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The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission in Australia has issued a A$50,000 fine to BlueBet for gambling advertising breaches.

The VGCCC found BlueBet guilty of 43 charges of displaying gambling advertising on or above a public road, which is an offence under the Gambling Regulation Act 2003. 

The commission conducted an investigation into the operator following a complaint from a member of the public. BlueBet was charged in August 2023.

During a two-week period in August and September 2022, BlueBet’s gambling advertising was present on digital billboards in five different locations:

Princes Freeway on the Point Cook Road Overpass (Laverton)   

Princes Freeway on the Princes Highway Overpass (Point Cook)   

Western Freeway Melton – Werribee Road (Rockbank)   

Western Freeway before Ballarat Road Overpass (Ravenhall)   

Princes Freeway on Sneydes Road Overpass (Werribee)

The VGCCC stated that Magistrate Greg Thomas “found it difficult to accept BlueBet’s defen..

Spillemyndigheden, the Danish gambling authority, has issued three orders and a reprimand to Mr Green Limited for breaching the country’s anti-money laundering act.

Following an AML compliance inspection of the operator, the orders were administered to Mr Green by the authority on April 10 for AML breaches on risk assessment, on procedures for internal controls and for failing to ensure that controls are carried out.

In addition, the reprimand was handed to the operator for breaching the rules on notification in the AML act.

Regarding insufficient risk assessment, Spillemyndigheden stated that the decision was made as “no separate risk assessment has been made of the individual identified risks associated with Mr Green’s business model, including payment solutions, and the risk factors associated with it”.

The authority noted that section 7(1) of the AML act states that undertakings subject to the act must “identify and assess the risk that the undertaking may be misused for money ..

GambleAware has stated that people seeking gambling harm support are being offered a treatment session with a trained professional within three and a half days, according to National Gambling Support Network data.

The dataset, for the period October to December 2023, also showed that organisations with the GambleAware commissioned network are contacting those seeking treatment within 1.3 days on average.

GambleAware and other organisations involved in the NGSN are highlighting the free support that is available ahead of this weekend’s Grand National.

Data from the National Gambling Helpline has also revealed that 4,816 calls and online chats were made in January 2024, which is more than any previous month on record and it is the sixth time the record has broken since the beginning of last year.

Since the network was recommissioned in April 2023, the helpline’s data showed that 28,175 people have been supported via brief interventions – conversations of 20 minutes or more and involv..

Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gaming authority, has issued an order subject to a penalty on Casbit Group NV for offering games of chance without a licence.

The KSA stated that it informed Casbit at an earlier stage that it intended to impose an order subject to a penalty on the operator for illegal games of chance on its lala.bet website.

Casbit responded by removing accessibility to its website for players in the Netherlands, but upon re-inspection, the authority claims the website is still accessible in the country, so a penalty has been imposed.

With the order subject to penalty, KSA has called on Casbit to immediately stop the illegal offering, with a penalty of €280,000 per week with a maximum of €840,000 being imposed if this is not complied with.

An objection has been lodged against this decision.

Earlier this year, the authority presented a new supervisory agenda as part of its ‘Safe Gaming’ mission and public objectives to bolster player protection.

Detailed within its 2..

Maryland’s push for online casino legislation fell flat on Monday after it was made apparent that the igaming bill that made its way from the House into the Senate was met without adulation.

The bill, which would have offered up to 30 online casino licences for the Old Line State, faced controversy from its inception and throughout its journey through the house as opponents fought against the motion.

A key issue surrounding the bill stemmed from a flurry of research studies that presented the issue of online casinos potentially cannibalising land-based venues.

One paper from Eilers and Krejcik commissioned by iDEA growth placed the impact on retail bottom lines at around two percent, whereas more damning studies found this figure to be somewhere between eight and 10 per cent, as suggested in research from The Innovation Group.

This led unions to come out in full force against the online casino bill, alongside anti-gambling opponents and retail organisations. The AFL-CIO and UNITE ..

GambleAware is looking to commission an evaluation and learning partner to assess the effectiveness of the National Gambling Support Network.

Within its invitation to tender, GambleAware noted that the partner will play a “key role in generating and disseminating learning throughout the NGSN as well as conducting an integrated review of its clinical, operational and economic effectiveness”.

In addition, the gambling support charity said that the flagship, mixed-methods programme will examine NGSN as a system, providing “valuable insights and assurances to support the future commissioning of the NGSN post-white paper”.

Open to various evaluation questions, strands and methodologies, GambleAware is also encouraging the commissioned partner to provide additional insights, knowledge and creativity.

Previously known as the National Gambling Treatment Service, the NGSN was redesigned in 2022 to meet the growing and changing needs of those at risk of gambling harm, offering a regional fir..

Kansspelautoriteit has extended its contract with Human Assistance Network for Daily Support – Hands 24×7 – for Loket Kansspel, the country’s support centre for gambling problems.

In addition, the Dutch gaming authority has imposed a binding instruction on DigitalOcean, ordering the hosting provider to cease and desist from providing services to affiliate websites that are referring Dutch players to illegal gambling operators.

KSA stated that Hands 24×7 has been supporting Loket Kansspel for several years, with employees helping to provide gambling information, help and guidance 24/7 to those that need it, as well as referring people to support and help and guidance in their local area when necessary.

According to the authority, Loket Kansspel was approached over 6,600 times in 2023 by gamblers or their friends and family who sought help or information via telephone, chat or WhatsApp.

KSA praised Hands 24×7 employees for being “skilled and motivated” with Loket Kansspel, extending ..

The UK Gambling Commission has published its Corporate Strategy 2024 to 2027, explaining the key areas of the British gambling market that the regulator will focus on over the next three years.

The strategy – ‘Gambling regulation in a digital age’ – is part of the UKGC’s commitment to delivering the proposals set out within the UK Government’s White Paper ‘High stakes – Gambling reform for the digital age’.

It also recognises the commission’s understanding of the gambling industry and developments since 2021, including the awarding of the fourth National Lottery licence, as well as experience in regulating including evidence from casework, consumer engagement, research, data and input from stakeholders such as advisory groups.

In particular, the UKGC has highlighted five key areas for the next three-year period: using data and analytics to make gambling regulation more effective; enhancing core operational functions; setting clear evidence-based requirements for licencees; being pro..

Twitch is under increased scrutiny in Sweden over the promotion of unlicensed casinos.

As reported by Dexerto, Kulturnyheterna, an investigative branch of Swedish television network Sveriges Television AB, detailed that “eight out of ten Swedish influencers on Twitch had promoted unregulated casinos.”

Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling authority, has been warned off the back of the report and may well intensify action against the global streaming platform, which has long been a hub for slots streamers.

It comes after continued efforts from Twitch to improve social responsibility when it comes to the promotion of gambling.

Just last year, the platform detailed that its ban of the promotion on unlicensed gambling would be extended to deposit limits, waiting periods, and age verification systems.

A statement from the firm said: “After monitoring the update’s impact for the last year—as well as hearing directly from you—it became clear that some people were circumventing those ..

The latest figures from GambleAware revealed that the uptake of the online Gambling Tool, corroborates with the 20% rise in individuals receiving support through the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN).

It follows the role of third-sector services being cited as ‘critical’ when it comes to supporting those that need it, as the industry looks to take a collaborative approach to increasing social responsibility.

The new online tool, which is designed to help people understand how gambling might be harming them, was launched in a bid to align with the launch of GambleAware’s stigma campaign ‘Let’s Open Up About Gambling’, which reached tens of millions of people as part of a coordinated effort to reduce barriers in accessing support and treatment services.

Zoë Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, commented: “The figures released today underscore the critical role third-sector services play as part of a whole-system-approach to addressing gambling harms.

“As we approach the Government’s ..