A.J. Koehn - Player Protection Hub

Gambling Commission hits back at ‘inaccurate’ risk check criticism

A.J. KoehnApril 17, 20260125 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 ..

KSA releases fresh wave of subsidies to fight gambling harm

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260133 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..

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

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260131 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..

Curaçao gambling authority’s integrity questioned following Novatech’s Dutch dispute

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260144 views

A national media outlet in Curaçao has begun to question the country’s gambling regulations following the Netherlandse Loterij’s legal pursuit of Novatech-owned Qbet.

It comes as the Nederlandse Loterij labelled the operator, based and licensed in Curaçao, as “the largest illegal gambling site” in the Netherlands. It also follows a plethora of fines handed out in the Netherlands and across Europe to Curaçao-headquartered operators.

Many Curaçao-licensed firms, like Stake, Santeda International and the aforementioned Novatech, have seen their names crop up in regulatory announcements on multiple occasions. The latter two also operate a myriad of subsidiaries which have either been the subject of fines or scrutiny due to lax security rules or operating in countries where not permitted to.

This has now begun to alarm the country’s media, which has started to raise concerns about the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA). An op-ed in the Curaçao Chronicle, penned by an anonymous author, read: ..

Bookmakers’ Association grows impatient with South Africa’s black market enforcement

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260145 views

South Africa’s regulatory fragmentation is not the primary cause of black market growth, according to Sean Coleman, but provincial structures “do have an undeniable part to play”.

Speaking to SBC News regarding the country’s struggles to contain illegal gambling, the South African Bookmakers’ Association (SABA) Chief Executive Officer pointed instead to national shortcomings.

He argued that enforcement sits “squarely in the domain and legal framework” of the National Gambling Board (NGB), but that the body is currently under-equipped to deal with the scale of the problem.

Sean Coleman

This came after a recent YieldSec study, which found that 62% of gambling activity in South Africa came via unlicensed sites that are not regulated in the country.

“There are inefficient, lacking resources and skill sets to deal with the illegal market,” Coleman said.

“Industry is wanting and willing to make this happen. Despite our offers, we have yet to be approached.”

He referenced the Gauteng r..

Lula wants PT lieutenants aligned on Bets crackdown

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260125 views

In Brazil, senior figures within the PT government are aligning with the President’s push to significantly restrict online gambling, signalling a potential shift away from the current framework of the Bets Law (PL 2626/2023).

Another week of politicking has witnessed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again target online gambling licences, framing the sector as a growing threat to Brazilian society and economic stability.

Speaking to broadcaster ICL, Lula delivered his strongest remarks yet, stating that he “would shut down bookmakers entirely if the decision were mine alone.”

Criticism of the Bets regime has become a central theme of Lula’s political messaging ahead of the 4 October election.

Yet the liabilities of the Bets regime offer a convenient deflection for Lula as the administration grapples with a broad range of economic challenges.

On the campaign front, Lula has yet to answer solutions for challenges ranging from public debt and inflation to cost-of-living con..

Nederlandse Loterij to bring down Novatech by all means necessary

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260144 views

National lottery provider and the biggest gambling operator in the Netherlands, Nederlandse Loterij, has issued a notice that it will seek its legal rights against operator Qbet and all connected entities behind it.

Qbet, owned by Novatech together with 55Bet, another illegal entity targeting Dutch consumers, was labeled as “the largest illegal gambling site” in the Netherlands by Nederlandse Loterij.

As such, the licensed operator announced that it will seek to permanently bring down Qbet and the larger chain of command by leveraging all legal measures it has at its disposal.

A similar lawsuit, again by Nederlandse Loterij, was launched against Lalabet in 2025, which was the first such at this scale. Hearings in that case are currently taking place at The Hague.

It would be interesting to see how the latest case with Novatech develops, as the company is licensed in Curaçao, and although it is an autonomous nation under the Dutch Crown, the legal systems of both Curaçao and the Net..

SBC Summit Canada to make player safety a key pillar of 2026 agenda

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 20260150 views

SBC Summit Canada 2026 will feature a dedicated Player Protection Symposium, bringing together regulators, operators, and safer gambling experts to discuss how Canada’s industry can better protect players.

The symposium will form part of the wider conference programme, taking place from 19 to 21 May 2026 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Across three stages, attendees will gain expert analysis across the entire Canadian gaming market, with tracks covering Leadership, Affiliates & Advertising, Payments & Compliance, alongside a series of interactive masterclasses.

The Symposium will tackle the biggest challenges facing safer gambling in Canada, from the pressure new game mechanics place on existing regulatory frameworks, to identifying internal compliance weaknesses and creating marketing that is both engaging and responsible.

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC, said: “As Canada’s market continues to grow, the risks around player protection are becoming more complex. From g..

Blog: Can the UK statutory levy on gambling harm satisfy anyone?

A.J. KoehnApril 10, 20260146 views

Now that the new system to fund gambling charities is officially in place in the UK, will that prove a solid positive for the sector, or is a bit of convincing still needed to justify the decision?

For those unaware of how gambling harm funding works in the UK, it used to be that voluntary contributions from operators were given to GambleAware, which would commission the funds to charities across the whole of the UK.

However, with GambleAware closing down, this is now history thanks to recommendations made in the 2005 Gambling Act Review White Paper, which mandated a statutory Prevention, Treatment and Research levy to raise £100m annually.

With 50% of the funds allocated to treatment and commissioned by the NHS, and 20% going for research and handled by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), 30% is left for prevention, which is the money meant to go to gambling charities.

This stream, while previously commissioned by GambleAware, is now handled by the Office for Health Improvement and..

Greek PM announces gambling is next port of call following social media ban

A.J. KoehnApril 10, 20260136 views

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has confirmed that online gaming and gambling will be the “next issue to look at” in a widening push to introduce age-related digital safeguards.

The comments, which are not the first on the topic, follow the administration’s headline proposal to prohibit social media access for under-15s, backed by mandatory age verification requirements for platforms from 1 January 2027. While the immediate focus is on social media, the direction of travel is towards forming a broader compliance perimeter around all digital products with youth exposure risks, including regulated betting and gaming.

In an interview with infokids.gr, Mitsotakis positioned gaming and online gambling, as well as artificial intelligence, as the logical next steps for the Greek government to take after social media controls, explicitly linking future interventions to enforcement gaps already observed in gambling.

He noted that while gambling is “typically prohibited under 21,” r..