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…
UK Gambling has been assured that the adoption of a new Statutory Levy and the application of £2/£5 stake limits will prove effective in reducing problem gambling harms and ensuring Britain has the safest gambling environments.
The measures were announced last week by DCMS, applying the White Paper recommendation of online slot stake limits of £5 for those aged over 25 and £2 for young adults aged 18 to 24. DCMS further determined the design and structure of the Statutory Levy on funding research, education, and treatment (RET Levy) – to be led by the NHS as chief commissioner.
This morning, Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross spoke on the implications of the measures at GambleAware’s Annual Conference for problem gambling stakeholders.
Labour is the catalyst of Real Change for UK Gambling
In just over 100 days in office, Twycross underscored the significance of the Labour government delivering on its gambling pledges: “This Government made a commitment in its manifesto to reduce ..
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…
The online gaming industry is evolving faster than ever. To stay competitive, operators must keep pace with emerging trends and navigate the challenges of a rapidly shifting landscape.
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Jake Pollard
Move comes as news of VIP known as ‘The Polymarket Whale’ was French national rumoured to have won $80m on US elections…
The crypto prediction market operator Polymarket has ceased to accept French players after the country’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), told it to cease trading in the market.
Polymarket’s profile increased considerably during the US presidential elections when, alongside US-based operator Kalshi, it was massively promoted on X/Twitter by Elon Musk as both companies’ markets predicted victory for Donald Trump.
It then emerged that one of its biggest clients, known as “The Polymarket Whale”, was a French national named ‘Théo’ who is alleged to have made $80m from backing Trump. A few days after the elections, the company’s CEO Shayne Coplan was visited by FBI agents, who seized his mobile phone and other electronic equipment.
According to Wikipedia, Polymarket has also received investment from Vitalik Buterin, the co-fou..
Médiateur des Jeux, the consumer ombudsman for French gambling, will now be led by its new Director, Jérôme Gallot.
The appointment was made by Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the regulatory authority for French gambling, in recognition of the need for strong oversight in consumer mediation.
Gallot was chosen from a list of esteemed legal scholars to take on the role of mediator and safeguard the consumer rights of French gambling patrons.
A member of the Court of Auditors since 1985, Gallot has spent much of his career outside the institution, notably within the Ministry of Economy and Finance. From 1997 to 2003, he served as Director-General of the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
The ANJ’s gaming mediation process is designed to resolve disputes between players and gaming operators, including those holding exclusive rights, such as Française des Jeux and PMU. Consumers must first attem..
The Riksdag has confirmed that changes will be applied to Sweden’s Gambling Act 2018 to allow licence holders to “process personal data related to legal offences”.
Changes were authorised on 28 November to “provide a right for licence holders” to process personal data relating to “legal violations under certain circumstances”.
The specific circumstances under which Gambling Act amendments will allow licence holders to process personal data related to legal violations include the detection of criminal activity, monitoring suspicious betting activities, preventing match-fixing, and enforcing legal compliance.
However, as detailed by accompanying documents to process the personal data of a customer, a licence holder must ensure that it has detected an illegal activity, such as cheating or fraud, on the specific account.
The changes will allow licence holders to monitor individual accounts for “unusual betting behaviours”, as a measure to help Swedish authorities police incidents of ma..
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 Government has revealed its plans for the statutory levy and online slot stake limits, ushering in a new era of protection and compliance for UK gambling.
The new RET Levy statutory measure will ensure that £100m in annual funding will be allocated to projects, initiatives and organisations dealing with the treatment and prevention of gambling harms.
We are examining how the industry has reacted to such key developments with the need for clarity and further scrutiny continuing.
Labour
Stephanie Peacock
Stephanie Peacock, the Labour Government’s Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society & Youth, has released a ministerial statement on the statutory levy and the online slot stake limits.
Peacock described the current funding system for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms as “no longer fit for purpose”, noting that while there has been an uplift in donations in recent years, the “quantum of funding is not the only requirement for an effective and equi..
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..