver of the crypto bear market of the past year.

Most of these investors also blamed the initial coin offering (ICO) market’s cool-down on potential threats. To put this into perspective, in October 2018, initial coin offering issuers collected close to $770 million, which is a 50 percent drop of what they raised in December 2017. Apparently, this slowdown was a result of continued pronouncements by SEC Chairman Jay Clayton that said ICOs are securities which imply that those that do not register with the SEC would face dire legal consequences.

What This year Holds

One thing that we can all agree on is that 2019 will certainly be the year that crypto regulation climbs to greater heights. In essence, this means that it is likely that various crypto regulations will become a defining move for such organizations as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other financial bodies in all parts of the globe. While some crypto-related businesses may be reluctant to follow the SEC’s rules, existing regulations are already taking a massive toll on a number of crypto businesses and this is likely to increase further as the year progresses.

Regulation, as always, is always going to be double-sided phenomena. On one hand, existing and future regulations may inhibit innovation – some companies may close their doors and others may avoid starting up altogether. The main takeaway here is that we might go through a transition period where companies and businesses that are not able to play by the rules will be forced to step aside.

On the other hand, proving that cryptocurrencies do indeed have some legitimacy might actually be easier with more regulation in place. Already, the entry of institutional investors is starting to becoming a big deal for people who were skeptical of crypto. It is well known that the borderless and anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies makes them nearly impossible to control but with more regulation, reasonable solutions are certainly bound to be found.

Operators in the Crosshairs as New Austrian Regulations Loom

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The Ministry of Finance in Austria is in the process of scrutinizing the Gambling Act in the country in a bid to introduce some new amendments that will certainly have a huge impact on the country’s local online gambling market. To be more specific, the revised Gambling Act would potentially ban all the foreign gambling operators and even go as far as requesting that the operators to refund the players for all the losses they have accrued at the said casinos for the past 30 or so years.

This Ban Is Not the Solution

Perhaps one of the most notable aspects of the revised Gambling Act is the proposition that the all the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country should ban the IP addresses belonging to all the gambling operators that are currently operating different online gambling business to Austrian gamblers. Just like in Germany, all of these online gambling sites are not sanctioned by the state and it is, therefore, safe to say that they are operating in a grey area. As such, all those that have stopped or are planning to stop marketing their services and products in Austria are to be blocked.

This does not sit well with quite a number of people. Without reading too much into the situation, it is quite clear that the ban will effectively create a monopoly which will favour Casino Austria, which, as it turns out, is the only site that is licensed in Austria – Casino Austria is also partially owned by the Austrian government. Experts and avid followers of the casino industry believe that the move to ban other reputable operators will have negative effects on the industry and ultimately drive the gamblers to unregulated and unlicensed sites.

Even though it is rather obvious that the IP ban will go against the spirit of freedom for service provision in the European Union, the Austrian ministry of finance is hell-bent on seeing it through. This resulted in an idea that the ministry hoped would keep unlicensed foreign operators away and prevent them from trying to find a workaround to bypass the ban.

To be more precise, the ministry proposed that all contracts between players from Austria and unlicensed operators over the past three decades should be considered to be null and void. The operators would, therefore, have to return all player loses since the period stipulated by the proposed plan. Still, the legality and enforceability of this law are still highly questionable, the Austrian Ministry of Finance hopes that the threat alone will serve to keep foreign and unlicensed operators at bay.

There are a number of companies that are already getting ready to fight for their rights using all the legal resources they have. All of these operators have no issue paying their dues but they are not willing to allow the country’s authority take advantage of their power in order to create a monopoly something that even the European Union itself will not accept as well.