Better Change is taking steps to address the gap in player education with the launch of the Positive Player Zone, the UK’s first industry-wide player education platform to be integrated into operators’ player journeys. The Positive Player Zone aims to address what Better Change believes is a fundamental weakness in the player protection ecosystem as…
Gibraltar-based operator QuinnBet, which counts the UK and Ireland as core markets, has agreed to a £609,104 settlement with the UK Gambling Commission.
According to the gambling regulator, the settlement is in relation to identified social responsibility and anti-money laundering deficiencies following an investigation into QuinnBet’s due diligence compliance.
QuinnBet – which is 17th and 70th in Ireland and the UK respectively in terms of online traffic, according to Blask – has confirmed to SBC Media that the Commission’s compliance assessment took place in March 2025, when the deficiencies were flagged.
Brenda Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of QuinnBet, added: “We took action to address the matters identified, strengthening our policies, procedures and controls and making significant investment in our people and technology. These improvements were subsequently reviewed by the Commission, and the issues identified were resolved to its satisfaction.
“We have agreed a regulatory s..
The Dutch gambling authority is utilising an algorithm developed to estimate the risk of online casino players based on their actual gambling behaviour.
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) describes the algorithm as an ‘independent, transparent tool for the early detection of high-risk gambling behaviour’, based on machine learning that looks at a player’s actual behaviour to calculate a risk score.
Calculating the risk score involves analysing an individual’s patterns of how much or how often they gamble, at what times and frequency they wager, as well as how winning and losing streaks change their gambling habits.
KSA noted that the model can be used by licensed operators to improve their own duty of care, but the regulator highlighted that it offers ‘no guarantees; it can only serve as a supplementary component of duty of care measures’.
The algorithm is designed by researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) – PhD candidate Charles de Leau and Professors Reinout Wiers (Psychology)..
GamCare has invested in resources to expand its problem gambling support and treatment network to the most remote areas of the UK.
Announced this morning, GamCare, the UK’s leading advice, intervention and treatment service for problem gambling, will make localised support services available across the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
GamCare states that it “will be offering free treatment sessions for anyone struggling with activity across the Northern Isles including Shetland and Orkney, as well as Highland areas as part of its coverage”.
The expansion has been funded by the Scottish government through its allocation of the UK-wide statutory Levy on Gambling Harms with resources committed for three years until March 2029.
GamCare cites that its investment marks a ‘frontline commitment’ in support of the new structure of Levy on Gambling Harms, overseen by the NHS and the NHS England UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) (30%..
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a total of 125 complaints that raised concerns regarding five advertisements from the Dribble Media brand Midnite.
Two TV ads, two VOD ads and a radio ad for the Midnite betting app appeared across media platforms in April and May 2026, which complainants believed ‘portrayed and encouraged gambling behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm and suggested that gambling was an escape from personal problems’, according to the ASA.
In its ruling, the authority told the operator that the adverts in question must not appear again in the form complained of, and that future advertising mustn’t portray or encourage gambling behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm and should not suggest that gambling was an escape from personal problems.
iGaming Expert has reached out to Midnite for comment on the ruling from the ASA regarding its five adverts that received a total of 125 complaints.
Midnite adv..
The threat of the black market in Romania is growing increasingly ominous as instability reigns.
Evoke was the latest company to sound the alarm over market disruption this morning, lamenting the black market and increased taxation weighing on the financials of its international segment.
Sean Wilkins, Evoke’s Chief Financial Officer, told investors: “Romania continues to be affected by the combination of a weaker economy, higher taxes, and the growth of the unregulated market. We have responded by managing marketing and promotional investment carefully to protect returns.”
Wilkins said that an extra £6m has been added to its tax bill as a result of a hike in gaming tax from 21% to 30% in Romania, where there is little sign of wider regulatory stability.
A market on the edge
Evoke described Romania as its fifth core market in 2024 after acquiring Winner.ro for €10m to combine with its 888 brand.
At the time, Chief Executive Officer Per Widerström expressed optimism over the prospe..
The Gambling Commission was always risking inflaming a conflict with the industry as it moved to implement Financial Risk Assessments.
Despite seeking to assure caution from the industry through the phased implementation of FRAs, Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst has retaliated by slamming the GC for ‘failing to address the fundamental issues identified during its own pilot’.
Acting CEO Sarah Gardner stated that there is still an eagerness to work with the industry as the integration of FRAs develops.
Yet the BGC has underscored its concerns that industry warnings are falling on deaf ears, Hurst expressed ‘deep disappointment and frustration that the Gambling Commission has decided to press ahead with Financial Risk Assessments’.
She continued: “The fact that the Gambling Commission has delayed implementation, raised thresholds and abandoned its original timetable is a clear recognition that the concerns raised by the BGC and others were well founded. Unfortunately, t..
Three operators have had their appeals against penalty fees issued by the Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, rejected by the Administrative Court after a review.
A decision to uphold penalty fees given to Betsson, Snabbare and Spooniker was announced today by Spelinspektionen, who announced that the Administrative Court agreed with its view that the companies “committed serious violations of the money laundering regulations through insufficient customer due diligence measures”.
All penalty fees were handed out back in May 2025 for anti-money laundering (AML) failings.
Betsson was issued with a warning as well as a SEK6.5 million (£502k) fine.
Spelinspektionen selected customers to review based on a list of the 50 customers aged 18-29 who made the largest total deposits between 1 January-31 December 2023.
It found that the operators had failed to adequately identify the source of income for large deposits that could not be justified by the consumers’ taxable income.
I..
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the Netherlands gambling authority, is urging Dutch legislators to make sure regulations are not turned into an ‘income policy’ when it comes to the country’s gambling market.
Groothuizen has also issued a proposal to protect the most vulnerable in the country, asking for all people who are registered in the central curatorship and administration register (CCBR) to be included in the Netherlands’ gambling exclusion register, Cruks.
Income policy
In a blog post on the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) website, Groothuizen explored the current landscape of iGaming and sports betting in the Netherlands.
The KSA Chair noted that gambling ‘increasing normalisation and the ease with which you can gamble anywhere, anytime’, leads to concern, as ‘you can get yourself into considerably large financial trouble in a short amount of time’, whether it be with a legal or illegal operator, given how accessible it now is with the presence of smartphones.
However, he emphasised..
The European Casino Association (ECA) is calling for an urgent expansion in the remit of Europol to tackle the surge of the illegal gambling sector in Europe.
At a recent roundtable event in the European Parliament, ECA Chair Erwin van Lambaart shared a report that the illegal online gambling market aimed at European Union (EU) consumers increased by around 14% year-on-year to €91.6bn (2024: €80m).
The data comes fresh off the European Commission‘s (EC) proposal to reform the mandate of Europol and elevate its data capabilities and remit when it comes to tackling cross-border crime.
As part of the reform proposed by the EC, Europol will push towards more operational capabilities, with its remit being expanded to include bringing down the illegal gambling sector.
MEP Lukas Mandl stated: “Illegal online gambling is not a niche issue, it is a serious cross-border threat that touches on consumer protection, organised crime and the integrity of our internal market.
“Europol is a cru..