NCAA counted 2K instances of bettor harassment during March Madness

According to NCAA Managing Director Mark Hicks, the organization has a pretty clear understanding of the scope of bettor harassment on social media.

Speaking to Entain’s SVP of American Regulatory Affairs & Responsible Gambling Martin Lycka as part of the SBC Summit North America Player Protection Symposium, Hicks cited data from ethical data group and NCAA partner Signify collected during March Madness earlier this year.

Around 2,000 incidents of bettor harassment this March Madness

Hicks said the group counted 50,000 incidents of athlete harassment online, 4,000 of which were serious enough to be turned over to the platform, law enforcement, or, in some cases, both.

Of those 4,000, roughly half could be tied back to sports betting, which explains why Hicks and the NCAA have become increasingly focused on athlete protection as it develops and expands its sports betting protocols.

“The policies that went into NCAA legislation years and years ago were really integrity-focused, but ..

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Women in Gaming takes step towards African inclusivity with All-in Diversity Project

Women in Gaming Africa has initiated a partnership the All-in Diversity Project, hoping to collaboratively foster greater representation across the African gaming industry.

Boasting a joint aim to “drive positive change by promoting diversity and inclusivity”, WiG’s partnership has laid out plans to ensure that “underrepresented voices and perspectives are valued within the global gaming community”.

Kelly Kehn, Co-Founder of All-in Diversity Project, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with Women in Gaming Africa in our ongoing pursuit of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the gaming industry.

“This collaboration not only extends our reach across the globe but also underscores our belief in the mutual benefits of partnering.”

The two organisations will combine their expertise, resources and networks in hope of driving “meaningful change” within the gaming community. This includes working towards inclusivity, opening up more opportunities for individuals from all..

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Spain’s Influencer Law to carry Decree rules on Gambling Advertising

Spain aims to be Europe’s trailblazer by adopting the first dedicated framework to regulate the content, standards, and advertising practices of social media influencers.

Last Friday, the Council of Ministers received the draft of the New General Law on Audiovisual Communication (LGCA) – commonly referred to as the ‘Influencer Law‘.

Filed as a ‘digital transformation’ project by the Ministry of the Economy, Spain seeks to determine the legal rights of content creators, vloggers, and influencers engaging Spanish audiences on social media platforms.

Marked as primary objectives, the new LGCA aims to protect the content and intellectual property (IP) of creators, safeguard minors from viewing adult content, and apply specific rights on social media platforms.

The LGCA will apply changes to Spain’s media laws, recognising content creators as ‘audiovisual content service providers.’ This requirement is due to the increasing relevance of content creators and their impact on Spain’s media..

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Swedish Sports and Gambling to prepare for common exchange on match-fixing data

Swedish gambling will enter a transformative phase during H2 as the government launches its new cooperative framework to combat match-fixing across all levels of professional and amateur sports.

Yesterday, Camilla Rosenberg, Director General of Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s Gambling Inspectorate, joined Minister of Financial Markets Niklas Wykman to inform stakeholders of upcoming duties.

Approved by the Riksdag in 2023, Swedish gambling and sporting bodies will adopt the “Measures Against Match-Fixing and Unlicensed Gambling Operations,” applying new controls and duties to report and co-share data on threats related to match-fixing and sports integrity.

As such, all relevant stakeholders in Swedish sports and gambling will share a cooperative platform for data sharing, and will be required to flag any suspected event of match-fixing on the common platform.

The platform sees the government change its approach to coordinating match-fixing investigations, by applying a data-led multi-st..

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Buenos Aires to toughen City Compliance on under-age gambling

The executive of Buenos Aires has warned gambling licensees (retail and online) to prepare for tougher compliance measures imposed on their businesses.

The city’s legislature has confirmed that BA’s ‘Codigo Contravencional‘ – Code of Contraventions will be expanded to include new penalties for gambling infringements.

A proposal has been brought forward by the municipal deputies of Paola Michielotto and Sergio Siciliano to toughen the City’s gambling rules and to ensure that gambling is promoted and played by over-18s, online and in licensed venues.

The deputies’ proposal detailed concerns on the over-exposure of gambling adverts viewed by BA minors, citing a high coverage of adverts on online platforms and broadcast during football matches.

BA will expand its Code of Contraventions to avoid the “consequences of underage gambling, which extend beyond financial issues, impacting family and social problems, sedentary lifestyles, and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.”

..

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SBC launches Player Protection Hub with new editor

SBC Media is launching the Player Protection Hub, a members-only community hub designed to share news, insight, research, education and best practices in responsible gambling.

Located at www.playerprotectionhub.com, the new resource will gather responsible gambling news stories, videos and podcasts from across SBC Media’s portfolio of websites, as well as curating relevant research papers and studies.

The Hub will work in close cooperation with SBC’s global events team, particularly on the SBC Player Protection Symposiums in New York and Toronto.

The company is delighted to announce that long-time industry expert Steve Hoare, formerly of Gaming Intelligence and GeoComply, is joining SBC Media to spearhead the project as editor of the Player Protection Hub.

“I have been following the responsible gambling story for over a decade and knew the industry needed something like this – somewhere that brings all this news, innovation and research together in one place. So, as soon as the..

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BHA to monitor Pilot proceedings as Government is reminded of Levy pledge

BHA to Monitor Pilot Proceedings as Government is Reminded of Levy Review Pledge

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will closely monitor the forthcoming developments of the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) pilot scheme and timeline to implement affordability checks.

The governing body of British racing has issued its response to yesterday’s announcement by the Gambling Commission that it would roll out its pilot scheme on “frictionless customer affordability checks” from August 2024, initiating a six-month test phase to move to a live environment.

BHA CEO Julie Harrington commented, “We are reassured that the Government has listened to Racing’s long campaign against the affordability checks first outlined in its White Paper more than a year ago.”

Representing the interests of UK racing and its rural value-chain, the BHA and its members have voiced strong concerns against financial affordability checks being imposed on customers.

Alongside the Jockey Club and Racing Post, the B..

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Safe Bet Show: Arthur Paikowsky on charities, fundraising, and the ICRG

Martin Lycka welcomes Arthur Paikowsky, President of the International Centre for Responsible Gambling to discuss Arthur’s experience with the ICRG, formerly the NCRG, including growing the organisation, and their work and research in the United States and now beyond over the last 25 years. Martin and Arthur also discuss Arthur’s fundraising experience and the challenges…

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Safe Bet Show: Emilia Kinderman at high end bookmaker Fitzdares

In the latest episode of the Safe Bet Show, Emilia Kinderman, Group Compliance Director at Fitzdares, takes the hot seat to join Martin Lycka, to discuss Kinderman’s journey throughout the industry, as well as her work on The Ritz’s casino operation, focusing on the Anti-Money Laundering process when it was placed under “special measures”. The…

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