SBC News - Player Protection Hub

NCAA launches gambling harm education campaign

SBC AmericasMarch 22, 20240265 views

The NCAA is continuing to protect its student-athletes from gambling harm.

The governing body of college sports has launched Draw the Line, a campaign aimed at educating student-athletes on the effects of sports betting. The campaign, which debuted during the start of March Madness, will also address problem gambling.

“Sports betting is everywhere, especially on college campuses, so it’s critical student-athletes get the real story about how it can impact them and their ability to play,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker. “We know some bettors are harassing student-athletes and officials, so that’s why we are advocating for policy changes at the state level and launching monitoring tools around championships to refer serious threats to law enforcement.”

The NCAA’s new campaign comes during the governing body’s most profitable event, March Madness. The three-week men’s and women’s tournament will see the NCAA generate approximately $1 billion in revenue, which is roughly 85% of its a..

Spelinspektionen to analyse risk of criminal activity on gambling accounts

CasinoBeatsMarch 22, 20240273 views

The Swedish government has instructed Spelinspektionen – the country’s gambling authority –to analyse the risks of gambling accounts being used for money laundering and other criminal activities.

The Swedish gambling regulator noted that if there is a need, it must create proposals to counteract such activity, including providing a breakdown of socio-economic consequences.

In addition, Spelinspektionen has also been asked to see if gambling accounts should be covered by the account and safe deposit box system – Konto- och värdefackssystemet – and what would happen if such accounts were added to the system.

The account and safe deposit box system allows authorities to quickly identify accounts and safe holders at financial firms. This is achieved through the Swedish Tax Agency’s technical platform Mekanismen, which allows authorities to directly and immediately receive information about accounts and safe deposit boxes at credit and investment companies.

Earlier this month, Spelinspe..

GambleAware highlights debt management importance for Debt Awareness Week

SBC NewsMarch 22, 20240288 views

In time for debt awareness week, GambleAware has put out a statement emphasising the wide availability of free debt advice services and the need to lift the stigma barrier suggesting that such services affect credit score.

Collaborating with StepChange Debt Charity, which is running this year’s Debt Awareness Week from 18-24 March, GambleAware’s Money Guidance Service Manager Kathy Wade addressed the misconception that reaching out for debt advice has an impact on private credit score.

“Having a good credit score is important for a number of reasons, including when you want to borrow money, take out a mobile phone contract, or get home broadband,” Wade said. “Companies will check your credit file before making decisions. Factors can impact your credit rating but getting debt advice is not one of them.”

Some of the factors listed by Wade that could influence people’s credit score include missed credit repayments, maxed-out credit cards, court judgements, bankruptcy, or debt relief ..

Gambling Commission clears 888 after licence review

CasinoBeatsMarch 22, 20240302 views

888 has been cleared by the UK Gambling Commission of any regulatory penalties following a review of its licence.

A review of 888’s licence was initiated by the UKGC after FS Gaming sought to acquire a stake in the gambling company last June.

FS Gaming took a 6.5 per cent stake in the firm during that month, with a subsequent proposal centred around the potential appointments of Lee Feldman, Kenny Alexander and Stephen Morana as Chair, CEO and CFO, respectively.

However, with each previously holding senior leadership positions at GVC Holdings, the now rebranded Entain, 888 was in communication with the UKGC about the shareholding and proposal.

During this period, GVC was also under an HM Revenue & Customs investigation into the company’s former Turkish business, which concluded in December last year with a £585m settlement from Entain with the Crown Prosecution Service.

888 terminated its discussions with FS Gaming in July and ended up going in a different direction with its senio..

Kindbridge expands problem gambling partnership with DraftKings

SBC AmericasMarch 21, 20240326 views

DraftKings is continuing to invest in efforts to curtail problem gambling.

The Boston-based company has announced an expanded partnership with Kindbridge Behavioral Health to provide therapy and treatment for problem gambling in all operational sports betting and iGaming markets. The resources for users in 25 states build on a previous relationship established between DraftKings and Kindbridge.

In 2023, DraftKings and Kindbridge partnered to launch a pilot program in Colorado.

“We appreciate the opportunity to deepen our collaboration with Kindbridge Behavioral Health and strengthen our commitment to providing important resources to those experiencing potential indications of problem gaming,” said DraftKings Chief Compliance Officer Jennifer Aguiar. “We want everyone on our platform to engage in responsible play and we are committed to educating consumers on the multitude of resources offered.”

DraftKings and Kindbridge are offering services to those impacted by problem gambling fr..

GambleAware highlights debt management importance for Debt Awareness Week

SBC NewsMarch 21, 20240317 views

In time for debt awareness week, GambleAware has put out a statement emphasising the wide availability of free debt advice services and the need to lift the stigma barrier suggesting that such services affect credit score.

Collaborating with StepChange Debt Charity, which is running this year’s Debt Awareness Week from 18-24 March, GambleAware’s Money Guidance Service Manager Kathy Wade addressed the misconception that reaching out for debt advice has an impact on private credit score.

“Having a good credit score is important for a number of reasons, including when you want to borrow money, take out a mobile phone contract, or get home broadband,” Wade said. “Companies will check your credit file before making decisions. Factors can impact your credit rating but getting debt advice is not one of them.”

Some of the factors listed by Wade that could influence people’s credit score include missed credit repayments, maxed-out credit cards, court judgements, bankruptcy, or debt relief ..

SBC Summit Rio: Protecting players, protecting operators and eliminating the black market in Brazil

lucia.gandoMarch 21, 20240367 views

National Association of Gaming and Lotteries (ANJL) President Wesley Cardia; Marcio Malta, the CEO of Sorte Online; Marc Crean, Vice President of OpenBet in Latin America and Canada; and Ronaldo Kos, Director of IDnow in Latin America met at the very first SBC Summit Rio to discuss how Brazil could learn player protection lessons from…

Jansen doubles down on ‘covert KSA agents’ idea to better monitor online operators

SBC NewsMarch 21, 20240286 views

René Jansen, outgoing Chair of the Dutch Gaming Authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has offered insights on some of his most recent work with the regulator.
In a blog post, Jansen issued a statement saying that the risks associated with the online gambling market in the Netherlands “are growing”.

According to the Chair, this is evidenced by the growing number of people exhibiting harmful gambling behaviour, which has even occurred with professional sports players.
Therefore, the KSA must look at specific cases as the first stepping stone to handling problem gambling, and that the next step for the regulator is to take a comprehensive look “at the market from above”.
Jansen also touched upon the Dutch Consumers’ Association’s conclusion that the KSA doesn’t have enough knowledge of what is happening “behind the front door” of operators, and that more covert measures are needed to be implemented in order to strengthen the regulator’s supervision.

One such measure is the provision ..

Storting guarantees DNS blocking powers to Lottstift

SBC NewsMarch 21, 20240251 views

Lottstift, Norway’s Gambling Authority, has been granted ‘direct powers’ to order DNS and IP blocking of websites infringing on the laws of Norway’s Gambling Act.

The mandate was approved by the Storting (Parliament) on March 19, as a majority of MPs backed market protections sought by Lottstift against unlicensed operators.

The approval sees Lottstift secure DNS and IP blocking rights as a guaranteed measure to protect Norway’s Gambling Act, currently under revision.

In 2022, the Storting ordered the government to consolidate Norway’s fragmented regulatory framework for gambling. Laws for gambling had been deemed inconsistent due to the market being governed by the three separate mandates of the 1995 Lottery Act, the 1992 Gambling Act, and the 1927 Totalisator Act.

As such, the Storting instructed Norwegian authorities to adopt a new Gambling Act, merging and amending the laws of the three preceding Acts – a regulatory project overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Equality.

As ..

SBC Summit Rio: there’s room for all kinds of AI tech developments

SBC NewsMarch 21, 20240257 views

Technological developments are a core focus of any organisation amid a constant jockeying for position, with the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence currently capturing much attention.

This formed a central focus at the recent SBC Summit Rio, where a quintet of experts delved into how the tech could shape the future of the industry, why such models can improve responsible gambling protocols, the importance of correctly utilising data and much more.

“The thing with AI is that it has so many uses that we cannot even start to grasp exactly how we can use it,” began Hugo Llanos, Regional Director of the Americas at Altenar.

“I’m sure that everyone here has a different view and a different way of doing it. It’s all about the data and it’s all about how you use that data.”

To illustrate this point, Llanos cites customer engagement and segmentation, user experience and risk management as critical areas that can be heightened via the usage of AI, with excitement stressed at h..