Neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have isolated slow-learning processes as a possible contributor to problem gambling. Learning occurs across multiple timescales, with fast learning crucial for adapting to sudden environmental changes, and slow learning beneficial for extracting robust knowledge from multiple events. “We think that people learn via a thing called prediction…
LeoVegas has partnered with Women in Tech to promote gender equality and strengthen its commitment to empowering women in the technology industry. Becoming a co-creating partner of the Swedish non-profit organisation, the operator will participate in the #WITswe2025 conference and oversee similar co-hosted events. Mattias Wedar, Chief Product and Technology Officer at LeoVegas Group, commented: “I’m delighted that…
Brazil’s National Institute of Social Security (INSS) is reportedly looking at how to ban social benefits as payments for sports betting. In an interview with news outlet Estadão, INSS President Alessandro Stefanutto shared that his organisation – in charge of distributing welfare funds to disabled and low-income elderly people – is in the process of creating research that will show…
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Board of Directors has announced the departure of Keith Whyte from his position as Executive Director after 26 years in the role. Whyte left the role last week (January 13) for a new career as a responsible gambling consultant. “After more than 26 years as Executive Director of…
The Dutch National Information Centre for Gambling Players (Slicks) has set up a new support hub for problem gambling victims in Amsterdam.
This comes as part of a new pilot project funded by the Addiction Prevention Fund (VPF), exploring the benefits of a localised targeting support strategy.
VPF is managed by the Netherlands’ gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), and was set up as a result of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) that kickstarted the Dutch online gambling market back in 2021.
The fund has several spending goals, one of which is the research of gambling harm prevention projects.
One of the projects supported by VPF in 2024 was a grant competition launched by Dutch healthcare researcher ZonMw as part of its 2023-2029 “Prevention of Gambling Addiction” programme.
As per the pilot in Amsterdam, local residents experiencing problem gambling will be able to visit a walk-in facility on Keizersgracht city canal. There, they’ll be able to get advised on available supp..
The Ethical Gambling Forum brings together compliance and responsible gambling professionals with regulators, lawyers, HR professionals, marketing experts, researchers and treatment organisations for an inspiring ESG bootcamp. You can expect an imaginative agenda with speakers who are unafraid to talk on controversial and difficult topics such as gambling-related crime; children and gambling; lived experience of…
Tax adjustments to specific gambling segments have been incorporated into Italy’s 2025 Budget Law, signed off by President Sergio Mattarella on 9 January.
The provisions of the 2025 Budget Law have elicited both positive and negative reactions from Italian gambling stakeholders.
The Budget confirmed the decision by the Ministry of Finance (MEF) to extend existing concessions for online gambling licences for an additional tax year.
Additionally, concessions for land-based gambling venues, which were set to expire in December 2024, have been extended by a further two years as the government continues reorganising laws related to retail betting, horse racing, bingo, and gaming machines.
For online gambling, the extension will allow several operators to maintain their current status for an additional fiscal year before transitioning to a new licence regime. The new regime will impose a €7 million authorisation fee and operating fees of 3%.
Italy’s new licence regime was launched on 19..
Seven new cases of advertising violations have kept the Dutch gambling regulator busy in the first weeks of the new year.
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) reported that the issued violations were in relation to marketing campaigns that had the potential to influence young people – a target group the KSA closely guards due to a higher risk of problem gambling among its members, with an updated young people protections framework coming into force in 2025.
One of the cases was a result of a cooperation between an unnamed operator and a partner organisation, both of them involved in the organisation of a certain motorsport event.
A car that was part of the event had the gambling provider’s logo on it. However, it was not removed once the event was over, and the car was seen together with the logo on public roads, according to a KSA investigation. This constituted a form of non-targeted advertising.
In another case, the logo of a land-based gaming venue was digitally advertised on screens in..
The Seimas of Lithuania will vote on Tuesday (14 January) on the implementation of new gambling controls to be applied via national banks.
A new set of gambling controls has been proposed to the Seimas, which includes new checks and duties to be carried out by all banks (foreign and domestic) licensed by the Bank of Lithuania.
The new controls will require Lithuanian banks to monitor all gambling transactions and provide direct reports to the LPT, the Gambling Control Authority of Lithuania.
Banks must comply with the new duties to ensure that payments to illegal gambling websites registered on the Gambling Control Authority’s blacklist are blocked.
Payments to illegal operators must be terminated within 24 hours of receiving a directive, with fines ranging from €1,800 to €3,800 for initial violations and up to €6,000 for repeat offences.
The LPT supports applying direct controls on banks as the best measure to monitor black market activities, having already banned 1,600 websites ..
BetBlocker has expanded its blocking software to support Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga languages.
The news marks the company’s first initiative aimed at users in Africa, providing a ‘critical resource’ to under-served communities in the region.
Duncan Garvie, BetBlocker Founder and Trustee, said: “For BetBlocker, it’s critical to be able to reach users in a language that they can comfortably engage in to ensure a smooth and speedy set-up process.”
The brand is now focusing its gambling tool on the three most prominent languages spoken in Zambia.
The project is funded by Entain and looks to aid the lack of gambling harm support services compared to more developed jurisdictions.
“Native languages also help us step past cultural barriers, showing that BetBlocker isn’t simply available to these communities; it’s actively working to support them,” Garvie continued.
“This is especially important in under-served and under-supported markets, like many of the African countries.”
Meanwhile, ..