SBC News

New Zealand has turned its attention to influencers promoting casino content at a time of heightened political focus on the betting and gaming sector.

The country is not alone in finding frustration with influencers of late with gambling marketing and the role social media personalities can play in this falling under an increasingly bright regulatory spotlight.

According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is issuing takedown notices to influencers promoting overseas gaming firms.

Influencers have been live streaming their use of these firms’ products, carrying out promotional giveaways and similar activities, and have been posting links to offshore companies’ websites, the DIA told RNZ.

This violates the terms of New Zealand’s Gambling Act, which prohibits New Zealanders from advertising online gaming firms. It also comes ahead of the launch of an online casino market in New Zealand, which the state-backed TAB gaming group has some reservations abo..

Pressure mounts on mayoral interventions on gambling policies, beyond the context of the Gambling Review…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the central government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are recognised as the two policymakers with the biggest impact on gambling regulations and policies.

There are many other stakeholders, of course, that have an impact – the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) trade and standards body, the various operators and suppliers themselves, harm prevention and minimisation groups and charities, and sports stakeholders, to name a few examples.

An authority often overlooked is local government and the influence city administrators can have on the industry was seen in two separate developments this week.

Credit: B. Lenoir / Shutterstock
In a notable case of media scrutiny, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has been facing pressure to make good on some electoral promises around gambling. According to The Standard, Caroline Russell, a Green ..

Monica Shafaq, CEO of Gordon Moody, delivered a thought-provoking exposé about the link between mental health and problem gambling.

She made an appearance on the latest episode of the Safe Bet Show, hosted by Martin Lycka, SVP American Regulatory Affairs & Responsible Gambling at Entain.

As the conservation unraveled, Shafaq leveraged her experience as a well-versed mental health advocate to characterise problem gambling as a visible marker of someone’s troubled life.

Monica Shafaq/Source: Gordon Moody
According to the Gordon Moody CEO, 70% of people who come through the charity’s doors seeking help with problem gambling have been previously diagnosed with a mental health condition.

“They tell us that often gambling is used as a diversion to block off what might be going on in their lives,” she said.

“Over 30% of people who come to us also sadly contemplated harming themselves and putting their lives at risk. We know there’s a huge association between suicide ideation and ment..

The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) will host a meeting on 4 April to begin coordination with Brazil’s federal states to establish a National Betting System.

Discussions will be led by SPA President Regis Dudena, who last week sent an invitation to the governors of Brazil’s 26 federal states to participate in discussions with the Ministry of Finance (MEF).

Dudena’s letter deemed it vital for all states to be represented in discussions for “the democratic and effective construction of a National Betting System, aiming to strengthen federative ties and improve the application of legislation relevant to fixed-odds betting in Brazil.”

The SPA seeks to create a National Betting System as a ‘federal mechanism’ to help individual states uphold Brazil’s new gambling laws, standards, and protections.

A cooperative system has been further endorsed as the best mechanism to safeguard Brazil’s new gambling regime from corruption and to protect the integrity of sports.

Furthermore, with..

Ana Maria Menezes – SBC Noticias Brazil
The testimony of former gambling addict André Rolim shocks the CPI of Bets, which will recommend urgent actions to protect vulnerable customers from engaging with gambling.

The Brazil Bets regime’s safeguards to protect vulnerable consumers have been examined in the ongoing Commission Parliamentary Inquiry (CPI) investigating the financial and economic liabilities of Brazil’s growing online gambling marketplace.

A tense testimony was presided over by Senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS) ‘CPI of Bets’ leader, as former gambling addict and businessman André Rolim gave a personal account of how online gambling destroyed his life.

Rolim, who claims to have lost millions to digital gambling platforms, described the disorder as “a silent illness” that quietly undermines families, finances, and mental health.

“Winning in gambling is a beautiful dopamine which goes through the roof,” Rolim testified. “But losing? It’s a shame. It’s a disappointmen..

DGOJ, Spain’s Directorate General of Gambling (DGOJ), has underscored that online gambling continues to grow its marketing exposure, irrespective of federal restrictions.

The observation led the Directorate’s observation of “State Online Market Report for 2024,” monitoring the activities of licensed operators.

In 2024, Spain’s online gambling market generated gross gaming revenues (GGR) of €1.45bn, up 17% on FY2023 comparatives of €1.25bn.

A breakdown of segments showed online sports betting achieved the highest growth rate of 24%, generating a GGR contribution of €609m (FY2023: €492m).

The report cited that “growth is driven by conventional matched-odds sports betting, which increased by 23.69% last year, and live betting by 24.05%.”

Online Casino maintains its status as the largest GGR segment, generating a revenue contribution of €731m (FY2023: €625m). The segment’s growth primarily reflects increased revenues generated by online slots at €472m (FY2023: €385m).

Apart from ‘Ru..

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) will apply new rules on gambling incentives and promotional wording to ensure UK licences apply safe and fair terms for consumers.

New measures include changes to end harmful marketing practices and improve consumer understanding of bonus offers and terms used, which the Commission previously detailed as an outstanding concern.

Following a consultation, the Commission will apply a ban on promotional incentives that combine different types of gambling products, a cap on bonus wagering requirements, and a revision of the wording in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) to improve clarity.

New rules and reforms will become effective from 19 December 2025 as part of the broader programme of regulatory change aligned with the 2023 White Paper ‘High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age’.

Ban on Bonus Mixing
The headline change includes prohibiting the practice of offering promotional incentives that combinewagering applications ..

The Dutch gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has contacted more than 40 newspaper editors about promotion of illegal gambling in media.

According to the regulator, the advertisements were for unlicensed gambling companies that were inviting Dutch players to their websites, and allowing them to play without the required player safety measures that are otherwise present with license holders, such as the CRUKS self-exclusion scheme.

The adverts were featured in online newspapers, prominently visible alongside the logos of highly recognisable and credible institutions, such as several Dutch banks.

Concerned customers immediately reported this to the KSA, which proceeded with an investigation. The investigation lasted for six months, and it is still unknown how many people exactly have fallen victims to the illegal websites.

The result – 42 editors contacted and asked to promptly remove the ads and the links behind them from their websites, as this is in direct breach of t..

The underage and youth protections related to gambling in Montenegro are to be reviewed by a cooperative alliance formed by the Montenegrin Olympic Committee (COK) and the Administration for Games of Chance (UIS).

The partnership was formed by order of the Vlada of Montenegro, with the agencies tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of current underage gambling restrictions and the exposure of gambling to young audiences.

A memorandum was signed by Committee President Dušan Simonović and Spasoje Papić, who serves as the current Interim Director of UIS.

The agencies are required to provide a “joint action plan” on new rules, standards, and practices needed to promote responsible gambling behaviours and to minimise gambling risks for youth in Montenegro.

The memorandum detailed that COK and UIS will cooperate in establishing workshops and lectures in schools, sports clubs, and universities to ensure direct research is provided on the impact of gambling on young people. Furthe..

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has backed the European Court in its latest statement on international gambling law.

According to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), all national gambling policies produced by EU members must be communicated with the European Commission (EC) when constituting “technical regulations” – referring to services, including marketing and gambling encouragement.

Notices of such changes are submitted through the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) procedure. The CJEU added that failure to comply will render new provisions unenforceable against gambling providers, causing chaos in the market and confusing regulators, operators and customers.

Credit: EGBA
Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, commented: “Proper notification of draft gambling regulations to the European Commission is essential for good policy making and to allow for any proposed changes to national gambling frameworks to be scrutinised for their compatibil..