A.J. Koehn - Player Protection Hub

German state records five billion gambling self-exclusion checks

A.J. KoehnFebruary 12, 20260172 views

The Regional Council of Darmstadt has vowed to continue strengthening the parameters of the OASIS gambling self-exclusion scheme.

The Council is charged with the management of OASIS (Online Abfrage Spielerstatus), operated as the central self-exclusion system of Germany’s Fourth Interstate Gambling Regime (GluNeuRStV).

Publishing its 2025 update, Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt detailed that more than 5.2 billion queries were processed through OASIS during the year.

Darmstadt defines “queries” as individual checks made by GluNeuRStV-licensed operators against the central OASIS database of self-excluded players. As noted by the authority, “the figure underlines the significance and scale of the OASIS system in safeguarding German gambling’s compliance infrastructure.”

GluNeuRStV licensing requirements mandate that each licensed operator — land-based and online — must verify a customer’s status with the OASIS database before permitting participation.

The authority confirmed that the n..

Wolverhampton rolls out four-year gambling harm reduction plan

A.J. KoehnFebruary 12, 20260165 views

Wolverhampton Council has opened a public consultation to inform its Gambling Harm Reduction Strategy, as local governments across the country continue to confront the gambling industry.

With the opportunity to comment open until 20 March, the consultation aims to address what the Council sees as the “increasing harmful impact” of online betting, gaming platforms and targeted advertising.

Local policymakers have reported that 5.3% of Wolverhampton’s population is currently at risk of gambling-related harm, while 1.2% exhibit signs of already being affected by problem gambling.

Furthermore, the Council reports that between 2019 and 2022 only 70 locals sought gambling support through the local treatment specialist Aquaris. No data was provided about the use of the national helpline GambleAware, however.

Wolverhampton Councillor Obaida Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community, said: “Gambling harm is a real and growing issue that affects individuals, families and comm..

Romania moves to modernise self-exclusion infrastructure

A.J. KoehnFebruary 10, 20260167 views

Romania’s gambling regulator, the ONJN, has finalised the contract for the development of a new self-exclusion IT solution to be rolled out nationwide.

The announcement comes from ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare, who shook hands with the leadership of the Bucharest-based National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (ICI), which will be tasked with creation of the tool.

Replacing the existing technical standard, the new solution will implement a modernised infrastructure that allows for remote player self-exclusion through ID and biometric verification scans.

“I said from the beginning that self-exclusion will not remain a project on paper. It is a commitment that I carry out, step by step,” Soare said on LinkedIn.

The agreement is one part of a long list of ideas that the ONJN is working on implementing to improve Romania’s self-exclusion system, which safer gambling proponents have long argued is outdated and represents a risk to the population.

It was just r..

GamCare records 48% yearly increase in treatment referrals

A.J. KoehnFebruary 10, 20260176 views

GamCare recorded a significant increase in referrals to treatment and peer-based support services in January 2026, following contact with the National Gambling Helpline and its live chat service.

The charity made 996 referrals during the month, up from 674 in January 2025 – a 48% year-on-year increase.

Excluding referrals to peer-based support services such as the Money Guidance Service and Way Forward, treatment referrals rose to 742, compared with 603 in the same month last year.

January 2026 was one of the highest referral months that GamCare has recorded in the past five years, with only October 2025 (1,165 referrals), September 2025 (1,022) and August 2025 (1,077) exceeding the figure.

“More people affected by gambling harms are choosing to start treatment,” said Victoria Corbishley, CEO of GamCare.

“The National Gambling Helpline is a 24/7, confidential route to support, and our advisers rapidly connect people with free, specialist help across Great Britain. That first conv..

UK regulator consults on simplified settlements structure

A.J. KoehnFebruary 10, 20260173 views

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is evaluating whether the final destination for regulatory settlements paid by British betting operators should change.

Consultations are now open until 2 April on the potential amendment of section 2.39 of the UKGC’s ‘Statement of principles for determining financial penalties’.

Under the current texts, payments made as part of regulatory settlements do not need to be paid into the government’s Consolidation Fund.

The Consolidation Fund collects government proceeds from means such as taxation, which are then used to subsidise public initiatives. These include compulsory financial penalties imposed by the UKGC in relation to regulatory breaches under section 121 of the Gambling Act 2005.

However, as stated above, regulatory settlements – which are negotiated agreements at heart – do not currently end up in the Consolidation Fund, which the UKGC is now looking to amend.

“This would ensure that any future regulatory settlements, which are an impo..

Greece moves to “Zero Tolerance” to combat black market gambling

A.J. KoehnFebruary 4, 20260218 views

Athens is informed that all options are being reviewed in the economic and social fight against black market operators, including prison sentences and consumer fines for repeated play on illegal websites.

Greece maintains its ambitions to be the first EU nation to launch a ‘comprehensive framework’ dedicated to combat illegal gambling activities and related crimes.

The commitment comes from the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, who is proceeding with a bill to overhaul Greece’s laws and protections against illegal gambling and the accelerating encroachment of the black market.

Pierrakakis has informed parliament that he expects to publish a decree “in the first half of 2026”, containing new laws and toughened measures “to combat a €1.6bn illegal economy,” as the Greek state’s current losses now exceed “at least €500m annually in lost public revenues.”

“The numbers are shocking,” Minister Pierrakakis told lawmakers. “This is not simply a leak of public ..