Featured - Player Protection Hub

Esportes da Sorte: Consumer protection also involves combating the illegal market

Steve HoareSeptember 9, 2026020 views

In an interview with SBC Notícias Brasil , Carol Luna , Head of Compliance at Grupo Esportes Gaming Brasil — the brand responsible for the Esportes da Sorte, Lottu, and Onabet platforms — explained how the Know Your Client (KYC) policy, biometrics, financial traceability, responsible gaming, and self-exclusion have become integrated into the player experience on licensed platforms in Brazil. For the company, the entry…

Column: Lula sees Brazil’s betting system failing, but the regulator’s actions suggest otherwise

Steve HoareSeptember 4, 2026024 views

Brazil’s regulated betting market has had no shortage of controversy since its launch in 2025, writes SBC Noticias Brasil editor Leonardo Biazzi, and is now reaching crisis point President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has become increasingly critical of online gambling. On September 1, he said he would personally “end the bets” and argued…

1xCare’s Sissel Weitzhändler on sustainable player protection and reshaping industry standards

A.J. KoehnSeptember 3, 2026024 views

This summer, Sissel Weitzhändler joined 1xCare’s Advisory Board, alongside Simon Westbury, Chris Bird and Quirino Mancini. Following a stint as Allwyn’s Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Weitzhändler will be supporting 1xCare in its aim to to connect research, education, technology and well-being support across the global gambling ecosystem.

Ahead of appearing at European Association for the Study of Gambling congress this month,Weitzhändler sits down with SBC News to discuss why 1xCare was the natural next step in her career, how the body’s approach is focused on being robustly independent and why listening is just as important as speaking in the player protection sector.

Why did you decide to take up a spot on the 1xCare Advisory Board?

Having worked in the industry for years, I was delighted when I was approached to join the Advisory Board, to help contribute to various safer gambling initiatives which I believe is worthwhile and timely.

I joined with my eyes open..

Better Change launches Positive Player Zone to fill player education gap

Steve HoareAugust 21, 2026096 views

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…

Research paper says blocking software may support gambling recovery but is not a complete solution

Steve HoareAugust 14, 20260111 views

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…

Rombet calls on regulator to prioritise transparency and deep institutional reform

iGamingExpertAugust 6, 2026098 views

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..

SBC Summit to examine what effective player protection looks like in practice

SBC AmericasJuly 29, 2026098 views

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: Regulated markets are defenceless, but we can solve it

A.J. KoehnJuly 24, 20260119 views

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

No leadership, no evidence – how did the Commission decide on affordability checks?

iGamingExpertJuly 24, 20260130 views

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 ..

UK affordability check clash looming on the horizon

A.J. KoehnJuly 23, 20260119 views

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, ..