Steve Hoare

UKGC slaps NetBet with £650k penalty over AML breaches

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UK licence holder NetBet Enterprises Ltd has paid £650,000 to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) after an investigation into anti-money laundering (AML) failures.

A statement from the regulator stated that the company, operator of online gambling provider NetBet UK, agreed to a settlement with the Commission after an investigation revealed social responsibility breaches as well as AML shortcomings as well.

List of AML failures
As listed in the statements, the AML failures included a lack of adequate customer financial controls, which led to a number of customers wagering “disproportionally to their net income”.

This then led to examples where a customer’s significant gambling activity would constitute harmful behaviour, but where the operator also failed to intervene – essentially marking these players as “low-risk”.

NetBet’s AML and anti-terrorist financing assessments also failed to recognise key factors when assessing gambling spend, such as “the management of third-party business relationships” and “controls of third-country nationals living in the UK”, the UKGC added.

List of social responsibility failures
On the social responsibility side, the investigation found that NetBet failed to recognise general markers of harm, such as overnight play and escalating deposits, in a timely manner – but only after a manual review was conducted.

Following on from the earlier point about cascading gambling activity, the UKGC assessed that the operator lacked “effective customer interaction systems” that minimise the risk for customers.

Lastly, it was also found that NetBet had submitted “inaccurate information” when filing its regulatory return forms. SBC News has reached out to NetBet for a comment.

UKGC extra vigilant as 2025 nears end
As per the settlement, the UKGC reported that the £650,000 paid by NetBet will be used to fund social responsibility causes.

John Pierce, UKGC Director of Enforcement, said: “This case highlights the serious consequences of failing to meet anti-money laundering and social responsibility obligations.

“We expect all operators to take note and ensure their systems are not only well-designed but are working effectively to protect consumers and to keep crime out of gambling.

“The operator was instructed to take immediate action and make significant improvements to its systems and controls. This included strengthening their risk assessments, improving how they identify and respond to indicators of harm, and ensuring the accuracy of the data they report to us.

“Alongside the £650,000 financial penalty, the operator is also required to commission an independent audit of its policies, procedures, and controls to ensure the necessary improvements they have implemented are properly embedded and remain effective in practice.

“Our focus is on ensuring operators meet the standards we expect, and where they fall short, we will intervene.”

In recent weeks, the UKGC has been ramping up its enforcement of AML regulations, already leading up to several high-profile cases.

Earlier in October, Platinum Gaming, which operates FDJ United-owned Unibet in the UK, was issued a whopping £10m penalty over similar social responsibility and AML failures.

The AML clampdown is not limited to just iGaming, however, with the Victoria Gate Casino in Leeds getting its licence suspended whilst the regulator undertakes a review of its AML standards.

All of the above goes to show that the UKGC is not messing around when it comes to financial compliance and regulatory penalties – something that both iGaming and land-based operators should take at heart given the expected tax increases in next year’s Budget.

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Luxembourg favours state monopoly as gambling reform debate awaits settlement 

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Luxembourg appears to be at a crossroads as to how its gambling market will be regulated, with ministers divided between market liberalisation or the reintroduction of a full state-controlled monopoly under its 48-year-old gambling law.

Political concerns over gambling addiction in the Grand Duchy have grown in 2025, due to the ease of online gambling being promoted to citizens of Luxembourg via foreign media networks and internet service providers (ISPs).

Deliberations in October saw Dan Biancalana of the Luxembourg Socialist Party call on the government to curb the spread of interactive gaming machines in cafés and update restrictions on online betting and casino platforms..

In response, Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue confirmed that reform is underway to grant exclusive rights to the National Lottery and the country’s sole casino, Casino 2000, in Mondorf-les-Bains.

Under the proposal, cafés would be limited to National Lottery-operated terminals, with all other gaming devices including skill-based machines prohibited. On online gambling, the government is considering whether to allow the casino to operate a licensed platform, while assessing technical implications under European law on geo-blocking and player protection.

“According to European case law, you can create such a monopoly, but then you must protect your citizens,” Margue told parliament, adding that “complex discussions are ongoing with all concerned parties” to determine the scope of reform.

National media outlets report that the Justice Ministry has begun consultations with the National Lottery, Casino 2000, and other ministries on the structure of a potential state-run monopoly to control both retail and online gambling channels.

Currently, Luxembourg’s gambling activity remains limited to the Loterie Nationale and Casino 2000, with proceeds from lottery and sports betting supporting social and cultural projects through the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte.

While European law allows for a monopoly system in gambling, Luxembourg must demonstrate that it can engineer such a model to serve in the “public-interest objectives of harm prevention and consumer protection” — rather than state revenue generation.

The monopoly debate continues reforms initiated earlier this year, when the Justice Ministry initiated discussions to overhaul the 1977 Gambling Law,, to combat illegal and unlicensed betting. The new framework aims to address unregulated machines in restaurants and adapt to the “realities and challenges of the 21st century.”

However, PM Luc Frieden has so stood on the sidelines of the debate, emphasising awareness and player responsibility over restrictive legislation. He highlighted the National Lottery’s responsible-gambling measures, including transparent odds, betting limits, and educational campaigns about the social and psychological consequences of gambling.

Sports betting has been legal only since 2009 and is offered exclusively via LoterieSport.lu, a subsidiary of Loterie Nationale launched in 2024 — at the time promoted by the government as “the safest and most secure environment for Luxembourg nationals to gamble on”

The ongoing parliamentary debate has outlined a potential hybrid framework, preserving state control through the National Lottery while granting a single, regulated online concession to Casino 2000.

Another scenario under review would see Luxembourg ring-fence its licensing system, issuing a limited number of permits for specific gambling activities. However, such an approach could conflict with EU competition and single-market principles, particularly around free movement of services and market access.

2026 will reveal whether policymakers favour state stewardship as the most effective path to curb addiction and illegal play — or whether a more open, competitive licensing model aligned with wider European trends ultimately prevails.

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Spribe suspension shows Commission is turning attention to B2B firms

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has suspended the licence of Aviator-developer Spribe OÜ. The Poland-based company held a software licence with the Commission, but the regulator states it has come across cases of ‘serious non-compliance’ with its hosting requirements. In short, it appears that Spribe has been carrying out casino game hosting without holding the appropriate licence from the UKGC. The company…

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iGaming Daily: From Courts to Casinos: NBA Scandal and Canadian Ad Bill

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In today’s episode of iGaming Daily, SBC Media Manager Charlie Horner is joined by Tom Nightingale, Senior Business Journalist at Canadian Gaming Business/SBC Americas, and Justin Byers, Business Journalist at SBC Americas, as they discuss the recent arrests of several NBA figures following an FBI gambling investigation, and explore industry reaction alongside a proposed federal…

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Romania child gambling rates put strain on national support network

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Romania is lacking experts to deal with higher-than-EU average rates of gambling among minors, politicians have cautioned.

Comments were made by Daniel David, Minister of Education and Research, who based his concerns on the European ESPAD 2024 report, which showed that Romanian youth were among the most prolific users of tobacco, alcohol and gambling in Europe.

David highlighted that the country is not equipped with enough mental health experts to effectively deal with the nationwide compulsive behaviours among children.

“We are above the average in terms of alcohol consumption, smoking, gambling and online addiction,” he said, cited by Romania’s national news agency Agerpres.

“We do not have enough specialists or enough centers. When I say that we do not have specialists, I mean those specifically trained in this field, based on scientifically validated protocols. These are the levels that we need to develop.”

Despite a plethora of awareness campaigns conducted in schools over the last few years, David stressed that compulsive behaviours are most effectively tackled within the family environment, with parents having to take on a proactive role in the prevention and support process.

The Minister raised the topic during a roundtable discussion in the city of Sibiu, where he was joined by a number of healthcare professionals and representatives of child care bodies.

In attendance was also Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of the Romanian branch of international NGO Save the Children, who provided an in-depth look at the exact rate of gambling among under-18s.

She claimed that 14% of children have participated in gambling for money at least once in their lifetime, while 40% know of a peer who gambles.

The numbers are based on the organisation’s recent study on gambling behaviours among minors, which Save the Children has used as a base to call for a blanket ban on all advertisements in the country.

Furthermore, Alexandrescu added that one in 10 children have a family member who is addicted to gambling, which circles back to David’s comment on family support – showing that the adult is often the one who needs help and the impact of their gambling can be felt by other family members.

On that note, the local gambling sector has been continuously advocating for better problem gambling education and stronger self-exclusion policies to better protect the local population.

With a newly-restructured gambling regulator in the face of the ONJN, it remains to be seen whether policymakers will answer these calls.

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KSA Chairman: Gambling needs collective accountability to kill black market hydra

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Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Gambling Authority of the Netherlands has declared that illegal gambling is now the principal threat to every regulated jurisdiction.

Speaking at the IAGR 2025 Conference in Toronto, Groothuizen urged regulators to “take ownership” of illegal gambling threats and called for the creation of an Interpol-style international network to coordinate global enforcement and information sharing.
“Illegal gambling is no longer a peripheral problem — it is the principal threat to every regulated market in the world,” he said. “We must act together as if we are the issue owner here.”

A 21st-century battle
Groothuizen described the challenge facing regulators as a technological mismatch between agile criminal networks and slow-moving authorities.

“It feels like we’re fighting a 21st-century war with medieval tech,” IAGR delegates were told. “Bigger and bolder ideas are needed to fight the black market, and that requires a deeper pool of stakeholders with technical expertise.”

He explained that current enforcement tools were designed in an earlier era of gambling regulation, long before the rise of smartphones, crypto transactions and AI-driven marketing — innovations that have transformed how unlicensed operators reach consumers.

“The incredible worldwide rise of smartphones and the incredibly fast growth of technology have made it harder to reach our goals, instead of easier,” he added.

Black Market is never stationary
The KSA Chair said the illegal sector has evolved into a fast-moving global ecosystem that consistently outpaces national law enforcement while threatening consumer safety.

“Illegal operators are innovative and agile. They are our most difficult opponent,” he warned. “We are battling a 21st-century opponent with outdated technology, and that puts us at a natural disadvantage.”

In the Netherlands, the issue has reached critical levels. While over 90% of players still use legal sites, the GGR-based channelisation rate has dropped below 50%, meaning half of all gambling spend now flows to unlicensed operators.

“We warned the government for a tsunami of advertising—and were proved right,” he said. “But if the market gives way to illegal actors, the situation will only worsen.”

He explained that advertising restrictions, while politically popular, have inadvertently pushed consumers towards the very black market the Dutch regime was designed to contain.

Thinking beyond political sensitivities

Groothuizen acknowledged that Dutch policymakers now view gambling as a “high-risk product”, shifting away from the liberalisation agenda that defined the 2021 market opening.

Since 2023, the government has banned celebrity endorsements, outlawed untargeted advertising, and imposed a €700 monthly deposit limit per operator.

“This change of direction is driven by the idea that existing policies do not protect people adequately,” he stated but warned of “ the risk is that overregulation pushes consumers towards unsafe, unaccountable environments—precisely the outcome our laws were designed to prevent.”

He cautioned that the growing compliance burden, combined with declining GGR, has made it harder for licensed firms to compete with unlicensed operators which face none of these constraints.

Though political sensitivities have changed towards gambling since regulation, a complete fallout could be witnessed to the black market.

Big Tech must be engaged
The KSA Chairman stressed that defeating the black market will be impossible without confronting its digital and financial enablers.

“There’s no escaping Big Tech’s involvement,” Groothuizen said. “Social media platforms are the frontline where many consumers encounter illegal gambling for the first time.”

He described how rogue operators buy up expired Dutch web domains — from restaurants and schools to coaches and small businesses — to boost their SEO rankings and funnel users to illegal sites. Influencers, he warned, are being used to promote offshore casinos to young audiences through livestreams.

“Those who do not know that an illegal website exists are not likely to visit it. And those who cannot make a deposit will quickly leave,” he said. “The solution must therefore include the actors who make the market possible in the first place.”

He urged regulators to engage directly with technology platforms and payment providers, or, failing that, push for EU-mandated minimum standards modelled on anti-money-laundering rules.

“We must engage with these parties, but we must also not be afraid to stir things up and act against them ourselves,” he said. “If we do not encounter enough cooperation, then European institutions must step in.”

Towards a Gambling Interpol
Groothuizen’s most ambitious proposal is the formation of a “gambling Interpol” — an international framework through which regulators can share intelligence, coordinate enforcement and apply collective pressure on enablers of the illegal trade.
“Let us put our efforts mainly into a sort of gambling Interpol — first Europe-wide, then perhaps worldwide,” he proposed. “The illegal market knows no borders. Our cooperation should be no different.”

He explained that existing bilateral efforts have proved insufficient. Illegal operators reappear under new domains within hours, nullifying traditional enforcement tactics.

“It’s like battling a Hydra — cut off one head, and two more appear,” he warned.

Groothuizen closed his speech by reframing the fight against illegal gambling as a matter of shared global responsibility rather than national jurisdiction.

“One might wonder who ultimately bears responsibility: the regulators, the politicians, or the big companies in tech and finance that help keep the market running,” he said. “But the fact that there is no clear answer does not absolve us.”

He called on regulators, governments, and industry partners to treat the protection of consumers as a collective moral duty… “Let us all act as if we are the issue owner here,” he concluded.

“Only by taking ownership together can we create an ecosystem capable of protecting players and striking a real blow to the illegal market.”

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EGBA launches standards for responsible influencer marketing

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has teamed up with the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) to launch a new set of standards for responsible influencer marketing across Europe’s gambling sector.The Pledge on Responsible Influencer Marketing in Online Gambling  is the first industry-wide set of influencer marketing standards in Europe’s gambling sector. EGBA Secretary…

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Andrew Rhodes: Commission has taken down thousands of illegal sites 

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The UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) full attention remains on fighting the black market, the regulator’s CEO, Andrew Rhodes, has reaffirmed.

In a speech at the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) in Toronto, Rhodes made sure to highlight the UKGC’s continuous efforts to hit back at black market operators through a dedicated team created three-and-a-half years ago.

“We make sure there are penalties and disincentives for being in the illegal market, but also one of our obligations under the Gambling Act, which created us as an organisation is we are here to protect children and the vulnerable from being exploited by gambling,” Rhodes said.

Part of the Commission’s targeted campaign against unlicensed operators includes the disruption of online traffic through a close collaboration with search engines.

Rhodes added that he expects the UKGC to report a total of 200,000 URLs by the end of this financial year. As a result, there’s already been “nearly 100,000” blocked websites.

“We’re tracking over 1000 illegal operators as we try to shut them down… if we can remove things from search results, we make it harder to find, so we slow them down.”

Black market still in the spotlight
Despite the UKGC’s efforts, there is an interesting phenomenon going on in the UK where gambling brands that are typically unlicensed to operate are striking high profile sponsorship deals with sports clubs, particularly in the Premier League.

This led to a huge outcry earlier this year when TGP Europe was forced to leave the UK market and cease its white-label operations managing Asia-facing brands like DEBET and bj88 – partners of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and AFC Bournemouth respectively.

Just last week, Leicester City announced that BC.GAME, another unlicensed operator, will continue to be the club’s principal partner through the 2025/26 season. All these instances are widely viewed as counter-intuitive to what the UKGC is aiming to achieve.

Potential tax hike could complicate things
On top of that, the next budget coming in on 26 November could potentially raise the tax rates for the gambling sector – with the UK Treasury looking at several options on the table.

One of which would be to align all three existing tax systems with the current Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) at 21%, which would impact the retail betting sector the hardest given that the levy there is currently at 15%.

However, another option being discussed is to raise the RGD rate from 21% to 50%, which would undoubtedly cast a huge shadow on the revenues of licensed online gambling operators. This might inadvertently impact the end user cost, leading to more black market migration.

Rhodes addressed taxation during his speech in Toronto, saying: “Now these are going to be really big debates and they’re taking place in many countries at the moment, and it is quite hard sometimes when different factors change to work out exactly what impact each individual component had.

“That’s why in GB, we’ve got an evaluation programme, which is to evaluate the impact, as best we possibly can of the different changes that the Gambling Act Review White Paper has delivered within our country.”

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Italy and Greece show highest levels of teenage gambling risk

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Collective research gathered across all EU states calls for authorities to understand the intertwining threats and changes to gambling harms impacting teen behaviours, in which the individual context of EU nations must be understood.

European authorities and public health organisations have been alerted to changing habits of male adolescents engaging with gambling across EU states.

The warning comes from the collective research agency ESPAD – the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs – which has published its 2024 Report on “substance use and risk behaviours among school students in the EU.”

The 2024 Report marks the eighth wave of research conducted by ESPAD since 1995, covering 37 European countries and capturing responses from more than 113,000 students aged 15–16. This extensive survey represents the largest harmonised data collection on youth substance use and risk behaviours in Europe.

The ESPAD study aims to gather comparable and standardised data to analyse trends in alcohol use, tobacco/vaping, illicit drug consumption, non-medical pharmaceutical use, social media and gaming, and gambling behaviours.

The insights are geared toward helping public authorities, health agencies, and educational bodies design evidence-based mental health and addiction prevention strategies.

However, audiences are cautioned not to draw simplistic “like-for-like” comparisons between countries, given the varying national contexts in terms of education systems, social inequality, cultural norms, and data collection methods.

Gambling is an evolving risk
The 2024 report draws particular attention to the issue of gambling among adolescents, especially male students, framing it as a growing behavioural risk that now warrants equivalent concern to traditional substance use.

Across the 37 participating countries, 23% of students reported gambling for money in the past 12 months, with significant gender disparity – 30% of boys versus 13% of girls. This places gambling well behind alcohol and tobacco in terms of raw prevalence, but closer to substances like cannabis and vaping in terms of how many young people engage with it.

However, the depth of engagement and potential for harm is higher in gambling than in some other behaviours.

Among those who gambled, about 5% of students overall met the criteria for problematic or excessive gambling, based on the Lie/Bet screening tool. Boys account for the vast majority of these high-risk cases, with up to 9% of male students in some countries exhibiting signs of gambling addiction.

Gambling vs other risks
While alcohol remains the most commonly used substance among EU adolescents (73% lifetime use), and vaping is now more prevalent than traditional smoking (44% vs. 32%), gambling is increasingly seen as a digital-age addiction threat.

Unlike substances, gambling often escapes early detection and is facilitated by smartphone access, online games, and unregulated betting platforms.

The 5% problem gambling rate sits between high-risk cannabis use (around 6%) and more severe substance-related disorders, indicating that gambling deserves a priority place in youth risk-prevention policies.

Where Gambling Risk Is Highest
Countries with the highest prevalence of gambling among teens include:

Italy – 45%

Iceland – 41%

Greece – 36%

Lithuania and Cyprus – both near or above 35%
In the above countries, land-based gambling (e.g., scratch cards, slot machines, betting shops) remains widespread, but online and mobile-based gambling is rapidly rising, particularly among male students in urban centres.

The ESPAD 2024 report findings were highlighted by Greek public health agencies as a key factor prompting the government to launch a nationwide education campaign targeting teenage gambling harms as part of a new public health strategy to combat gambling harms growing across all ages.

The campaign will focus on school outreach, digital risk awareness, and parental guidance, and will roll out in phases through 2025.

In Italy, the report’s implications coincide with the government’s broader regulatory overhaul. The upcoming Reorganisation Decree of Gambling will introduce specific laws and protections for under-18s, which will be enforced as licensing conditions for all gambling operators.

The draft legislation includes stricter ID verification rules, a ban on gambling premises near schools and educational institutions and enhanced penalties for under-18 violations.

Italy’s decree is expected to be finalised and enacted by early 2026, marking a significant shift in the country’s approach to adolescent gambling protections.

Where Gambling Is Lowest

By contrast, countries such as: Georgia (9.5%( and Sweden, Iceland, and Norway (under 15%) report the lowest levels of adolescent gambling, thanks in part to stricter regulation, stronger youth protection measures, and public awareness campaigns.

These nations also tend to report lower rates of problem gambling, with fewer than 5% of gambling students flagged for risky behaviour.

Blurring lines of gaming and gambling
One of the most significant findings in the report is the changing form of gambling among teenagers impacting the overall engagement and perception of gambling activities.

Case in point, online gambling platforms and mobile betting apps are now more common among boys than traditional methods. ESPAD notes that around 65% of students who gamble now do so via online platforms, either exclusively or in combination with land-based gambling venues.
However, dynamics are beginning to blur due to teenagers engaging more frequently with social games and gamified loot boxes in video games, that contain similar reward mechanisms to gambling – a condition that is being scrutinised by multiple EU states.

The trend raises urgent concerns for regulators and educators, as gambling is now embedded within digital entertainment ecosystems where supervision is minimal and exposure begins early.

Youth context matters…
2024 findings confirm that gambling, once considered a marginal issue among adolescent health risks, has emerged as a digital behavioural concern with growing addiction potential, particularly among young males.

Although still less prevalent than alcohol or vaping, its rapid digitisation, high addiction risk, and co-occurrence with other risky behaviours mean it demands the urgent attention of EU public health and education authorities.

As with all ESPAD research, these results provide guidance for evidence-based policymaking, but with a clear caution: context matters, and country-specific interpretations are essential to effective activity.

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