The first academic paper on the use of psychedelics to assist gambling addicts has been published by academics from Universities in Gibraltar, Budapest and Amsterdam. The paper studies the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy to deal with other mental disorders and concludes that it could be used to deal with gambling disorder. “This paper is setting…
The Australian Government’s Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre has begun an investigation into bet365 regarding its compliance with the country’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
AUSTRAC has stated that its investigation into bet365 – the trading name of Hillside (New Media) Limited – will focus on whether the operator has “complied with its obligations” under the AML/CTF Act.
In addition, the investigation “follows a supervisory campaign of entities within the corporate bookmaker sector and AUSTRAC’s consideration of the external audit report received following AUSTRAC’s order to bet365 to appoint an external auditor”.
AUSTRAC noted that it has a variety of regulatory tools and enforcement powers at its disposal and it “will not hesitate to take action where suspected non-compliance is identified”.
“Corporate bookmakers must have robust systems in place to ensure they can manage and mitigate risks associated with money laundering and terrorism fina..
FanDuel has deepened its focus on social responsibility through a series of initiatives.
In conjunction with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the group will focus on financial support and raising awareness of the importance of responsible play.
Strengthening the focus further, FanDuel also confirmed it is uniting with Kindbridge Behavioral Health (Kindbridge), a mental health service provider dedicated to supporting individuals facing challenges related to problem gambling.
The initial phase of the relationship will focus on a pilot program in New Jersey and Ohio that supports self-excluded players with direct access to comprehensive mental health assessments and group support services.
Alison Kutler, Vice President, Sustainability and Responsible Gaming for FanDuel, commented: “Our team works year-round at FanDuel to equip and support our customers to play responsibly.
“As we mark Problem GamblingAwareness Month, I’m excited to work with a growing roster of partners to expand ..
Casino and sportsbook operator and platform provider Soft2Bet has offered an update on its partnership with global training specialist iGaming Academy, citing the collaboration as an example of its commitment to staff training at every level.
Elisabeth Isaksson: Soft2Bet
Soft2Bet reported that the partnership has enabled it to train its teams at scale and strengthen its commitment to regulatory compliance and excellence.
The technology group noted that as an igaming operator and supplier that works across a multitude of jurisdictions, its scale, reach and size meant finding training solutions that answer multiple and varied needs was paramount.
The collaboration at first focused on compliance training for Soft2Bet’s operational teams, but quickly evolved into a company-wide approach. The ability of both Soft2Bet and iGaming Academy to quickly gauge the scale of the requirement has enabled the effective rollout of training to a vast international workforce.
Elisabeth Isaksson, Hea..
The Australian division of sportsbook operator bet365 has landed in hot water by attracting unwanted attention from the country’s financial regulator AUSTRAC.
According to the watchdog, the probe was launched based on reports of compliance shortcomings with Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act).
The latest is part of AUSTRAC’s ‘extensive supervisory campaign’ launched last year to ensure that money laundering compliance standards are met across sportsbooks operating in the country.
In November, the regulatory body ordered bet365 together with another bookmaker, Sportsbet – part of Flutter Entertainment, to launch an internal auditing evaluation by appointing an external auditor.
It is understood that the bet365 probe comes as a result of this evaluation. However, as the investigation is ongoing, AUSTRAC revealed that no additional comments can be made at this time.
The only statement provided was that of AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thom..
North America remains a safe environment for betting activity, according to Sportradar Integrity Services’ betting corruption and match-fixing review.
Of the approximately 850,000 events analyzed across 70 sports Sportradar detected 1,329 suspicious matches across 11 sports, which is no significant difference compared to 2022.
Just 35 of these matches were held in North America which demonstrates how the region remains an area with limited instances of suspicious wagering. Despite this number increasing from 24 in 2022, North America’s results still remain lower than a number of other regions.
Europe led the way with 667 suspicious matches, up from 630 in 2022, followed by Asia where 302 suspicious matches were held (240 in 2022). Like last year, Oceania remained the only region to not have any suspicious activity.
Of the individual sports, soccer remained top in match-fixing with 880 instances of suspicious activity in 2023, up from 775 for the year prior. This result is not unexp..
FanDuel has announced that it has donated a total of $300,000 to gambling charities as part of Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM).
It will donate $150,000 to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to support its Agility Grants Program and another $150,000 to the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG). Additionally, it has partnered with Kindbridge Behavioral Health and joined its pilot program.
“Our team works year-round at FanDuel to equip and support our customers to play responsibly,” said Alison Kutler, FanDuel Sustainability and Responsible Gaming Vice President. “As we mark Problem Gambling Awareness Month, I’m excited to work with a growing roster of partners to expand access to problem gambling support resources.”
Agility grant
The NCPG’s Agility Grants program, which is funded by the NFL, provides funding to non-profit organizations across the U.S. for problem gambling prevention in areas that currently have no services to expand existing programm..
Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), The Gambling Authority of Portugal has reported that online self-exclusion registrants reached 215,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The agency noted that while online gaming gross revenue improved year-over-year by over 16 per cent, land-based gaming revenue dropped by almost four per cent.
Publishing data for Q4, the SRIJ declared a 16.4 per cent increase in gross revenue when compared to the previous year, coming in at €227.4m (Q4 2022: €195.3m). Q4’s revenue was also a 5.6 per cent improvement on the previous quarter’s €215.3m.
From the 17 licensed games of chance operators and 13 licensed sportsbooks in Portugal, games of chance revenue stood at €154.5m, up 40.7 per cent YoY (Q4 2022: €109.8m), while sports betting revenue fell by 14.8 per cent to €72.8m (Q4 2022: €85.4m).
Per gaming type, slots had the biggest share of games of chance wagers placed during the quarter at 83 per cent, followed by French roulette at 6.9 per cent,..
Regulatory compliance specialist BetComply has introduced a tool that combines self-assessment with auditing services for licence holders in the Netherlands.
The ‘ComplyCheck’ solution, powered by SG Certified, offers a set of questions that can be completed by operators with the relevant evidence before submitting it to the BetComply team for review.
BetComply then analyses the information with the help of its regulatory expert team and provides feedback on any gaps that may produce compliance shortcomings, as well as insights about compliance with the ongoing changes in the Dutch regulatory framework.
The upcoming revision of the Dutch Remote Gambling Act (KOA) has sparked a policy debate around the introduction of more player protection measures – with Minister of Legal Protection Franc Weerwind and the Dutch Gambling Authority Kansspelautoriteit being at the centre of it, requesting to see variable loss limits depending on players’ age.
Mike de Graaff, Chief Compliance Offic..
EPIC Global Solutions is taking steps to curtail gambling harm in college athletics.
The London-based gambling harm consultancy has landed a partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to provide the Power Five conference with educational tools and workshops to minimize gambling harm. The ACC is comprised of 15 member institutions, which compete in 27 Division I sports. EPIC’s pact also includes any new league member.
“This relationship furthers EPIC’s mission to minimize gambling-related harm and we’re delighted to be working with the ACC to extend the reach of this message,” said EPIC Vice President of Partnerships Teresa Fiore. “With the sports wagering landscape in the U.S. constantly evolving, it’s vital that we help student-athletes and staff to make informed decisions around their relationship with gambling and also recognize signs of gambling-related harm in others where possible.”
EPIC and the ACC previously collaborated in January to deliver a presentation on gamb..