SBC News

DCMS and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have published the ‘Evaluation Plan‘ on the impact of the policy measures undertaken by the Gambling Act Review.

The evaluation of policy measures will be conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), which began a scoping study in January 2024, to be followed by fieldwork research beginning in January 2025. NatCen is expected to present its findings and deliver the final report in 2026.

As detailed in the DCMS foreword: “The gambling white paper contains over 60 proposed policy measures, to be delivered by a mixture of different stakeholders, making it a highly complex policy initiative. The policy measures have different timeframes and implementation processes, and potentially intersecting outcomes and impacts. Attribution or contribution of observed changes to any one policy measure is therefore difficult.”

“DCMS and the Gambling Commission are working together to deliver an appropriate programme of work to evaluate the ..

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has declared that Safer Gambling Week 2024 campaigns have registered the highest online impact and coverage.

#SGWeek2024 campaigns 2024 set new records on social media, generating over 60m impressions across the platforms X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Data released on this year’s successful campaign promoting awareness of safer gambling tools, intervention, and treatment services revealed a huge 21 per cent increase on last year.

Cross-party senior MPs and peers, including gambling minister Baroness Fiona Twycross and several shadow ministers including the Shadow DCMS Secretary Stuart Andrew MP praised the impact of #SGWeek2024 campaigns.

This year’s event also had the full support of the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission, and its Chief Executive, Andrew Rhodes.

Among the well-known football clubs to support Safer Gambling Week 2024 were Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Southampton, ensuring millions..

UK Gambling has been assured that the adoption of a new Statutory Levy and the application of £2/£5 stake limits will prove effective in reducing problem gambling harms and ensuring Britain has the safest gambling environments.

The measures were announced last week by DCMS, applying the White Paper recommendation of online slot stake limits of £5 for those aged over 25 and £2 for young adults aged 18 to 24. DCMS further determined the design and structure of the Statutory Levy on funding research, education, and treatment (RET Levy) – to be led by the NHS as chief commissioner.

This morning, Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross spoke on the implications of the measures at GambleAware’s Annual Conference for problem gambling stakeholders.

Labour is the catalyst of Real Change for UK Gambling

In just over 100 days in office, Twycross underscored the significance of the Labour government delivering on its gambling pledges: “This Government made a commitment in its manifesto to reduce ..

The online gaming industry is evolving faster than ever. To stay competitive, operators must keep pace with emerging trends and navigate the challenges of a rapidly shifting landscape.

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Jake Pollard
Move comes as news of VIP known as ‘The Polymarket Whale’ was French national rumoured to have won $80m on US elections…

The crypto prediction market operator Polymarket has ceased to accept French players after the country’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), told it to cease trading in the market.

Polymarket’s profile increased considerably during the US presidential elections when, alongside US-based operator Kalshi, it was massively promoted on X/Twitter by Elon Musk as both companies’ markets predicted victory for Donald Trump.

It then emerged that one of its biggest clients, known as “The Polymarket Whale”, was a French national named ‘Théo’ who is alleged to have made $80m from backing Trump. A few days after the elections, the company’s CEO Shayne Coplan was visited by FBI agents, who seized his mobile phone and other electronic equipment.

According to Wikipedia, Polymarket has also received investment from Vitalik Buterin, the co-fou..

Médiateur des Jeux, the consumer ombudsman for French gambling, will now be led by its new Director, Jérôme Gallot.

The appointment was made by Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the regulatory authority for French gambling, in recognition of the need for strong oversight in consumer mediation.

Gallot was chosen from a list of esteemed legal scholars to take on the role of mediator and safeguard the consumer rights of French gambling patrons.

A member of the Court of Auditors since 1985, Gallot has spent much of his career outside the institution, notably within the Ministry of Economy and Finance. From 1997 to 2003, he served as Director-General of the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).

The ANJ’s gaming mediation process is designed to resolve disputes between players and gaming operators, including those holding exclusive rights, such as Française des Jeux and PMU. Consumers must first attem..

The Riksdag has confirmed that changes will be applied to Sweden’s Gambling Act 2018 to allow licence holders to “process personal data related to legal offences”.

Changes were authorised on 28 November to “provide a right for licence holders” to process personal data relating to “legal violations under certain circumstances”.

The specific circumstances under which Gambling Act amendments will allow licence holders to process personal data related to legal violations include the detection of criminal activity, monitoring suspicious betting activities, preventing match-fixing, and enforcing legal compliance.

However, as detailed by accompanying documents to process the personal data of a customer, a licence holder must ensure that it has detected an illegal activity, such as cheating or fraud, on the specific account.

The changes will allow licence holders to monitor individual accounts for “unusual betting behaviours”, as a measure to help Swedish authorities police incidents of ma..

The UK Government has revealed its plans for the statutory levy and online slot stake limits, ushering in a new era of protection and compliance for UK gambling.

The new RET Levy statutory measure will ensure that £100m in annual funding will be allocated to projects, initiatives and organisations dealing with the treatment and prevention of gambling harms.

We are examining how the industry has reacted to such key developments with the need for clarity and further scrutiny continuing.

Labour
Stephanie Peacock
Stephanie Peacock, the Labour Government’s Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society & Youth, has released a ministerial statement on the statutory levy and the online slot stake limits.

Peacock described the current funding system for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms as “no longer fit for purpose”, noting that while there has been an uplift in donations in recent years, the “quantum of funding is not the only requirement for an effective and equi..

UK Gambling will apply the regulatory measures of a statutory levy on funding of research, education, and treatment (RET Levy) of gambling harms and online stake limits as a new player protection.

Announced this morning by DCMS, the government has advanced landmark proposals from the Gambling Review’s White Paper to strengthen gambling legislation and improve funding for RET services.

DCMS also confirmed the introduction of online slot stake limits of £5 for those aged over 25 and £2 for young adults aged 18 to 24, as recommended by the White Paper.

Baroness Twycross: DCMS
Prior to the announcement, reports indicated that DCMS Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross was expected to reveal key measures imminently. This morning, she stated: “The introduction of the first legally mandated levy will be instrumental in supporting research, raising awareness, and reducing the stigma around gambling-related harm.

We are also helping to protect those at risk, with a particular focus on young a..

Gambling harms charity GambleAware has highlighted that there’s been a 12% increase in people using its support compared to the previous year.

A total of 11,000 users were treated through the GambleAware-commissioned National Gambling Support Network (NGSN) between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. Around 7,500 of them received ‘structured’ treatment such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), one-to-one support or residential care.

The NGSN report also outlined the number of people receiving early intervention for gambling harms for the first time. A total of 3,291 people used the early intervention service to only discuss their gambling habits, while 3,048 went on to receive further treatment after that.

Among those enlisted in the treatment, two-thirds (66%) said they’ve been put in debt due to gambling, 24% lost relationships, while 11% were left without a job pointing at gambling as a direct cause.

Treatment results showed that 95% of those who completed it showed signs of imp..