Polymarket unveils first responsible gaming tools and promises more

FanDuel says Harper VIP video one of many in new letter to Congress

Polymarket to appeal €420,000 KSA penalty in The Hague

Ontario Liberals file legislation to ban online gambling advertising

CanadianGamingBusiness0131 views

A group of Liberal Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) in Ontario have authored legislation that would ban most online gambling advertising in the province.

MPP Lee Fairclough’s Bill 107, titled the “Stop Harmful Gambling Advertising Act,” was officially introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on Monday, April 20. It adds to a federal effort to rein in sports betting-specific advertising, S-211, which has passed the Senate and currently sits in the House of Commons.

MPPs target all online gambling ads, not just sports

Unlike that federal Private Member’s Bill (PMB), which aims to establish some kind of national framework for regulating sports betting ads, Fairclough’s PMB proposes an explicit ban on online gambling advertising at large. It would amend Ontario’s Gaming Control Act of 1992 to prohibit any of Ontario’s almost 50 online sportsbooks or online casinos from advertising or otherwise promoting their sites or products in the province.

Any iGaming company convic..

Read more

Has the Maryland sweepstakes bill fallen short? 

iGamingExpert0113 views

The momentum behind the Maryland sweepstakes bill has seemingly dwindled, as the State’s legislative sessions ended without a formal conclusion to the bill’s passing.

There were two key opportunities for the prohibition of dual-currency sweepstakes, with the House of Delegates passing two separate bills in 2026 that would have outlawed dual-currency sweepstakes.

Lack of progress around the bill was celebrated by the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA), as they claimed that there had been ‘false allegations’ driven by casino interests.

“We are pleased with this result in Maryland and want to thank the Maryland lawmakers who took the time to thoroughly consider this issue,” said SGLA Managing Director Sean Ostrow.

“Over multiple hearings and dozens of meetings, SGLA addressed false allegations by casino interests by demonstrating that the Social Plus industry already offers strong consumer protections and contributes to Maryland’s economy, while pushing back against efforts ..

Read more

Safe Bet Show: Fisayo Oke, CEO, Gamble Alert

Steve Hoare0159 views

Is responsible gambling actually holding the industry back… or is it the key to its future? In this episode of The Safe Bet Show, Martyn Lyker sits down with Fisayo Oke (Founder & CEO of Gamble Alert) to break down one of the biggest debates in the global gambling industry: player protection vs profit. From…

Read more

Romanian authority preps €5m to combat problem gambling

A.J. Koehn0132 views

Romania will release a total of €5m (£4.3m) in grants to fight problem gambling through funding from the regulator, the ONJN.

The funding is being released under the National Public Interest Programme ‘Conscious and Free’ under a commitment made by the ONJN and published in the Official Gazette in December 2025.

Grants will come in the form of non-reimbursable financing for non-profit activities, taken directly from ONJN’s 2026 budget intended for the promotion of socially responsible gambling.

Funding will be structured into three pillars. The lion’s share of it – €3.6m – will be released for prevention and education, protection of minors, treatment and counselling, research, digitalisation, and promotion of responsible gambling.

A total of €1.2m will be allocated to the creation or expansion of specialised treatment centres, which can only be claimed by public authorities.

Lastly, the remainder of €200,000 will subsidise studies and impact assessments to help inform future publi..

Read more

EU ruling delivers Malta fresh setback against foreign challenges of iGaming licences 

iGamingExpert0143 views

Fears that the door could be opened for an influx of players seeking to reclaim losses from Maltese operators have been intensified following the latest ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The CJEU has aligned with the view that contracts between players residing in Germany and operators that aren’t licensed in the country are essentially void.

Long-standing legal conflicts between Malta and the member states of Germany and Austria over a myriad of compensation claims has escalated over the past decade, requiring the determination of the Attorney General of the CJEU.

In a preliminary ruling requested by the First Hall of the Civic Court in Malta, the EU court outlined that players could be entitled to claim back losses from operators not licensed in the country. The European Court deemed that Article 56 TFEU – an EU law concerning restrictions on the provision of unrestricted services – does not supersede national laws related to online gambling disputes..

Read more

Mafia Casino among websites blocked by Australian watchdog

iGamingExpert0134 views

Australia’s communications watchdog has blocked a slew of websites operating outside the country’s licensed market, including the imaginatively named Mafia Casino.

In total, 19 online gambling platforms and affiliate sites have been blocked by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), as an unyielding approach is taken by Australian officials to unlicensed operators.

The latest sites blocked are: Bass Bet, BetWhale, CasinOK, Cleobetra, Diva Spin, FatPirate, Free Spinz, Gransino, JackBit, Legiano, Mafia Casino, Magius, Monster Win, NewLucky, Nonbetstop.com, Slotexo, Talismania, Tiki Casino and Vegas Hero.

The agency stated: “The ACMA is reminding consumers that even if a service looks legitimate, it’s unlikely to have important customer protections. This means Australians who use illegal gambling services risk losing their money.”

Blocking a myriad of websites is a tough challenge for regulators, as it leads to a whack-a-mole style predicament with operators rebrand..

Read more

Gambling Commission hits back at ‘inaccurate’ risk check criticism

A.J. Koehn0121 views

The UK’s Gambling Commission (GC) has defended its proposed financial risk assessments (FRAs), pushing back against mounting criticism from industry stakeholders who warn the measures could drive customers to the black market.

Debates around FRAs have continued to spiral in what has been a hectic recent period for the UK’s gambling industry, which has also been hampered by the recent increase in Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) tax to 40%.

In a detailed update, Helen Rhodes, the regulator’s Director of Major Policy Projects and Evaluation, said the checks are designed to identify high-spending customers in financial difficulty, rather than introduce affordability limits or spending caps.

The proposals stem from the 2023 Gambling Act review White Paper and have been incessantly backed by the UK government. Affordability was a defining topic of the 2020-2023 Gambling Act review, and FRAs were the touted solution in the April 2023 White Paper.

Gambling Commission to only target 3%

According ..

Read more

Researchers call on UKGC to clear up baffling bonus requirements

Steve Hoare0161 views

Regulators should require betting firms to show the real cash cost of “10x” wagering requirements in pounds and pence, according to new research that finds UK gamblers consistently misunderstand bonus offers – and rate them as far less attractive when the true cost is made explicit. “Free bets” and welcome bonuses are a core marketing…

Read more

KSA releases fresh wave of subsidies to fight gambling harm

A.J. Koehn0129 views

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling authority, has divested more funds into the reduction of problem gambling in the Netherlands.

A total of five new projects have been announced as the recipients of grants from the KSA’s Addiction Prevention Fund. This aids the treatment and prevention of gambling-related harm among the Dutch population – 20% of which is currently at a moderate to high risk of harmful behaviour, according to the regulator.

One grant will go to the Anonymous Gamblers Foundation (AGOG), a support group for compulsive gamblers, for the training of new counsellors. Additionally, AGOG will further explore the idea of launching digital counselling aimed at residents living in areas where on-site meetings are not possible.

The Dutch Association for Psychiatry (NVvP) is another grant recipient under the Addiction Prevention Fund, which will be used to create specialised guidelines for treating gambling disorders.

As the NVvP currently informs mental health profes..

Read more

Gambling reformer Noyes flip-flops on another pet project following flawed rollout of affordability checks

A.J. Koehn0128 views

Prominent reformist figurehead Dr James Noyes has urged the Department of Culture, Media and Sport “to hit pause” on the use of financial risk checks on gambling.

A senior advisor of cross-party think tank the Social Market Foundation (SMF), Noyes has raised direct concerns to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy over the transparency and effectiveness of the pilot scheme that has been rolled out by the Gambling Commission.

Dr James Noyes: SMF

Noyes is a vocal former supporter of affordability checks during the long-running Gambling Act review consultation. He is now warning that the current implementation risks are drifting away from its original intent of being “frictionless” and proportionate, as set out in the review’s White Paper in April 2023.

“Despite the White Paper’s claim that financial risk checks would be frictionless, recent reports suggest that the opposite is the case,” Noyes wrote, adding that he is seeing “increasing reports that the pilot scheme has involved inconsistent dat..

Read more