GambleAware reports huge stigma preventing vital support

GambleAware has urged people to open up about gambling harm with new data revealing that 66% of people feel that there is stigma around the issue.

The charity has warned that such stigma is holding people back from seeking vital support.

For example, the study shows that 28% of those who experience problems with gambling hide their activities from their family and friends, and 24% who are experiencing the most serious harm do not seek support due to feelings of shame or embarrassment.

Zoë Osmond OBE, CEO of GambleAware, commented: “Now is the time to have a national conversation about gambling harm. Only by encouraging an open dialogue can we empower people to seek the support they need without judgement.”

The organisation has installed a new installation at Westfield London in White City, featuring 85,000 poker chips to encourage conversation surrounding the problem, as it highlights how anyone could be at risk of harm, including children.

In detail, the installation illustrates..

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Russian authorities set to rally against black market

Russian authorities are intensifying action over the gambling sector in a bid to eradicate illegal operators from the country.

In even more stringent measures, the government has confirmed it has commenced with the exploration of plans to shut down online gambling operators and block websites.

Furthermore, the government is also looking to take aim at crypto in a bid to strangle transactions to the online gambling sector.

Vladimir Putin has retained a strong anti-gambling stance during his premiership – establishing the Russian Civic Chamber, a civil society institution during the early stage of his tenure.

The latest efforts have been spearheaded by Evgeny Masharov, a key member of the Russian Civic Chamber.

Following the public discussions, Masharov stated: “The problem of illegal gambling can be solved in two ways: the first is blocking websites and applications, the second is blocking payments in cryptocurrency.”

Speaking to Russian news outlet TASS, Masharov emphasised ..

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Sportradar to monitor over 10k Brazilian football matches this season

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has moved to strengthen its integrity oversight amid the continuing growth of the country’s betting market.

The confederation extended its partnership with sportstech and data group Sportradar this week, specifically leveraging the firm’s Sportradar Integrity and Regulatory Services.

Set to restart in the 2025/26 season, the deal looks to boost efforts to fight match-fixing in Brazilian football and safeguard the integrity of the sport.

Andreas Krannich, Executive Vice President of Integrity and Regulatory Services at Sportradar, commented: “We have built a strong collaboration with CBF to reinforce the integrity of Brazilian football.

“With this new agreement, Sportradar is providing the most comprehensive coverage Brazilian football has ever had. We are very pleased to continue this partnership with one of the world’s most-renowned football organisations.”

The sports technology company will deliver integrity monitoring for over 8,200 m..

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Dutch legislators going through the motions on gambling reform

The Dutch House of Representatives has adopted a series of motions around gambling over the past two weeks, including calling for more research into the gambling age limit.

In the latest round of votes this week, the House approved an amended motion submitted by MPs Rosemarijn Dral and Marieke Wijen-Nas, respective members of the People’s Party and the Farmer–Citizen Movement.

The motion calls for the State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken, to properly investigate whether or not raising the age limit for playing ‘risky games of chance’ from 18 years to 21 years would benefit the black market.

In February, Struycken announced a series of proposed reforms to the Gambling Act (KOA Act), which re-regulated the Dutch online gambling market in 2021. This included the proposal of increasing the age limit for certain casino products.

The reforms have been broadly welcomed by stakeholders amid rising public and political concerns about gambling visibility in the Netherlands si..

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Betsson ordered to pay player in unlicensed betting case

Eyes of the iGaming world will be intrigued by the decision of the Rotterdam District Court, which has ordered Betsson Group to pay €385,377 to a Dutch customer.

The customer in question stated that they have lost substantial sums of money gaming with unlicensed websites, and pursued a legal case against BML Group Limited and Corona Limited, two of Betsson Group’s subsidiaries.

The plaintiff has stated that the bets placed with Betsson and Kroon were staked before the group’s takeover of Holland Gaming Technology, a local licence holder/ This meant that the companies were unlicensed operators at the time.

As a result, the company has been ordered to pay the player €385,377 to cover losses and has also been told that it will have to pay an additional fee of €92 every day that the court order is not followed. This will start from 14 days after the court’s 9 April judgment.

Could Bill 55 play a role?

Bill 55 may well play a role in the case as it unfolds. The bill serves to strengt..

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Industry set for media storm with publication of groundbreaking suicide studies 

The first of three potentially-groundbreaking studies aimed at building a better understanding of gambling-related suicides is set to be released this month as part of a £1.6m research programme funded by the Gambling Commission and conducted by Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (Greo). Regulus Partners’ Dan Waugh welcomed the research but has raised concerns about the…

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Russia’s Civic Chamber asks for more iGaming blockades

Illegal online operators in Russia, a wide-ranging term given the extensive restrictions on the sector throughout the country, have once again caught the attention of authorities.

The government has begun exploring more ways in which to shut down online gambling operations, and is evaluating the adoption of several methods in the near future. This could include the blocking of websites/applications, as well as blocking of crypto payments for betting.

These proposals were publicly discussed by Evgeny Masharov, a member of the Russian Civic Chamber, a civil society institution established by Vladimir Putin in the 2000s to handle the assessment of draft state laws.

Speaking to Russian news outlet TASS, Masharov was questioned about the Commission’s latest meeting, which focused on gambling and explored different paths towards reducing the influence of the sector on vulnerable groups – specifically children and minors.

During the discussions, hearings were held regarding a number of ..

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German sports betting welcomes coalition deal against illegal gambling

The new German government’s announcement to take more decisive action against illegal gambling has been backed by The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV).

The DSWV has submitted concrete proposals for action on how enforcement can be improved together with the federal states. The trade body has emphasised a need r to “turn good intentions into effective policy”.

At the heart of the proposals are a strengthening of legal providers in competition with illegal ones, which is said to be the most effective weapon against a mushrooming black market.

It must offer sufficiently attractive products for interested customers and can therefore hold its own against the illegal market.

DSWV explained: “This does not mean that regulatory elements must be dispensed with, as state licenses and the ability to advertise with them are a value in themselves. However, the attractiveness of the legal products must not lag so far behind the illegal ones, as is currently the case.”

Furthermore, anot..

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NCAA penalizes former Baylor employee for improper DFS bets

A former employee at Baylor University is being penalized by the NCAA for a series of sports betting infractions involving the school and its student-athletes.

Sam Hancock, a former Director of Resource Development at Baylor, has been issued a two-year show-cause order by the NCAA for placing impermissible daily fantasy sports wagers on professional and amateur sports. According to the NCAA, Hancock placed 2,950 impermissible bets between July 2019 and September 2024 while employed at Baylor.

The illicit wagers, placed across three different DFS platforms, totaled $45,979. The DFS wagers included 113 bets involving Baylor teams and student-athletes despite Hancock being informed by Baylor of the NCAA’s rules and standards concerning sports betting.

Hancock informed the NCAA that he wagered with DFS and sports betting platforms before his time at Baylor but continued to wager on pro and amateur sports after he was hired.

The NCAA determined that Hancock violated Bylaw 10.3, which ba..

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