Live Safe Bet Show: Dan Keene, CEO, Alberta iGaming Corporation
Our host Martin Lycka interviews Dan Keene
Our host Martin Lycka interviews Dan Keene
Brazil’s regulated betting market has exploded—but can that momentum continue? In this episode of the Safe Bet Show, Martin Lycka is joined by Rafael Marchetti Marcondes, Chief Legal Officer at Pitaco, to discuss one of the biggest regulated gambling markets in the world. Rafael explains why Brazil’s upcoming elections could reshape the industry’s future, how…
Gambling blocking software may help people reduce gambling and manage urges, but its contribution to broader recovery is likely to depend on how it is used alongside other forms of support, according to new research conducted on BetBlocker by the University of Sydney published in the Journal of Gambling Studies. The study found that users…
GamCare has invested in resources to expand its problem gambling support and treatment network to the most remote areas of the UK.
Announced this morning, GamCare, the UK’s leading advice, intervention and treatment service for problem gambling, will make localised support services available across the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
GamCare states that it “will be offering free treatment sessions for anyone struggling with activity across the Northern Isles including Shetland and Orkney, as well as Highland areas as part of its coverage”.
The expansion has been funded by the Scottish government through its allocation of the UK-wide statutory Levy on Gambling Harms with resources committed for three years until March 2029.
GamCare cites that its investment marks a ‘frontline commitment’ in support of the new structure of Levy on Gambling Harms, overseen by the NHS and the NHS England UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) (30%..
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a total of 125 complaints that raised concerns regarding five advertisements from the Dribble Media brand Midnite.
Two TV ads, two VOD ads and a radio ad for the Midnite betting app appeared across media platforms in April and May 2026, which complainants believed ‘portrayed and encouraged gambling behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm and suggested that gambling was an escape from personal problems’, according to the ASA.
In its ruling, the authority told the operator that the adverts in question must not appear again in the form complained of, and that future advertising mustn’t portray or encourage gambling behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm and should not suggest that gambling was an escape from personal problems.
iGaming Expert has reached out to Midnite for comment on the ruling from the ASA regarding its five adverts that received a total of 125 complaints.
Midnite adv..
The threat of the black market in Romania is growing increasingly ominous as instability reigns.
Evoke was the latest company to sound the alarm over market disruption this morning, lamenting the black market and increased taxation weighing on the financials of its international segment.
Sean Wilkins, Evoke’s Chief Financial Officer, told investors: “Romania continues to be affected by the combination of a weaker economy, higher taxes, and the growth of the unregulated market. We have responded by managing marketing and promotional investment carefully to protect returns.”
Wilkins said that an extra £6m has been added to its tax bill as a result of a hike in gaming tax from 21% to 30% in Romania, where there is little sign of wider regulatory stability.
A market on the edge
Evoke described Romania as its fifth core market in 2024 after acquiring Winner.ro for €10m to combine with its 888 brand.
At the time, Chief Executive Officer Per Widerström expressed optimism over the prospe..
Three mmbers of Congress are calling on Major League Baseball to make changes to its gambling policies amid a controversial video delivered by FanDuel that featured superstar Bryce Harper.
On Monday, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred and MLBPA Interim Executive Director Bruce Meyer received a letter calling on MLB to change its policies that allow players and teams to secure partnerships with licensed sportsbooks.
The letter was sent by Rep. Paul Tonko, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Rep. Valerie Foushee.
Manfred and Meyer received the letter following a controversial video sent to a former FanDuel VIP customer who has admitted to having a gambling addiction. The video was sent by a FanDuel VIP manager, with the content including Harper. In the video, the Philadelphia Phillies superstar wished former FanDuel customer Terry Thompson an “extra special Thanksgiving.”
Why is Harper video problematic for FanDuel, MLB?
The video was sent to Thompson in 2024 to encourage betting despite the ..
The Australian government continues to hash out the logistics of its gambling advertising legislation, but progress is fraught by politicial divisions amongst key players on the regulation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been holding talks with opposition leader Angus Taylor to negotiate the legislation, with potential points discussed including betting inducement restrictions, cutting back TV advertising, and streaming rules adjustments.
The Labor government has been in conversation with both the Coalition – Liberal and National – and the Greens in a desperate bid to end the logjam and push the gambling advertising bill through the Senate.
Such legislation has been on the table for the past three years since initially proposed by the late Peta Murphy in her parliamentary inquiry into online gambling.
However, according to The Guardian, the Coalition was split on the direction of the legislation during a party room discussion, with nine MPs making their voices heard.
Five M..
FanDuel was handed a sizable fine by Iowa’s gaming regulator last month, adding to recent sports betting infractions by the operator in the Hawkeye State.
According to documents obtained by SBC Americas, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) fined FanDuel a total of $95,000 for two separate sports betting violations. The infractions occurred between June 2024 and July 2025, and relate to impermissible betting markets offered by FanDuel tied to basketball and soccer.
FanDuel self-reports basketball violation
According to the IRGC, FanDuel self-reported to the regulator that it offered impermissible wagers on the Maharlika Pilipanas Basketball League (MPBL) between June 4, 2024 and April 2, 2025. FanDuel violated Iowa’s gaming rules and procedures by offering betting markets on a basketball league that is not officially sanctioned by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). The IRGC requires operators to only offer betting markets on international professional basketball..
The Gambling Commission was always risking inflaming a conflict with the industry as it moved to implement Financial Risk Assessments.
Despite seeking to assure caution from the industry through the phased implementation of FRAs, Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst has retaliated by slamming the GC for ‘failing to address the fundamental issues identified during its own pilot’.
Acting CEO Sarah Gardner stated that there is still an eagerness to work with the industry as the integration of FRAs develops.
Yet the BGC has underscored its concerns that industry warnings are falling on deaf ears, Hurst expressed ‘deep disappointment and frustration that the Gambling Commission has decided to press ahead with Financial Risk Assessments’.
She continued: “The fact that the Gambling Commission has delayed implementation, raised thresholds and abandoned its original timetable is a clear recognition that the concerns raised by the BGC and others were well founded. Unfortunately, t..