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KSA releases fresh wave of subsidies to fight gambling harm

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026033 views

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling authority, has divested more funds into the reduction of problem gambling in the Netherlands.

A total of five new projects have been announced as the recipients of grants from the KSA’s Addiction Prevention Fund. This aids the treatment and prevention of gambling-related harm among the Dutch population – 20% of which is currently at a moderate to high risk of harmful behaviour, according to the regulator.

One grant will go to the Anonymous Gamblers Foundation (AGOG), a support group for compulsive gamblers, for the training of new counsellors. Additionally, AGOG will further explore the idea of launching digital counselling aimed at residents living in areas where on-site meetings are not possible.

The Dutch Association for Psychiatry (NVvP) is another grant recipient under the Addiction Prevention Fund, which will be used to create specialised guidelines for treating gambling disorders.

As the NVvP currently informs mental health profes..

Gambling reformer Noyes flip-flops on another pet project following flawed rollout of affordability checks

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026037 views

Prominent reformist figurehead Dr James Noyes has urged the Department of Culture, Media and Sport “to hit pause” on the use of financial risk checks on gambling.

A senior advisor of cross-party think tank the Social Market Foundation (SMF), Noyes has raised direct concerns to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy over the transparency and effectiveness of the pilot scheme that has been rolled out by the Gambling Commission.

Dr James Noyes: SMF

Noyes is a vocal former supporter of affordability checks during the long-running Gambling Act review consultation. He is now warning that the current implementation risks are drifting away from its original intent of being “frictionless” and proportionate, as set out in the review’s White Paper in April 2023.

“Despite the White Paper’s claim that financial risk checks would be frictionless, recent reports suggest that the opposite is the case,” Noyes wrote, adding that he is seeing “increasing reports that the pilot scheme has involved inconsistent dat..

Curaçao gambling authority’s integrity questioned following Novatech’s Dutch dispute

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026040 views

A national media outlet in Curaçao has begun to question the country’s gambling regulations following the Netherlandse Loterij’s legal pursuit of Novatech-owned Qbet.

It comes as the Nederlandse Loterij labelled the operator, based and licensed in Curaçao, as “the largest illegal gambling site” in the Netherlands. It also follows a plethora of fines handed out in the Netherlands and across Europe to Curaçao-headquartered operators.

Many Curaçao-licensed firms, like Stake, Santeda International and the aforementioned Novatech, have seen their names crop up in regulatory announcements on multiple occasions. The latter two also operate a myriad of subsidiaries which have either been the subject of fines or scrutiny due to lax security rules or operating in countries where not permitted to.

This has now begun to alarm the country’s media, which has started to raise concerns about the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA). An op-ed in the Curaçao Chronicle, penned by an anonymous author, read: ..

Bookmakers’ Association grows impatient with South Africa’s black market enforcement

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026047 views

South Africa’s regulatory fragmentation is not the primary cause of black market growth, according to Sean Coleman, but provincial structures “do have an undeniable part to play”.

Speaking to SBC News regarding the country’s struggles to contain illegal gambling, the South African Bookmakers’ Association (SABA) Chief Executive Officer pointed instead to national shortcomings.

He argued that enforcement sits “squarely in the domain and legal framework” of the National Gambling Board (NGB), but that the body is currently under-equipped to deal with the scale of the problem.

Sean Coleman

This came after a recent YieldSec study, which found that 62% of gambling activity in South Africa came via unlicensed sites that are not regulated in the country.

“There are inefficient, lacking resources and skill sets to deal with the illegal market,” Coleman said.

“Industry is wanting and willing to make this happen. Despite our offers, we have yet to be approached.”

He referenced the Gauteng r..

Lula wants PT lieutenants aligned on Bets crackdown

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026029 views

In Brazil, senior figures within the PT government are aligning with the President’s push to significantly restrict online gambling, signalling a potential shift away from the current framework of the Bets Law (PL 2626/2023).

Another week of politicking has witnessed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again target online gambling licences, framing the sector as a growing threat to Brazilian society and economic stability.

Speaking to broadcaster ICL, Lula delivered his strongest remarks yet, stating that he “would shut down bookmakers entirely if the decision were mine alone.”

Criticism of the Bets regime has become a central theme of Lula’s political messaging ahead of the 4 October election.

Yet the liabilities of the Bets regime offer a convenient deflection for Lula as the administration grapples with a broad range of economic challenges.

On the campaign front, Lula has yet to answer solutions for challenges ranging from public debt and inflation to cost-of-living con..

Nederlandse Loterij to bring down Novatech by all means necessary

A.J. KoehnApril 16, 2026031 views

National lottery provider and the biggest gambling operator in the Netherlands, Nederlandse Loterij, has issued a notice that it will seek its legal rights against operator Qbet and all connected entities behind it.

Qbet, owned by Novatech together with 55Bet, another illegal entity targeting Dutch consumers, was labeled as “the largest illegal gambling site” in the Netherlands by Nederlandse Loterij.

As such, the licensed operator announced that it will seek to permanently bring down Qbet and the larger chain of command by leveraging all legal measures it has at its disposal.

A similar lawsuit, again by Nederlandse Loterij, was launched against Lalabet in 2025, which was the first such at this scale. Hearings in that case are currently taking place at The Hague.

It would be interesting to see how the latest case with Novatech develops, as the company is licensed in Curaçao, and although it is an autonomous nation under the Dutch Crown, the legal systems of both Curaçao and the Net..

GamCare to reduce gap between harm and help with OHID funds

iGamingExpertApril 16, 2026037 views

GamCare believes the over £4m it has provisionally been awarded from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) VCSE Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund will help the charity ‘reduce the gap between harm and help for thousands’.

The charity will implement two dedicated programmes with the 2026-2028 funding: a community outreach service and specialist support for people who have been affected by someone else’s gambling. Both programmes are expected to be delivered from April 2026, subject to confirmation.

Supported by the prevention strand of the statutory levy on gambling operators, OHID has recently allocated £25.4m to 33 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations that provide gambling harm support across England.

Victoria Corbishley, Chief Executive Officer of GamCare, commented: “This provisional award, once confirmed, would help us to reduce the gap between harm and help for thousands of people across England.

“Whether someone is strugglin..

Skill On Net criticised by ASA for pistachios Instagram advert

iGamingExpertApril 10, 2026040 views

Skill On Net has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for a paid-for Instagram advertisement involving a stand-up comedian talking about pistachios.

An advert for the white label casino brand Gecko Play showcased the comedian, who was not named, performing a set on stage in which they said: “Gambling is really like eating pistachios, if you get a good pistachio, you want another good one, if you get a bad one, you want a good one even more,” receiving a laugh from the audience.

A GambleAware logo and an 18+ sign were featured at the bottom of the video, next to text which stated, “Gambling can be addictive please play responsibly” and #AD in the bottom right-hand corner.

The ASA stated that two complainants challenged whether the ad encouraged socially irresponsible gambling behaviour.

Skill On Net argued that the similarities made between gambling and pistachios were ‘intended as light-hearted, observational humour regarding the variability and unpredictabi..

Greek PM announces gambling is next port of call following social media ban

A.J. KoehnApril 10, 2026043 views

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has confirmed that online gaming and gambling will be the “next issue to look at” in a widening push to introduce age-related digital safeguards.

The comments, which are not the first on the topic, follow the administration’s headline proposal to prohibit social media access for under-15s, backed by mandatory age verification requirements for platforms from 1 January 2027. While the immediate focus is on social media, the direction of travel is towards forming a broader compliance perimeter around all digital products with youth exposure risks, including regulated betting and gaming.

In an interview with infokids.gr, Mitsotakis positioned gaming and online gambling, as well as artificial intelligence, as the logical next steps for the Greek government to take after social media controls, explicitly linking future interventions to enforcement gaps already observed in gambling.

He noted that while gambling is “typically prohibited under 21,” r..

Maine Gov. Mills bans sweepstakes casinos, credit card gambling

SBC AmericasApril 10, 2026039 views

Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed numerous pieces of approved legislation in recent days as the state’s two-year legislative session nears its April 15 end date. In doing so, she has made several notable changes to the state’s gambling industry.

Mills’ signatures have officially banned sweepstakes casinos, the use of credit cards for gambling, and bulk lottery ticket sales in the Pine Tree State.

Her latest approvals come after she allowed the state’s approved legalization of online gaming to become law in January, albeit in that particular instance, she did so by abstaining from either a signature or a veto. Maine’s proposed iGaming model is being challenged in court by Oxford Casino operator Churchill Downs Inc.

LD 2007 bans sweepstakes casinos

Mills signed Legislative Document 2007 on Monday. That bill, put forth by the state Department of Public Safety, explicitly bans dual-currency online sweepstakes that offer products resembling casino gaming, sports wagering, or other gambling ..