SBC News

President Inácio Lula da Silva will host a meeting of senior ministers to address outstanding concerns regarding the launch of the Bets regime, the federal framework to regulate fixed-odds betting and online gambling in Brazil.

The Ministers of Finance, Healthcare, Sports, Public Welfare, and Social Development will meet with Lula, today, to review the Bets regime’s progress towards its intended launch on 1 January 2025.

Lula seeks to address concerns following reports that beneficiaries of Bolsa Família, Brazil’s financial aid programme for poor families, had spent BRL 3bn (€500m) on betting platforms, with transactions recorded by the government’s Pix payment system.

An intervention is expected, as Lula will likely endorse the measure proposed by Febraban, the Federation of Brazilian Banks, which has called on authorities to adopt an instant ban on the use of credit cards and overdrafts for gambling transactions.

Furthermore, Lula will order the ministries to collaborate and deve..

The Dáil of Ireland has resumed ‘committee stage’ discussions on the Gambling Bill of Ireland (GRB), which will implement a new regulatory framework for Irish gambling.

Sanctioned in November 2022, the passage of the GRB has been stuck in the committee stage of the Dáil since July 2023. The tri-party government has set no timeline for the GRB’s ascension into law, despite mounting pressure from Irish legal authorities to settle on its determination.

Led by James Browne (Fianna Fáil), Minister of State for the Department of Justice, a committee at Oireachtas resumed discussions on the GRB and the articles that will replace the near-century-old Betting Act of 1931.

Ministers probed Browne on the applicability and technical provisions of the GRB applied into law, as the mandate to modernise Irish gambling and its governance of all gambling disciplines (retail, online, horse racing, and lotteries).

No Exemptions on Licensing

On licensing, Minister Browne stated there are “no broad exe..

Gordon Moody has unveiled plans to launch ‘Gambling Support First Aid’, a programme designed to educate diverse stakeholders on how to help those suffering from gambling-related harm.

Announced during a press conference at SBC Summit Lisbon, the two-day training programme will educate attendees on how to recognise the signs of somebody who may be a problem gambler, as well as how you can support individuals through various support mechanisms.

Nina Shafaq: Gordon Moody
According to Nina Shafaq, CEO of Gordon Moody, the course aims to break down the stigma around gambling-related harm.

“Most of us know how to respond to a medical emergency, but a [small] amount of people know how to actually support people who may be experiencing gambling harm. We want to be able to create a community where talking about gambling as a hidden addiction isn’t stigmatised and people feel comfortable being able to talk about it,” explained Shafaq.

“We recognise that this isn’t something that we can do o..

Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the Netherlands expressed his confidence in the Conservative Coalition’s plan to strengthen Dutch laws and restrict high-risk gambling.
He addressed the Kamer after Wednesday’s presentation of the 2025 Dutch Budget, where the coalition government confirmed a ‘two-stage tax hike‘ on gambling income, raising it from 30.5% to 37.8% by 2026.

Schoof made it clear that the Coalition believes the government must actively discourage citizens from gambling.

Backed by the conservative parties, including the Freedom Party, VVD, NSC, and the Farmers Movement, Schoof fully supports the Coalition’s plan to reform gambling laws. The focus will be on protecting consumers, preventing addiction, and fighting fraud and crime.

When asked why the Budget deviated from its original plan to impose the 37.8% tax starting in 2025, Schoof explained that changes were necessary to address sports funding concerns.

“One of the reasons for delaying this was the strong opposition from..

The New Saints FC (TNS) and GAMSTOP have teamed up in support of Self-Exclusion Day on 14 September.

The 16-time JD Cymru Premier champions donated their match-day sponsorship slot to the UK’s national online self-exclusion scheme for their 4-0 JD Cymru Premier victory over Barry Town.

This saw the club promote the initiative across its matchday programme and social media platforms, as the players wore dedicated custom-made GAMSTOP warm-up shirts ahead of the fixture to raise awareness for the vital campaign.

Fiona Palmer, GAMSTOP CEO, commented: “The level of support The New Saints provided for Self-Exclusion Day has been above and beyond.

“Football clubs play a key role in shaping their communities, and it’s fantastic to see TNS take such a proactive stance in supporting individuals who may be struggling with gambling harm. Together, we can ensure that support is available for those who need it.”

Meanwhile, GAMSTOP, in collaboration with Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA), is also..

Febraban, Brazil’s Federation of Banks, has urged the government to accelerate the planned ban on using credit cards for betting and gaming activities.

The call is led by Isaac Sidney, President of Febraban, who expressed concerns to the federal government about the growing use of credit cards for betting, warning of the risks of debts being accrued by citizens.

Currently, the government and related agencies are in the licensing phase to launch Brazil’s federal fixed-odds sports betting and online gambling marketplace, commonly referred to as Bets.

Planned to take effect from 1 January 2025, the launch of the Bets market will prohibit credit card transactions for online gambling. The Ministry of Finance announced in April that the new rule also prohibits payments made in cash, bank slips, cheques, cryptocurrencies, or any methods that hide the source of funds.

“We are very concerned about how much this could compromise family income and increase defaults, potentially raising the co..

Dutch healthcare research agency ZonMw has put out a call to hand out grants for a new study surrounding the prevention of gambling harms.

The study calls for researchers committed to improving care for those suffering from problem gambling harms by increasing the number of treatment options and simplifying the access to relevant services.

Zon, or ZorgOnderzoek Nederland, is an independent government body established by law with the ZON Act from 1998. ZonMw constitutes a working relationship between Zon and one of its main contractors – the Dutch Research Council – which began in 2001.

The latest grant round is the second from ZonMw’s “Prevention of Gambling Addiction” programme, which was launched in 2023 and will run until 2029. The funding comes from the Verslavingspreventiefonds (VPF) – also known as the Addiction Prevention Fund.

Managed by the Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the VPF was set up with the enforcement of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA Act) ba..

The Ministry of Finance of Brazil has declared that, from 1 October, it will suspend all businesses that have failed to apply for licence authorisation to participate in the forthcoming Bets market.

This hard deadline forms part of plans to launch the Bets market on 1 January 2025, under the federal framework to regulate and licence fixed-odds betting and online gambling in Brazil.

As announced: “Only companies that are already operating and have requested authorisation by 30 September 2024 may continue to operate until December 2024. By 1 January 2025, only fully compliant companies can continue operations.”

On 20 August, the federal government management office of SIGAP closed the preliminary licence application window for the Bets market, which saw 113 businesses apply for licensing.

The licence applications are currently being reviewed by the Secretariat of Betting and Prizes (SPA), ensuring that businesses meet the technical requirements of the Bets market.

Regis Dudena, Gene..

Sky Betting and Gaming (Sky Bet) has been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for unlawful data processing practices.

This morning, the ICO revealed that following an investigation, it had concluded that Sky Bet had processed personal data through advertising cookies without providing users’ consent.

The investigation was launched following a complaint submitted to the ICO by gambling reform campaigners Clean Up Gambling.

The complaint, which was publicised by the Financial Times and Daily Mail, accused Sky Bet of illegally gathering data to build “detailed and intimate profiles of individuals, often without their knowledge.”

Clean Up Gambling’s complaint demanded that the ICO investigate whether Sky Bet was deliberately using personal data without consent to target vulnerable gamblers – “such profiles include indicators of personal vulnerability and addictive behaviours, which can then be used to target the most vulnerable.”

The ICO investigation found that..