Honey Rush

What is Honey Rush?

Introduced in 1998, ClubGRANTS was designed to channel a share of gambling-linked profits from gaming clubs back into local communities. This includes health and welfare services as well as community development and sporting clubs. 

According to the Gaming Machine Tax Act 2001, a tax rebate of up to 1.85% of a club’s gaming machine profits is made available to any registered club that records profits of over $1 million (US$715,000) during a tax year. 

This is only possible if the club in question allocates at least 0.75% of prescribed profits over $1 million to community-focused activities and services. These profits make up two-thirds of the ClubGRANTS scheme funding. 

About Honey Rush

Within its investigation Black Cube named a number of Evolution employees which it had interviewed and reported to have provided information on the company that supported the intelligence firm’s claims.

An interview carried out by Black Cube with CEO of games developer Ezugi Kfir Kugler had allegedly confirmed that Evolution knowingly provided games in markets sanctioned by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Spectrum conducted follow-up interviews with these employees who had “provided derogatory information relating to Evolution’s business practices”.

What is Honey Rush?

UK operators already carry out enhanced checks on politically exposed persons (PEPs), but this case shows the limits of those safeguards, Bethan Lloyd, partner at law firm Wiggin, recently told iGB.

“PEP status does not prevent someone from gambling,” Lloyd explained. She said PEPs are entitled to bet, but not on events where inside information gives them an unfair advantage.

A low ranking MP or parliamentary aide is unlikely to meet the threshold for PEP status. She argued it would place an onerous burden on operators to verify every customer’s occupation.