SBC News

GAMSTOP has reached the milestone of recording more than 500,000 registrations for its self-exclusion scheme for online gambling.

This morning, GAMSTOP, which operates the national self-exclusion scheme across all UK-licensed online gambling operators, stated that “half a million vulnerable consumers have registered with GAMSTOP since 2018.”

The milestone follows a record-breaking April, which saw GAMSTOP register 8,686 users, marking its highest-ever volume for self-exclusion.

At present, GAMSTOP has prevented more than 440,000 users from engaging with online gambling operators, half of whom have chosen the longest exclusion period of up to five years.

The announcement that half a million consumers have registered to self-exclude comes ahead of the third annual Self-Exclusion Day on September 12th, when clubs from all divisions in the football pyramid will come together to raise awareness about GAMSTOP among their supporters.

Self-exclusion messaging will be displayed at EFL foot..

2024 sees the UK gambling sector stand at a point of inflection, marked by intense competition and yet-to-be-settled regulatory proceedings.

In an exclusive interview for the SBC Summit, Steve Birch, Chief Commercial Officer of Sky Betting & Gaming (Sky Bet), underscores a proactive approach to mitigating challenges, based on customer trust, sustainability, and compliance-first innovations.

SBC: Hi Steve, thanks for this interview on the status of UK gambling. From your perspective, what elements and dynamics are at play in the UK market in 2024?

Steve Birch (CCO @ Sky Betting and Gaming): The market is as competitive as it has ever been, with all the big operators upping their game in terms of what they offer. Across the sector, we are also generally seeing more focus on the return on investment of campaigns and product developments. This comes at a time when operators are rightly continuing to focus more on looking after customers. It’s a fascinating time to be working in the UK ..

The government of Brazil has elected Giovanni Rocco Neto to serve as the first National Secretary of Sports Betting for the Economic Development of Sport.

Neto will take charge of the newly created role to ‘coordinate and supervise the economic development of Brazilian sports’, benefiting from the launch of the Bets market—the federal framework that will regulate online betting and gaming in Brazil in 2025.

The government’s gazette noted that Neto had served as a counsellor of the Ministry of Sport, where he led the Committee of Integrity, Rights and Duties in Betting and Gaming. The Committee provided the Ministry of Sport with feedback on integrity protections and safeguards to finalise the modalities of the Bets market.

Neto’s role will be independent of the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA), the department that serves as the regulatory authority of Brazilian gambling, led by Secretary Regis Dudena, reporting to the Ministry of Finance.

In his remit, Neto will report to Sp..

Responsible gambling platform Rdentify has released a new update which expands its customer-facing AI functionality.

Thanks to the changes, Rdentify can now offer the igaming industry not only risks of player harm in customer support conversations but also a full analysis of user interactions.

Some of the added functionality includes customer voice recognition across an operator’s live chat, social and phone channels, which in turn will compile service data on customer preferences, frustrations, and more.

Daniel Brookes, CEO and founder of Rdentify, commented: “Rdentify has been trusted by many of the biggest names in gaming for some years now to detect at-risk players. With this update, we’ve dramatically expanded its scope to the entirety of the customer experience.

“This is about elevating support by better understanding customer preferences and the way your CS team interacts with the user. Those who are using Rdentify are already reporting cost savings and improved performan..

Google has issued an update specifically for Germany, informing advertisers that it will restrict the promotion of gambling services to businesses licensed by the Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), the Federal Gambling Authority of Germany.

As part of the update to its German market Gambling and Games policies, advertisers were informed that GGL licensing certification for gambling services will be required from 25 September 2024.

The update stated: “Only gambling operators and brokers licensed by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) will be eligible to apply for advertising certification for the gambling products specified in our Gambling and Games Policy.”

The requirement for GGL certification will be adopted as a mandatory measure for all gambling advertisers in Germany, including affiliates. Those offering gambling aggregation services, such as linking to multiple offers from different operators on their landing page, will no longer be accepted.

As a result of these change..

To mark the start of New Zealand’s Gambling Harm Awareness Week, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has urged citizens to share their opinions on the country’s gambling harm prevention strategy over the next three years.

“While many New Zealanders enjoy gambling as a pastime without issue, the statistics are clear that harm from gambling can have a significant impact, therefore it is important that we put in place initiatives and interventions that prevent and minimise harm from gambling,” the Minister clarified.

“I would encourage you to have your say on this consultation document by 6 October 2024 to help inform its development. In talking to people about mental health and addiction, I’ve become firmly of the view that the ideas we need to solve the issues we face are already in the community, so please make your voice heard.”

The ministerial speech gave special acknowledgement to those with lived experiences of gambling harm, with Doocey clarifying that vulnerable groups and thei..