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Evoke bolsters player protection protocols with Mindway AI

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evoke, formerly 888 Holdings, has partnered with Mindway AI, integrating its technology solutions onto its platform to bolster its player protection and responsible gaming protocols.

Mindway AI combines artificial intelligence, neuroscientific insights and expert human evaluations to enhance player protection using its GameScanner solution.

evoke will utilise GameScanner across its brands – including William Hill, 888, and Mr Green – to support its player safety strategy.

“Partnering with Mindway AI will allow us to take our approach to player safety to a whole new level,” commented Will Mace, Group Director of Player Safety at evoke.

“We are totally committed to ensuring our players have a safe, and enjoyable, experience. Mindway AI are unequivocally experts in identifying signs of potentially harmful gambling, and by harnessing that expertise, we will be able to really enhance our commitment to our players.”

Mindway AI has stated that its GameScanner solution is a “powerful ini..

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Kansspelautoriteit aims to improve Dutch gaming halls’ duty of care

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Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming authority, has stated that it will utilise investigative findings to improve the duty of care at gaming halls across the Netherlands.

Throughout December 2023 and January 2024, KSA inspectors visited 20 gaming facilities across the country to investigate how duty of care was being implemented.

Sharing its findings, the gaming authority noted that the majority of gaming halls paid attention to duty of care, but added that its implementation could be improved upon in certain areas.

The KSA stated that gaming halls have taken steps to meet the duty of care requirements in the KOA Act, including preventing and limiting gambling addiction as much as possible, but the “practice is not always sufficiently in line with the expressed good intentions and what is included in the policy”.

“It is striking that the personal circumstances and playing behaviour of regular players are (more or less) known,” said the authority. “But there is sometimes a lack of a..

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Continent 8 offers new services as part of AWS partnership expansion

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Continent 8 Technologies has expanded its partnership with Amazon Web Services and has been selected as an official solutions provider in the Solution Provider Program.

Becoming an SPP member, the global managed hosting, connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity solutions provider noted that the enhanced AWS collaboration has allowed it to introduce a new variety of services to simplify AWS cloud environments and infrastructure management.

Edward O’Connor, CTO at Continent 8 Technologies, stated: “The AWS Solution Partner Program milestone underscores Continent 8’s commitment to continuing its position as the service and solutions provider of choice to the igaming and online sports betting market.”

The new managed and professional services include Regul8 Guardrails, which provides customers with “customised designs and configurations for easy-to-integrate compliance across cloud environments while accelerating time-to-market and expansion into new jurisdictions”.

Meanwhile, the Manag..

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Argentine regulator set to block illegal gambling sites

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The local regulatory body Provincial Institute of Games and Casinos (IPJyC), together with the government of the city of Mendoza, announced that it will block unauthorized online gambling sites. According to the provincial regulator, it will send a list of illegal sites to the capital city municipality so that it can block access to them through public…

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SkyCity Entertainment to utilise Gentoo Media’s GiG Comply tool

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Gentoo Media, formerly known as GiG Media, has secured a partnership with SkyCity Entertainment Group, to utilise its automated compliance and brand protection tool, GiG Comply.

Through the agreement, GiG Comply will assist SkyCity in monitoring affiliate marketing, making sure that it is abiding by brand guidelines and regulatory requirements, with an emphasis on responsible gambling and safeguarding the brand.

Mads Birch Jespersen, Director of Marketing & Media from SkyCity, stated: “In a rapidly evolving online casino landscape like New Zealand and given the comprehensive compliance standards that SkyCity is determined to uphold, GiG Comply offers an additional filter for us to meet these standards.

“The tool allows us to explore and expand our online presence while keeping everything in line within our regulatory strategy.”

Gentoo Media noted that the link-up demonstrates the two parties’ dedication to high compliance and brand protection standards, with SkyCity able to meet ev..

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New Dutch minister Teun Struycken to oversee gambling reforms

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The Netherlands’ new conservative coalition government has confirmed the appointment of Teun Struycken as the new Minister responsible for overseeing gambling reforms.

A minister of the New Social Contract (NSC) party, Struycken takes on the role of Legal Protections Minister, with the primary task of finalising the Dutch government’s ongoing review of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA Act).

Struycken replaces Franc Weerwind, who served as Legal Protections Minister since 2022, under the former coalition government of Mark Rutte.

Since November’s General Election, a quartet of conservative parties formed of the Party for Freedom, the People’s Party, New Social Contract, and the Farmers Movement have been negotiating on terms to form a new government.

Overcoming deadlocks, in June the quartet agreed to form a government led by Dick Schoof as Prime Minister with “no party affiliation”.

The Coalition confirmed that the position of Minister of Legal Protections will be diminished to a Stat..

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Finland opens consultation on new gambling regime to launch in 2027

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The Ministry of the Interior of Finland has submitted its draft proposal of a new Gambling Act to modernise Finnish gambling in line with recommendations previously put to the government.

As formerly proposed, the new Gambling Act will end the ‘monopoly arrangements’ of state-owned gambling firm Veikkaus Oy, which currently has an exclusivity over sports betting and online casino games.

Though proposals call for Veikkaus Oy to be removed from the online gambling market, the monopoly will retain exclusive rights to operate lotteries, racing pools, totalisator bets, physical slot machines, and arcade games.

Regulatory changes are required as Veikkaus Oy will end its existing monopoly contract by the end of 2026, for which the Ministry of the Interior has opened its consultation, seeking feedback until 18 August 2024.

The draft legislation, prepared by a working group under the Ministry of the Interior, seeks to introduce a new licensing system that will open the market for betting..

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Dominic Matteo warns of gambling’s ‘detrimental effect’ as EPIC facilitator

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EPIC Global Solutions has announced that Dominic Matteo has joined the gambling harm prevention specialist as a lived experience facilitator.

The Premier League and Scotland international defender – known for his top-flight spells with Liverpool, Leeds and Blackburn, as well as being capped six times by his country – will now be educating audiences on the potential dangers associated with betting.

His on-pitch success, however, came with an addiction to gambling preceding him being declared bankrupt.

Dominic Matteo
Matteo – who admitted in his autobiography that he lost more than £1m to gambling – commented: “Having had issues with gambling, it’s something that I’m very, very passionate about, so to receive the call from EPIC was lovely news.

“Everyone at EPIC knows what they want to do in order to prevent gambling-related harm and it’s important that we keep doing that to make it a better place for everyone.
“I will be trying to help as many people as I can who are in a similar ..

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AGCO orders Ontario youth sports arena to remove betting ads

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The Canlan Sports arena in Oakville, Ont. has removed adverts for theScore Bet sportsbook and online gaming platform after a review by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) found they violated the rule about not targeting minors.

The ads were removed late last month after a complaint was sent to the commission by the advocacy group Ban Ads for Gambling arguing that the ads’ presence at a facility predominantly used by children contravened the AGCO’s regulations. The branding appeared on locker room doors, on boards at the arena, underneath scoreboards and behind benches.

An AGCO review found that they compromised Section 2 of the registrar’s standards for gaming, which notes that advertising and marketing materials and communications “shall not target underage or self-excluded persons to participate in lottery schemes.” It also specifies that ads may not “appear in media and venues directed primarily to minors, or where most of the audience is reasonably expected to be ..

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