New Saints FC spreads awareness of GAMSTOP’s ‘crucial’ work

The New Saints FC (TNS) and GAMSTOP have teamed up in support of Self-Exclusion Day on 14 September.

The 16-time JD Cymru Premier champions donated their match-day sponsorship slot to the UK’s national online self-exclusion scheme for their 4-0 JD Cymru Premier victory over Barry Town.

This saw the club promote the initiative across its matchday programme and social media platforms, as the players wore dedicated custom-made GAMSTOP warm-up shirts ahead of the fixture to raise awareness for the vital campaign.

Fiona Palmer, GAMSTOP CEO, commented: “The level of support The New Saints provided for Self-Exclusion Day has been above and beyond.

“Football clubs play a key role in shaping their communities, and it’s fantastic to see TNS take such a proactive stance in supporting individuals who may be struggling with gambling harm. Together, we can ensure that support is available for those who need it.”

Meanwhile, GAMSTOP, in collaboration with Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA), is also..

Read more

Brazil’s banks call for instant ban of credit card use for gambling

Febraban, Brazil’s Federation of Banks, has urged the government to accelerate the planned ban on using credit cards for betting and gaming activities.

The call is led by Isaac Sidney, President of Febraban, who expressed concerns to the federal government about the growing use of credit cards for betting, warning of the risks of debts being accrued by citizens.

Currently, the government and related agencies are in the licensing phase to launch Brazil’s federal fixed-odds sports betting and online gambling marketplace, commonly referred to as Bets.

Planned to take effect from 1 January 2025, the launch of the Bets market will prohibit credit card transactions for online gambling. The Ministry of Finance announced in April that the new rule also prohibits payments made in cash, bank slips, cheques, cryptocurrencies, or any methods that hide the source of funds.

“We are very concerned about how much this could compromise family income and increase defaults, potentially raising the co..

Read more

ZonMw launches second wave of Dutch gambling harm prevention grants

Dutch healthcare research agency ZonMw has put out a call to hand out grants for a new study surrounding the prevention of gambling harms.

The study calls for researchers committed to improving care for those suffering from problem gambling harms by increasing the number of treatment options and simplifying the access to relevant services.

Zon, or ZorgOnderzoek Nederland, is an independent government body established by law with the ZON Act from 1998. ZonMw constitutes a working relationship between Zon and one of its main contractors – the Dutch Research Council – which began in 2001.

The latest grant round is the second from ZonMw’s “Prevention of Gambling Addiction” programme, which was launched in 2023 and will run until 2029. The funding comes from the Verslavingspreventiefonds (VPF) – also known as the Addiction Prevention Fund.

Managed by the Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the VPF was set up with the enforcement of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA Act) ba..

Read more

SPA sets hard deadline of 1 October for unlicensed operators to exit Brazil market

The Ministry of Finance of Brazil has declared that, from 1 October, it will suspend all businesses that have failed to apply for licence authorisation to participate in the forthcoming Bets market.

This hard deadline forms part of plans to launch the Bets market on 1 January 2025, under the federal framework to regulate and licence fixed-odds betting and online gambling in Brazil.

As announced: “Only companies that are already operating and have requested authorisation by 30 September 2024 may continue to operate until December 2024. By 1 January 2025, only fully compliant companies can continue operations.”

On 20 August, the federal government management office of SIGAP closed the preliminary licence application window for the Bets market, which saw 113 businesses apply for licensing.

The licence applications are currently being reviewed by the Secretariat of Betting and Prizes (SPA), ensuring that businesses meet the technical requirements of the Bets market.

Regis Dudena, Gene..

Read more

Australian government urged to pursue gambling ad ban

Alliance for Gambling Reform, an Australian gambling harm organisation, has reiterated its demands for a total ban on gambling advertisements following increasing player losses.

The gambling trade body has called on Australian policy makers once again to push for a phase out of gambling advertisements, pointing to 2022/23 national gambling losses of $32bn.

Provided in a recent report from the Queensland Government, these figures show a significant increase on the only available previous loss figures of $25bn from 2018/19.

Martin Thomas, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, commented: “Australians lose more to gambling than any other nation in the world because we have a grossly inadequate regulatory regime in which the gambling industry has been allowed to operate virtually unchecked causing devastation to individuals, families and communities.

“These latest horrifying loss figures underscore the importance of the Federal Government adopting all 31 recommendations of the Murp..

Read more

Sky Bet reprimanded by ICO sweep of unlawful cookies

Sky Betting and Gaming (Sky Bet) has been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for unlawful data processing practices.

This morning, the ICO revealed that following an investigation, it had concluded that Sky Bet had processed personal data through advertising cookies without providing users’ consent.

The investigation was launched following a complaint submitted to the ICO by gambling reform campaigners Clean Up Gambling.

The complaint, which was publicised by the Financial Times and Daily Mail, accused Sky Bet of illegally gathering data to build “detailed and intimate profiles of individuals, often without their knowledge.”

Clean Up Gambling’s complaint demanded that the ICO investigate whether Sky Bet was deliberately using personal data without consent to target vulnerable gamblers – “such profiles include indicators of personal vulnerability and addictive behaviours, which can then be used to target the most vulnerable.”

The ICO investigation found that..

Read more

Sweden’s BOS commissions Advisense survey to strengthen AML efforts

The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel, has commissioned a survey to strengthen its efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.

This autumn, consulting firm Advisense will conduct the AML State of Play survey, asking BOS member companies questions on AML and terrorist financing to see what needs to be done in response to the increased risk following the rise of the internet, smartphones and new platforms being used for online gambling.

Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS, commented: “The gambling market should be a place for joy, entertainment, and excitement – and the occasional big win. Criminal activities must be eradicated. Our tolerance for money laundering in the gaming industry is zero.

“Together with Advisense, we are now setting a spotlight on ourselves to identify how we can improve our work against money laundering.”

BOS highlighted that current challenges in online gambling are “reflected in recent sanct..

Read more

Ireland told to impose child protections in Gambling Regulation Bill

The Government of Ireland has been warned to recognise children’s exposure to gambling marketing in media and sports when finalising the regulatory terms of the Gambling Regulation Bill of Ireland (GRB).

The warning comes from BMC Public Health, a research agency conducting a “qualitative study exploring children’s exposure to and understanding of gambling marketing, risks, and harms in Ireland.”

Research was commissioned due to increased concerns about the “normalisation of gambling in sports” and reports from Irish public health agencies of a “significant increase in underage gambling.”

In its abstract, the report notes that Ireland currently has insufficient evidence on how gambling advertising is consumed and interpreted by children: “To build this evidence base and provide granular broad-level data, this study explored the sport consumption habits and views of Irish children (aged 14–17 years) on their exposure, awareness, and perceptions of the relationship between sport and g..

Read more

SAFE Bet Act wants federal oversight of regulated US sports betting

Rep. Paul Tonko and Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced details of their new Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet (SAFE) Bet Act during a press conference on Thursday.

Bill would create federal oversight of state-run sports betting

The overarching idea of the bill is to let states continue to regulate and oversee sports betting but to implement a set of federal minimum standards that state regulators and operators need to meet. States would be required to apply to the Department of Justice in order to get the greenlight to run a regulated market.

Those federal standards cover a wide range of topics related to responsible and problem gambling. Unlike Tonko’s previous bill, the Betting on Our Future Act, which sought to ban all electronic advertising of sports betting, this version would allow it, but with several limitations.

The bill would prohibit advertising during primetime hours as well as during live sporting events, implement language restrictions on words like ..

Read more