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…
Gambling blocking software may help people reduce gambling and manage urges, but its contribution to broader recovery is likely to depend on how it is used alongside other forms of support, according to new research conducted on BetBlocker by the University of Sydney published in the Journal of Gambling Studies. The study found that users…
Turbulence in the Romanian gambling market has escalated following the arrest of the regulator’s Deputy General Director over allegations of bribery.
Dan Ghita, Chairman, Rombet, described the latest developments as ‘deeply concerning’ as he spoke to iGaming Expert ahead of his appearance on the ‘Generational Bet: Romania’s Reckoning on Gambling Regulation’ panel at the SBC Summit in Lisbon.
What’s your reaction to reports of the ONJN’s Deputy General Director allegedly taking bribes from companies to accelerate regulatory processes?
Any allegation of corruption involving public officials is deeply concerning because it undermines confidence in the institutions responsible for regulating an important economic sector. We must respect the legal process and see the final conclusions .
From an industry perspective, the key issue goes beyond any individual case. Romania needs regulatory institutions that are independent, transparent and accountable. Businesses that comply with the law..
As expectations around player safety continue to evolve, operators face increasing pressure to detect signs of gambling-related harm earlier and implement more effective interventions. Against this backdrop, the Player Protection Symposium at SBC Summit will examine the tools, policies, and partnerships needed to strengthen player protection efforts.
Taking place on Wednesday, September 30, the symposium will bring together regulators, operators, responsible gambling specialists, and technology providers to examine how the industry can shift from a compliance-focused mindset to a more preventative and player-centric approach.
Through a series of expert-led discussions, the symposium will focus on three key areas of player protection: balancing regulatory objectives with efforts to combat the black market, the role operators play in safeguarding players, and the growing role of technology in identifying and supporting at-risk players.
“Gambling harm prevention is a challenge shared b..
Paf Director Jesper Eliasson on record results, new frontiers and black market challenges in an exclusive interview ahead of his appearance at the SBC Summit in Lisbon in September
Questions have been raised over the direction of the Gambling Commission (GC) in the UK, as it is accused of ignoring any research in its pursuit of stringent affordability checks, or financial risk assessments, depending on which side of the coin you sit.
Peter Marcus, a former Global Head of Gaming Operations for Entain, revealed that he was part of the process during the early stages of the new approach to affordability and stated it was clear that these things were simply unworkable.
He warned that since the departure of Andrew Rhodesas Chief Executive Officer, the GC has essentially stopped listening to industry and to research, marching ahead with a wilful ignorance of the consequences.
Marcus suggested that Rhodes and the GC, under his leadership, had a grasp on the severity of getting affordability checks wrong. However, he now believes that the last two years of research have been ‘a waste of time, as the commission has just pushed ahead regardless’.
There was support ..
A showdown is brewing in Britain involving the Gambling Commission, horse racing, the betting industry, campaign groups and MPs, all over one big issue which has been fiercely debated for over five years.
This is of course, Financial Risk Assessments, as the Gambling Commission and 2023 Gambling Act review White Paper call the measures, or ‘affordability checks’ as critics in racing and betting industry circles prefer to call them.
The Commission’s decision to press ahead with Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) – the most extensive of the two types of affordability measure, the other being light-touch Financial Vulnerability Checks (FVCs) – has seen an outpouring of criticism.
It has now been reported by the Racing Post that the British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) attempts to gain information about the Commission’s decisionmaking around affordability checks fell on deaf ears in the months building up to the July decision.
Commission to face the affordability music?
This weekend, ..
Canada is a sports-mad nation. Hockey is a national religion, the Toronto Blue Jays captured imaginations with their World Series run last year, this summer’s FIFA World Cup had the entire country watching, the NFL, NBA, CFL, and European soccer all have an eager following, to name but a few.
This enthusiasm for sports has paid off well for the regulated sports betting industry in Ontario. And with Alberta joining its fellow province in launching a regulated market on July 13, the same can reasonably be expected there.
With the emergence of new betting markets and continued expansion of the industry, challenges always come. The conversation around sports integrity is constant, and it has been at fever pitch since last year amid numerous high-profile incidents of alleged match-fixing in North American pro and college sports.
For integrity monitoring and compliance firm Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), preserving sports betting integrity is a way of life.
“The broader conversation g..
Evolution has agreed a £4.75m settlement with the UK Gambling Commission, concluding a licence review launched in December 2024 over the availability of its content on unlicensed websites targeting British consumers.
The settlement relates to Evolution game content being available through two operators across six websites that offered content to British players without a UK licence, in breach of the supplier’s terms of supply.
According to the business, the operators had actively evaded restrictions in place at the time.
The company stressed that “no broader pattern of unlicensed access to Evolution content in the UK was identified” during the 18-month review.
Evolution said it fully cooperated with the Commission throughout the process and immediately terminated its commercial relationships with the two operators after discovering the issue.
Martin Carlesund, Chief Executive Officer of Evolution, said: “At Evolution, we always want to do what is right, and it is not acceptable t..
Industry stakeholders from all angles have come out this week to condemn the Gambling Commission’s announcement that it is ready to impose Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) on gambling operators in the UK.
Journalists were told by the Commission in a meeting on Tuesday morning that it was ready to take a “carefully thought-out staged application” of FRAs.
The first phase of the FRA programme will apply to the “largest operators” focused on the assessment of high spend customers with a check set of £5,000 net deposits accumulated over a 24-hour period.
But many across the UK, from punters to operators and law firms to horse racing enthusiasts, have slammed the Commission’s decision to go ahead with this.
A judicial review of FRA implementation?
Sophie Kemp, Partner and Head of Public Law at London-based law firm Kingsley Napley, told SBC News that she believes that “there may be strong grounds for bringing a judicial review challenge” about the approach.
“Many in the industry vie..