iGaming Daily: Meta, Google, and the Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Ads

iGaming Daily: Prediction Markets in Court & DraftKings’ Responsible Gaming Push

Spain begins tests of cross-operator deposit limits on gaming accounts 

SBC Summit: CEO defends DraftKings RG culture after NYT, ProPublica articles

SBC Americas015 views

LISBON, Portugal — DraftKings CEO Jason Robins offered a forceful defense of his company’s responsible gaming approach on Tuesday, amid a run of challenging press.

Speaking at SBC Summit as part of a keynote panel with Michael Jordan and Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl, Robins responded to a question about responsible gaming from moderator Kirsty Gallagher with a passionate answer, days after recent stories about DraftKings’ use of AI by The New York Times and its approach to problem gamblers by ProPublica.

“I think a lot of people — and it’s frustrating for us — look at us and say, you’re motivated by the wrong things. You don’t want people to bet within their means, you want to take advantage of people. That could not be farther from the truth. Every single person in the company will tell you that it’s not at all what we want. That’s the worst possible thing for our company, for our industry,” Robins said.

DraftKings responsible gaming philosophy, in CEO’s words

Robins discussed his..

Read more

Brazil bans online gambling – effective immediately

Steve Hoare07 views

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) announced this Friday, the 25th, the prohibition of fixed-odds betting in Brazil, effective immediately, while fulfilling an official agenda in São Paulo . The regulated websites and applications will be taken offline on October 6th, two days after the first round of elections, through a joint effort between the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and…

Read more

Brazil’s President Lula pledges outright online betting ban

Steve Hoare011 views

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will declare an outright ban on Brazil’s Bets Law, today Friday, 25 September, as an election pledge kept by the Workers Party (PT) government.  Yesterday, the news sources of O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo, reported that Lula had confirmed his decision in a meeting of economic ministers in São Paulo.  The decision comes just nine days…

Read more

Alberta government gives $2.4m to gambling treatment provider

CanadianGamingBusiness09 views

After welcoming commercial online casinos and sportsbooks to the province this summer, the government of Alberta has pledged new funding to expand gambling addiction treatment and related services.

The government announced in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 24, that it will provide approximately $2.4m to Brick House Recovery Centre in an effort to ensure provincial residents have access to specialized care to address gambling issues.

Brick House is an Alberta-based addiction service provider that offers evidence-based treatment and support. The government said that its funding will help the centre deliver a flexible outpatient program consisting of four weeks of outpatient treatment and up to eight weeks of subsequent individualized aftercare to support ongoing recovery.

Treatment is available in-person at centres in Edmonton and Calgary or online across the province.

“Gambling can ruin people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale..

Read more

Olympic Entertainment faces October judgement on €8.5m Lithuania fine 

iGamingExpert07 views

The Administrative Court of Lithuania has confirmed it will determine whether to fine Olympic Casino Group Baltija €8.5m by 19 October.

Proceedings have been disclosed to Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG), the operating company of Olympic Casino Group, the Lithuanian subsidiary of the Baltic gaming group, which believes that its subsidiary should face no action.

The dispute stems from an investigation into the gambling activity of Šarūnas Stepukonis, a former partner at investment firm BaltCap.

LPT, the Gaming Supervisory Authority of Lithuania, found five alleged breaches of gambling and anti-money laundering rules linked to his activity between December 2016 and June 2021.

The regulator says Olympic Casino failed to do enough to establish where the money Stepukonis was losing had come from. It also found that the company’s monitoring of his transactions was ineffective.

OEG is challenging the decision. Its Lithuanian subsidiary argues that the regulator has misread both the r..

Read more

Turkey intensifies fintech scrutiny following following Papel suspension  

iGamingExpert07 views

The Central Bank of Türkiye (TCMB) has suspended fintech Papel Elektronik Money’s operating licence for soliciting financial transactions of illegal gambling and helping hide funds related to activities connected to illicit gambling.

The enforcement was disclosed in this morning’s ministerial gazette (23 September) of the Central Bank’s orders to suspend Papel Elektronik and its online wallet and money transfer services.

The gazette reported that TCMB had summoned a review of Papel’s licence in January, and ordered the company to be put under trusteeship of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).

Papel is being investigated over allegations that its payment infrastructure was used to move money from illegal betting, fraud and unauthorised forex. The case is based on reports from the central bank and Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board MASAK (The Financial Crimes Investigation Authority).

Investigators say proceeds entered the financial system via electronic money se..

Read more

Full gambling ad ban draft to kill affiliates in Bulgaria

A.J. Koehn09 views

Bulgaria’s ruling Progressive Bulgaria party has put its Gambling Act reforms draft up for public consultation, calling for a complete ban on gambling advertising.

The proposed restrictions drafted by Prime Minister Roumen Radev’s cabinet replace the current legislation with a near-total ban on all types of marketing.

Adverts to remain self-contained

Any advertising of gambling games, operators, their related trademarks and distinctive signage, regardless of its type, method, place or distribution is fully prohibited under the proposals.

This applies to all communication channels – TV, radio, print, outdoor, online, social media, apps, streaming services, and others.

Some caveats apply. For one, operators will be allowed to use gambling messaging on their own websites and on their land-based premises – with the only information allowed referring to game-related organising and participation.

Furthermore, building-adjacent casino signage will also be permitted, with the total area..

Read more

NCPG board president speaks out after members quit over Kalshi deal

SBC Americas09 views

The board president of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) spoke out Tuesday on the non-profit’s relationship with Kalshi that is leading some member organizations to quit the group.

Derek Longmeier’s letter affirming NCPG’s “neutral” stance on prediction markets legality arrived shortly after its director of programs resigned, saying she could “no longer reconcile” how she believed her work should be done with the organization’s direction in the past year.

In recent months, members from numerous states have cited the Kalshi collaboration as the reason for ending their affiliation with the NCPG, including:

Michigan

Nevada

Ohio

Washington

All of those states have been involved in federal and/or state court litigation with Kalshi for months.

What is NCPG’s relationship with Kalshi?

In May, Kalshi and the NCPG unveiled a new multi-year partnership wherein Kalshi committed to invest $2m over two years, and the NCPG established a new Financial Services & Trading Subcate..

Read more

iGaming Ontario, Responsible Gambling Council expand gambling education to 40 campuses

CanadianGamingBusiness09 views

Ontario’s online gaming agency iGaming Ontario (iGO) has teamed up with the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) to expand the latter’s gambling harm education for college-aged students in the province.

The organizations announced on Wednesday, Sept. 23, that the non-profit RGC is doubling its gambling harm prevention program to encompass 40 publicly funded college and university campuses across the province for the current academic year.

Previously aimed at 20 campuses across the province through an initiative funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Health, RGC said that iGO’s new support will double the program’s footprint and target 10,000 in-person student interactions.

Now in its 25th year, RGC’s post-secondary campus tour offers in-person education, supports, and resources and an interactive education program delivered by RGC-trained peer-aged ambassadors.

This year, a Random Tower installation features a life-sized Jenga-style activity customized with important messages about harm re..

Read more

Gambling Commission issues final call for feedback on UK regulatory burdens

Steve Hoare012 views

UK gambling licensees and stakeholders have been notified that the Gambling Commission’s  call for proposals to reduce or limit regulatory burdens will close on Friday 25 September. The Commission initiated its exercise on 26 June as part of the Commission’s 2026/27 Business Plan. Proposals are needed to identify rules, guidance and administrative processes that could be simplified. It…

Read more