SBC News

Spelinspektionen, the Gambling Inspectorate of Sweden, has updated its guidelines for online operators to strengthen protections against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The fifth-edition of guidelines have been revised in cooperation with FIPO, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIPO) of Sweden, which identifies online gambling as a high-risk sector due to technological advancements and economic growth, increasing the risk of money laundering through high stakes, winnings, and turnover.

The guidance is endorsed by Spelinspektionen, as the inspectorate maintains a risk-based approach, requiring operators to apply proportional measures against money laundering and terrorist financing.

For 2025, the guidelines introduce stricter due diligence for customers onboarding online gambling platforms, as enhanced requirements go beyond standard KYC checks.

Swedish operators are now required to verify each customer using a valid identification document, such as a passport, SIS National..

SkillOnNet has entered into a partnership with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to help combat corruption and fraud within the betting industry.

As part of the deal, the provider will join a further 70 betting brands which focus on preserving the integrity of sports betting.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, commented: “IBIA is pleased to welcome SkillOnNet to our association of leading global gambling operators. The addition of SkillOnNet to IBIA further strengthens our position in Brazil, the LatAm region and globally.

“The move highlights SkillOnNet’s commitment to protecting the integrity of its betting products, consumers and related sporting events by utilising the world’s leading operator-led monitoring and alert network.

“IBIA looks forward to working closely with SkillOnNet and to integrating the operator within our global sports betting integrity system.”

The IBIA’s Monitoring & Alert Network will enable SkillOnNet to detect and report suspicious betting a..

UK gambling will move forward to implement new controls, empowering trust and transparency for online consumers, to be applied from 31 October 2025.

New controls have been added by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), continuing to apply the recommended reforms of the Gambling Review’s White Paper: High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age.

Changes seek to provide consumers with a more effective way to manage their gambling spend by ensuring that a customer sets and maintains deposit limits when engaging with online operators.

From 31 October, online gambling operators must ensure that a customer sets a financial limit on their account before making their first deposit. Further conditions call for online operators to make it easier for customers to review their spend and modify the financial limit at any point of activity.

New controls detail that online licences will be required to remind consumers every six months to rev..

From this month going forward, Slovakia’s national gambling helpline will be managed by the Predná Hora specialist treatment centre.

The treatment center – a former Bulgarian royalty residence nestled in the Slovakian mountains – has been operating as a hospital for addiction and compulsive gambling patients since 1995.

Its activity includes international collaboration, including participation in joint research initiatives with universities and hospitals from Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.

Vladimír Stanislav, Director of the Predná Hora center, said: “Our system works with a comprehensive treatment program, with the community and, above all, with enthusiastic and committed staff, who believe that our clients are high-quality and valuable individuals who are able and willing to change their lives.”

Predná Hora will operate the new helpline seven days a week from a free telephone number open between 9am-1am, with the option to connect to an answering machine outside of wo..

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have been urged by campaigners to investigate the advertising practices of operators targeting consumers.

The call for regulators to investigate the advertising algorithms and data tracking of operators follows a High Court ruling by Justice Collins Rice that Sky Betting and Gaming (Sky Bet) had violated UK data protection laws.

The High Court had arbitrated a former problem gambler’s case against Sky Bet for advertising to him without obtaining valid consent. Sky Bet was accused of using cookies to create an extensive profile of the problem gambler to target him with personalised adverts via third parties.

The gambler is reported to have lost £45,000 over a decade playing with Sky Bet. He was profiled as a ‘high-value customer’ and did not opt out of marketing communications.

Upon review of the evidence, Justice Collins Rice determined that Sky Bet had breached data protection laws, as its mechanisms..

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published new findings investigating the relationship between reasons for gambling and different gambling activities. The research forms part of the Commission’s new data on consumer behaviour and references the findings of the Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB).

In 2023, the Commission began data gathering on the GSGB, a new research project sanctioned following two years of pilot tests and dedicated fieldwork. The GSGB seeks to deliver first-of-its-kind insights as the largest survey on gambling behaviours conducted by a regulatory authority, with 20,000 respondents.

In 2024, the Commission published the first GSGB updates, providing insights into gambling behaviours via Wave-1 and Wave-2 datasets. Both datasets showed consistency in gambling participation, with 48% of respondents reporting engagement in any gambling activity in the past four weeks.

Helen Bryce: UKGC
GSGB research has enabled the Commission to publish a ‘short report’ on..

The National Gambling Support Network (NGSN) has introduced lived experience-led recovery support groups for people suffering from gambling harm.

In partnership with the EPIC Restart Foundation and Reframe Coaching charities, the NGSN now offers a lived experience service across Great Britain that brings additional expertise and insights into gambling disorders.

Richie Paxton, EPIC Restart Foundation Interim CEO and Head of Programmes, said: “We’re excited to join the National Gambling Support Network and continue to work with other providers to offer a seamless and supportive recovery path to those experiencing gambling harm.

“At EPIC Restart, we are dedicated to offering compassionate guidance and coaching, grounded in lived experience. Our mission is not only to help individuals navigate their recovery, but also to empower them to rebuild their lives with renewed hope and a brighter future.”

With EPIC’s and Reframe’s help, the NGSN will aim to increase the number of people it..