SBC News - Player Protection Hub

German regulator appoints new chairman

SBC NewsJune 28, 20240269 views

Gluecksspiel (GGL), the Federal Authority of German Gambling, will start its chairmanship under Reiner Moser on 1 July 2024.

Reiner Moser, a Minister of the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, will replace Udo Götze as Chairman of the GGL. He will oversee the agency’s progress on regulatory affairs, reporting to the Bundestag – Germany’s Federal Parliament.

The GGL board consists of department heads or state secretaries representing Germany’s 16 federal states (Bundesländer), focusing on regulatory developments related to Germany’s Fourth Interstate Gambling Treaty (GlüNeuRStv).

The board’s statute requires a new chairman to be elected each year by 1 July, representing a different Bundesland.

The GlüNeuRStv regime came into effect on 1 July 2021, launching Germany’s new federal framework for regulating online sportsbooks, poker, and casino games. This was followed by the establishment of the GGL on 1 January 2023, which took control of the GlüNeuRStv as the Federal Authority of German..

Michigan doubles responsible gambling budget

SBC AmericasJune 27, 20240271 views

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is receiving a boost in resources through a fresh investment earmarked in the state’s budget for fiscal year 2025.

The Michigan Legislature reached an agreement on Thursday to allocate $1.9 million toward the MGCB from the state’s FY2025 budget to add 14 full-time staff positions. The new talent will bolster the MGCB’s regulatory capacity and efforts to prevent illegal wagering as the Wolverine State serves as both a sports betting and iGaming market.

The MGCB is also allocating fresh capital from the FY2025 budget toward RG efforts.

The Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund and its associated programs are receiving a $3 million funding increase from Michigan’s gaming regulator. The proceeds will be used to improve the 24/7 Gambling Disorder Helpline, which is operated by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Funding will also be allocated toward gambling research, existing treatment options, and gambling educational tools for kid..

Massachusetts Gaming Commission studies limits on gambling advertising

Steve HoareJune 27, 20240378 views

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) will consider a set of recommendations to limit advertising of gambling in the state. The recommendations from Dr Rachel Volberg, a Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, form part of the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) project. Volberg said her team “heartily endorses” the…

California’s card rooms join National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program

Steve HoareJune 26, 20240328 views

idPair has signed an agreement with the California Council on Problem Gambling that allows gamblers to self-exclude from California’s 60-plus card rooms using the newly-launched National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program. Gamblers will be able to self-exclude online, unlike in the previous system where they had to do it in-person or by mail. The California deal follows…

Bally’s joins Responsible Online Gaming Association as eighth founder

SBC AmericasJune 25, 20240285 views

Bally’s Corporation has joined the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), becoming the eighth founding member of the independent responsible gambling trade association.

Bally’s joins bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital and PENN Entertainment as the founding members of the group.

ROGA aims to promote responsible online gaming through methods such as funding independent peer-reviewed research, developing evidence-based responsible gaming best practices and driving consumer education and awareness. The association is led by Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley, the President of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling and Co-Chair of the Compliance Review Board for the American Gaming Association‘s Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bally’s to ROGA — further demonstrating the collaborative effort of the iGaming and online sports betting..

EU gambling regulators committed to player protection regarding scratchcards and ECJ jurisprudence

CasinoBeatsJune 25, 20240316 views

Gambling regulators across Europe have recently come together to discuss several gambling regulatory issues, including scratchcards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice.

The gambling regulators of Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain met in Vienna on June 11-12 to discuss these topics and what must be done to make sure players are protected.

Collectively, the regulators have released a statement – via the Spanish regulator Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego and French regulator Autorité Nationale des Jeux – making a declaration on how the issues of scratchcard regulation and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice should proceed.

In the statement, the regulators said that, regarding the ECJ’s preliminary ruling running in various countries, although the EU guarantees establishment and service-providing freedoms, the court recognises that member states “may impose proportionate restrictions on these freedoms to regulate gamb..

Colombian soccer league fires 15 match officials for sports betting schemes

Steve HoareJune 25, 20240312 views

The Major Division of Colombian Soccer (Dimayor) has fired 15 professional soccer referees for their alleged participation in sports betting schemes. These include match referees, assistant referees, and members of the VAR team. Former referee and current analyst José Borda shared the news on his social networks, referring to it as “the largest sweep of referees in the last…

Spain appoints Urbiola as ‘dedicated minister’ of federal gambling reforms

SBC NewsJune 25, 20240288 views

The Council of Ministers of Spain has appointed Andrés Barragán Urbiola as Secretary General of Consumption and Gaming.

Urbiola will oversee Spain’s ongoing federal overhaul of gambling laws, a directive led by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

The appointment of a dedicated minister to oversee gambling reforms, had been requested by Pablo Bustinduy, Spain’s Minister of Consumer Affairs and Social Rights.

Leadership changes in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs have Bustinduy taking over the remit of gambling reforms, previously managed by Alberto Garzon, who opted not to serve in Spain’s new ‘progressive left’ coalition government.

Since 2020, under Garzon’s leadership, Spain has reorganised its gambling laws to develop unified standards and centralised controls for online and land-based gambling.

Garzon authorised the “Royal Decree on Gambling Advertising,” reshaping Spain’s gambling landscape by banning betting sponsorships and restricting gambling advertisements to late-night ho..

FBI probe leads to arrest in Spain of alleged BetMGM hacker

SBC AmericasJune 24, 20240241 views

An arrest warrant issued by the FBI has led to the apprehension of a British man allegedly tied to a cyberattack on BetMGM.

Spanish police have arrested an unnamed UK resident in Palma de Mallorca for his alleged involvement in a cyberattack scheme that saw fraudulent accounts created on BetMGM. The accounts, many using the personal information of pro poker players, executed unauthorized bank account withdrawals of up to $10,000 per transaction.

The British suspect is accused of SIM-swapping, a type of account fraud that exploits two-factor authentication systems through the seizure of one-time passwords. The suspect’s SIM-swapping allegedly provided access or the ability to create new BetMGM accounts.

The investigation by Spanish police found that the British suspect made his way to Spain in May by first making a stop in Barcelona before the probe led to his location in Mallorca.

Authorities were able to apprehend the suspect as he boarded a flight to Italy. Spanish police confisc..

KOA Play Limits to be applied from 1 October

SBC NewsJune 21, 20240269 views

New mandatory playing limit safeguards will be applied to the Dutch KOA market from 1 October 2024.

The announcement sees the Dutch government conclude its consultation, initiated in December 2023 by outgoing Legal Protections Minister Franc Weerwind on new safeguards and preventative measures of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA Act).

The safeguards form part of a ‘new protective scheme’, in which operators must ensure that customers have set their individual limits on gambling spend.

Headline measures will see KOA-licensed operators impose mandatory checks on monthly deposit limits of €350 on player accounts above the age of 25. For player accounts under-25, operators must ensure checks of deposit limits of €150 per month.

The consultation applied the recommendation of Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) – the Netherlands Gambling Authority- to impose a maximum deposit limit of €700 for adult accounts and €300 for under 25s.

Players who choose to apply the maximum deposit threshold must have a..