A.J. Koehn - Player Protection Hub

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

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026052 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, 2026055 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, 2026052 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..

Opinion: Big Tech faces ‘architecture fallout’ as EU wants algorithmic accountability

A.J. KoehnApril 10, 2026048 views

In 2026 and beyond, the EU and its regulatory bodies will prioritise “safety by design” of online environments. Legal expert Claire Pinson-Bessonnet anticipates an inevitable collision with Big Tech over its doctrine of “algorithmic control.”

It is long established that Brussels will not follow US courts with regards to the European Union’s (EU) governance of tech giants.

Yet in both continents, sensitivities are rising on the accountability of tech’s biggest platforms to manage their online environments and keep audiences safe from growing risks and harmful content.

Claire Pinson-Bessonnet

In 2026, political attention will turn to the architecture and design of environments brought in by the biggest tech firms, in which liabilities point towards an unavoidable confrontation.

Whether in Brussels or Washington, regulators are beginning to probe the protections offered by tech giants of audiences on their platforms, and how consumer engagements are determined by algorithms designe..

OHID commits £12m funding for local councils to reduce gambling harms

A.J. KoehnApril 10, 2026040 views

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has disclosed the funding allocation it will distribute to local councils across England to support efforts to reduce gambling-related harms.

Booked on 2026–2027 accounts, OHID plans to distribute £12m in dedicated funding to upper-tier local councils in England. Councils have also been informed that OHID has reserved an additional £12m in funding which will be allocated for the 2027–2028 period.

Funding for local councils to reduce gambling harms is fully guaranteed by the New Statutory Levy on gambling licences. Since April 2025, OHID has taken its guardianship, overseeing the prevention and treatment of problem gambling across England.

The direct funding of councils via the statutory levy system underscores a shift to a centralised system led by the NHS, moving away from the previous voluntary framework under GambleAware.

In support of the new system, local councils must complete two mandatory requirements to secure the al..

OHID reveals first recipients of £25m gambling harm prevention grants

A.J. KoehnApril 8, 2026059 views

The OHID has published its first list of grants under the new statutory levy system, providing a clear contrast from the funding allocation of third parties previously led by GambleAware.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has revealed the full list of the gambling harm prevention organisations awarded funding from the new statutory levy system.

Notable names on the list include Gamcare, Gambling Harm UK, BetBlocker, and YGAM, along with a number of other national and local organisations including charities, independent bodies, trusts, and others.

OHID is one of the three key levy funding decision makers under the new system, tasked with overseeing the direction of prevention funds – around 30% of the overall levy, or £25,441,281 in total.

The remaining 70% of statutory levy funds are divided between NHS England and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). NHS England oversees the 50% allocated to treatment and UKRI oversees the 20% allocated for research.

This is ..

Labor breaks AUS gambling-ads deadlock for big reset in 2027

A.J. KoehnApril 2, 2026059 views

This morning, PM Anthony Albanese declared that Australia will implement “strong and decisive actions” to curb gambling advertising and protect young and vulnerable audiences.

A matter that has dogged Albanese tenure as PM since 2023, is resolved as the Labor government has committed to back five measures aimed at a ‘drastic reduction of exposure’ of gambling ads to the Australian public.

Beginning 1 January 2027, the government will restrict “gambling advertising on broadcast television to no more than three ads per hour between 6am and 8.30pm, alongside a full ban on such advertising during live sports broadcasts within those hours.”

The headline reform directly targets what gambling reformists describe as the “normalisation loop” between sport and betting — an issue that has driven a nationwide campaign calling for federal intervention.

Labor’s reset is built around five core restrictions that redefine how, where and to whom gambling marketing can be shown:

Broadcast TV limits:..

Comment: New Steven Gerrard gambling deal raises black market questions

A.J. KoehnApril 2, 2026065 views

Another day, another dollar for a well-known UK footballer who signs to promote a betting company that’s definitely not supposed to target UK consumers.

With Michael Owen having a Punt Casino partnership on his record, and Teddy Sheringham doing the same with 8xBet, this time around the star of the show is Steven Gerrad – a prominent figure in Liverpool FC’s history.

Gerrard, who lifted the 2004 Champions League trophy with Liverpool, was just announced as the latest brand ambassador of a gambling operator that close to no one in the UK would have heard of, We88.

Not to be confused with W88, the sponsor of Sunderland FC, which is another cog in what has become a major trend of Asia-facing brands not licensed in the UK prominently sponsoring UK-related football clubs and footballers.

Just like W88, We88 is not licensed by the Gambling Commission. Instead, it holds an Anjouan license and is owned by MockingBird Technologies Pte. Ltd. As such, the brand is most definitely made to cate..

GambleAware closes: a legacy of innovation undone by political naivety

A.J. KoehnApril 1, 2026066 views

For UK gambling, Wednesday 1 April 2026 will be the most transformative and impactful date for all stakeholders. It is also one which will likely overshadow another hugely significant moment for the industry which occurred today.

Tomorrow, HM Treasury activates the increase in Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) from 21% to 40%. The hike is widely seen as the most consequential outcome of decades of regulatory changes brought by the Gambling Act review.

Today, another generational change occurred. As of today (31 March), GambleAware has ceased operations entirely, bringing to an end its 20-year existence.

Since 2018, GambleAware has served as the chief commissioning charity for the treatment, prevention and research of gambling harms.

April 2026… Grim times for everyone

From 1 April, operators will be forced to navigate the ice-thin margins of the “40% era”. The financial burden this will have on operators large and small has been widely discussed, and budget cutbacks are widely anticipated..

Policymakers move to tighten SG rules as NZ bill heads to third reading

A.J. KoehnMarch 31, 2026057 views

Community calls in New Zealand led by an opposition MP to ensure that comprehensive player safety measures are included in the country’s new gambling bill were addressed during today’s reading.

Lemauga Lydia Sosene, a Labour politician and the party’s spokesperson, has become a key figure in campaigning for community returns to be prominently featured in New Zealand’s online gambling legislation.

Sosene, together with the community groups she represented, achieved success on that front late last year when the government agreed to include a mandatory 4% levy on online casino profits to be invested back into the public – with a following revision whether that rate should be put up.

Now, the Labour MP seems to have scored another win as her campaigning to ensure that sufficient steps are taken to minimise gambling harm appears to have contributed to the New Zealand government giving this extra attention in the upcoming bill, which passed the second-to-last-parliamentary stage today.

T..