Europe

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) believes there are areas in which licensed operators can improve their player protection tools, despite an overall positive level of compliance with regulatory expectations among the majority of licensees.

A thematic review was conducted by the MGA in the first half of 2025 on the self-exclusion implementation and other responsible gambling safeguards across 20 licensees and 58 active URLs.

A mystery shopper exercise was used to determine effectiveness, cross-brand account controls and how responsible gambling protections were presented at key moments by licensees.

The MGA stated: “For Brand A, a player account was registered using a fixed set of personal details, followed by deposits and gameplay to test platform functionality.

“Brand B involved registering with the same details, initiating self-exclusion on Brand A, and verifying whether this exclusion extended to Brand B.

“Brand C tested the system’s ability to detect linkage by registering wi..

The Dutch gambling regulator has expanded its battle against illegal gambling, ordering Polymarket to cease its presence in the country.

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) warned Adventure One QSS, the operator of the Polymarket brand in the Netherlands, that it would be sanctioned with a weekly fine of €420,000 should it continue to operate in the country, with a maximum penalty of €840,000.

A zero-tolerance approach to illegal gambling sites is one of the key goals set out by the government in its recently published ‘Getting started, Building a better Netherlands’ coalition agreement, with KSA now expanding this action to include prediction markets.

KSA highlighted how Polymarket has been in the news recently, particularly surrounding wagering on the Dutch elections. Polymarket staunchly denies that it falls in the gambling category.

Despite being contacted about its illegal activity in the Netherlands, no changes have occurred to Polymarket’s offering in the country and as such, an orde..

Bulgaria’s gambling sector has opposed a draft bill that proposes an increase in the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21.

Earlier this month, populist party ITN presented a draft proposal to amend the Gambling Act in a way that would forbid anyone under the age of 21 from gambling – extending the definition of vulnerable people to also include those aged 18-20.

“The proposed changes relate to both land-based and online gambling,” ITN said. “We believe that this will contribute to the correct development of our young citizens, who will be occupied with activities other than those leading to heightened risks of addiction and negative impact on their lives.”

‘Draft goes against constitution’

Four gambling trade bodies have now come out with an official statement countering the proposal, arguing first and foremost that it goes against the Bulgarian constitution.

The Gambling Industry Association, the Bulgarian Gaming Association, the Bulgarian Association of Gambling Activities, and th..

EU Member States have been urged to consider adopting a ‘unionised tax charge’ for online gambling operators, with proceeds directed towards funding social initiatives, education and workforce reskilling projects.

A proposal is being explored by Victor Negrescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who used a recent plenary address to reiterate support for examining an “EU-level iGaming tax” as part of broader budget reform discussions.

A member of Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD), Negrescu is among Parliament’s Vice-Presidents and plays a role in shaping and overseeing the EU’s budgetary framework. As lead negotiator on the 2025 EU Budget, he has consistently advocated an investment-led financial model centred on education, youth and skills development.

Speaking before MEPs in Brussels yesterday, Negrescu framed the proposal as both an economic and social measure that should be considered.

“The online gambling market is one of the fastest-growing digital industries ..

With new Dutch PM Rob Jetten setting into power, his coalition’s action plan has room to clash with the gambling regulator on two key areas.

This was raised by Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), in a letter addressed to Jetten and all other policymakers part of the new coalition government.

“The new cabinet wants to ‘protect the vulnerable from profiteers’. There Jetten easily finds us on his side,” Groothuizen said in his statement.

“With the further ‘strengthening the duty of care of online gambling providers’ and the ‘harder tackling of illegal gambling sites’, the ambitions of the new cabinet also fit seamlessly with those of the KSA.”

However, the KSA Chair expressed concern on several points in the coalition’s seventy-page manifesto, which he said are “well-intentioned” but could prove “not very helpful”.

The first provision mandates a full ban on online gambling advertisements, on top of an already existing ban on gambling sp..

Spelinspektionen, the Gambling Inspectorate of Sweden, has urged licensees and stakeholders to engage with the ‘AMLA consultations’ to help improve the legitimacy and effectiveness of money laundering policies, practices and safeguards for EU Member States.

AMLA serves as the ‘Anti-Money Laundering Authority’, an EU-authorised supervisory body established in 2024 to support Member State governments and Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) with evidence and data to prosecute AML/CFT crimes and strengthen overall protections.

Within its remit, AMLA was established to help EU Member States align and implement money laundering safeguards in accordance with the EU’s new AML legislative package, including the AML Regulation and the 6th AML Directive, sanctioned on 14 June 2024.

The 6th AML Directive is regarded as a landmark reform in the EU’s harmonisation of anti-money laundering rules. The framework introduces 22 standardised definitions of “predicate money laundering offences”, includi..

DGOJ, Spain’s Directorate General for Gambling Regulation, continues to deploy new tools to enhance safer gambling for digital consumers.

This week saw the launch of ‘Stop Juego‘ (Stop Gambling), the DGOJ’s new app designed to block gambling across desktop and mobile devices.

The application enables Spanish consumers to voluntarily self-exclude from gambling activity through a simplified digital process, strengthening the DGOJ’s evolving framework for player protection.

Users who register via the app are automatically enrolled in Spain’s General Registry of Gambling Access Bans (RGIAJ), preventing them from accessing licensed online gambling platforms and physical gambling premises subject to identity controls, including casinos, bingo halls and arcades

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The Stop Juego app is available for download on iOS and Android devices, allowing individuals to complete the registration process directly from their mobile phone. Access is validated through Spain’s digital identification syste..

The Regional Council of Darmstadt has vowed to continue strengthening the parameters of the OASIS gambling self-exclusion scheme.

The Council is charged with the management of OASIS (Online Abfrage Spielerstatus), operated as the central self-exclusion system of Germany’s Fourth Interstate Gambling Regime (GluNeuRStV).

Publishing its 2025 update, Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt detailed that more than 5.2 billion queries were processed through OASIS during the year.

Darmstadt defines “queries” as individual checks made by GluNeuRStV-licensed operators against the central OASIS database of self-excluded players. As noted by the authority, “the figure underlines the significance and scale of the OASIS system in safeguarding German gambling’s compliance infrastructure.”

GluNeuRStV licensing requirements mandate that each licensed operator — land-based and online — must verify a customer’s status with the OASIS database before permitting participation.

The authority confirmed that the n..