GME3: Budget News Blues, EU Goes Bananas on Apple, & FL Fight: Round 2

For this week’s GME3 we’re looking at potential news on the registered gambling front in Alberta’s annual budget, the EU bringing down the hammer on Apple for violating antitrust laws, and a second round of legislation out of Florida aiming to limit how easily children can gain unsupervised access to social media. Read on for the full stories!

Gambling

Budget News Blues

We at GME Law were all aflutter last Thursday as Provincial Finance Minister Nate Horner took to the stage to present Alberta’s 2024 budget. Alberta will likely be the next province in line to institute its own registered online gaming regime. If they do pursue that goal, the annual budget would be the first place we would learn about it.

Unfortunately, Alberta did not commit a significant amount of 2024’s budget to developing an online gaming regime through Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC). They did however take a step forward toward this goal, earmarking $1 million for an “online gambling review.” Specifically, Minister Horner committed that: 

“$1 million in 2024-25 will support a review of the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act and supporting Regulation, with the objectives of reducing the regulatory burden on business and finding ways to increase contributions to Alberta charities and community facilities.”

While this may not have been the giant leap forward that we were hoping for, it at least shows that Alberta has committed to considering their own regulated igaming market.

This comes after Dale Nally, the Alberta government’s Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, attended ICE London 2024, where he took part in a Canadian roundtable discussion. Nally has received a mandate from the provincial government to develop a comprehensive igaming strategy by working with Indigenous gaming partners. 

Nally has gone on record saying that “Alberta can be a leading hub for igaming, with a strong emphasis on openness and a free market. We have low corporate taxes, streamlined regulations, and high disposable incomes. These conditions will allow us to establish ourselves as a premier destination for the igaming industry.” Hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity to see for ourselves if Alberta can become as successful of a gaming jurisdiction as Nally is predicting.

Media

EU Goes Bananas on Apple

In an update to the story we covered a couple of weeks ago, Apple has been handed a fine of €1.8 billion (over $2.6 billion in CAD!) in the EU for violating antitrust laws. Specifically, Apple prevented alternative streaming services (like Spotify) from informing users about payment options outside the Apple app store, where they charge an increased fee. In essence, Apple prevented users from learning about cheaper alternative services, which is illegal under EU antitrust rules. 

Apple is committed to appealing the decision, arguing that there is no evidence that any consumers were actually harmed by these actions. A representative from Apple had this to say:

“The decision was reached despite the Commission’s failure to uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm, and ignores the realities of a market that is thriving, competitive, and growing fast.” 

They go on to argue that Spotify, a company based out of Sweden (where the complaint originated from), is the largest music streaming app in the world and even met with the European Commission more than 65 times during the investigation. 

Meanwhile, Spotify seems thrilled with these results, calling it an “important moment” to send a message that even the biggest companies in the world are not allowed to “wield power abusively” over their competitors. Apple intends to appeal the fine, so be sure to look out for more updates on this story in future editions of the GME3!

Entertainment

FL Fight: Round 2

The Florida State Legislature has gone back to the drawing board in its efforts to kick minors off social media. This comes after their previous attempt was struck down by Governor Ron DeSantis.

The newly revamped legislation has one notable change in allowing parents to grant their children access to the social media platforms in question. The proposed law would also create an age limit of 14 for opening an account, as opposed to the limit of 16 in their previous attempt. However, if a court were to rule that a particular platform could “pose a harm to minors,” the parental opt-in would be scrapped.

The revised bill has been rocketing through the legislature this week, getting passed by the State Senate on Monday in a vote of 30-5, followed by a successful vote of 109-4 in the House on Wednesday.

It’s unclear if this bill will be allowed to pass unopposed. Representatives from NetChoice, a trade advocacy and lobbyist group for social media platforms, argue that the new law would violate the First Amendment rights of minors, making it unconstitutional. Similar laws in Arkansas, California, and Ohio have been blocked from taking hold for this very reason. State Republicans seem determined to pass these social media laws. Whether this attempt will be successful (or if we’ll have to wait and find out if the third time is the charm) remains to be seen.