Europe - Player Protection Hub

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin: Regulatory consistency stops the normalisation of youth gambling

A.J. KoehnJune 11, 2026014 views

Jake Pollard

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin’s term as president of the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) ends on 15 June .

Interviewed by SBC correspondent Jake Pollard, she reflects on developments of the French and European gambling sectors including taxation, the normalisation of gambling and the regulatory evolution of the online sector.

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin has chaired the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) since 2020 and, just as she took the helm of the French gambling regulator amid a global uncertainty linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of the authority also marked a major change: under the new structure, all gambling activities in France are now placed under the supervision of the ANJ.

Until then, horseracing, land-based casinos and lottery activities had fallen under the remit of the relevant ministries (Interior, budget, Agriculture etc.). The aim in 2020 was to harmonise regulation across the various verticals, including the digital sector of course, and to..

Lloyds’ fraud alert adds pressure on Meta over illicit activity

iGamingExpertJune 10, 2026012 views

Lloyds Bank has warned of the significant levels of fraudulent activity flowing through Meta platforms.

The reported infiltration of fraudulent activity taking place on Meta will raise alarms for iGaming stakeholders, with the social media network continuing to be cited as a key driver of traffic to the unlicensed gambling market.

However, data from the UK banking giant underpinned the scale of the task facing Meta, as it thwarts the illicit content proliferating its network.

Lloyds’ Head of Fraud outlined that two-thirds of fraud reports were targeted towards Meta customers. The fraud expanded into various sectors, from ticketing to clothes sales.

It also tapped into key events on the calendar when social engagement is highest, which will draw concern ahead of the World Cup this summer.

An aggressive external approach is being taken to the fraudulent activity, with Richardson Hartley Law and Humphries Kerstetter confirming they are forming a group legal claim for scam victim..

UK gambling adverts under more regulatory pressure – but could it be progression?

A.J. KoehnJune 10, 2026011 views

UK gambling operators are facing increased regulatory scrutiny after the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced a new compliance initiative.

The initiative targets social media content that could appeal to under-18s, but, despite it looking like more scrutiny for operators, some may see it as progression.

An enforcement notice has been issued to all gambling businesses, warning that, from 11 June, it will begin actively monitoring content using the ASA’s AI-powered Active Ad Monitoring System.

Gambling authorities and social media to work together

A key milestone here is that the monitoring will be supported by partnerships with major social media platforms.

Operators found to be breaching advertising rules will be required to remove or amend content immediately, with persistent non-compliance potentially resulting in referrals to both platform operators and the Gambling Commission.

While gambling operators may be stung th..

BetBlocker welcomes Monica Shafaq as Director of Strategy

A.J. KoehnJune 9, 2026016 views

Duncan Garvie, Founder of gambling harm tool BetBlocker, has welcomed Monica Shafaq as the new Director of Strategy and Partnerships.

Shafaq carries a comprehensive career experience when it comes to problem gambling, having previously held the Chief Executive Officer position at Gordon Moody, a prominent UK charity specialising in gambling harm treatment.

She’s also a mental health expert, having carried the Chief Executive Officer title for 13 years at mental health and wellbeing organisation the Kaleidoscope Plus Group. Besides that, she’s quite versed in the UK sports scene, particularly football, evidenced in her past work with numerous football charities.

At BetBlocker, which was set up by Garvie with the purpose of aiding bettors who have a problematic gambling behaviour, Shafaq will certainly be a valuable asset in rebuilding their lives back up.

Garvie added: “I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Monica over the last few years, and have found her to be a principled an..

Gordon Moody appoints new CEO to take on challenges of statutory levy era

A.J. KoehnJune 8, 2026015 views

Gordon Moody has revamped its leadership team amid a significant change for the UK gambling harm treatment sector, with the new systems in Wales condemned as “unable to meet the needs” of those using it.

One of the UK’s leading specialist gambling harm treatment support organisations , Gordon Moody received £4.5m funding from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparity (OHID) under the new statutory levy framework, implemented as a key measure of the Gambling Act review.

The statutory levy sees licensed UK gambling companies make mandatory yearly payments to support research, education and treatment (RET) services. Prior to this, funding was paid voluntarily to GambleAware, which distributed it to organisations like Gordon Moody.

With GambleAware’s doors now closed (as of March) and the new framework being adopted across Great Britain, Gordon Moody has appointed a new board of trustees as it heads into the new era of gambling harm treatment.

Claire Arnold, who has been a member..

Researchers claim UK black market is fueled by crypto use and Gamstop avoidance

Steve HoareJune 5, 2026037 views

A new academic study has found that 5.7% of people who gamble regularly in Great Britain have used unlicensed gambling services, with cryptocurrency betting and efforts to bypass self-exclusion controls emerging as the main drivers. Researchers Heather Wardle of the University of Glasgow and Virve Marionneau of the University of Helsinki surveyed 1,322 adults who…

French regulator departs with final warning on World Cup ads

iGamingExpertJune 4, 2026017 views

France’s sports betting licence holders have been warned over their advertising and marketing conduct ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The alert comes from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), as French authorities prepare for a World Cup that is set to be the most heavily engaged with amongst domestic audiences across television, digital media and betting platforms.

With France entering the tournament as one of the favourites, the regulator believes betting activity could surpass the record €900m wagered during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The ANJ estimates that total betting stakes could reach as much as €1.2bn, depending on the progress of Didier Deschamps’ side.

As France’s gambling regulator, the ANJ has reviewed the World Cup advertising plans of 18 licensed online sportsbooks to ensure that promotional messaging remains compliant and does not encourage excessive gambling behaviour.

In its latest consumer study, the regulator identified signs of growing betting appetite am..

FDJ United’s Pascal Chaffard pleads with Dutch regulator to take an alternative path to ad ban

iGamingExpertJune 4, 2026022 views

FDJ United has provided an alternative solution to the advertising ban being proposed in the Netherlands, which it warned would embolden the country’s black market.

Speaking at Gaming in Holland, the company’s Chief Online Betting and Gaming Officer, Pascal Chaffard, said that while he understands the political logic behind the proposals, any changes must be ‘founded in evidence’.

He said: “Targeted restrictions tied to compliance standards would achieve the same consumer protection goal without driving players to the unrelegated market where there is no protection at all.

“The paradox we are faced with is that Europe’s most consumer protection-conscious markets, through their own set of measures, does the most damage to consumer protection.

“Every restrictive measure aimed at licensed operators that does not simultaneously address illegal operators makes the problem worse. The advertising ban, as currently proposed, risks accelerating the risk shift to illegal operators that ever..

Interview: Grainne Hurst on politics, taxes and Google

Steve HoareJune 4, 2026020 views

SBC Leaders speaks to Betting & Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst about the impact of UK tax rises and the rising tide of challenges facing the gambling industry Interview by: Steve Hoare Grainne Hurst is a stronger character than many people probably realise – she needs to be. The Betting & Gaming Council CEO spoke…

Veikkaus introduces age-sensitive loss limit triggers

A.J. KoehnJune 4, 2026019 views

Finland’s state operator Veikkaus will roll out a new set of individualised safer gambling tools correlating to the harm risk of every major player age group.

The move comes ahead of the rollout of an open betting market in Finland next July. The other major stakeholder in the current system, the Aland Islands’ Paf, has taken similar measures as the duo prepare for the liberalisation of Finland’s gambling market.

From 9 June, Veikkaus customers will have their profiles fitted with a new notification system that tracks their losses and informs them when they approach a certain amount.

The update will move away from the standard €24,000 annual loss limit that is currently in place for all players, and will instead introduce periodical alerts sent out when a certain amount is reached based on a player’s age – with the fastest loss triggers rolled out for the youngest legal gamblers.

Risk lowers as age rises for Veikkaus players

Those aged 18 and 19 will be preemptively alerted when ..