GLI publicly releases new technical standard

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has publicly released its landmark “GLI-33: Event Wagering Systems” standard. The technical standard, which has been adopted by several state and tribal regulators, represents the most highly developed set of technical requirements and practices available for sports wagering systems.

Upon its release, several regulatory bodies and industry experts immediately adopted and/or endorsed the new standard, including the Choctaw Gaming Commission of Choctaw Mississippi, the West Virginia Lottery, Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission of North Carolina and Global Market Advisors.

GLI’s Director of Technical Compliance Chad Kornett led the company’s standard-development team. He said, “GLI-33 is an essential addition to the GLI Standards Series, channeling the experience of our global sports-wagering team into a framework that regulators can seamlessly incorporate within their operations. Great care was taken to create a standard that supports the most innovative sports wagering applications while also anchoring fundamental regulatory objectives. GLI collaborated directly with regulators, technology providers and operators to ensure the document represents the most highly developed standards and best practices in existence today. We profoundly thank the industry for its participation and are thrilled to incorporate this important addition to the GLI Standards Series.”

Chair of the Choctaw Gaming Commission of Choctaw, Mississippi Bea Carson said, “The Choctaw Gaming Commission of Choctaw Mississippi and Gaming Laboratories have a long history of working together, and GLI has always been there to provide their expertise when needed. It is because of that trusted industry knowledge and valued relationship that we have chosen to adopt the GLI-33 standard for sports betting. We feel that the GLI Standards have always been robust enough to ensure game integrity while not so restrictive as to limit these new types of gaming technologies.”

West Virginia Lottery Director Alan Larrick said, “The West Virginia Lottery considers the GLI-33 event wagering standard an integral component in the regulatory structure for our sports wagering offering. Our team is very grateful to have access to a technical resource that has been worked on collectively by the industry and it will also serve to protect our patrons, vendors and licensees.”

Managing Director of Sports Betting & Technology for Global Market Advisors John English said, “As states move forward with legalizing sports betting, the GLI-33 standard provides a solid foundation for regulators, operators, and suppliers to offer continued integrity in sports wagering. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to these standards on important issues such as responsible gaming, privacy, banking and AML laws and look forward to working with industry stakeholders to use the standards developed by GLI for Event Wagering Systems.”

The need for the standard became apparent after GLI received numerous requests from U.S. state regulators, sports betting operators, sovereign tribal nations, lotteries and industry suppliers around the world to establish a clear and cohesive technical standard for sports/event wagering systems. The desire was to establish a standard to help regulatory agencies preserve the integrity of legal wagering on sports and other events while doing so in a way that is efficient and supports innovation.

GLI-33, which is part of the GLI Standards Series, was developed by the company’s dedicated sports wagering team, which drew from its nearly 30 years of global sports/event wagering experience throughout markets in Australia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Canada and the U.S. by compiling and integrating sports wagering regulatory best practices from around the world.

After nearly a year of effort, the draft version was distributed to the global community of regulators, industry suppliers, industry operators, and industry trade associations immediately following the repeal of PASPA. GLI-33 has since undergone extensive industry review and comment which has been analyzed and applied in developing the published version.

As with all GLI Standards, GLI-33 is a “living document” that will continue to be refined as part of an ongoing process of gathering industry input. GLI continues to accept feedback and will engage subsequent rounds of updates and public comments, as the global sports/event wagering market continues to evolve.

Additionally, GLI plans to create another standard on change management systems and a framework for periodic operational audits that will further help regulators and operators create more efficient and alternative processes to monitor sports wagering operations.