The Colombian Gaming Control Board (Coljuegos) is currently waiting for the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications and the police to enforce the blocking of around 300 gaming websites which currently offer their services locally. Among the sites which the government plans to block are PokerStars, bwin, Bet365, Playbet, Foxfoxbet, Betmotion and Casinobet365. According to the board online gaming laws will be toughened after legislation was passed in 2015 and 2016. Operators offering their services locally will now have to meet with a number of requirements including the obligation to pay a licensing fee of $600m pesos and must meet…

The Swiss parliament has voted in favour of a measure that requires internet service providers in the country to begin blocking access to illegal gambling websites. The lower section of the House of Representatives yesterday (Wednesday) gave its approval to the plan after the upper house had previously given the green light to the proposal. In addition, the House yesterday approved a measure that states only casinos based in Switzerland can receive an online licence. The move comes after the Legal Affairs Committee of the Swiss National Council in January voted to withdraw plans to introduce legislation to begin the…

The Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that controversial laws regarding ISP-blocking of unlicensed online gambling websites are constitutional. The regulations were introduced at the start of this year as part of major changes to laws regarding internet gaming in the Czech Republic. Operators wishing to offer gambling services in the county must first obtain a licence or face prosecution from the national regulator and police. Betting firms now also face tighter licensing processes, in addition to a new tax rate of 23% on gross gaming revenue for sports betting and lotteries and 35% for RNG casino games, on top of…

Switzerland has withdrawn plans to introduce regulation that would require internet service providers (ISPs) in the country to block online gambling websites licensed abroad. The Legal Affairs Committee of the Swiss National Council voted 13-12 to remove language related to such rules from the country’s proposed gambling legislation. Earlier this month, the country’s Council of States gave its approval to the plans, with the support of the majority of the Swiss land-based gambling market, which has struggled in recent years due to the emergence of online wagering. More at iGaming Business

In May, the Canadian province of Québec passed its budget bill, Bill 74, which is normally very boring to the average person, but this bill contained a twist that outraged a lot of people. Bill 74 authorized the province to require internet service providers (ISPs) to block any online gambling site that was not licensed by the provincial government. This differs from other laws we are used to in various countries and states that simply say that unlicensed sites are illegal; this is actually a form of internet censorship, deputizing the ISPs to play the role of sheriff. Québec Finance…

The Gaming Control Authority under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania has announced that it has blocked further online gambling websites that do not adhere to new regulations introduced in the country earlier this year. In January, the Lithuanian regulator pledged to take “strict legal action” against operators that organise remote gambling illegally. The Gaming Control Authority has followed up on this by blocking a number of companies that have been operating in the country illegally, with the regulator naming such firms in a list on its website. In a statement, the Gaming Control Authority said that…