A.J. Koehn - Player Protection Hub

Landmark EGBA player safety initiative comes to fruition

A.J. KoehnJuly 9, 2026091 views

It’s been a long time coming for the introduction of an EU-wide international player protection standard, and thanks to collaborative efforts spearheaded by the European Betting and Gaming Association (EGBA), the publication of a full set of guidelines is now set in stone.

Earlier in the week, the final version of the European Standard on markers of harm in gambling (EN 18144) was released by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).

Although voluntary, the document is being treated by EGBA and its members as a necessary baseline for gambling operators across Europe to build their player protection frameworks around.

The guidelines identify a total of nine core markers revolving around player behaviour that gambling providers can use to inform their safer play policies and intervene when a risk pattern is detected.

According to the document, tracking should prioritise shifts in stake volume and frequency, speed/intensity of play, deposit frequency and size, withdrawals, pl..

ECA calls for cross-border police action as EU black market approaches €100bn

A.J. KoehnJuly 9, 20260103 views

The European Casino Association (ECA) has become the latest organisation to call for stronger cross-border enforcement against illegal online gambling after revealing that the black market targeting EU consumers reached an estimated €91.6bn (£78.3bn) in 2025.

The figure is up around 14% year-on-year and was presented for the first time during a high-level roundtable in the European Parliament.

It replaces the previous 2024 estimate of €80bn that had originally been used in the meeting’s title and means illegal operators deprived EU member states of an estimated €22.9bn in tax revenue during 2025.

Hosted by Member of European Parliament Lukas Mandl, the roundtable brought together representatives from many industry stakeholders including:

The European Commission

The Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA)

Eurojust

The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol (JSPG)

National gambling regulators

ECA: over 6,000 black market operators active

The ECA report estimates that mor..

KSA Chairman: Dutch gambling needs better financial guardianship

A.J. KoehnJuly 9, 20260109 views

Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), believes that reforms to Dutch gambling laws must provide a better financial guardianship of the consumer and vulnerable players.

Throughout 2026, the Kamer will continue to review proposals that seek to reorganise the Dutch online gambling market, which is currently regulated under the framework of the 2021 Remote Gambling Act (KOA).

Groothuizen is aware of the challenge of balancing gambling laws and protections with consumer rights.

His latest intervention underlines a central question for Dutch lawmakers: how far should the state go in protecting players from financial harm without removing individual choice?

The question has become more urgent as Claudia van Bruggen, State Secretary for Legal Protection, presses ahead with a major package of gambling reforms. The legislative overhaul, first enacted in 2026, seeks to introduce what the government has described as stronger guaranteed protections for consumers, particular..

Brazil authorities draws a line on social gambling features

A.J. KoehnJuly 7, 20260118 views

The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) of Brazil will move to impose restrictions on the use of social interaction features and engagement mechanisms by licensed online gambling platforms.

The inbound restrictions were confirmed to operators licensed under Brazil’s Bets regime via an SPA notice, issued in its capacity as the governing authority for gambling under the Ministry of Finance.

The decision follows a query submitted by Kaizen Gaming, which sought to clarify whether its flagship brand Betano could apply “social interaction” features to engage with registered customers.

The submission detailed that Betano sought to activate features of an “integrated social environment” within its online platform, available exclusively to registered users.

Betano sought to allow customers to share betting slips, reference favourite casino and slot games, and display customer wins under user profiles.

However, the SPA rejected the proposal, concluding that such functions are incompatib..

Only two of 291 gambling domains achieve ‘trusted rating’ in latest scam study

A.J. KoehnJuly 7, 2026097 views

More than one in four gambling websites are considered high or critical risk, according to new analysis from ScamInfo.ai, with the sector unsurprisingly emerging as one of the most dangerous categories across the internet.

The cybersecurity platform analysed 7,185 websites spanning more than 40 online sectors and found that gambling and betting accounted for 34.7% of all critical-risk websites identified in the study.

Of the 591 gambling domains analysed, 6.9% received a critical risk rating and a further 19.5% were classified as high risk, while only two websites (0.3%) achieved a trusted rating.

The findings show gambling websites significantly underperform the wider internet in terms of online safety indicators.

Across ScamInfo.ai’s full dataset, around 70% of websites received a low-risk rating, but within gambling, fewer than half (46.7%) met that threshold.

The gambling category also recorded an average risk score of 35.8 out of 100 – almost double the overall average of 1..

New Spanish betting deposit limits approved as gov’t keeps up pace of changes

A.J. KoehnJune 25, 20260115 views

Spanish betting companies and customers are going to be subject to a new deposit limits system after a Royal Decree was approved by the government this week.

The news comes amid wider political oversight of the Spanish betting sector, with the government having once again turned against bonusing in 2025 while also enforcing new ID check requirements in spring this year.

Announced by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), the Spanish betting and gambling regulator, the new system is designed to ensure greater safeguards for customers betting with multiple operators.

The DGOJ estimates that 31% of Spanish online gamblers do so with multiple companies.

The new system will set deposit limits of:

€700 (£603) per day

€1,750 per week

€3,300 over a four week period

The limits will be set by default for every customer in Spain’s regulated online betting market.

However, customers can voluntarily modify or remove the deposit limits depending on their personal pre..

Predictions, finance and a brewing storm of problem gambling

A.J. KoehnJune 24, 20260123 views

The global rise of prediction markets globally could throw a spanner in the works of gambling harm prevention and treatment programmes in countries like the UK, writes SBC News’ Editor, Ted Orme-Claye.

Driven by a combination of industry responsibility, regulatory pressure and public demand, betting companies in the UK have placed a much heavier onus on player protection, education and responsibility in recent years.

Prediction markets, however, are a relatively new phenomenon which bridge the gap between betting and financial trading – though some would argue that they are betting exchanges with a different skin.

It has also been documented that people working in financial services, particularly trading environments, may be more at risk of suffering from problem gambling and gambling-related harm than those working in other industries.

Yesterday, FT Adviser revealed that financial services and investment company Hargreaves Lansdown is asking potential investors about whether or no..

SBC Summit preview: Player Protection Symposium agenda revealed

A.J. KoehnJune 23, 20260129 views

As expectations around player safety continue to evolve, operators face increasing pressure to detect signs of gambling-related harm earlier and implement more effective interventions. Against this backdrop, the Player Protection Symposium will examine the tools, policies, and partnerships needed to strengthen player protection efforts.

Taking place on Wednesday, 30 September, the symposium will bring together regulators, operators, responsible gambling specialists, and technology providers to examine how the industry can shift from a compliance-focused mindset to a more preventative and player-centric approach.

Through a series of expert-led discussions, the symposium will focus on three key areas of player protection: balancing regulatory objectives with efforts to combat the black market, the role operators play in safeguarding players, and the growing role of technology in identifying and supporting at-risk players.

“Gambling harm prevention is a challenge shared by every regula..

Tory peer becomes latest to heap pressure on Gambling Commission’s affordability checks

A.J. KoehnJune 23, 20260111 views

The Conservative Party’s Nick Herbert has joined the long list of figures to hit out at the Gambling Commission’s affordability checks for the UK.

Speaking at the House of Lords, the former MP for Arundel and South Downs and Baron of South Downs called on Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to revisit the “ill-targeted policy, which, after all, was not the government’s in the first place”.

With the speech, he has become another member of what seems to be an ever-growing list of people making noise to prevent these checks from coming into place, which includes gambling reformist James Noyes and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

The Gambling Commission are set to meet regarding the implementation of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) tomorrow, the second and most stringent level of its affordability check solution, but Herbert has urged for a halt on this.

“On Thursday, the Gambling Commission will decide whether to approve the roll out of affordability checks on online betting,” he said.

“..

French betting’s new regulator asserts “sector is rife with contradictions”

A.J. KoehnJune 23, 2026094 views

The incoming regulatory chief for the French betting industry will not shy away from further tightening of the screws on online bookmakers.

Pascal Chevremont was nominated by the French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to take on the presidency of the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the National Gambling Authority, earlier this month.

The veteran civil servant made his case for candidacy to a committee of the National Assembly on 17 June. Legislators subsequently appointed him to take on the lead regulatory role for the French betting industry.

In his statement to the committee, Chevremont made it clear that he would make it a priority for the ANJ to assert its control over French betting and gaming and further clamp down on illegal activity.

“The gambling sector is rife with contradictions,” Chevremont told the committee during his confirmation hearing.

“The internal security code establishes the principle of a ban on activities, and yet they are practiced by one in two Fre..