Fire Ice

About Fire Ice

The Netherlands online gambling market has been the subject of many column inches and much speculation thanks to regulation that has been largely described as heavy-handed and perhaps a little short-sighted – even by the country’s own regulator.

The triumvirate of Netherlands, Germany and Sweden is often held up as an example of how not to regulate, with all three countries haemorrhaging players to waiting illegal operators. So what is public sentiment like towards operators? “My feeling is that if you look at public sentiment, they don’t see really the difference between online and land-based,” says Petra. “If you look into what they’re saying, they’re primarily talking online. But for the general public, there is no difference [between the channels] in that respect.”

She believes the sentiment towards gambling among the Dutch public is comparable to the UK, Finland, Germany, France. “So, very tense,” she says.

How to play Fire Ice

ANJ, France’s gambling regulator, has issued a practical guide aimed at licensed online gambling operators to better identify, document, and respond to various types of player fraud. 

Published on Monday, after a period of consultation with operators and the gaming ombudsman, the guide clarified expectations around compliance with existing anti-fraud and anti-money laundering regulations without introducing new legal obligations.

While the guide does not impose novel legal duties, it effectively tightens the operational framework that operators must observe to manage player fraud in France.

How to play Fire Ice

Grasso has also had a professional relationship with Rovito. Patch reported that the mayor, an attorney, has represented the restaurateur in civil matters. A pasta dish made of “fresh tomato sauce and basil, tossed with a touch of olive oil, and topped with fresh ricotta” at Capri Ristorante is also named “Linguini alla Mayor Grasso”

The relationship has drawn additional attention since Rovito’s arrest. 

In June, Grasso wrote an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune criticizing what he described as media coverage that unfairly associates Italian Americans with organized crime. However, he did not directly name Rovito in the piece.