The Koi Gate

What is The Koi Gate?

Christofidou also floated the idea of issuing GMI recipients with a special card for in-person verification at gambling venues, but several MPs warned this could stigmatise welfare recipients.

Current gambling legislation restricts participation for minors and those classified as “financially vulnerable”. However, GMI recipients are not yet formally classified as such for the purpose of these regulations.

The NBA has operated a online self-exclusion scheme since 2024. It requires users to register with a mobile number, email address and ID. Since around 80% of gambling in Cyprus happens online, this route offers a far easier way to identify and exclude claimants than monitoring anonymous betting at physical outlets.

What is The Koi Gate?

The commission also agreed with the state Department of Commerce’s assessment that the cooperative’s actions were driven by concerns over lost electricity sales rather than legitimate safety risks.

Commissioners pointed to evidence suggesting the tribe may have already been overcharged compared to other member customers.

The Upper Sioux Community also argued that, as a sovereign tribal nation, it is not subject to Minnesota utility regulations. The commission declined to rule on the sovereignty question, concluding it was unnecessary to resolve that issue to determine that Minnesota Valley could not prevent the casino from generating its own power.

How to play The Koi Gate

It requires operators to describe in detail how they will responsibly wind down their operations should their licence not be renewed or be revoked. Or if they decide to leave the market midway through the five years between renewals.

The regulator noted that several operators received “additional points for attention”, indicating that while these applicants met minimum legal thresholds, the KSA expected continuous improvements in compliance practices.

In June, one of the operators, TOTO online BV, was reported for violating the ban on featuring role models in advertising materials.