Keith Whyte left his role as Executive Director of The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) just two weeks ago for a new career in consultancy. Player Protection Hub sat down with him to discover what’s next PPH: So Keith… 26 years? Keith Whyte: It’s been an incredible journey and after 26 years it was…
iGaming is a fiercely competitive industry for operators vying for revenue share and market leadership. But when it comes to safer gambling and player protection, it’s crucial to keep a shared goal in mind.
That was the core message of a panel at British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling conference in October, when operators and regulators gathered to discuss the impacts of regulating gaming on responsible gambling, using Ontario’s commercial open market as a framing.
“Although we’re competing in a lot of ways, we all benefit from having healthy players,” said Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) VP of Community, Sustainability & Social Responsibility, Catherine Meade. “We need to talk about what customer behaviours lead us to intervene and what thresholds we’re using.
“No one really benefits from passing a player from one to the next. Who benefits — and, more importantly, who’s harmed — when we do it without working together? Of course, the answer to ..
A new consultation has been launched by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) which will focus on gaming machine technical standards and their related testing strategy.
Running for 16 weeks from 29 January until 20 May, this is the UKGC’s third consultation as part of its implementation of the proposals from the 2023 Gambling Act Review White Paper.
Tim Miller, Executive Director for Research and Policy at the UKGC, stated: “The White Paper sets out that a top priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment and today’s consultation proposes how we could implement gaming machine changes in the land-based sector.”
Proposals covered in this consultation include plans to introduce five new standards, a licence condition and a social responsibility code provision “designed to support and empower consumers to use gaming machines safely at every stage of the customer journey”.
This includes proposals on “time and monetary limit setting functionality and information..
On Tuesday, the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group launched a new project aiming to address the growing problem of online gambling and gaming among young people.
The Group created a 2024 policy paper on “strategies and regulatory options aimed at reducing risks and harms related to online gaming and online gambling.” The paper found that gambling and gaming products were deliberately made to be “as immersive and addictive as possible.”
The new project was launched at the start of a two-day conference in Rome. It seeks to counter these issues through policy and raise awareness among the 46 members of the Council of Europe.
Orsolya Kiraly, a researcher at the Eotvos Lorand University’s Institute of Psychology in Budapest, said that only a small number of adolescents experience the worst effects, which include addition-like symptoms, but in these rare cases the negative consequences are severe and include functional impairment.
Kiraly added that online gambling and gaming are of par..
Advertising action in Australia has seen the Minns Labor government move to ban gambling adverts on public transport in New South Wales (NSW).
The ban would see gambling advertising banned from all transport-owned and controlled assets, such as trains, metro, buses, light rail, train stations, and ferry terminals, both internally and externally.
Gambling advertising to be included in the ban extends to all casino, lottery and online betting advertising.
Jo Haylen, Minister for Transport, stated: “Gambling advertising has been a common sight on our public transport for a couple of years now, and I’m pleased our Government is taking action to remove it.
“Parents are rightly worried about the impact it has on their kids, so it’s not something that we think needs to be on our transport network.
“With over 3,500 buses, close to 800 advertising assets at train stations, as well as advertising on light rail and trains, Transport’s advertising contracts are vast. Because of the scale ..
Turkish authorities are ramping up efforts to combat illegal gambling websites, as the country’s Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek declared “Turkey is in a great battle against illegal betting and gambling sites.”
The National Lottery Administration (MPİ) reported that it blocked 233,000 websites in 2023 and 2024. Of these, 56% originated in the USA, 17% in Armenia, and 6% in the Netherlands.
The MPİ passed on its findings to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Cybercrime Department for further investigation. Legal actions are underway against 376,000 websites and over 6,700 unique domains.
Şimşek underlined the significant threat of these black-market websites when it comes to the prosperity of the Turkish economy, undermining tax revenues from state-owned enterprises like Milli Piyango (National Lottery) and IDDAA (sports betting).
He emphasised: “We are determined to prevent unregistered economic activities and financial crimes that harm our citizens…
The industry non-profit All-in Diversity Project (AiDP) has reshaped the ‘methodological evolution’ of its All-Index to provide a deeper report and analysis on the inclusivity of the global gambling workforce.
Since 2018, AiDP has reported on the composition of the global gaming workforce and the development and challenges of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) through the All-Index.
For its forthcoming update, AiDP will reveal “significant shifts in industry participation patterns, leading to a transformative approach in measuring and reporting workplace inclusivity across the global betting and gambling sector.”
These changes reflect the evolving participant profile of the index, which now accounts for a wider representation of organisations involved in various gambling disciplines.
Participants broadening AiDP’s research scope include government regulatory bodies, regional service providers, compliance agencies, independent consultancies, and non-gambling-specific organisat..
Gambling advertising will no longer be permitted on the transport network of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).
This morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns signed a ‘prohibition agreement’ to ban gambling advertising from being displayed on all state-owned transport assets. NSW will prohibit gambling advertising across its transport network, including trains, metro services, trams, and taxis. Additionally, the ban will cover all stations and terminals used by the public.
The ban will be implemented over a 12-month period, during which NSW will work with contract holders to implement the required changes.
As detailed: “NSW operates one of the largest portfolios of advertising assets across Australia. This includes 798 advertising boards at Sydney train stations, 49 road-facing digital billboards, adverts on up to 3,711 urban buses, 76 trams, and across the Tangara train fleet.”
Since 2023, NSW Premier Chris Minns has implemented a comprehensive action plan to mitigate gambling..
New guidance on identifying problem gambling behaviours and symptoms has been provided to general practitioners (GPs) and other healthcare professionals in the UK by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
GPs have been provided with practical guidance to help identify, assess, and manage gambling-related harms affecting members of local communities.
NICE serves as an independent organisation that provides guidance on health and social care issues to improve the quality and availability of healthcare services for British patients.
Guidance on problem gambling is recommended, recognising that “stigma, shame and fear of disclosure can prevent people experiencing gambling-related harms from talking about gambling and from seeking and accessing support and treatment.
“In addition, stigma may be a particular issue for certain groups, such as people from marginalised, minority, or under-represented communities.”
The guidelines provided to GPs cover problem gambling..
Sky Betting and Gaming is “considering” an appeal after the high court ruled the group did breach data regulations following direct marketing sent to a problem gambler.
The player in question, who reportedly lost more than £45,000 over 10 years, made the case that the now Flutter-owned operator should have been aware they were a problem gambler and therefore should not have enabled their data to be utilised for third party marketing.
SBG emphasised on site that it “never shares data with companies outside of its group for them to use for their own marketing.
Sky Betting and Gaming stated: “We fundamentally disagree with this judgment. We have made significant changes to our controls and processes over the past six years as part of our ongoing investment behind safer gambling and will continue to do so.”
Whilst remedies were deferred, the judgement does hold up in terms of declaratory relief for the claimant, with further submissions from both parties anticipated in the event tha..