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What is Totem Lightning?
Using data collected primarily through Chrome’s incognito mode to exclude personalised search histories, the KVA identified several autocomplete and pre-fill search queries that directly suggested illegal gambling platforms to users.
Examples included phrases like “online casino zonder Cruks” (online casino without CRUKS, the Dutch self-exclusion registry for problem gamblers) and “beste online casino buitenland” (best online casino abroad).
KVA expressed concern over the potential manipulation of Google’s autocomplete function by unauthorised operators and websites primarily set up to redirect Dutch consumers to illegal gambling offers.
About Totem Lightning
“We’re still early,” he says. “The priority is to prove the model properly; make sure the games perform and demonstrate that it works commercially. If we do that, I think the opportunity is significant.”
Five years from now, Curwen expects the development landscape – and the studios operating within it – to look markedly different.
“I don’t think the successful studio of the future necessarily has hundreds of people,” he says. “It could be a relatively small group of extremely talented people with great ideas, strong brands and a very good understanding of players, supported by technology that does much of the heavy lifting.”
How to play Totem Lightning
Nederlandse Loterij has announced plans to appeal portions of the Lalabet decision, particularly arguing that trust firms have a duty to properly vet their clients.
The operator was also investigating the roles of the same trust firm in relation to Qbet and Skyhills, indicating further legal proceedings may be forthcoming once corporate structures are clarified.
The crackdown on illegal gambling sites coincided with a broader policy debate in The Hague. The Dutch House of Representatives is set to discuss gambling regulation reforms this week.
