The first academic paper on the use of psychedelics to assist gambling addicts has been published by academics from Universities in Gibraltar, Budapest and Amsterdam. The paper studies the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy to deal with other mental disorders and concludes that it could be used to deal with gambling disorder. “This paper is setting…
Casino and sportsbook operator and platform provider Soft2Bet has offered an update on its partnership with global training specialist iGaming Academy, citing the collaboration as an example of its commitment to staff training at every level.
Elisabeth Isaksson: Soft2Bet
Soft2Bet reported that the partnership has enabled it to train its teams at scale and strengthen its commitment to regulatory compliance and excellence.
The technology group noted that as an igaming operator and supplier that works across a multitude of jurisdictions, its scale, reach and size meant finding training solutions that answer multiple and varied needs was paramount.
The collaboration at first focused on compliance training for Soft2Bet’s operational teams, but quickly evolved into a company-wide approach. The ability of both Soft2Bet and iGaming Academy to quickly gauge the scale of the requirement has enabled the effective rollout of training to a vast international workforce.
Elisabeth Isaksson, Hea..
The Australian division of sportsbook operator bet365 has landed in hot water by attracting unwanted attention from the country’s financial regulator AUSTRAC.
According to the watchdog, the probe was launched based on reports of compliance shortcomings with Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act).
The latest is part of AUSTRAC’s ‘extensive supervisory campaign’ launched last year to ensure that money laundering compliance standards are met across sportsbooks operating in the country.
In November, the regulatory body ordered bet365 together with another bookmaker, Sportsbet – part of Flutter Entertainment, to launch an internal auditing evaluation by appointing an external auditor.
It is understood that the bet365 probe comes as a result of this evaluation. However, as the investigation is ongoing, AUSTRAC revealed that no additional comments can be made at this time.
The only statement provided was that of AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thom..
FanDuel has announced that it has donated a total of $300,000 to gambling charities as part of Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM).
It will donate $150,000 to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to support its Agility Grants Program and another $150,000 to the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG). Additionally, it has partnered with Kindbridge Behavioral Health and joined its pilot program.
“Our team works year-round at FanDuel to equip and support our customers to play responsibly,” said Alison Kutler, FanDuel Sustainability and Responsible Gaming Vice President. “As we mark Problem Gambling Awareness Month, I’m excited to work with a growing roster of partners to expand access to problem gambling support resources.”
Agility grant
The NCPG’s Agility Grants program, which is funded by the NFL, provides funding to non-profit organizations across the U.S. for problem gambling prevention in areas that currently have no services to expand existing programm..
Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), The Gambling Authority of Portugal has reported that online self-exclusion registrants reached 215,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The agency noted that while online gaming gross revenue improved year-over-year by over 16 per cent, land-based gaming revenue dropped by almost four per cent.
Publishing data for Q4, the SRIJ declared a 16.4 per cent increase in gross revenue when compared to the previous year, coming in at €227.4m (Q4 2022: €195.3m). Q4’s revenue was also a 5.6 per cent improvement on the previous quarter’s €215.3m.
From the 17 licensed games of chance operators and 13 licensed sportsbooks in Portugal, games of chance revenue stood at €154.5m, up 40.7 per cent YoY (Q4 2022: €109.8m), while sports betting revenue fell by 14.8 per cent to €72.8m (Q4 2022: €85.4m).
Per gaming type, slots had the biggest share of games of chance wagers placed during the quarter at 83 per cent, followed by French roulette at 6.9 per cent,..
Regulatory compliance specialist BetComply has introduced a tool that combines self-assessment with auditing services for licence holders in the Netherlands.
The ‘ComplyCheck’ solution, powered by SG Certified, offers a set of questions that can be completed by operators with the relevant evidence before submitting it to the BetComply team for review.
BetComply then analyses the information with the help of its regulatory expert team and provides feedback on any gaps that may produce compliance shortcomings, as well as insights about compliance with the ongoing changes in the Dutch regulatory framework.
The upcoming revision of the Dutch Remote Gambling Act (KOA) has sparked a policy debate around the introduction of more player protection measures – with Minister of Legal Protection Franc Weerwind and the Dutch Gambling Authority Kansspelautoriteit being at the centre of it, requesting to see variable loss limits depending on players’ age.
Mike de Graaff, Chief Compliance Offic..
EPIC Global Solutions is taking steps to curtail gambling harm in college athletics.
The London-based gambling harm consultancy has landed a partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to provide the Power Five conference with educational tools and workshops to minimize gambling harm. The ACC is comprised of 15 member institutions, which compete in 27 Division I sports. EPIC’s pact also includes any new league member.
“This relationship furthers EPIC’s mission to minimize gambling-related harm and we’re delighted to be working with the ACC to extend the reach of this message,” said EPIC Vice President of Partnerships Teresa Fiore. “With the sports wagering landscape in the U.S. constantly evolving, it’s vital that we help student-athletes and staff to make informed decisions around their relationship with gambling and also recognize signs of gambling-related harm in others where possible.”
EPIC and the ACC previously collaborated in January to deliver a presentation on gamb..
Kansspelcommissie, the Gambling Authority of Belgium, has confirmed that it will apply new gambling protection measures from 1 September 2021, raising the minimum age for gambling to 21 years.
The decision follows January’s approval of new player protection amendments to be added to the Belgian Gambling Act of 1999.
The mandate was approved by the Chamber of Representatives, which endorsed a decree by Green Party Minister Stefaan Van Hecke to overhaul the Gambling Act’s consumer protections by adopting tougher compliance measures.
As such, Belgium joins Greece in becoming the second EU member state to apply a minimum 21-year age requirement on all forms of gambling (online and land-based).
Prior to the decree, Belgium had applied a 21-year age restriction on access to land-based casinos and arcades. New rules will no longer allow bars, clubs, and recreational centres to operate slot machines.
The decree has further tightened Belgium’s blanket ban on gambling advertising, whic..
Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), the Federal Gambling Authority of Germany, has initiated its legal review of loot boxes and in-game video purchases. In its evaluation, GGL stated its support for the current initiatives aimed at effectively regulating loot boxes to protect children and youth in Germany.
The specifics of loot box reward mechanisms and related activities like skin betting are under scrutiny to determine if they qualify as gambling.
Research will commence with a workshop on February 28, orchestrated by Professor Martin Maties of the University of Augsburg and esports legal expert Dr. Lennart Brüggemann.
Stakeholders were briefed that the event’s goal is to enrich the legal scrutiny of loot boxes within gambling law and elucidate all legal arguments in the ambiguous zone between gaming and gambling. Feedback from this event is expected to provide a robust base for GGL’s decision-making process, with additional expert discussions planned in collaboration with federal states.
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The Charity Commission has received a complaint made against GambleAware for providing false information to the British public on gambling-related harms and suicides.
The complaint has been submitted by The Good Law Project, an independent non-profit organisation led by public policy expert Will Prochaska, the former Strategic Director of Gambling with Lives (GWL).
In its mission statement, The Good Law Project (GLP) cites that it seeks to use law for positive change and better public outcomes, with reforming UK gambling laws among its key objectives.
Prochaska’s new non-profit claims to fight dangerous misinformation about gambling and accuses GambleAware of being supported by an industry that preys on the public. The campaign is backed by Annie Ashton, a widow bereaved of her husband Luke Ashton, a former gambling addict who took his own life in April 2021, a case in which the “coroner concluded that his death was caused by a gambling disorder”.
GPL states it is “supporting Luke’..