Lightning Hot

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Lottomatica’s agreement to absorb Cirsa, announced on 2 September, brings four Moroccan casinos into one of Europe’s largest listed gambling groups. Morocco accounts for about 2% of Cirsa’s revenue and about 4% of its earnings.

Neither company has announced plans to seek an online betting licence in North Africa. The deal nevertheless highlights the divide in Morocco’s gambling market.

Land-based gambling can attract international investment. Cirsa expanded its Marrakech presence last November. Private online betting has no equivalent licensing route.

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As such, the ad violated rule 16.3 of the CAP Code (Edition 12).

Midnite’s operator, Dribble Media Ltd, stated that the ad had not been authorised by their company. They cited discrepancies in branding and asserted that it was created and disseminated by an affiliate, Limay Media Ltd, without Midnite’s approval. 

Midnite confirmed it had terminated its contract with Limay and would reinforce compliance reminders to its partners.

What is Lightning Hot?

Earlier this year, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi called illegal betting a “scourge that corrupts society” and emphasised a move towards tougher enforcement.

According to Çiftçi, the rapid growth of digital payments and cryptocurrencies has transformed illegal betting into a major conduit for money laundering. 

“Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organised crime,” he said at the time. “The global gambling market will reach $205 billion in 2030.”