Danish authorities to coordinate efforts against illegal gambling marketing

Denmark’s gambling authority Spillemyndigheden has formed a new agreement with the country’s Consumer Ombudsman Forbrugerombudsmanden, and its gambling advertising board Spilreklamenævnet, to coordinate efforts against illegal gambling marketing.

According to a statement by Forbrugerombudsmanden, the three parties will work together when they have to take action against illegal gambling marketing in Denmark to avoid the duplication of efforts and to improve their cooperation.

In terms of operation, if a gambling company does not comply with criticism by Spilreklamenævnet, or if rules are found to be broken, cases will be forwarded by the advertising board to the ombudsman or the gambling authority.

Forbrugerombudsmanden and Spillemyndigheden can also inform complainants that they can complain to the advertising board if a company breaks the industry’s code of conduct, but not rules handled by the ombudsman or the gambling authority.

Torben Jensen, Consumer Ombudsman, commented: “O..

Read more

SOFTSWISS data shows dip in operators’ fraud notifications

SOFTSWISS has shared that gambling fraud notifications fell during the first quarter of the year.

The global technology company’s managed services’ anti-fraud team has helped operators save around €6m in H1 2024 – according to the recently published insights – which is a one-third reduction in the amount at risk in comparison to last year.

Including operator and verification requests, fraud and responsible gambling notifications, the anti-fraud team handled around 54,000 tasks during the first six months of the year, which is down 8.5% year-over-year.

Ilya Nesterov, Anti-Fraud Team Lead at SOFTSWISS, commented: “The most common types of fraud our team deals with are bonus abuse, identity theft and documents forgery, which account for almost 90% of all fraud cases.”

In addition, SOFTSWISS noted that player complaints submitted to regulators or at industry forums have risen by 12.4% YoY in H1 to 118. The firm claimed that its expertise in analysing these cases helped operators resolv..

Read more

SOFTSWISS data shows gambling fraud notifications fell during H1 2024

SOFTSWISS has shared insights from its managed services’ anti-fraud team for the first half of the year and how they have assisted operators.

The global technology company’s anti-fraud team has helped operators save around €6m in H1 2024, a one-third reduction in the amount at risk in comparison to last year.

Including operator and verification requests, fraud and responsible gambling notifications, the anti-fraud team handled around 54,000 tasks during the first six months of the year, which is down 8.5 per cent year-over-year.

In addition, SOFTSWISS noted that player complaints submitted to regulators or at industry forums have risen by 12.4 per cent YoY in H1 to 118. The firm claimed that its expertise in analysing these cases helped operators resolve issues and save nearly €250,000.

Ilya Nesterov, Anti-Fraud Team Lead at SOFTSWISS, commented: “The most common types of fraud our team deals with are bonus abuse, identity theft and documents forgery, which account for almost 90% ..

Read more

Denmark forms ‘cooperative trio’ against black market advertising

Danish gambling will be safeguarded against ‘unlicensed marketing threats’ by a new cooperative agreement formed by Gambling Authority Spillemyndigheden, Consumer Ombudsman Forbrugerombudsmanden and the Gambling Board of Spilreklamenævnet.

The three organisations will work together to strengthen their efforts against unlicensed operators targeting Danish consumers with illegal gambling offers.

As announced, a ‘cooperative ageement‘ has been formed “to avoid duplicating efforts and to enhance the overall regulation of gambling companies’ marketing in Denmark.”

The Gambling Board, Spilreklamenævnet, will monitor Danish gambling advertising and forward cases to the Consumer Ombudsman and the Gambling Authority if gambling operators do not comply with the board’s advertising code or infringe on advertising laws.

The Gambling Advertising Board will handle complaints about breaches of the industry’s code of conduct in gambling advertising. This code aims to enhance the industry’s social ..

Read more

Buenos Aires province launches plan to counter underage gambling

The government of the province of Buenos Aires announced a “ Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Treatment of Adolescent Gambling Addiction ”. Through this, the authorities seek to strengthen the mechanisms for preventing online gambling among minors and the treatment measures for those who suffer from pathological behavior. According to the Minister of Government, Carlos Bianco , the…

Read more

NBA gambling scheme leads to guilty plea for Jontay Porter

Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges for his role in a gambling scheme that led to his lifetime banishment from the NBA.

Porter pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a New York federal court and has been released on a $250,000 bond insured by his mom and spouse.

“I knew what I did was wrong and unlawful and I’m deeply sorry for my conduct,” Porter told Brooklyn Federal Judge James R. Cho during his arraignment on Wednesday.

Porter faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty with prosecutors recommending between 41 to 51 months of prison time. The 24-year-old, who is undergoing gambling counseling, is projected to pay $456,000 in fines and restitution.

His salary with the Raptors and their G-League affiliate for the 2023-24 season was $410,000. Porter has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 18. According to a criminal docket, Porter is facing forfeiture of “any property, real, or personal..

Read more

UKGC holds consistency in first datasets of Gambling Survey for Great Britain

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has clarified data and insights related to the format of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

Sanctioned in 2020, the Commission undertook two years of pilot tests and fieldwork on methodologies to develop a new format for its survey collecting data on gambling prevalence in Great Britain.

The survey is carried out independently by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the University of Glasgow, with the aim of providing stakeholders with “high-quality information about the gaming, betting, and playing habits, attitudes, and harms experienced across the adult population in Great Britain.”

In 2024, the Commission published the first two datasets of the GSGB titled ‘Wave-1’ and ‘Wave-2’, branded as the “largest survey about people’s gambling behaviours in the world, collecting data from a total of 20,000 respondents each year.”

As detailed, Wave-1 of the GSGB was representative of a sample of 4,801 adults aged 18 and over who ..

Read more

Experts tip Alberta to match Ontario’s success — if done right

Is Alberta the new gold rush for Canadian gaming?

In light of the Alberta government’s review of potential paths towards a commercial gaming industry, and Minister Dale Nally’s declaration that the province will follow an Ontario-style open model, that question was posed to numerous experts at the 2024 Canadian Gaming Summit.

The consensus was that the size of the opportunity is huge and the potential “tremendous.”

According to figures cited by moderator Alon Segev, managing partner of Segev LLP, on a panel fittingly titled Alberta: The New Gold Rush?, Alberta gaming generated over $2.9 billion last year with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis and its Play Alberta platform as the only regulated operator. That number, said Segev, is expected to soar by $1.5 billion in 2024 with commercial gaming potentially on the horizon.

Segev called Alberta “one of the most penetrated gaming jurisdictions in North America.” Even though Play Alberta holds a monopoly over licensed gaming, the pro..

Read more

GamCare recruits ‘NHS expert’ Tim Hodgetts to lead Clinical Operations

GamCare has confirmed the appointment of Tim Hodgetts as Director of Clinical Operations of the UK’s leading charity providing treatment support services for problem gambling.

Hodgetts brings 22 years of experience to the role, having served in multiple leadership roles within the NHS, in which he specialised in the design, management, and efficiency of healthcare networks.

Most recently, Hodgetts served as Deputy Director for Integrated Care Services with Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust – in which he was responsible for the performance management of the unit, meeting NHS objectives.

GamCare highlighted Hodgetts’ management as “Under his leadership, Tim transformed the urgent care services, including the local NHS 111 telephony and online service to become the best-performing in the country.”

Margot Daly, Chair at GamCare, adds: “I am delighted to welcome Tim, whose significant expertise, knowledge, and insights will be invaluable to the clinical leadership of the..

Read more

GamCare appoints Tim Hodgetts as Director of Clinical Operations

GamCare has appointed Tim Hodgetts as its new Director of Clinical Operations, effective from August 2024.

As Clinical Operations Director, Hodgetts will work closely with the leadership team of the gambling support charity, taking responsibility for strategic oversight and all operational management of its clinical and support services.

GamCare’s clinical and support services includes the National Gambling Helpline and online support, regional treatment services, as well as prevention and education programmes.

“I’m delighted to be joining GamCare and supporting the team to deliver its priorities,” commented Hodgetts on his new role.

“The opportunity to lead and support the organisation to continue delivering high-quality, personalised, support services, including the National Gambling Helpline – outstanding of its kind – that ensure the best possible outcomes for people experiencing gambling harm, is why I was attracted to the role.

“I’m excited to work closely with existing p..

Read more