SBC News

Gordon Moody to deliver specific support for gambling stigmas of LGBTQ community

SBC News0316 views

Gordon Moody has unveiled plans to launch ‘Gambling Support First Aid’, a programme designed to educate diverse stakeholders on how to help those suffering from gambling-related harm.

Announced during a press conference at SBC Summit Lisbon, the two-day training programme will educate attendees on how to recognise the signs of somebody who may be a problem gambler, as well as how you can support individuals through various support mechanisms.

Nina Shafaq: Gordon Moody
According to Nina Shafaq, CEO of Gordon Moody, the course aims to break down the stigma around gambling-related harm.

“Most of us know how to respond to a medical emergency, but a [small] amount of people know how to actually support people who may be experiencing gambling harm. We want to be able to create a community where talking about gambling as a hidden addiction isn’t stigmatised and people feel comfortable being able to talk about it,” explained Shafaq.

“We recognise that this isn’t something that we can do o..

Read more

SBC Awards 2024: Entain Foundation US wins Socially Responsible Initiative of the Year

CasinoBeats0301 views

Soft2Bet, Betsson Group and Kaizen Gaming were among the standout winners at the 2024 SBC Awards, marking the event’s debut in Lisbon.

Held on Thursday 26 September, the final day of the SBC Summit, the prestigious awards ceremony marked its 11th edition at the MEO Arena, one of Europe’s largest indoor sports venues. The evening was a tribute to the extraordinary achievements of global companies and individuals who have driven innovation and transformation within the industry. Over 1,200 industry professionals gathered to recognise excellence across 39 award categories.

Hosted by SBC Awards veteran and TV personality Kirsty Gallacher, alongside former Danish international goalkeeping legend, Peter Schmeichel, the ceremony highlighted the industry’s leading operators, affiliates, suppliers, media organisations and leaders.

Kaizen Gaming upheld their accolade as ‘Casino Operator of the Year,’ and also claimed the title of ‘Operator of the Year – Large’ while bet365 Partners successful..

Read more

Evolution Georgia workers’ union issues warning to company’s investors

CasinoBeats0353 views

LABOR, a union representing Evolution Georgia workers, has petitioned the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, Finansinspektionen, to review the gaming supplier’s public filings.

In a separate letter, the union has warned Evolution’s shareholders that the company’s “adversarial treatment of employees who seek to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining rights undermines the core feature of its business model”.

The actions of LABOR follow an ongoing situation in Georgia, where over half of the 8,000 Evolution Gaming workers in Tbilisi have been on strike since 12 July, protesting about “low wages, unsanitary working conditions and other unfair labour practices”.

In total, 44 concerns have been raised by workers to the company, including safety and health issues such as “ventilation and temperature control issues and unsanitary work environments”.

Evolution Gaming employee Makhare Patashuri, a worker on strike, stated: “We asked for basic things like having a doc..

Read more

Spelinspektionen bolsters work against illegal gambling in Sweden

CasinoBeats0396 views

Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling authority, is seeking to do more effective work against illegal gambling by producing a “situation description”.

Helping the authority with its work in protecting consumers, public health and tax revenue with its licensing system, the situation description will assist in achieving a “more comprehensive picture of illegal gambling online in Sweden”.

Camilla Rosenberg, Director General of Spelinspektionen, commented: “The situation description will help us in the work to counteract illegal online gambling. Other authorities and players in the gambling market will also be able to benefit from the result.”

Countering illegal gambling outside of the Swedish licensing system, the situation description will aid Spelinspektionen by identifying key actors and methods used that allow for the circumnavigation of gambling legislation and other relevant legislation.

The service will also describe the current situation for illegal online gambling in Swede..

Read more

SBC Summit, Player Protection Zone: Speakers concerned as channelization rates slump to 50%

Steve Hoare0419 views

The rise and rise of the black market continued to dominate conversations on day two of the SBC Summit in Lisbon as operators, suppliers and lobbyists despaired about over-burdening regulation. Svenska Spel Chief Executive Officer Fredrik Wastenson sat on a panel with executives from Finland and Germany, which interrogated the affordability question. “The main problem…

Read more

ROGA college campaign moves to fill gambling education gap

SBC Americas0362 views

To Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) leader Dr. Jennifer Shatley, it was clear something had to be done.

“College-age people, this is an audience that is either already engaged in sports betting or online gaming or largely will be in the near future,” Shatley told SBC Americas in an interview. “It’s an important audience, one that’s been mainly overlooked up until this program, in my belief.”

That’s why ROGA, the multi-operator association that Shatley spearheads as executive director, recently launched what it calls a National College Education Campaign aimed specifically at supplying that demographic with the resources, tools and support that they need.

“It’s important to have realistic expectations, to understand how to engage in gambling in a responsible way as entertainment and not as a way to make money and to really dispel a lot of the myths around gaming,” Shatley says. “This audience just hasn’t had that type of information targeted to them as of yet. Most colleg..

Read more

ASA bans multiple social casino ads for misleading players about real-world money prizes

CasinoBeats0332 views

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned multiple advertisements from social casino apps for misleading players and implying they could win real-world money or tangible prizes.

Each of the adverts appeared as paid-for TikTok ads for the following five companies:

Dataverse Co. Limited t/a Gamehaus

Huuuge Global Limited t/a Billionaire Casino

Mobee Co Ltd t/a Ignite Classic Slots

SpinX Games Ltd

Zeroo Gravity Games LLC t/a Cash Tornado.

The ASA noted that each company’s advert implied that their games were gambling products where real-world money or tangible prizes could be won and withdrawn and therefore were misleading.

Slot gameplay imagery within the adverts was spotlighted by the ASA, such as a casino slot machine and graphics being visible within Huuuge Global’s Billionaire Casino adverts, a roulette-style wheel and slot machine in SpinX Games’ adverts, as well as gameplay footage similar to that of casino-based slot games in Dataverse Co Gamehaus’ adverts.

Verbiage..

Read more

Opinion: Former NJ regulator on shifting the RG focus to the unregulated market

SBC Americas0383 views

Image: Jessica Yurinko Photography

Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360)is a leading global technology and consultancy firm specializing in comprehensive integrity and compliance solutions for the gaming industry, formed earlier this year by the merger of U.S. Integrity and Odds On Compliance. Asrticle author Eric Weiss is IC360’s Managing Director of North America and formerly spent 30 years with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

As we observe Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM), it is an opportune time to recognize the notable achievements of the online casino and sports betting industry in promoting responsible gaming practices.

Since the inception of online casino gaming in 2013 and the advent of online sports betting in 2018, the regulated sector has shown a strong commitment to safeguarding at-risk individuals by providing access to essential resources and support.

Key initiatives include:

Equipping players with ongoing education and self-regulation tools.

U..

Read more

Several states fall short of player protection standards in NCPG report

SBC Americas0393 views

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is evaluating how regulated sports betting markets across the country protect consumers.

The NCPG has released a report, U.S. States’ Online Sports Betting Regulations: An Evaluation Against National Council on Problem Gambling Standards, providing an analysis of how regulated markets adhere to their laws and regulatory frameworks.

The report, prepared by Vixio Regulatory Intelligence, uses public information from states and their regulatory agencies. It does not include data on RG practices by operators.

“This report is the first time that state sports betting laws and regulations have been evaluated against the NCPG’s Internet Responsible Gambling Standards,” said Executive Director Keith Whyte. “With the widespread adoption of legalized sports betting, NCPG felt there was a need for a report comparing sports betting laws and regulations to the IRGS.”

The NCPG’s Internet Responsible Gambling Standards (IRGS) provide guidance in gami..

Read more