SBC News

SOFTSWISS has shown its support for the global environmental initiative ‘Cleaning up the World’, joining several other companies at a campaign in Poznań, Poland earlier this month.

On 16 September, SOFTSWISS representatives travelled to Poland for the 30th edition of the campaign, working with around 130 companies to help transform a significant area in the Polish city into a cleaner and more eco-friendly environment.

“We truly embrace the power of positive change, recognising the profound impact that each person’s contribution holds. Together, we are making real and noticeable changes that we can see, touch, and feel,” stated Katsiaryna Shved, Event Manager of Employer Brand at SOFTSWISS.

The ‘Cleaning up the World’ initiative aligns with SOFTSWISS’ social responsibility values. Along with environmental campaigns, the company also aids victims of natural disasters and military conflicts, supports individuals battling serious illnesses, champions social causes and fosters multicultu..

Data published by GamCare has shown a disparity between experience of problem gambling related to sports betting and online slots.

GamCare detailed that the number of people reporting problems with online sports betting to its National Gambling Helpline fell from 34% in 2018-19, to 20% in 2022-23.

The figures suggest that the sports betting side of the industry may be more advanced on know your customer (KYC), player protection and responsible gambling initiatives.

On the other hand, the number of people citing problems with betting exchanges increased from 0.3% to 7.6% over the past five years, according to GamCare’s latest data.

The biggest challenges encountered related to online slots, with 60% reporting problems with such products, a major increase from 34% in 2018-2019. On a broader, multi-product scale, 73% of the 5,660 callers to the helpline reported problems with gambling.

Colin Walsh, GamCare’s lived experience manager, said: “There is still a perception that gambling h..

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands’ gambling authority, has announced the funding of three new pilot projects to “raise awareness of problem gambling.”

The Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF) will finance the development of these projects, which aim to educate the Dutch public on detecting gambling risks and intervening in addiction and related harms.

Established in 2021, the VPF supports the launch of the KOA marketplace, which regulates online gambling in the Netherlands. The fund, managed by the KSA, collects a “levy from providers of high-risk games of chance”.

Working alongside the KSA, the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and Justice and Security (JenV) oversee the fund’s support for public initiatives related to addiction prevention, harm minimisation, research, education, and the improved supervision of the KOA market.

Announced this week, the VPF will fund a trial of an “e-learning early detection of problem gambling” training programme developed by the add..

The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gambling Authority, will recommend legislative and regulatory amendments around player protection to the Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice.

A KSA investigation into operator ‘duty of care’ practices concluded this month with the authority judging that companies could ‘intervene more quickly and effectively’ in cases of excessive gambling by certain customers.

In the regulator’s view, current operator player protection and intervention methods and measures are not sufficient to adequately safeguard bettors. As well as making recommendations to the government, the KSA will also enhance its own policies.

René Jansen, KSA Chairman, said: “The KSA puts safe play first. We receive worrying signals and, as a supervisory authority, we investigate providers who may far exceed the limits of their duty of care. If we notice this, we will intervene.

“With this research we see where, outside of these signals, providers are not doing well. Players must be..

Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Justice, James Browne – the politician with oversight of the country’s legislative changes on gambling – has commented on the results of a report into underage gambling.

Published by Ireland’s Institute of Public Health (IPH), the report is based on data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), a cross-sectional study of 15-16 year old students carried out every four years in 35 European countries.

Of significance for Browne, the Minister emphasised that Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Bill, updating the country’s betting regulations for the first time since 1956, is a ‘public health measure’.

The latest report from the Irish public health authority puts the number of 16 year olds in Ireland reporting participation in gambling over the last 12 months at ‘between one in four and one in five’, or 22.9%.

The 22.9% figure is presented by the report as a ‘composite’ figure, consisting of several different ..

Gambling has been recognised as a ‘related factor’ in the UK government’s new strategy to reduce suicide rates by improving prevention and early intervention through the NHS and wider local public services.

This morning, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published details of its new “five-year strategy to reduce suicide rates”.

DHSC Undersecretary for Mental Health, Maria Caulfield, announced that the government has reserved £150m in capital funds to expand the NHS’ existing programme focused on providing urgent and emergency care.

Further initiatives will see the government establish a £10m fund to support the vital work of voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.

“While this strategy outlines ways to prevent suicides for everyone over the next five years, we must ensure we continue to focus on groups with higher suicide rates or where concerning trends have been observed,” Caulfield declared.

Listed alongside domestic abuse and online safet..

France’s upcoming hosting of the 2023 Rugby World Cup has prompted l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) to refresh its nationwide safer gambling campaign.

The tagline, “Rugby has its codes, so does betting,” will be front and center for the ANJ, France’s unified gambling authority, during rugby union’s premier tournament taking place across France from 8 September to 28 October.

For this campaign, the ANJ has re-engaged research agency Toluna-Harris Interactive to provide insights into ‘French betting intentions’. The research found that “13% of French people say they intend to bet money during the RWC.”

In anticipation of the tournament, the ANJ estimates that wagers on the RWC could range from €85m to €150m. The French team’s on-field performance is expected to play a critical role in determining the final betting amounts.

Record TV viewership is anticipated, with “47% of French citizens planning to watch the Rugby World Cup.” This interest surpasses the levels observed preceding ..

EPIC Risk Management has revealed Teresa Fiore as the company’s new VP of Partnerships.

The gambling harm minimisation consultancy cited its continued expansion in the US, stating that this has led to the key appointment.

Joining from PointsBet – where she held the role of Manager of Responsible Gambling and Corporate Social Responsibility for several years – Fiore will now apply her experience in the gambling industry to work alongside partners of EPIC.

Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC Risk Management, commented: “This appointment is a key marker of the expansion that EPIC continues to make within the US.

“We’re delighted to bring Teresa’s extensive knowledge and vital experience into our organisation and value the perspective that she can bring from both a regulatory and industry angle.”

Meanwhile, Fiore has previously represented the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for five years as Programme Manager of Research and Responsible Gaming, where she oversaw state-wide responsible gambling pr..

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has posted a personal response from CEO Andrew Rhodes regarding “misunderstandings around financial risk checks and what they really mean”.

In a blog and video posted on the Commission’s website, Rhodes seeks to answer important questions and clarify the most frequent misconceptions related to financial risk checks.

Having initiated the consultation phase of the gambling review’s white paper, Rhodes notes: “In the past six weeks, we have seen a significant amount of misinformation about proposed financial risk checks in direct responses to the consultation, both in the media and on social media.

To aid responses during the remaining weeks of the consultation, the Commission has published a series of questions and answers for UK stakeholders. The UKGC stands by its aim to strike the “right balance between allowing people the freedom to gamble and also conducting proportionate checks to identify and protect the most vulnerable customers from harm”.

O..

Gluecksspiel (GGL), the Federal Authority of German Gambling, will host its first “joint exchange meeting of state coordinators” in Halle.

The meeting will convene representatives from Germany’s 16 Federal States (Bundesländer). They will share their specific experiences and challenges in prevention work in the online gambling sector since the inception of the Fourth Interstate Gambling regime (GlüNeuRStv) on 1 July 2021.

Hosting the Bundesländer, GGL emphasized its objective to “intensify cooperation” with the public health institutes of each Federal State. GGL envisions itself as the “coordinating entity” for all stakeholders in the GlüNeuRStv market.

By consolidating feedback from prevention institutions, GGL aims to gain deeper insights into implementing player protection regulations as mandated by law.

GGL Co-President Ronald Benter explained: “We have achieved this goal. After an initial board meeting last year, a personal meeting took place between the state coordinators and..