A.J. Koehn - Player Protection Hub

BOYLE Sports director on prioritising “human connection” when treating problem gambling

A.J. KoehnSeptember 10, 2026020 views

In an age where it seems every sector is starting to become overrun by the presence of technology, data and AI, it would make sense for the practice of safer gambling to go down the same route.

And while those factors absolutely play a part in operators helping to reduce gambling harms, BOYLE Sports has revealed that it has doubled down on the human element in this area.

Hayley Smith, Group Compliance and Risk Director at the Irish bookmaker, tells SBC News that “creating a genuine human connection with our customers” is at the heart of its support.

Hayley Smith. Credit: LinkedIn

“We prioritise creating a genuine human connection with our customers, alongside our technology, which gives us more opportunity to identify problem gambling behaviour through talking to them,” she says.

“We place huge importance in someone being on the other end of the phone in addition to online support and have invested in our team to allow us to support our customers in that way.”

Why BOYLE Sports n..

1xCare’s Sissel Weitzhändler on sustainable player protection and reshaping industry standards

A.J. KoehnSeptember 3, 2026030 views

This summer, Sissel Weitzhändler joined 1xCare’s Advisory Board, alongside Simon Westbury, Chris Bird and Quirino Mancini. Following a stint as Allwyn’s Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Weitzhändler will be supporting 1xCare in its aim to to connect research, education, technology and well-being support across the global gambling ecosystem.

Ahead of appearing at European Association for the Study of Gambling congress this month,Weitzhändler sits down with SBC News to discuss why 1xCare was the natural next step in her career, how the body’s approach is focused on being robustly independent and why listening is just as important as speaking in the player protection sector.

Why did you decide to take up a spot on the 1xCare Advisory Board?

Having worked in the industry for years, I was delighted when I was approached to join the Advisory Board, to help contribute to various safer gambling initiatives which I believe is worthwhile and timely.

I joined with my eyes open..

Flutter and EPIC to extend FAI safer gambling support

A.J. KoehnSeptember 3, 2026022 views

Flutter Entertainment and EPIC Global Solutions have committed to the promotion of gambling awareness in Ireland by extending a programme with the FAI National League.

The programme will incorporate the 15 founding National League clubs by the end of 2026 after reaching over 2,000 League of Ireland players and FAI staff since January.

Ireland’s National League is the third tier in the football pyramid and commenced for the first time last month.

Over 70 EPIC-led workshops have been delivered in what the FAI has described as a “huge success story”.

League of Ireland officials are confident in the programme, claiming it is a useful way to help provide clear insights which will inform targeted support messaging and harm prevention strategies.

“The impact of this programme across the League of Ireland has been a huge success story,” said Interim FAI National Competitions Lead, Garret Higgins.

“So naturally, we’re incredibly grateful to see this extended to our new FAI National Lea..

Video game gambling gets the government axe in Australia

A.J. KoehnSeptember 3, 2026028 views

Seemingly overnight, GTA Online players in Australia have been barred from engaging with any of the games on offer in the video game title’s virtual Diamond Resort Casino venue.

Users took to Reddit to report that they are no longer able to play in the casino, which as a side note only accepts virtual in-game currency.

While this currency can be purchased with real-life money, it is designed to be spent within the limits of GTA Online and on everything that the game has to offer – including entertainment like cinemas, arcades, and the casino.

The casino features were apparently taken out from GTA Online without any official statement by neither game developer Rockstar nor the Australian government itself.

The move adds on to a bigger question within the video game industry about altering a product that the customer has already purchased, but that’s a topic for another day.

Not to mention that GTA Online carries an age rating of 18+. Australia recently passed a law that requires ..

GamCare banks £16m buffer to protect frontline services under levy transition

A.J. KoehnAugust 28, 2026047 views

GamCare has vowed to continue to support the wider gambling harm treatment sector’s ongoing transition under the statutory levy on gambling harms.

The UK’s biggest frontline charity and provider of treatment, support and intervention services of gambling harms/addiction has published its Trustee Report 2025/2026.

Margot Daly: GamCare

The report covers GamCare activities during the “the last financial year of the voluntary levy system, ahead of new statutory levy commissioning from April 2026 by NHS England”.

NHS England is one of the three stewards of gambling harm funding under the levy system, the others being the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Reflecting on a period of encompassing a system transition for gambling-harm organisations, Chair Margot Daly said GamCare’s priority had been “to keep the quality of services at the centre of every decision”.

“After nearly three decades in this sector, we know that periods of ..

Poland starts marking bookmakers’ homework with new social responsibility checks

A.J. KoehnAugust 25, 2026059 views

Bookmakers in Poland are facing a fresh wave of social responsibility assessments by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protections (UOKiK).

Announced by the government, the assessments will affect local market players STS, Fortuna, Superbet, Bukmachers, E-toto Bukmachers, LV Bet and Totalbets.

SBC News understands that these are routine checks, and not a response to signals raised about potential breaches of obligations.

What the UOKiK will focus on is investigating whether there are cases of what it calls ‘dark patterns’ – practices used to manipulate consumer behaviour through front-facing UX, certain messaging or player incentives.

The assessments will cover all corners of bookmaker activity from websites to mobile apps, including the terms and conditions when entering an agreement with a customer.

Any shortcomings will be flagged by UOKiK’s system, which incorporates artificial intelligence that is trained to detect relevant issues.

Another major aspect that will be put..

Slovakia forms evidence coalition for Gen-Z gambling rules

A.J. KoehnAugust 25, 2026055 views

The protection of Generation Z and Alpha audiences from gambling-related harms and risks has been established as the cornerstone of a new research partnership in Slovakia.

The Slovak Gambling Regulatory Authority (URHH) has launched its new “Safer Digital Future” mandate, to develop a comprehensive strategy for protecting young people from gambling risks and disorders.

The initiative has been established through a memorandum of cooperation with the Department of Digital Games at the Faculty of Mass Media Communication of the University of St Cyril and the research agency of Methodius in Trnava (FMK UCM).

Through the partnership, URHH and the university will gather evidence on the risks that emerging digital products and behaviours pose to younger audiences.

Research will focus particularly on the growing convergence between video gaming and gambling through features such as loot boxes, skin betting and randomised reward systems.

URHH warned that the traditional boundaries separati..

Gambling Commission tells operators to learn from QuinnBet’s £600k failure

A.J. KoehnAugust 21, 2026059 views

Gibraltar-based operator QuinnBet, which counts the UK and Ireland as core markets, has agreed to a £609,104 settlement with the UK Gambling Commission.

According to the gambling regulator, the settlement is in relation to identified social responsibility and anti-money laundering deficiencies following an investigation into QuinnBet’s due diligence compliance.

QuinnBet – which is 17th and 70th in Ireland and the UK respectively in terms of online traffic, according to Blask – has confirmed to SBC Media that the Commission’s compliance assessment took place in March 2025, when the deficiencies were flagged.

Brenda Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of QuinnBet, added: “We took action to address the matters identified, strengthening our policies, procedures and controls and making significant investment in our people and technology. These improvements were subsequently reviewed by the Commission, and the issues identified were resolved to its satisfaction.

“We have agreed a regulatory s..

GamCare brings localised treatment to Scottish Highlands

A.J. KoehnAugust 13, 2026080 views

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%..

Betsson, Snabbare and Spooniker penalty fee appeals rejected by Swedish Court

A.J. KoehnAugust 13, 2026068 views

Three operators have had their appeals against penalty fees issued by the Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, rejected by the Administrative Court after a review.

A decision to uphold penalty fees given to Betsson, Snabbare and Spooniker was announced today by Spelinspektionen, who announced that the Administrative Court agreed with its view that the companies “committed serious violations of the money laundering regulations through insufficient customer due diligence measures”.

All penalty fees were handed out back in May 2025 for anti-money laundering (AML) failings.

Betsson was issued with a warning as well as a SEK6.5 million (£502k) fine.

Spelinspektionen selected customers to review based on a list of the 50 customers aged 18-29 who made the largest total deposits between 1 January-31 December 2023.

It found that the operators had failed to adequately identify the source of income for large deposits that could not be justified by the consumers’ taxable income.

I..