The UK’s leading residential treatment charity Gordon Moody co-hosted a reception with Labour Party MP Chris Bloore at the House of Commons yesterday to raise awareness of the growing crisis surrounding the implementation of the research, education and treatment levy. A room full of dignitaries, industry representatives and other charities heard about the life-changing services…
In this latest episode of iGaming Daily, brought to you by Optimove, hosted by Fernando Noodt, the team, including Ricardo Assis and Ana Maria Menezes from SBC Noticias Brasil, delves into the turbulent Brazilian iGaming market. The discussion centres on a major tax increase proposed for the sector. On June 8th, the government decided to…
Fears of a tax increase on online gambling in the UK loom while a new YouGov survey suggests that 65% of bettors agree that such change “would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites”.
The research was commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the trade and standards body for UK betting, which warns that this shift could not only fail to generate more tax revenue but also jeopardise player safety.
Furthermore, the BGC is also concerned that increased taxation would severely impact the financial health of sports, particularly horseracing, which currently receives significant funding from its members.
Undermining the regulated gambling market
UK gambling is a highly regulated sector, servicing 14 million adults (excluding the National Lottery) who gamble per month and generating £10.9bn in annual gross gambling yield (GGY).
Licensing duties see consumers protected by safer gambling rules, compliance monitoring, customer care interventions, responsible gambling tools, controls, and financial probity – UKGC.
With the government now consulting on a major change to the way betting and gaming is taxed online, fears of a price increase for betting on sports like racing and football are only on the rise.
Sporting betting and online gaming is currently taxed at different rates, but last month HM Treasury launched a new consultation which proposed a single new tax.
Describing the stats as “shocking”, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst said that these figures prove what’s at stake if the government forces through a self-defeating tax hike on ordinary punters.
“It’s clear it will not raise more tax, it simply risks forcing huge numbers of customers out of the regulated market, with its world leading standards on player safety, into the arms of the growing, illegal, unregulated and unsafe gambling black market online,” she said.
“Any tax rises would make a mockery of the Government’s growth strategy and be catastrophic for horseracing, which is already facing a bleak financial outlook.”
A wake up call
The study revealed that only 23% of punters believe a tax hike is unlikely to have an impact on customers moving towards the black market.
It is also worth noting that the argument around the potential impact of the black market is a long-running one – and one which politicians have not always been very receptive to.
Hurst continued: “This is a wake up call for the government, punters have been loud and clear, hit them with further taxes and they will walk away from sports like racing, straight to the black market, triggering a spiral of decline.”
The survey posed a scenario to customers: “Imagine that betting on sports events like horseracing became more expensive because the government increased the amount of tax that betting companies have to pay. How likely or unlikely do you think it is, if at all, that this would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites that don’t have to pay any tax at all?”
As stated above, the BGC’s main concerns are about the black market. It was only at the end of last year that the Council warned the government that unregulated black market gambling poses greater risks than perceived by British consumers.
This followed a study published by microeconomics consultancy Frontier Economics and was described as “the first major study on the black market since the publication of the previous Government’s White Paper on gambling reforms”.
The coverage and ease of promotion of illegal websites were detailed as an area of concern, as 15% (2.8 million people) of gamblers who responded to the survey said they had heard of at least one of the black market sites listed.
The BGC also revealed that 1.5 million Brits stake up to £4.3bn on the growing gambling black market annually.
The organisation concluded: “This growing, unsafe, illegal gambling black market does not contribute to sport, does not pay tax and targets customers who are vulnerable to harm, including the self-excluded.”
A recent report commissioned by the Belgian Gambling Commission (Kansspelcommissie) has revealed alarming gambling habits of young people in the country.
Looking specifically at those aged 18 to 30, the report, conducted by DataSynergy, suggests that over 25% of this group use illegal gambling websites.
Meanwhile, when considering both sports betting and games of chance, 28% of participants used illegal websites, with 8% exclusively using illegal websites and 19% using a combination of both legal and illegal platforms.
Illegal becoming ordinary
For sports betting, 30% of users played via illegal websites, whilst for games of chance, 22% of users played via illegal websites.
Meanwhile, three illegal websites are amongst the top 1011 most-used gambling sites in the country, and despite the increased minimum age for gambling to 21, one in five 18 to 20-year-olds use such platforms.
The study also confirmed that around a quarter 18- to 30-year-olds can spontaneously name at least one illegal gambling website, whilst 9% spontaneously name only illegal websites, and 16% name both legal and illegal ones.
Legislation changes
The study was conducted after a new ruling came into effect in July 2023, which imposed strict restrictions on gambling advertising in Belgium, as well as a change in September 2024, which increased the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21 years.
Although the participation rate is lower than in 2023 (39% compared to 51%), gambling among 18 to 20-year-olds still occurs. The restrictions seem to have had a mixed effect on brand awareness, whilst illegal gambling remains a pervasive issue in the country.
Regulatory bodies in charge of market surveillance are now however maintaining increased scrutiny over new forms of betting and gambling.
Similar to England’s upcoming Premier League sponsorship ban, it is important to note that the Kansspelcommissie also announced this year that sports clubs must only accept deals with companies that do not operate gambling.
They can however still use the logo or brand name of gaming operators in some form or another, therefore the relationship between legal betting brands and sports remains close in the country.
Black market betting on the rise
Stake has been cited as one of the most widely used offshore websites in the country, being in the top 10 list without holding an active licence.
The regulator is particularly concerned about the rate of consumer awareness with Stake having doubled from 2% in 2023 to 4% in 2025. Sitting alongside these brands are 1Xbet and 22bet, Parions Sport, Winamax and Pinnacle, to name a few.
It was just last week that Belgium’s Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) revealed that 25% of customers are on the offshore gaming market. The organisation also highlighted that 47% of all players that have self-excluded have started gambling again, this time through unlicensed channels.
Tom De Clercq, Chairman of BAGO, said at the time: “We are on a sloping plane. While licensed gambling sites are subject to strict rules, investing in responsible gaming and actively protecting players, illegal operators are given free rein.
“And that has consequences: more and more people, especially young people and vulnerable target groups, end up in an illegal circuit without rules, without control and without protection. If we do nothing, Belgium is in danger of losing control of its gambling market.”
Estonia is set to review its gambling tax framework by 2028, as part of reforms outlined in the newly signed coalition pact between the ruling Reform Party and its majority partner Eesti 200.
The coalition, which has governed since 2023 under Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, will push forward changes from 2025 onwards, aimed at strengthening national security, reforming social protections, and accelerating the transition to climate neutrality.
Gambling reforms are firmly on the fiscal agenda, as the coalition will review its tax agreement of 2024, which reclassified remote gambling levies under the Excise Duty Act and aligned the country’s framework with broader EU compliance standards.
Estonia’s 2024 tax reform saw the Remote Gambling Tax on games of chance increased from 5% to 6% of net bets, alongside similar hikes to the Game of Chance Tournament Tax, Toto Tax, and Lottery Tax — with the latter rising sharply from 18% to 22% on ticket sales.
According to published articles, the government will “initiate the amendment of the Remote Gambling Tax Act in parliament to find additional funding for sports and culture. We will reduce the annual tax rate by 0.5% and reach 4% by the year 2028.”
As such, a ‘dedicated national fund’ will be created to finance major sports infrastructure, using proceeds from online gambling. Projects will be selected in line with priorities set by the Estonian Olympic Committee, ensuring funds are channelled into nationally significant venues.
“Amendments to the Remote Gambling Tax Act will be initiated in parliament to find additional funding for sport and culture,” the agreement states.
A second fund is to be launched to incentivise private-sector co-financing of culture and sport. Here, 20% of new gambling tax revenues will be earmarked for matched donations, following a model where the state covers one-third and corporate sponsors the remaining two-thirds. Only non-profits listed as tax-exempt will qualify.
“To attract private funding for the cultural and sports sectors, we will create a private fundraising fund by amending the Gambling Tax Act and directing 20% of the additional revenue into this new fund.
“We will use a principle where one-third of financial contributions come from the state and two-thirds from companies, in the case of donations. Support will be based on organisations listed as tax-exempt non-profits and foundations.”
This renewed policy push builds on Prime Minister Kallas’s 2024 intervention, in which her government enacted strict advertising laws to curb the visibility of gambling.
Measures included broad bans on celebrity endorsements, inducements such as “risk-free” bets, and marketing targeted at underage audiences. Enforcement was handed to Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA).
At the start of the year, the Ministry of Finance detailed that it would hear feedback on applying a new tax framework for Estonian gambling. However the Reform Party maintains that it will grant no audience on advertising restrictions.
Estonia’s liberal coalition is betting that the industry can remain commercially viable while being repositioned as a contributor to public welfare — not just government coffers.
Four Australian betting operators have breached rules around continuing to engage with consumers registered with BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER).
Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet and Topbet were each investigated by The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for unlawful acts against those wanting to cut down on gambling.
Firstly, Ultrabet was found guilty of reopening an account of someone at the end of their self-exclusion period and allowed that person to bet with that account. The firm also sent out marketing to another self-excluded person.
The NSER demands that once an individual registers with the service, operators must close that person’s account as soon as possible. The ACMA explained that accounts “must not be reopened or reinstated” once a person ceases to be registered with the NSER.
Instead, people at the end of their self-exclusion period who want to recommence gambling need to make a clear and deliberate choice to do so. Providers must also not send self-excluded people any form of electronic promotions or marketing including via emails or texts.
Authority member, Carolyn Lidgerwood, stated: “Wagering providers should know their obligations under the rules and know that we are enforcing them. The rules about account closure must be complied with.”
BetStop was launched in August 2023 as a free Australian Government initiative, and allows users to exclude themself from all Australian licensed online and phone wagering services in a single step.
“People on the NSER have made a conscious effort to exclude themselves from online gambling services,” Lingerwood summarised the platform’s purpose..
“Sending gambling marketing messages to people who are trying to stop gambling is unacceptable. Betting services must have systems in place that respect the decisions of people to self-exclude, or face further consequences.”
In order to prevent such instances from occurring, the ACMA has previously put emphasis on operators to; Implement robust monitoring systems, close registered individual accounts promptly, review marketing systems and procedures and monitor system changes and updates.
Player safety crackdown
Just a few weeks ago, Unibet received a AU$1m (£480,700/€560,100) penalty for the same wrongdoings. The FDJ United-owned operator had failed to close hundreds of accounts registered with BetStop.
A similar ACMA investigation accused the Unibet brand of over 100,000 contraventions of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The main breach in question concerned the firm’s failure to close 954 customer accounts after said customers had registered with the NESR.
Meanwhile, PointsBet Australia Pty Ltd was also recently hit with an AUD$501k (£242k) fine by the ACMA over advertising breaches.
The authority launched an investigation into the online gambling provider, which uncovered “more than 800 messages” as part of what the regulator said was a spam advertisement campaign in contravention of e-marketing laws.
Details around the investigation revealed that in the period between September and November 2023, PointsBet had sent 705 emails with a direct link to its gambling products without the option to unsubscribe from such messaging.
Romania will adopt a new comprehensive self-exclusion programme designed by the reforms of the Save Romania Union (USR) Party.
On Tuesday, the USR Party claimed its ‘first victory’ in its mission to overhaul the governance of Romanian gambling, in the aftermath of auditing scandals embattling the National Gambling Office (ONJN).
The bill, authored by USR deputy Diana Stoica, was cleared by the Senate’s Legal Committee on the grounds of being a general consumer protection and addiction prevention measure. The Bill is set to be debated in full on 10 June.
“The voice of tens of thousands of addicts has been heard,” said Stoica.
“The state must stop complicity with the gambling industry and intervene firmly. We cannot treat addiction with bureaucratic indifference.”
Romania will introduce a mandatory online self-exclusion register, hosted on the ONJN website, alongside strict processing deadlines: operators must act within 24 hours, and the ONJN must update its database within 48 hours.
Crucially, the bill includes a provision for a six-month licence suspension for operators who fail to comply, a tougher framework sought by lawmakers to protect Romanian consumers. Key measures include:
Online self-exclusion through the ONJN portal
Mandatory processing times: one day for operators, two days for ONJN
48-hour refund requirement for excluded players who are allowed to bet
Minimum 12-month “cooling-off” period for indefinite self-exclusion
Public reporting on processed exclusions
Mandatory signposting to addiction support services
The bill requires ONJN to publish exclusion request statistics which represents a move toward increased transparency for an industry that has faced criticism for being unclear.
The USR reform package includes this legislative initiative as part of its broader scope. The USR party supports a second bill that proposes to establish a strict spending cap for gambling which would cap player expenditures at 10% of their reported monthly earnings.
The proposal faces postponement because Romania conducted presidential elections recently. President Nicușor Dan who won the election on 18 May has not named any senior officials or defined his regulatory approach. The absence of executive appointments has caused a delay in the parliamentary assessment of USR’s affordability bill.
Scrutiny now turns to the ONJN that has begun a new leadership tenure of president Vlad-Cristian Soare. Tasked with restoring credibility to the regulator, Soare has pledged to end political interference and prioritise consumer safeguards and market integrity.
The self-exclusion bill now moves toward Senate approval which reform advocates see as essential for Romania to achieve European standards in gambling oversight. The USR views the bill’s passage as evidence that systemic change is starting to advance after multiple years of regulatory inertia.
Svenska Spel, Sweden’s state-owned betting and gaming company, cannot get a break at the moment, having been placed under supervision by the country’s gaming inspectorate, Spelinspektionen.
The regulator has initiated a review of Svenska Spel, alongside state-owned racing body AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) and Malta-based lottery brokerage app Lotto Direct Ltd, to check compliance with the Swedish Gambling Act of 2018.
Spelinspektionen’s scrutiny is particularly focused with one specific section of the Gambling Act, this being a requirement that licence holders notify the regulator of any changes in an application or registration.
The regulator states that it will publish the results of the reviews when a decision has been made. This will include any decisions around an intervention, which could range from anything to a warning to extra licence conditions to a fine or penalty.
While nothing is concrete, the timing of this investigation is not ideal for Svenska Spel in particular, coming just three days after the operator won a landmark court decision against a Spelinspektionen court decision.
Svenska Spel and Spelinspektionen – a long-running battle
The recently solved legal spat between Skolinspektionen and Svenska Spel dates back to 2021 when the regulator conducted an audit 17 October-17 December including an examination of 10 customers who had lost money during that period.
The audit concluded that Svenska Spel had not acted proactively enough in preventing harm and potential problem gambling among the 10 customers examined. The firm was criticised as being too ‘passive’ in implementing its duty of care policies, particularly due to the players in question already being classified as high risk.
All 10 players had high deposit limits, made large deposits and incurred large losses, while also making several deposits a day and playing frequently, including at night. Some had also excluded themselves from certain games.
In March 2024, the regulator issued Svenska Spel a SEK 100m (€90,000) penalty for failing to meet the duty of care standards of the 2018 Gambling Act. Svenska Spell responded to this with an appeal, which the Administrative Court in Linköping recently reached a decision on.
A milestone moment
In a rare case of a court siding with a gambling firm against a regulatory decision, the Linköping Court ruled against Spelinspektionen’s decision. This decision was based on the fact that Svenska Spel had taken ‘several gambling liability measures’ against the 10 customers including access limitations and restrictions.
The interventions showed that the operator had been taking action against the customers’ excessive gambling, the court stated that it could not share the same opinion of Spelinspektionen. The court also stated that it does not believe it was sufficiently clear that Svenska Spel had failed to avoid the penalty.
“It is gratifying that the Administrative Court upholds our appeal and overturns the decision of the Swedish Gambling Authority,” said Fredrik Wastenson, CEO and Business Area Manager at Svenska Spel Sport & Casino AB.
“We appealed because we believe that the penalty fee is disproportionate in relation to the shortcomings and because there is a need to create greater clarity in the interpretation of the duty of care.
“We believe that the authority may only take measures that are supported by the legal order, the so-called principle of legality, which the court has also stated.”
However, the resumption of an investigation into Svenska Spel for potential compliance failures shows that the regulator is not out of the woods yet. Though this review is not related to the previous audit and penalty, it does demonstrate the relentlessness of regulation in this industry.
In the background, Sweden’s Tidö Coalition government has yet to present a formal plan to split Svenska Spel’s business.
The coalition supports a proposal to divest Svenska Spel’s online gambling and sports betting division to the private sector, while retaining its lottery and keno operations as a state monopoly. The initiative is backed by the Moderate Party and the Sweden Democrats, who argue that the state should not be involved in competitive online gambling.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned LiveScore and LiveScore Bet about advertising to minors.
Two ads were flagged down by a complainant, who observed the betting promotions on LiveScore’s under-18 Android and iOS apps. Users who clicked on the ads were subsequently redirected to LiveScore Bet.
It is important to note that LiveScore is a sports data app, while LiveScore Bet the group’s betting and gambling platform. The latter also uses the former as an advertising partner.
When questioned about the issue, LiveScore Bet pointed out that LiveScore’s app itself had two distinct account systems – one for under-18s and one for adults. It further noted that after it was notified, a test was carried out to try and replicate the occurrence on an Android device to no success.
On iOS however, the operator explained that there was a historic version of the app that did have a technical error where such promotions were displayed to under-18s in some instances.
With the latest app update showing no signs of error, LiveScore Bet added that the issue was isolated to only one version of the app, therefore impacting only a small number of users.
Responding to the ASA in its own statement, LiveScore also asserted that it maintains extensive age gating across its LiveScore sports media and data product to ensure that any underage consumers using this non-betting platform cannot access the betting one.
The firm maintains that a ‘technical bug in this safeguarding’ led to the issue with the ads outline above. It also argues that one of the two ads raised by the complainant ‘has still never been verified as accurate’.
“LiveScore Bet has nothing to gain from under-18s seeing our adverts, given that such an audience cannot use our products,” LiveScore’s statement declared.
The ASA acknowledged the explanations, but maintained that it had seen the ads appear on the Android version, even if it was caused by a technical fault.
Deeming the promotions “not appropriately targeted”, the advertising authority requested for stricter measures to ensure that this does not happen again, and will most likely monitor the apps more closely moving forward.
As Canada’s market matures, player protection challenges are multiplying — from rising offshore activity to the ethical use of AI in responsible gambling.
The Player Protection Symposium at Canadian Gaming Summit 2025 brings together the key minds shaping regulation, technology, and player safety to ask: “How do we protect players without pushing them away?”
Taking place on Thursday, 19 June at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, this focused track will unite leading policy experts, operators, and responsible gambling specialists to examine how Canada’s regulatory and commercial frameworks are developing to safeguard players in a maturing market.
Six expert-led sessions will cover the full spectrum of contemporary challenges, from AI-driven player protection to national self-exclusion models. The symposium offers delegates insight into evolving policies, technologies, and collaborations driving the next generation of responsible gaming in Canada.
Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “Protecting players should never be viewed as a compliance box to tick. It’s a complex, developing challenge that spans tech, policy, and empathy. This symposium brings together the people on the frontline of responsible gambling to share the insights that will help us build a truly sustainable gaming industry across Canada.”
The track will open with a special edition of Martin Lycka’s Safe Bet Show, featuring the very special guest, NHL legend Nick Kypreos. Kypreos will regale attendees with tales from his storied career, which included spells at the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, and Toronto’s very own Maple Leafs!
Among the key panels on the track is Regulation and Responsibility: How the New Politics Affect Player Protection, which will explore what Alberta can learn from Ontario’s approach to responsible gambling and why one in five Ontario gamblers still use unregulated platforms to gamble. Craig Cornforth (Senior Business Development Manager, EPIC Global Solutions), Alistair Facciol (Vice President of iCasino, iGaming Ontario), Steve McAllister (Editor-In-Chief, The Parleh), Ryan McCarthy (Vice President, iCasino & Sports, OLG), and Geoff Zochodne (Senior News Analyst, Covers), will examine how shifting political landscapes influence player protection strategies and consider whether a coordinated national approach could reduce player reliance on unregulated markets.
Building on these regulatory themes, Self-Exclusion: A Plus for Protection or a Boost to the Black Market? will see panellists examine Ontario’s upcoming centralized self-exclusion system and assess whether it establishes an industry standard for responsible gaming or risks driving players toward unregulated markets. Aaron GlynWilliams (Chief of Staff and Head of Enterprise Strategy, OLG), Catherine Jarmain (Director – Operations & Player Relations, iGaming Ontario), Isabelle Martin (Director of Responsible Gaming, Loto-Quebec), Tracy Parker (VP, Policy, Standards and Accreditation, RGC), Dr. Kahlil Philander (Carson College of Business, Washington State University), and Al Watson (CEO, Dataworks Group) will explore how regulators and operators can strike the right balance between access, protection, and enforcement.
The session Technology in RG: From Targeted Messaging to AI Support will examine how artificial intelligence can transform responsible gambling measures by using behavioral data to spot at-risk players. Cory Fox (SVP Public Policy & Sustainability, FanDuel), Francesco Rodano (Chief Sustainable Gambling Officer, Playtech), and Dan Umfleet (Group CEO, Kindbridge) will discuss how their organizations are rolling out technology-driven solutions while tackling the ethical questions these tools create, including data privacy concerns, player consent issues, and the dangers of relying too heavily on automated systems when working with vulnerable individuals.
Also featured as part of the Player Protection Symposium is the session It Pays to Be Positive: Changing the Direction of Reinforcement in RG, which will unite leading experts to examine how shifting from punitive messaging to positive reinforcement can help ensure safer gambling behaviors.
The Player Protection Symposium is one of several focused content streams at the Canadian Gaming Summit, alongside dedicated tracks on Sports Betting & Casino, Cybersecurity, Affiliates & Advertising, Leaders, and Payments & Compliance.
Get your tickets for the Canadian Gaming Summit!
Full Event Passes are still available at a discounted rate of $795 per person when you book as a group of three or more — saving you $200 per ticket with our Group Discount.
Operators and affiliates are eligible for free Full Event Passes, just apply via the respective links.
You can also grab an Expo Plus Pass for $195, which gives you access to all conference tracks, sessions, and the show floor. Please note: this pass does not include access to networking events.