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Entain has backed a Regulus Partners report which has asked the UK government to “implement a concerted policy crackdown on the growing threat of black market operators to grow revenues and enhance player protections”.

Revealed at SBC Summit in Lisbon by Entain CEO Barry Gibson, Regulus Partners’ report sets out a series of policy proposals to combat unlicensed operators in the UK and internationally, helping to “close a tax gap of almost £340m for the UK Exchequer across the next parliament”.

“Taking on the black market operators should be a key priority for policymakers around the world,” commented Gibson

“It will tackle crime and raise money which could be spent on critical areas such as healthcare, education and infrastructure. It would ensure that customers get greater protection from playing with fully regulated and legitimate operators.”

Entain noted that Regulus Partners’ report showed that “black market participation in the UK is still growing” despite the country’s “prop..

BetBlocker, a gambling harm prevention charity, will launch the Portuguese version of its award-winning blocking software at SBC Summit, SBC’s flagship event in Lisbon.
Hot off the back of receiving the Jim Wuelfing Annual Award for Prevention from the National Council on Problem Gambling in the United States, the charity is pushing to expand in new languages to ensure that their best-in-class, anonymous to use, and free support tool is accessible by more people than ever.
With over 200 million native Portuguese speakers worldwide, this launch removes a significant language barrier for crucial support that can now be accessed by millions of people impacted by gambling harms across the world.
Founder and Trustee for BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, had this to say about the launch of the Portuguese version of the app:
“BetBlocker is the only free and anonymous to use blocking software. Users can go from download to blocked in less than two minutes. But only if they understand the set-up instr..

Vixio, a regulatory intelligence solutions provider, has launched the Vixio Technical Compliance Tool to assist online casino operators with regulatory compliance when entering new markets.

Described as a “one-stop solution for technical requirements in the online casino industry”, the Technical Compliance Tool gathers the need-to-know requirements for providers and operators alike in regulated markets in a consistent format, saving them time in terms of manual research.

The tool will sit within Vixio’s GamblingCompliance platform, which offers insights into specific requirements for over 180 jurisdictions to help users stay compliant with regulatory landscapes and support their growth objectives.

“At Vixio, we’ve always prioritised listening to our customers and the launch of our Technical Compliance Tool is a direct response to their needs,” stated Mike Woolfrey, CEO of Vixio.

“We understand the complexity and urgency of staying compliant in a rapidly evolving industry, and this..

The Betting and Gaming Council is calling for “balanced regulations and stable taxation” to combat the illegal gambling market.

It follows a new report which has estimated that 1.5 million members of the British public wager almost £4.3bn on the illegal market every year.

The report, published by consulting firm Frontier Economics and titled ‘The size and economic costs of black market gambling in Great Britain’, was commissioned by the BGC and is described as the “first major study on the black market since the publication of the previous government’s white paper on gambling reform”.

More than 6,000 people were surveyed for the report to “understand whether and how people are accessing black market gambling”, with the scale of the survey allowing for the examination of “information about awareness, behaviours and perceptions by important player demographics and different types of product”.

To gain the most in-depth results, the survey took a nationally representative panel of the ..

France’s national gaming authority, Autorité Nationale des Jeux, has agreed to a partnership with Unaf, the National Union of Family Associations.

The collaboration between ANJ and Unaf strengthens their shared goal of preventing excessive gambling and protecting minors. It is also a follow-up on their previous partnerships in 2020 and 2023.

The ANJ’s 2024-2026 strategic plan has a priority objective of reducing excessive gambling and effectively protecting gamblers via training and prevention actions, which aligns with Unaf’s campaign to support families where gambling has affected minors, caused addiction consequences such as financial, as well as impacted family budget and vulnerable populations.

Through the partnership, the focus will be on developing tools for professionals who support vulnerable groups, prioritising budgetary support systems and providing resources to these groups.

They will be structured around different areas of intervention, including:

Studies and the pu..

Alliance for Gambling Reform, an Australian gambling harm organisation, has reiterated its demands for a total ban on gambling advertisements following increasing player losses.

The gambling trade body has called on Australian policy makers once again to push for a phase out of gambling advertisements, pointing to 2022/23 national gambling losses of $32bn.

Provided in a recent report from the Queensland Government, these figures show a significant increase on the only available previous loss figures of $25bn from 2018/19.

Martin Thomas, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, commented: “Australians lose more to gambling than any other nation in the world because we have a grossly inadequate regulatory regime in which the gambling industry has been allowed to operate virtually unchecked causing devastation to individuals, families and communities.

“These latest horrifying loss figures underscore the importance of the Federal Government adopting all 31 recommendations of the Murp..

The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel, has commissioned a survey to strengthen its efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.

This autumn, consulting firm Advisense will conduct the AML State of Play survey, asking BOS member companies questions on AML and terrorist financing to see what needs to be done in response to the increased risk following the rise of the internet, smartphones and new platforms being used for online gambling.

Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS, commented: “The gambling market should be a place for joy, entertainment, and excitement – and the occasional big win. Criminal activities must be eradicated. Our tolerance for money laundering in the gaming industry is zero.

“Together with Advisense, we are now setting a spotlight on ourselves to identify how we can improve our work against money laundering.”

BOS highlighted that current challenges in online gambling are “reflected in recent sanct..