SBC News

The Dutch government has been warned against implementing ‘playing limits’ as endorsed by Legal Protections’ Minister Franc Weerwind.

The warning came from the Dutch Advisory Board on Regulatory Burden (ATR), an independent watchdog scrutinising “regulatory burdens” on business, consumers, and stakeholders in healthcare, education and public welfare.

In February, Minister Weerwind launched a consultation on imposing playing limits as a mandatory requirement of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA).

Measures proposed by Weerwind, would see KOA-licensed operators adopt a mandatory monthly financial risk checks on customer accounts that spend over €350. The Minister further endorsed applying a compulsory loss-limit on player accounts under the age of 24, set at a threshold of €150 losses.

The playing limits will be further strengthened by operators ensuring that customers are contacted by trained staff on gambling addiction and the requirement for operators to provide customer ‘care warnings’..

One of the defining characteristics of the online gaming industry throughout the 2020s so far has been the increased focus on regulated markets. Around the world, governments from Latin America to Asia are establishing regulated frameworks for online gaming, while the world’s biggest operators are eager to tell the world about their operations in regulated and regulating markets.

As the importance of regulation and compliance is arguably bigger than ever, it is imperative for operators and suppliers to ensure that they are compliant with their licensed jurisdictions.

BetComply, a compliance and market entry consultancy, is leveraging its expertise to ensure that its clients are compliant with local regulations. The firm deems that regulatory compliance is not just a necessity; it’s the cornerstone of success.

Mike de Graaff, the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer, told SBC News how the compliance sector is keeping up with the fast-paced nature of regulations this decade.

“It’s crow..

“ESG is all that makes us feel good, isn’t it?” Andrew Lyman, Gambling Commissioner and Executive Director at Government of Gibraltar, began in a keynote address at this week’s Ethical Gambling Forum.

Picking up where Nigel Feetham, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, left off, Lyman took to the stage following a plea from event Co-Founder Adrian Sladdin to those organisations based in close proximity to the Sunborn held event.

“There are so many companies within a stone’s throw of this boat that I hope will actually take the message around ESG, responsible leadership from the top, and adopting the right policies to represent Gibraltar in the best light possible,” his segue noted.

Posing a starter for 10 to those in attendance, Lyman continued by asking delegates who could argue against the numerous advantages to be gained via the adoption of an array of ESG practices.

Those plus points touched upon, he elaborated, include taking measures to reduce climate change, for corpora..

Set against the backdrop of the glorious Gibraltar sunshine, the third intention of the Ethical Gambling Forum sprung into action this week aboard a superyacht whose name will be familiar to many across the industry. The sublime Sunborn.

Beginning proceedings, Co-Founder Adrian Sladdin promised “something a little bit different”, before a tentative “be prepared” word of warning was offered as the ESG focus, noted as “something the as should all embrace”, of the two-days came to the fore amid a shifting landscape across the industry.

“The pace over the last seven months has been relentless,” opening keynote Nigel Feetham, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, who officially assumed office on October 13, 2023, began his opening address.

In a wide-range ten minute speech, attention was first reserved for that of the significance of the country’s licensing regime, overall value of the industry to Gibraltar and potential expansion that could be looming on the horizon.

“The underly..

Spain aims to be Europe’s trailblazer by adopting the first dedicated framework to regulate the content, standards, and advertising practices of social media influencers.

Last Friday, the Council of Ministers received the draft of the New General Law on Audiovisual Communication (LGCA) – commonly referred to as the ‘Influencer Law‘.

Filed as a ‘digital transformation’ project by the Ministry of the Economy, Spain seeks to determine the legal rights of content creators, vloggers, and influencers engaging Spanish audiences on social media platforms.

Marked as primary objectives, the new LGCA aims to protect the content and intellectual property (IP) of creators, safeguard minors from viewing adult content, and apply specific rights on social media platforms.

The LGCA will apply changes to Spain’s media laws, recognising content creators as ‘audiovisual content service providers.’ This requirement is due to the increasing relevance of content creators and their impact on Spain’s media..

Swedish gambling will enter a transformative phase during H2 as the government launches its new cooperative framework to combat match-fixing across all levels of professional and amateur sports.

Yesterday, Camilla Rosenberg, Director General of Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s Gambling Inspectorate, joined Minister of Financial Markets Niklas Wykman to inform stakeholders of upcoming duties.

Approved by the Riksdag in 2023, Swedish gambling and sporting bodies will adopt the “Measures Against Match-Fixing and Unlicensed Gambling Operations,” applying new controls and duties to report and co-share data on threats related to match-fixing and sports integrity.

As such, all relevant stakeholders in Swedish sports and gambling will share a cooperative platform for data sharing, and will be required to flag any suspected event of match-fixing on the common platform.

The platform sees the government change its approach to coordinating match-fixing investigations, by applying a data-led multi-st..

The executive of Buenos Aires has warned gambling licensees (retail and online) to prepare for tougher compliance measures imposed on their businesses.

The city’s legislature has confirmed that BA’s ‘Codigo Contravencional‘ – Code of Contraventions will be expanded to include new penalties for gambling infringements.

A proposal has been brought forward by the municipal deputies of Paola Michielotto and Sergio Siciliano to toughen the City’s gambling rules and to ensure that gambling is promoted and played by over-18s, online and in licensed venues.

The deputies’ proposal detailed concerns on the over-exposure of gambling adverts viewed by BA minors, citing a high coverage of adverts on online platforms and broadcast during football matches.

BA will expand its Code of Contraventions to avoid the “consequences of underage gambling, which extend beyond financial issues, impacting family and social problems, sedentary lifestyles, and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.”

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BHA to Monitor Pilot Proceedings as Government is Reminded of Levy Review Pledge

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will closely monitor the forthcoming developments of the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) pilot scheme and timeline to implement affordability checks.

The governing body of British racing has issued its response to yesterday’s announcement by the Gambling Commission that it would roll out its pilot scheme on “frictionless customer affordability checks” from August 2024, initiating a six-month test phase to move to a live environment.

BHA CEO Julie Harrington commented, “We are reassured that the Government has listened to Racing’s long campaign against the affordability checks first outlined in its White Paper more than a year ago.”

Representing the interests of UK racing and its rural value-chain, the BHA and its members have voiced strong concerns against financial affordability checks being imposed on customers.

Alongside the Jockey Club and Racing Post, the B..

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has established a new ‘voluntary code on customer checks’ to minimise frictions of financial checks and improve consistencies in know-your-customer (KYC) duties.

The voluntary code was designed in collaboration with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to help raise standards and reduce the need for private financial document requests when verifying customers.

As cited by the BGC, the code was designed “in response to the ongoing debate around affordability, the BGC, Government, and GC are taking action now to find practical solutions for online betting and gaming, giving greater clarity to customers and horseracing, while enhancing standards.”

Launched as a voluntary measure for BGC members, the code specifies actions required when customers’ accounts exceed net deposits of £5,000 in a rolling month or £25,000 within a 12-month period.

Members applying the code “must undertake a risk assessment of that customer to: i) understand their financial si..