Norway’s regulator warns over unlicensed operator
The Norwegian gambling regulator sent an open letter to the Chess Federation over a deal with Kindred.
Norway.- Lottstift, Norway’s gambling regulator, has issued an open letter to the local Chess Federation. The watchdog has warned the federation after it entered into a cooperation agreement with Kindred, which is an unlicensed operator in Norway.
The regulator said that the Norwegian Chess Federation should consider the consequences of entering into such an agreement carefully. “Facing a collaboration with a player who today deliberately breaks Norwegian law can potentially lead to a violation of the gaming rules,” said Lottstift.
The letter, published on June 21, brings awareness to the Chess Federation and its recent deal with Kindred. “The cooperation agreement may be legal, but the Norwegian gaming authority sees the need to comment on certain aspects of the agreement on its own initiative,” said the regulator.
Kindred currently offers games through its subsidiary Trannel despite not having a licence in Norway. However, the operator launched a lawsuit against the regulator as it believes that it is going out of its way to make it impossible for Kindred to offer its online gaming services in the country.
The Chess Federation will decide at a meeting in July if the deal with Kindred stands. The federation said that it will seek legal advice in the meantime so it knows how to properly proceed.
Norway improves payment processing rules
The Norway government unveiled new measures to change processing rules and to prevent gambling operators from offering unauthorised gambling services.
The Norwegian government clarified that there is currently an existing ban on payments from and to unlicensed operators. These new amendments establish a ban to unlicensed operators and companies in charge of payments on behalf of them.
The amendments also establish that Lottstift will be in charge of rejecting payment transactions related to specific account numbers. It will also be in charge of making decisions in regards to an operator or other payment intermediaries.
