The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is not letting up in its efforts to ensure the only online casinos taking state residents’ money are ones it has licensed. Michigan’s regulator announced on Wednesday it has sent cease-and-desist letters to nine more online casinos, alleging violations of state gaming laws: The platforms offer a range of casino-style games such as…
For years, affordability checks have been like a boogie man for most markets. It lurks as a threat but it has yet to manifest into something operators and regulators have ever had to actually confront.
That is starting to change, though. The UK Gambling Commission began a pilot program on affordability checks in August of last year. The government assures the program will implement a “light touch” in regards to assessing whether players or gambling responsibly or not, but for many the concept at all is a non-starter.
For now, the pilot is looking at users with £500 in deposits a month, but the plan is to drop the number to £150 next month.
In North America, the idea of affordability checks still feels unlikely, but these developments at least raise the question of whether or not Canada will consider them in the future.
Privacy and politics pose challenges
During a presentation as part of SBC’s Player Protection Day, Vixio’s Gaming Compliance Managing Editor Joe Ewens said it is an ..
FanDuel has introduced its latest RG tool innovation, Deposit Alerts, enabling customers to create daily, weekly and monthly target budgets and receive a notification when they reach the amount they’ve set. The Deposit Alerts feature builds on the success of My Spend, which was used by nearly half of FanDuel’s players (about 3.5 million) during…
Alberta’s government has stopped funding a non-profit organization that provides education and other support for problem gamblers as the province prepares to expand its online gambling market. The government has provided the Problem Gambling Resources Network with $129,700 in annual funding on an annual basis via a deal that has been in place in some form for more…
British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC)’s New Horizons in Safer Gambling conference brings operators and regulators together iGaming is a fiercely competitive industry for operators vying for revenue share and market leadership. But when it comes to safer gambling and player protection, it’s crucial to keep a shared goal in mind. That was the core message of a…
The Cambridge Health Alliance’s Division of Addiction has announced a new course entitled ‘The Gambling & Recovery Podcast Science Accelerator Course’. It is a free educational opportunity for allied health professionals who are interested in learning about the experience of gambling-related harms through research and lived-experience insight. ‘The Gambling & Recovery Podcast Science Accelerator Course’…
Wire Industries and Birches Health are teaming up to provide bettors with access to responsible gaming education and tools.
Wire Industries, owner and operator of sports betting marketplace WagerWire, has announced a partnership with behavioral healthcare company Birches Health to promote RG, help bettors identify signs of problem gambling and address any related issues.
As part of the deal, Birches Health and Wire Industries will collaborate to create a collection of clinical materials that are designed with the modern bettor in mind. WagerWire will also integrate Bitches Health content into its social media.
Wire Industries will also host Birches Health clinicians on online audio platforms.
“Wire Industries was created with the sole purpose to empower bettors and create an environment of responsible gaming,” said Wire Industries CEO Zach Doctor. “By working with Birches Health, we join ourselves with another innovative company in the industry that is also doing whatever they can ..
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has fined BetMGM $260,905 for 152 instances of allowing individuals on the Board’s self-exclusion list to gamble on their sites between 2021 and 2023.
A Consent Agreement provided to SBC Americas shows that an internal audit of the BetMGM and Borgata Pennsylvania player database in March 2021 found that a total of 148 accounts showed betting activity while on the iGaming self-exclusion list. Across those incidents, a total of $252,035.55 was deposited and $82,460.30 withdrawn for a total difference of $169,575.25.
Over $430K deposited by self-excluded players over 3 years
In two separate self-reported incidents in April 2021 and July 2022, two single self-excluding gamblers were able to access their Borgata accounts. In the first instance, a player deposited a total of $580 without withdrawing; in the second, an individual deposited a total of $700 and withdrew a total of $100.
Finally, in July 2023, a review found that two self-excludin..
Keith Whyte left his role as Executive Director of The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) just two weeks ago for a new career in consultancy. Player Protection Hub sat down with him to discover what’s next PPH: So Keith… 26 years? Keith Whyte: It’s been an incredible journey and after 26 years it was…
DraftKings is facing another class-action lawsuit in New York district court over allegations of deceitful and unethical promotions and advertising.
In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Clara De Leon and Eric W. Mirsberger Jr. assert that the Boston-based operator has been “deceiving New Yorkers and misleading them” into betting larger sums and more frequently.
The lawsuit takes issues with DraftKings’ use of language such as “risk-free bet” or “no sweat bet.” The plaintiffs allege that while those promotions falsely promise new users that they will get free money which they can wager without risk, DraftKings increases users’ propensity to gamble by refunding such wagers via bonus bets rather than real money.
Alleging that DraftKings uses these promotions to entice “gambling-naive customers” like the plaintiffs in question, the suit added that the company does not clearly communicate that those signing up for “no sweat” promotions were at ri..