New Zealand publishes harm prevention, privacy, ad regs and licence fees

The New Zealand government’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has published its Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, providing a clearer roadmap to the opening of the market.

After much anticipation, the new framework is set to open on 3 July 2026, with the expression of interest stage of the licensing process set to begin in the second half of next month.
Up to 15 online casino gambling licences will be up for auction ahead of a scheduled market launch on 1 December 2026. From 1 June 2027, only operators that hold a licence will be permitted to operate.

Through its extensive guide, the DIA has provided little room for error in mapping out its detailed compliance requirements for license holders in its upcoming regulated online casino market.

Of note, the regulations specifically provided guidelines on harm prevention and minimisation, consumer protection and record-keeping, advertising and marketing, as well as fees, levies and charges.

Trina Lowry, Programme Director – O..

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Pennsylvania to consider bettor protection bills inspired by Colorado

Two lawmakers in Pennsylvania are taking note of recent legislative efforts to bolster consumer protections for gambling in Colorado by introducing similar legislation of their own.

Reps. Tarik Khan and Jamie Flick announced on Wednesday plans to introduce three separate bills that are geared toward addressing problem gambling in the Keystone State.

“As a nurse practitioner, I believe we should address problem gambling the same way we address other public health challenges: with prevention, education, treatment, and commonsense safeguards,” said Khan. “Our bipartisan bill package will help protect young people, individuals, and families while supporting responsible gaming.”

The measures to be introduced by Khan and Flick each plays a different role in implementing new consumer protection standards for Pennsylvania’s gaming market.

The three bills the lawmakers will introduce include:

The Pennsylvania Online Consumer Protection Act: a measure that aims to impose limits on the numbe..

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Bipartisan Congressional bill would mandate federal study on gambling disorders

Two Congressmen have introduced new federal legislation that would mandate the U.S. government to conduct a multiyear study into the causes, long-term effects, and treatment of gambling disorders, particularly those related to online sports betting.

New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman and Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore announced last week that their bipartisan Gambling Disorder Health Study Act has officially been introduced in the House of Representatives.

The bill, numbered HR 8970, would:

Mandate a federal study into gambling disorders and harms

Analyze the contributing factors, which may include sports betting expansion

Assess potentially effective prevention and treatment strategies for gambling disorders

Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report annually to Congress on the study’s findings, and to provide resultant policy recommendations

Federal excise tax would fund gambling disorders study

The legislation stipulates that the study would be funded b..

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BetBlocker welcomes Monica Shafaq as Director of Strategy

Duncan Garvie, Founder of gambling harm tool BetBlocker, has welcomed Monica Shafaq as the new Director of Strategy and Partnerships.

Shafaq carries a comprehensive career experience when it comes to problem gambling, having previously held the Chief Executive Officer position at Gordon Moody, a prominent UK charity specialising in gambling harm treatment.

She’s also a mental health expert, having carried the Chief Executive Officer title for 13 years at mental health and wellbeing organisation the Kaleidoscope Plus Group. Besides that, she’s quite versed in the UK sports scene, particularly football, evidenced in her past work with numerous football charities.

At BetBlocker, which was set up by Garvie with the purpose of aiding bettors who have a problematic gambling behaviour, Shafaq will certainly be a valuable asset in rebuilding their lives back up.

Garvie added: “I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Monica over the last few years, and have found her to be a principled an..

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Gordon Moody appoints new CEO to take on challenges of statutory levy era

Gordon Moody has revamped its leadership team amid a significant change for the UK gambling harm treatment sector, with the new systems in Wales condemned as “unable to meet the needs” of those using it.

One of the UK’s leading specialist gambling harm treatment support organisations , Gordon Moody received £4.5m funding from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparity (OHID) under the new statutory levy framework, implemented as a key measure of the Gambling Act review.

The statutory levy sees licensed UK gambling companies make mandatory yearly payments to support research, education and treatment (RET) services. Prior to this, funding was paid voluntarily to GambleAware, which distributed it to organisations like Gordon Moody.

With GambleAware’s doors now closed (as of March) and the new framework being adopted across Great Britain, Gordon Moody has appointed a new board of trustees as it heads into the new era of gambling harm treatment.

Claire Arnold, who has been a member..

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French regulator departs with final warning on World Cup ads

France’s sports betting licence holders have been warned over their advertising and marketing conduct ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The alert comes from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), as French authorities prepare for a World Cup that is set to be the most heavily engaged with amongst domestic audiences across television, digital media and betting platforms.

With France entering the tournament as one of the favourites, the regulator believes betting activity could surpass the record €900m wagered during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The ANJ estimates that total betting stakes could reach as much as €1.2bn, depending on the progress of Didier Deschamps’ side.

As France’s gambling regulator, the ANJ has reviewed the World Cup advertising plans of 18 licensed online sportsbooks to ensure that promotional messaging remains compliant and does not encourage excessive gambling behaviour.

In its latest consumer study, the regulator identified signs of growing betting appetite am..

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FDJ United’s Pascal Chaffard pleads with Dutch regulator to take an alternative path to ad ban

FDJ United has provided an alternative solution to the advertising ban being proposed in the Netherlands, which it warned would embolden the country’s black market.

Speaking at Gaming in Holland, the company’s Chief Online Betting and Gaming Officer, Pascal Chaffard, said that while he understands the political logic behind the proposals, any changes must be ‘founded in evidence’.

He said: “Targeted restrictions tied to compliance standards would achieve the same consumer protection goal without driving players to the unrelegated market where there is no protection at all.

“The paradox we are faced with is that Europe’s most consumer protection-conscious markets, through their own set of measures, does the most damage to consumer protection.

“Every restrictive measure aimed at licensed operators that does not simultaneously address illegal operators makes the problem worse. The advertising ban, as currently proposed, risks accelerating the risk shift to illegal operators that ever..

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Interview: Grainne Hurst on politics, taxes and Google 

SBC Leaders speaks to Betting & Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst about the impact of UK tax rises and the rising tide of challenges facing the gambling industry Interview by: Steve Hoare  Grainne Hurst is a stronger character than many people probably realise – she needs to be. The Betting & Gaming Council CEO spoke…

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NICC issues $10m in fines and enforceable undertaking to The Star Sydney

Hefty regulatory scrutiny has once more come in the direction of The Star Entertainment Group from the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Casino Commission (NICC) in Australia.

The Star Sydney has been slapped with fines totalling A$10m (approximately €6.2m) and an enforceable undertaking to set a further $5m aside to bolster its financial crime risk management operations technology.

A release from the NICC stated that thousands of breaches at The Star Sydney were investigated by the Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) last year, resulting in four separate disciplinary matters that led to the casino regulator issuing the following orders:

$1.5m penalty – For allowing customers to continuously gamble without a break longer than the prescribed time limits between May 2024 and April 2025.

$3m penalty – For allowing the conversion of casino reward points to cash involving at least 1,898 patrons between December 2018 and November 2023.

$500,000 penalty – For the failure to prevent entry by an ..

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