Ahead of the festive season, NHS England warned of a significant increase in patient care demands for gambling addiction fulled by gambling adverts over the Christmas period. Dr Matt Gaskell, Head of NHS Northern Gambling Service, viewed the festive period as a “perfect storm of temptation” for relapses given the raft of football, darts and horse racing fixtures…
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched a review into Evolution Malta Limited regarding its operating licence in the UK market, according to a statement from the igaming supplier.
The review has been initiated under Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 after the Commission identified Evolution games as “being accessible from the UK through operators not holding a Commission license”.
A range of outcomes is possible from the review, including no action being taken, conditions being imposed on the licence, financial sanction, suspension and revocation of Evolution’s licence to operate.
Within its statement, Evolution said it is cooperating with the UKGC to resolve the matter.
“Evolution is cooperating fully with the Commission and has taken requested immediate actions to remedy the situation,” the supplier said.
“Games on the identified websites not holding a Commission license have been made unavailable from the UK. Evolution continues to actively work with the Commission to..
The UK Government’s Secretary of State has appointed Charles Counsell as interim Chair of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
Serving a nine-month term as interim Chair from 1 February 2025, Counsell will be replacing Marcus Boyle, who will be stepping down as Chair at the end of January next year.
Counsell has been a Senior Independent Director for the UKGC since April 2024. Previously, he was the CEO of The Pensions Regulator from April 2019 to March 2023.
During his time at The Pensions Regulator, Counsell helped to develop a corporate strategy to make the pension saver a priority for the organisation’s work, in addition to delivering the regulator’s first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Climate Change strategies.
He has also served as CEO of the Money Advice Service and Executive Director of Automatic Enrolment at The Pensions Regulator.
Leaving the UKGC at the end of next month, Boyle has been Chair of the Commission since September 2021. His term was initiall..
If you missed yesterday’s GambleAware Annual Conference, you can watch the whole seven hours here. Or jump to the bits that interest you. Highlights include Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross explaining the next steps with the RET Levy and threatening new measures on advertising; and Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller making a plea for industry…
Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller used his speech at the GambleAware conference in London to encourage collaboration between all parts of the gambling ecosystem, while chastising those who sow division and misuse statistics for political gain. Miller was speaking at GambleAware’s annual conference, which brought together the player protection community to discuss the outcome…
In her first public appearance since becoming the UK’s Gambling Minister, Baroness Twycross demanded action from operators to curb advertising. “The issue of what is appropriate needs to be looked at in aggregate,” said the Minister, “not operator by operator. I do not stand here today to tell you what that volume must be, but…
Campaigners claimed levy doesn’t go far enough, while treatment providers are concerned at the lack of a prevention commissioner, and independence remains a key concern “Of all the policies set out in the previous government’s white paper, this is the most significant and ill-considered,” Regulus Partners’ Dan Waugh told the Player Protection Hub. “It effectively…
The UK Gambling Commission has announced that Marcus Boyle will step down as Chair at the end of January next year.
With his term set to conclude on 31 January 2025, the UKGC thanked Boyle for his service as Chair in a statement on its website.
He has held the role of Chair at the Commission since 5 September 2021 when he took over from Bill Moyes, who was appointed to the position in 2017. Boyle’s term as Chair was initially set to expire on 4 September 2026.
The UKGC said that Boyle has led the Commission over the past three years as changes have occurred in the UK gambling industry and to its regulations.
These changes include the awarding of the fourth National Lottery licence, the ongoing Gambling Act Review and White Paper implementations and the recruitment of a new Board of Commissioners.
In addition, the Commission stated it is “in a strong position and with a clearly defined path forward” following the April 2024 publication of its Corporate Strategy 2024 to 2027, expl..
Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders (VNLOK) and Nederlandse Online Gambling Associatie (NOGA), two trade associations for licensed online gambling providers in the Netherlands, have launched ‘Meld Vals Spel’, a reporting centre to highlight illegal online gambling operations in the country.
Meld Vals Spel is an initiative that will allow VNLOK and NOGA members, as well as other licensees, partner organisations and other industry stakeholders, to report any illegal gambling practices they see, such as a lack of player protection, excessive bonuses and minors not being excluded.
To complement the efforts combatting illegal gambling in the Netherlands by the country’s gaming authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), VNLOK and NOGA hope that the reporting centre will help “gain a better understanding of the working methods of illegal parties” and contribute to “a more effective approach to illegality and the protection of vulnerable players”.
Meld Vals Spel’s goal is also to warn a..
EveryMatrix has partnered with BetBlocker and the Responsible Gaming Foundation (RGF) as part of a collaborative project to support safer gambling in Malta.
Launched as part of European Safer Gambling Week 2024, the project will see a Maltese version of BetBlocker’s blocking software created, supporting players in Malta looking to manage their gambling access. The partnership will also help raise awareness of the service.
“We’re delighted to be able to support BetBlocker and the RGF with this important initiative in Malta, particularly in time for Safer Gambling Week,” commented Jake Cachia, Head of Compliance at EveryMatrix.
“EveryMatrix is proud of its commitment to safer gambling and player protection while producing market-leading gaming solutions, and partnerships such as underlining how crucial it is to keep making a difference.”
A UK-registered charity, BetBlocker blocks a device from accessing over 85,000 gambling websites and 1,500 gambling apps. A free-to-use app, the ser..