SBC News

BC unveils upgraded 24/7 provincewide gambling support system

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TheBritish Columbia government announced on Wednesday that it is revamping the way it provides gambling support to residents.

Effective April 1, B.C. will upgrade its Gambling Support BC program with what it describes as a new integrated, provincewide service-delivery model, intended to provide people with faster and easier access to resources no matter where in the province they live.

Delivered through a partnership with Telus Health, the updated service will combine the existing 24/7 Gambling Support Line and clinical counselling services into one coordinated system.

“The evolving nature of the gaming industry, such as the growth of online gambling, means we need to change the way gambling supports are provided,” said B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger in a news release issued on March 25. “The new service-delivery model will make accessing supports easier and more responsive for British Columbians in the moments when they need it most.”

Immediatel..

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EGBA brings Brussels’ attention to rampant offshore gambling

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Europe’s gambling sector is actively participating in the European Commission’s (EC) action to take down online fraud across the continent.

At the start of the year, the EC began the development of an action plan that would unlock a stronger cross-border collaboration between member states in the fight against online organised crime.

To construct a comprehensive strategy, the EC invited interested parties to submit feedback and best practices of countering fraud schemes, which also includes gambling stakeholders that have been pushing back against the black market for years.

As a representative of that sector, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) responded to the EC’s call for feedback by highlighting the dangers of illegal gambling providers preying on unsuspecting players by posing as licensed operators.

To back its claim, EGBA’s supporting evidence included examples of websites using domain names that closely resemble those of legitimate operators, abusing the rep..

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BetMGM emerges as latest operator to impose ban on credit card funding

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BetMGM is the latest gambling operator to prevent its customers from using credit cards to fund player accounts for online wagering.

The MGM Resorts and Entain joint venture plans to no longer allow its customers to use credit cards to fund their accounts for online sports wagering and online casino gaming.

BetMGM will impose a credit card ban in markets where it is licensed to operate starting March 31. The nationwide ban on credit card funding will be deployed on a roll-out basis.

The new policy from BetMGM will prohibit the use of existing credit cards linked to player accounts for funding, as well as prevent the linking of new credit cards to accounts.

BetMGM first disclosed its plans to ban credit card funding during a regulatory hearing in Pennsylvania concerning several issues, including recent violations by the operator.

SBC Americas reached out to BetMGM for comment on the new policy.

BetMGM joins competitors with a ban on credit cards

BetMGM is adding to recent credit ..

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UK govt reveals temporary fix in a bid to plug funding gap

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The UK Government has created the Gambling Levy Transition Fund (GLTF) to assist charities that missed out on funding under the Statutory Levy.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the decision has been made to ensure the continuity of gambling harm prevention and treatment services in England’, as the industry continues to navigate the ‘generational change’ brought about by the transition to a Statutory Levy on operators.

“Tight time frames for commissioning processes and decisions created the risk of a funding gap,” said DCMS.

“This may have put vulnerable service users or beneficiary groups of organisations previously funded under the voluntary system at risk. Recognising this, the GLTF has been rapidly established by DCMS to provide immediate, targeted, time-limited financial support to ensure no such gap exists.”

Although there has been no official confirmation from the government on which organisations have been successful, it is understood that some charities hav..

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New York Assembly passes bill to mandate automatic betting statements

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The New York Assembly gave final approval on Tuesday to a bill that would require the state’s licensed online sportsbooks to provide customers with monthly statements outlining their wagering activity.

After Assembly BillA10329 was unanimously advanced with a favorable report by an 11-0 vote in the Assembly Racing And Wagering Committee on March 11, the full chamber gave it the green light during the chamber’s floor session on March 24 and it has now been sent over to the state Senate.

If it were to pass the opposite chamber and be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul this year, it would become effective Jan. 1, 2027.

What would each New York betting statement include?

Democrat Assemblymember Rebecca Kassay’s bill would amend the Empire State’s racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law to mandate that sports betting operators must send every authorized sports bettor a monthly account activity statement via push notification.

Somewhat resembling the kind of monthly statements..

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PGCB fines BetMGM $100,000 for four separate KYC violations

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BetMGM added to its recent regulatory penalties with a hefty fine levied by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) for violations from over two years ago.

On Wednesday, the PGCB announced an agreement with BetMGM to fine the operator $100,000 for a failure to “prevent fraudulent behavior.” The fraudulent behavior took place while players used both the BetMGM and Borgata online gaming brands in 2023 and 2024.

The illicit activity included the creation and use of multiple player accounts by people using the identify of other individuals. A portion of the player accounts was also funded “using stolen or fraudulently obtained payment devices.”

The PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel investigation into BetMGM’s “insufficient” know-your-customer protocols discovered the operator hosted four individual fraud rings.

One of the fraud rings operated for 29 months until November 2023 and used 119 fraudulent accounts to wager $895,092.

The PGCB’s probe identified 304 illicit accounts t..

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Influencers targeted as PAGCOR eyes ad restrictions

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Authorities in the Philippines are set to target a group of social media influencers for allegedly promoting illegal online gaming platforms.

During a press briefing, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Centre (CICC) confirmed that ten influencers are under suspicion, including names such as Perkz Gaming, Jam Magno, Vic Desucatan and Wampipti.

The action is being taken alongside PAGCOR, the country’s gaming regulator, and Digital Pinoys, a government-backed digital advocacy group, and follows similar warnings fired at a group of 30 influencers in November.

At the time, CICC’s Chief Undersecretary, Renato Paraiso, warned that the influencers could be charged with violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Presidential Decree No. 1602, which prescribes stiffer penalties on illegal gambling, and Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code on estafa.

If prosecuted, the influencers could face fines and potential imprisonment under the Philippines’ cybercrime and gaming reg..

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KSC to investigate partnership between Eden Hazard and unlicensed Stake 

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Kansspelcommissie (KSC), the Belgian Gambling Commission, has reportedly opened an investigation into one of its greatest-ever footballers in Eden Hazard after he became a global brand ambassador for Stake.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid winger signed a partnership with the Easygo-owned business last week, which initially raised eyebrows as Stake is not licensed in Belgium.

The KSC is set to keep a close eye on how the deal unfolds, as advertising illegal gambling services to people in Belgium is banned.

If the advertising campaign is deemed to be targeting a Belgian audience, Hazard could face legal prosecution, including an administrative fine which could potentially be as much as €700,000 (£605,000)

“We are going to investigate to what extent that advertising is targeted at people in Belgium, because that is of course prohibited,” Stefaan Savenberg, a KSC spokesperson, confirmed to Belgian news outlet VTM NIEUWS.

“Mr Hazard has many Belgian followers on his Instagram pag..

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DGOJ : accountability leads Spain’s new Safe Play programme 

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Spanish gambling will pivot to a ‘new system of accountability’ for player protection built on new commands for licence holders to identify risks and intervene on gambling threats and prevent fallouts.

The message came from Mikel Arana, Director General of the DGOJ, as he was presenting the “Juego Seguro 2030” (Safe Play) programme for Spanish gambling, which has been co-designed alongside the Advisory Council of Responsible Gambling.

The programme will be implemented from 2026, through to 2030. It forms part of the DGOJ’s mission to ‘redefine a new regulatory philosophy’ and enhance both player protections and gambling environments.

Tackling problem gambling head-on

From 2026 onwards, the DGOJ will develop Safe Play initiatives based on the ‘core structure of comprehensive protection’, which it is confident will uphold ‘safe environments, and the analysis and diagnosis of harms and threats’.

The programme will not be applied as a legislative decree. However, the DGOJ will apply t..

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