SRIJ, Portugal’s gambling inspectorate, seeks to become the first European regulator to establish a framework for the new casino game types of ‘Crash’ and ‘Loot’. 

Last week, SRIJ – the Portuguese Gambling’s market supervisor under the authority of Portugal’s Tourism Board – launched a 30-day consultation for stakeholders to review its draft law governing the ‘X multiplier’ games of Crash and Loot.

Recognised amongst online casinos’ fastest-growing game types, Crash and Loot are multiplayer games that allow players to instantly multiply their wagers by cashing out of each game round against a randomised clock.

The games’ multiplier starts at x 1.00 and begins to incrementally increase, with players allowed to cash-out at any point. However, a player will lose his stake if he waits too long and the ‘multiplier crashes’.

Game rounds can immediately crash at X 1.00 providing no winnings for participants. Likewise, the games have been recorded to provide cash-out opportunities of X 1000 in certain instances.

Of concern to regulatory agencies, Crash and Loot have become the most popular game types amongst a new generation of players, introduced to the games via crypto casinos.

Opening its consultation, the SRIJ  stated that it required oversight on “the authorization to operate a new type of bankrolled game of chance was required by an operating entity licensed to operate games of chance, which has as distinctive characteristics based on the increment of a numerical value and whose purpose of the game is to cash out the bet before the value sets or disappears.”.

A consultation is required to define Crash and Loot game type characterises legally, which will help the inspectorate establish ‘specific and complementary rules’ that will be applied to Portugal’s existing online gambling regime.

Draft proposals will allow ‘licensed operating entities’ to request for the ‘authorisation to operate Crash and Loot games’, which must follow SRIJ’s approved criteria for offering the game types to Portuguese players.   

The document outlined ‘49 technical rules’ that operators must observe should they offer Crash or Loot

SRIJ prefered gameplay rules state that the “starting base value of the multiplier increment is X 1.00, in which operators must ensure that each game maximum increment stands of X 100”. 

Operators must ensure that the cash-out option is immediately available at X 1.01 multiplier for participants.

Players will only be allowed to place ‘one-to-two bets per multiplier round’, in which the operator must ensure that auto cash-out functionalities are provided to customers.

Incorporating specific Portuguese market rules, SRIJ stated that, ‘without prejudice’, operators must ensure that Crash and Loot type games provide a ‘theoretical rate of return in prizes to players that cannot be less than 80%’.