“We need to get recognition for what we do well, rather than constant criticism for what we don’t do so well.” Breakeven CEO Ian Semel There was a recognition among treatment providers, regulators, operators and suppliers that the gambling industry has made great strides in recent years but you would not know it from reading…
GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond made an important intervention this week in the fight against junk science and misinformation from the anti-gambling lobby, with a letter to UK MP Layla Moran outlining the “inaccurate, unsubstantiated [and] ill-informed” evidence given at a recent Select Committee hearing on gambling harm. Over in Canada: Just last week at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute Conference,…
BetComply has teamed up with Mindway AI in a new partnership aiming to prioritise player protection.
Following the collaboration, Mindway AI will seek advice from BetComply on the future roadmap of its offering in addition to new business opportunities.
This will aid the player protection tech provider to develop its products in a bid to support a wider range of clients.
Jez White, Safer Gambling and Sustainability Specialist at BetComply praised the partnership, commenting: “Our goal is to help bridge the gap between innovation and implementation, ensuring operators can fully harness tools like GameScanner to deliver more effective, proactive player protection.”
White is set to lead the partnership, bringing a wealth of experience within responsible gambling to the collaboration as BetComply’s safer gambling lead, while also having served as Director of Player Protection Systems and Analytics in a previous role at Entain.
Rasmus Kjaergaard, Mindway AI CEO, also praised the tie-up, hailing the support of BetComply’s operational expertise as a “huge asset” for his company.
Future focus
BetComply will begin the partnership with a particular focus on GameScanner, with plans to oversee the future development of the AI-powered problem gambling detection tool.
This tool was recently implemented into Mindway AI’s new partner, Hommerson Amusement’s Dutch online casino offering, earlier this week.
Commenting on the recent deal, Kjaergaard explained: “With GameScanner, Hommerson Online will be equipped with the most advanced tools to ensure a safe gaming environment, demonstrating a proactive approach to player protection that sets a new standard in the digital gaming industry.”
European expansion
The player protection provider has also been working with regulators across Europe to expand the influence of its proprietary tools, having offered its Gamalyze software to the Hellenic Gaming Commission in April.
HGC President, Dimitrios Ntzanatos, commented: “The HGC leverages technology to enhance player protection. The integration of Gamalyze into the Commission’s website marks a significant step towards a safer and more sustainable gaming environment.”
GAMSTOP has expressed full commitment to supporting the shifting UK gambling landscape in the wake of a successful 2024.
The gambling self-exclusion scheme reported a 75% success rate with users who have stopped gambling online after registering with the service between April and June 2024. This was backed by an independent evaluation from Ipsos.
Within the same evaluation, “almost half” of users have stopped gambling altogether, while 75% reported feeling more confident in controlling their gambling choices.
Overall satisfactory rates with the service were found to be 74%, with a total of 78% saying they have achieved the results they’ve been looking for when reaching out to GAMSTOP.
The three main quoted reasons that people signed up to GAMSTOP last year were to stop online gambling, regain control over their lives, and control their gambling spend.
This is further explained by the negative impact that people reported gambling as having on their personal relationships before seeking support from GAMSTOP.
A total of 60% reported bad relationships with friends and family, 85% were in a bad financial situation, 58% reported having bad physical health as a result of gambling, while 80% believed they were negatively impacted mentally.
Another highlight that catches the attention is that out of the three optional self-exclusion periods of eight months, one year, and five years, GAMSTOP reported that most users selected the latter.
The five-year period option was upgraded in December with an auto-renewal function, excluding players automatically for another five years once the first interval is completed.
Moving forward, GAMSTOP will need to work in a somewhat different UK gambling market given the statutory levy on funding, research, education, and treatment (RET Levy) by the DCMS, which was introduced last year as an additional layer of player protection.
This measure aims to secure £100m in additional funding annually for organisations, projects, and initiatives related to the prevention of problem gambling.
On the new landscape and GAMSTOP’s active role within it, Fiona Palmer, CEO of the self-exclusion scheme, concluded: “While the newly-announced funding mechanism for research, prevention, and treatment in the UK, revealed in November, does not impact our funding model, we anticipate significant changes to the broader environment within which we work.
“We are well-placed to assist the new commissioners of prevention and treatment at national and local levels by providing GAMSTOP heatmap and demographic data, and have made a commitment to them to do this going forward.”
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has underscored the relevance of Safer Gambling Week (#SGWeek) as an industry initiative informing the public about safer gambling tools and behaviours.
The UK gambling trade body cites new data from SGWeek 2024, stating that the “numbers of punters using safer gambling tools surged for another year running”.
A positive response to last year’s campaign saw over 1.5 million unique accounts use a safer gambling tool during SGWeek (18–24 November), representing a significant 22% year-on-year increase.
The 2024 campaign delivered 7.2 million safer gambling messages to UK adults throughout the week, a 10% rise on 2023. Campaign targeting was heightened across social media, generating over 60 million impressions on major platforms including X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram a 21% increase on the previous year.
Research also found that user-established deposit limits rose by 14% compared to the prior year. Notably, 47% of those setting deposit limits were first-time users, reflecting a positive shift towards responsible gambling behaviours.
SGWeek serves as the gambling industry’s flagship social responsibility campaign, bringing together UK and Irish regulated betting and gaming operators across all businesses. The campaign is run in collaboration with charities, support organisations, and the Gambling Commission to promote safer gambling practices.
The 2024 edition received cross-party political backing. Key supporters included Baroness Twycross, Minister for Gambling; Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Stuart Andrew; and Shadow Gambling Minister, Louie French. Endorsements from these senior figures strengthened the campaign’s credibility and broadened its public and industry reach.
Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Southampton FC also contributed to the campaign’s exposure, sharing safer gambling messages with millions of fans via matchday channels and digital platforms.
During the week-long campaign, the SGWeek website recorded over 500,000 visits. The site provides essential information on tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion, and reality checks, alongside resources for individuals seeking support.
Grainne Hurst: BGC
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst commented: “Safer Gambling Week has proved its worth once again by making a real impact encouraging even more punters to make the most of the broad range of safer gambling tools only available in the regulated sector.
These new figures are a testament to its ongoing success, and this industry’s commitment to raising standards and ensuring the millions of customers who enjoy a regular flutter, do so in a safe and responsible environment.
SGWeek continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in raising awareness and increasing use of regulated safer gambling tools. The latest figures highlight the initiative’s sustained success for UK gambling and its emphasis on high standards on player protection.
Looking ahead, BGC members will continue to promote safer gambling year-round — but the dedicated focus of Safer Gambling Week, combined with broad political and sector support, delivers unique impact.
Hurst concluded: Our members promote safer gambling every day of the year, but a single dedicated week, bringing together the whole sector with support from MPs, peers, the regulator and other stakeholders, promotes that work in a uniquely powerful way.”
GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond has written to to UK MP Layla Moran, the Chair of the Health & Social Care Select Committee, to complain about the evidence given in a recent session on gambling harm. The controversial testimony of Director of the Southern Gambling Treatment Clinic Sam Chamberlain, University of Glasgow Professor Heather Wardle and…
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The 17th European Economic Congress, held in Katowice, saw Polish gambling executives acknowledge that existing regulatory shortfalls have enabled the black market to encroach on Poland’s beleaguered and disoriented gambling sector.
A panel of gambling stakeholders at the European Economic Congress recognises that “the online casino market in Poland is largely beyond the state’s control”.
An earnest assessment of Poland’s gambling status was provided at an event hosted under the auspices of the trade body Graj Legalnie Association (Play Legally Association) and Poland’s Sports Lottery – Totalizator Sportowy.
The dire scenario is underscored by market data: since the 2017 reform of Poland’s gambling laws, which granted Totalizator Sportowy exclusive rights to operate online casino games, approximately PLN 230bn (€50bn) has flowed to offshore operators. The figure reflects a disheartening setback for Poland’s Treasury, which is estimated to have missed out on PLN 5.8bn (€1.3bn) in unpaid taxes.
Despite the government’s intentions, the sector remains mired in regulatory ambiguity. Since the legislative shift eight years ago, which was designed to limit the shadow economy and enhance enforcement, critics argue the situation has only grown opaquer.
Wojciech Szpil, former head of Totalizator Sportowy and current chairman of the UN Global Compact Network Poland, highlighted the challenges faced by regulators. The pace of digital change, he argued, has far outstripped the state’s capacity to respond.
“We are talking about the internet now — a medium that reaches all of us through the phones in our pockets,” he observed.
Enforcement, he added, is ultimately in the hands of the Ministry of Finance and the National Tax Administration (KAS), but the operational capacity to track and prosecute offshore entities, operating from the likes of Malta or Curaçao, remains severely limited.
Zdzisław Kostrubała, President of Graj Legalnie, was more blunt. “We are not opposed to regulation — we are opposed to regulation that doesn’t work,” he said. The eighth anniversary of the Gambling Act passed on 1 April, whose stated purpose was to limit unlicensed activity and boost tax compliance.
Yet the Ministry of Finance now maintains a blacklist of nearly 50,000 domains hosting illegal games, many of which continue to operate. Blocking such platforms, Kostrubała remarked, has become a futile game of cat and mouse. “Monopoly is an anachronism,” he added.
Others echoed the sentiment. Piotr Palutkiewicz of the Warsaw Enterprise Institute noted that most Polish consumers are unaware that only one online casino – Total Casino is legally sanctioned. “The law has not kept up with the facts,” he said.
Even consumers who wish to play legally often find themselves inadvertently on illegal platforms. In contrast, most European Union countries have adopted licensing models that permit multiple operators under regulatory supervision — balancing consumer freedom with state oversight.
Olgierd Cieślik, who chaired Totalizator Sportowy from 2017-2024 and was the architect of Total Casino, warned that the legal market is growing far too slowly.
According to data from H2 Gambling Capital, legal operators are expected to gain just 4–5% of market share over the next five years. In 2024, legal gambling revenue stood at PLN 67bn (€14.6bn) — nearly matched by an estimated PLN 65bn (€14bn) from the illegal sector.
Cieślik also drew comparisons with other digital industries, noting that users are accustomed to accessing multiple platforms for entertainment – be it streaming, social media, or betting. A single-state monopoly, he argued, fails to meet these evolving expectations.
As regulators across Europe gravitate toward more flexible, market-based systems, Poland’s rigid approach appears increasingly out of step. The grey zone persists, not for lack of law, but for lack of effective governance.
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The “Grey Zone” panel was held as part of the European Economic Congress. The debate was held under the patronage of: Graj Legalnie Association (Play Legally Association) and Totalizator Sportowy (Sports Lottery).
Ricardo Assis: SBC Noticias Brazil
The Senate of Brazil has heard opposing views on whether to proceed with further legislation of gambling advertising as part of the ‘Bets’ regulating betting regime.
Last week, key stakeholders hearings in Brazilian advertising and media were summoned by Senators’ Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) and Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO). The session featured the participation of media figureheads, lawyers, Bets leaders and civil society organisations.
At present, the Bets regime applies the ‘fixed measures’ on gambling advertising of Law No. 14,790/2023, overseen by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA).
The Law deems that only licensed operators may advertise. Advertisements must include responsible gambling messages and cannot target minors or use certain public figures.
Further criteria determines that Bets adverts must not present gambling as a personal or social achievement or financial success. All Bets adverts and promotions must contain a +18 symbol for audiences.
Though withstanding, the adequacy of Bets advertising rules, has been questioned by Senators. Legislators have proposed two separate Bills for Gambling advertising to be treated as a unique legislation to be governed separately to the Bets regime.
As such, the Senate’s Sports Committee is currently reviewing Bill No. 2985/2023, which proposes a complete ban on gambling advertising across all channels, and Bill No. 3405/2023, which seeks to prohibit gambling advertisements involving athletes, celebrities, sports teams, and influencers.
Urgency aside, the Senate’s hearings were not intended to choose between the Bills, but rather to gather feedback from key stakeholders on the scope of a framework aimed at protecting society’s most vulnerable populations and young audiences from gambling-related risks and addictive behaviours. The sessions revealed a stark divide between those demanding a total ban and those advocating measured restrictions.
Loud voices for full prohibition
Hermano Tavares, a psychiatrist from the University of São Paulo, issued a dire warning.
“Never in my life have I witnessed anyone handle a calamity with restraint,” he declared, likening gambling’s effect on the brain to that of alcohol and tobacco.
Brazil, he noted, “now leads the world in online betting accessibility — an unenviable achievement.”
Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), author of Bill No. 3405/2023, pressed for decisive action. “The evil must be cut at the root,” he insisted. With gambling prohibition politically unfeasible, banning its advertising, he argued, was the next best option.
Others echoed the alarm. Senator Magno Malta (PL-ES) lamented that online gambling had become “a disaster with no end”.
Advertising is fractured sector
Industry voices struck a more cautious tone. Eduardo Godoy of the Self-Regulation Forum for the Advertising Market argued that banning advertising would merely drive betting into the shadows. “Prohibiting advertising is the worst available solution,” he said.
The challenge, Godoy suggested, was compounded by the fast-moving media landscape. “Today we talk about influencers; tomorrow, it will be AI-driven avatars,” he said, warning that enshrining rigid advertising formats in law risked rendering legislation obsolete almost overnight.
Concerns about unintended consequences were shared by the betting industry. “If there is no advertising, how can users distinguish between licensed and unlicensed operators?” asked Heloisa Diniz of the Association of Bets and Fantasy Sport (ABFS).
Fernando Vieira of the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) concurred, stressing that most Brazilian gamblers still use unregulated sites. Advertising, he said, functions as “a mechanism for identifying lawful operators.”
Football reliance on Gambling Advertising
Football’s reliance on gambling money also loomed large. Sports lawyer André Carvalho Sica explained that lower-tier clubs, particularly in Serie B, depend heavily on betting sponsorships. “The true value today comes from advertising boards funded by betting companies,” he said.
Senator Portinho reflected the session’s ambivalence. While condemning the “predatory” presence of a dozen betting brands during the Carioca Championship final, he acknowledged that the sport’s financial survival depends on such sponsorships.
Digital platforms were notably absent from the hearings. Portinho criticised Meta, TikTok, and X for failing to engage, warning that uncooperative platforms could soon face stricter regulatory measures.
Despite the divides, there was consensus on the urgent need to better protect minors. Luiz Felipe Guimarães Santoro of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) outlined measures already in place to block underage access on legal platforms, but noted that illegal operators remain a threat.
Brazil now faces a critical choice. Should it impose a draconian ban for the sake of public health? Or should it refine the existing regime to balance commercial interests with societal responsibility?
The Senate’s Sports Committee will have to tread lightly as once more the regulatory development of Bets tests the boundaries of Brazil’s statute in providing a balanced settlement of economic necessity and social protection in Brazil’s digital age – another dual-natured challenge of a nascent gambling market…