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ARGN looks to harmonise player protection across Africa

iGamingExpertOctober 8, 202609 views

The African Responsible Gaming Network (ARGN) is addressing fragmentation in the region by instituting best responsible gaming practices across the continent.

Gabriel Akpabio, ARGN Member and Chief Executive Officer of Gamble Aware Nigeria, told iGaming Expert that Africa’s newest responsible gambling body is important, as the region continues to strive to solve its fragmentation challenges in the bid to address gambling-related harm.

The ARGN features a coalition of seasoned iGaming experts from 11 nations, with a goal to create a safer ecosystem, devoid of any form of harm which might arise from problem gambling.

Countries represented in the network include South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Cameroon, Uganda and Eswatini.

Akpabio commented: “One problem with Africa is fragmentation. The continent hardly unites, and this diminishes its strength. This applies to responsible gaming, and the role of ARGN is to remove siloes by building bridge..

Spain begins tests of cross-operator deposit limits on gaming accounts

iGamingExpertOctober 2, 2026012 views

DGOJ, the Directorate General of Gambling in Spain, has commenced the testing phase of its key project on applying a cross-operator deposit limit system.

The phase provides a six-month period for DGOJ-licensed operators to test the system and prepare for its full launch, scheduled for 25 March 2027, which is set as a ‘provisional date’.

The project is considered the key initiative of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs’ wider overhaul of gambling protections under the mandate of the Royal Decree on Gambling Environments.

Authorised in 2023, the timetable was set by Royal Decree 520/2026, published in Spain’s Official State Gazette on 25 June.

The decree requires the DGOJ to provide operators with a test version six months before the system becomes mandatory. Technical specifications for connecting to the centralised system will be issued to licences by the DGOJ.

As such, testing begins on a new ‘centralised system’ that will count and record all customer deposits across all onli..

SBC Summit: PAF reveals potentially groundbreaking Meta collaboration

iGamingExpertOctober 2, 2026026 views

Speaking at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, Jesper Eliasson, Director at PAF, revealed a potentially new approach to tackling illegal gambling.

The subject of the lurking black market was rife throughout the event, with the threat being elevated by increasingly tight taxation regimes and hostile frameworks.

Whilst these factors are having a major impact on the regulated market competing with the illegal sector, social media platforms are pivotal in driving players there and escalating exposure of black market operators.

Speaking during the Scandinavia panel, Eliasson stated that they are in an experimental partnership with Meta, working together to thwart the surge of the unlicensed sector.

He revealed they will be sharing certain parameters as a result of the deal, including license documents and URLs, helping Meta create a clearer picture of who is regulated and who isn’t, both in terms of affiliates and operators.

There is a real concerted effort to eradicate the creative around ..

Olympic Entertainment faces October judgement on €8.5m Lithuania fine

iGamingExpertSeptember 25, 2026011 views

The Administrative Court of Lithuania has confirmed it will determine whether to fine Olympic Casino Group Baltija €8.5m by 19 October.

Proceedings have been disclosed to Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG), the operating company of Olympic Casino Group, the Lithuanian subsidiary of the Baltic gaming group, which believes that its subsidiary should face no action.

The dispute stems from an investigation into the gambling activity of Šarūnas Stepukonis, a former partner at investment firm BaltCap.

LPT, the Gaming Supervisory Authority of Lithuania, found five alleged breaches of gambling and anti-money laundering rules linked to his activity between December 2016 and June 2021.

The regulator says Olympic Casino failed to do enough to establish where the money Stepukonis was losing had come from. It also found that the company’s monitoring of his transactions was ineffective.

OEG is challenging the decision. Its Lithuanian subsidiary argues that the regulator has misread both the r..

Turkey intensifies fintech scrutiny following following Papel suspension

iGamingExpertSeptember 25, 2026012 views

The Central Bank of Türkiye (TCMB) has suspended fintech Papel Elektronik Money’s operating licence for soliciting financial transactions of illegal gambling and helping hide funds related to activities connected to illicit gambling.

The enforcement was disclosed in this morning’s ministerial gazette (23 September) of the Central Bank’s orders to suspend Papel Elektronik and its online wallet and money transfer services.

The gazette reported that TCMB had summoned a review of Papel’s licence in January, and ordered the company to be put under trusteeship of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).

Papel is being investigated over allegations that its payment infrastructure was used to move money from illegal betting, fraud and unauthorised forex. The case is based on reports from the central bank and Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board MASAK (The Financial Crimes Investigation Authority).

Investigators say proceeds entered the financial system via electronic money se..

Brazil Finance Minister shares appetite for full prohibition

iGamingExpertSeptember 23, 2026015 views

The appearance of Brazil’s Finance Minister Dario Durigan on CNN Brazil will have only served to elevate the trepidation of the country’s gambling industry.

He revealed that the economic team in the country has not completely taken the possibility of banning the regulated market off the table.

There was a warning from Durigan that the tax revenue from the sector wouldn’t be enough to make it immune from being prohibited, with Durigan stating that “If it harms people, the revenue is not justified.”

Furthermore, an announcement from Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is scheduled to announce his proposal to restrict gambling before Thursday the 24th.

The minister clarified that the fact that betting houses increase public revenue does not justify the increase in debt for Brazilian families.

Measures previously undertaken to ensure the banning of online casinos are expanded to become a more encompassing ban and include more verticals within the gambling sector.

Durigan added that if the go..

Donald Tusk backs EU gambling levy as ‘direct tool’ to fund €2trn budget

iGamingExpertSeptember 17, 2026023 views

With only two months remaining for EU leaders to seek a settlement on the Union’s next budget, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland has called on member states to consider a bloc-wide gambling levy as a “serious economic proposal”.

The former President of the European Council (2014 to 2019), becomes the highest-profile figurehead to support calls for the EU to fund its 2028–2034 budget cycle through new “own resources”, reducing its dependence on direct national contributions.

Speaking following a meeting of Visegrád Group leaders in Bratislava, Tusk said the EU would need more resources to respond to its changing responsibilities but argued that the additional burden should not fall on citizens and workers.

“As the European Union, we need to spend more money because there are new challenges,” Tusk explained. “I would like these increased resources not to burden people.”

The Polish premier urged leaders to give serious consideration to proposed EU taxes on major digital platforms, ..

Dabble issued ACMA penalty of more than $1m over BetStop failures

iGamingExpertSeptember 17, 2026020 views

Dabble Sports has paid a penalty of over AUS $1m to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after an investigation found several breaches of its online gambling self-exclusion rules.

Alongside the $1,069,200 in penalties, the operator has also given a court-enforceable undertaking to ensure future compliance, after the ACMA investigation found it failed to close 157 wagering accounts after account holders registered with the national self-exclusion register BetStop.

The investigation also found that 165 self-excluded people had been sent a total of 839 electronic messages – SMS, emails and app push notifications – by Dabble. 45 customers had been sent over 2,000 push notifications without including BetStop information, a requirement under the gambling self-exclusion rules.

Online gambling self-exclusion rules state that wagering accounts of people registered with BetStop must be closed by operators as soon as practicable, in addition to stopping electronic marketing..

Veikkaus and Finland face black market battle as monopoly ends

iGamingExpertSeptember 17, 2026015 views

Despite its monopoly status as the state-owned operator, Veikkaus is all for opening the Finnish iGaming market to commercially licensed operators, so long as it boosts player protection and combats the black market, which has become increasingly prevalent.

Finland’s iGaming market is set to open up and become a licence-based system from 1 July next year. The National Police Board of Finland, Poliisi, reported back in June that its gambling administration had received 50 licence applications, as appetite for market share reaches fever pitch.

Olli Sarekoski, Chief Executive Officer of Veikkaus, spoke to Lottery Daily about the transformation as he warned that currently in excess of 1,500 gaming companies target Finland, with over half of 2024’s total gaming volume taking place outside the regulated market.

The CEO noted: “The key point is the channelisation rate. A lot of gaming is outside the official channels. What is the point of the monopoly if this is the case?”

While Veikkau..

Ruth Evans appointed as Gambling Commission Chair

iGamingExpertSeptember 10, 2026023 views

The appointment of Ruth Evans as the new Chair of the Gambling Commission (GC) comes at a vital moment for the UK iGaming market, as industry stakeholders continue to combat illegal operators.

Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), confirmed that Evans’ five-year term as Chair will begin later this month, on 30 September. She replaces Charles Counsell, who has filled the role as Chair on an interim basis since the departure of Marcus Boyle in January last year.

Evans’ appointment comes at a crucial time, with UK iGaming operators battling against a black market which is estimated to have generated $50bn in gross revenue in 2025, according to a Fincord Intelligence report recently shared by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

Commenting on her appointment, Evans said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the Gambling Commission at a time when its role in keeping gambling fair, safe and crime-free is more important than ever..