SBC News

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that it will proceed with the next steps to implement affordability checks on remote gambling operators.

The decision was announced this afternoon by Tim Miller, Executive Director of Policy Development for the Gambling Commission. Affordability checks were deemed a key protection needed to “identify and take action for customers who may be financially vulnerable”.

“We have been working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ensure that the next steps closely reflect the intention of the White Paper. That is, that the process of conducting these checks will be frictionless for the vast majority of customers who undergo them.”

As outlined in September 2023, the Commission proposed that ‘light checks’ be applied on customer net losses of £125 (without bonus funds) within a rolling 30-day period or £500 within a rolling 365-day period.

A higher level of inspection will be carried out on gambling accou..

Cyprus has announced that it is launching the National Self-Exclusion Platform (NSEP) as part of the country’s Safer Gambling Strategy 2022-2025.
Spearheaded by the National Betting Authority (NBA), the scheme will deliver added protection for customers of the rapidly growing Cypriot gambling market.

The main safeguard is allowing players to opt in for self-exclusion so that they can control their betting activity with all online operators that are currently under licence by the Republic of Cyprus.

When the self-exclusion is active, customers are only allowed to access their accounts to withdraw any deposits left, and are prevented from creating a new account with the same or another operator.

The NSEP is primarily targeted at players who have concluded that they cannot control their gambling behaviour anymore and that it is negatively interfering with their personal life.

Ioanna Fiakkou, President of the Cyprus NBA, commented: “This is a robust tool for every player, designed..

Three new members have been appointed to the Horse Welfare Board (HWB) to continue British horseracing’s commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare, safety, and aftercare.

The HWB serves as the independent body on equine care and welfare standards reporting to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The board continues to prioritise the principal objectives of its “A Life Well Lived” strategy established in 2020 to implement an overarching welfare regime for the care of horses bred for British racing.

Since launching the five-year project, the Welfare Board has established ‘21 of 26 identified projects’, covering improvement of duties and practices on the traceability of horses bred, quality of life, prevention of harms, and aftercare responsibilities.

Continuing its initiatives, the Welfare Board welcomes Sulekha Varma, who currently serves as the Head Clerk of Aintree Racecourse, as a new board member. An expert in racing, Varma is at the helm of British racing’s bigge..

The rollout of Entain’s player protection journey over the past eight years has been a ‘bumpy journey’, according to the firm’s Director of Player Protection Systems and Analytics, Jez White, but the improvements have been ‘massive’.

White made his observations whilst speaking at Navigating The Maze, a panel session during ICE London 2024 within the expo’s Consumer Protection Zone which delved into the journey from problem gambling detection to effective intervention, while also studying Entain’s development in the sector.

Meanwhile, Dan Spencer, Director of Safer Gambling at EPIC Global Solutions, shared how his personal experiences of gambling addiction have helped detect others in a similar position, specifically highlighting the importance of meaningful human interactions.

Finally, Rasmus Kjaergaard, host of the panel session and CEO of Mindway AI – a scientific-based protections solutions provider based on AI in combination with human psychology assessments – highlighted the i..

The rollout of Entain’s player protection journey over the past eight years has been a ‘bumpy journey’, according to the firm’s Director of Player Protection Systems and Analytics, Jez White, but the improvements have been ‘massive’.

White made his observations whilst speaking at Navigating The Maze, a panel session during ICE London 2024 within the expo’s Consumer Protection Zone which delved into the journey from problem gambling detection to effective intervention, while also studying Entain’s development in the sector.

Meanwhile, Dan Spencer, Director of Safer Gambling at EPIC Global Solutions, shared how his personal experiences of gambling addiction have helped detect others in a similar position, specifically highlighting the importance of meaningful human interactions.

Finally, Rasmus Kjaergaard, host of the panel session and CEO of Mindway AI – a scientific-based protections solutions provider based on AI in combination with human psychology assessments – highlighted the i..

The rollout of Entain’s player protection journey over the past eight years has been a ‘bumpy journey’, according to the firm’s Director of Player Protection Systems and Analytics, Jez White, but the improvements have been ‘massive’.

White made his observations whilst speaking at Navigating The Maze, a panel session during ICE London 2024 within the expo’s Consumer Protection Zone which delved into the journey from problem gambling detection to effective intervention, while also studying Entain’s development in the sector.

Meanwhile, Dan Spencer, Director of Safer Gambling at EPIC Global Solutions, shared how his personal experiences of gambling addiction have helped detect others in a similar position, specifically highlighting the importance of meaningful human interactions.

Finally, Rasmus Kjaergaard, host of the panel session and CEO of Mindway AI – a scientific-based protections solutions provider based on AI in combination with human psychology assessments – highlighted the i..

Kindred Group plc-owned brand Unibet has launched a new health awareness campaign across Belgium and the Netherlands in collaboration with the Dutch cycling team Tour de Tietema (TDT).

The new project called ‘Follow Your Heart’ aims to boost the public’s knowledge about the potential heart issues that could arise within the cycling community.

Both entities have developed a specialised online learning tool to deliver on the campaign’s objectives. TDT cyclists will also wear custom jerseys that will bring attention to the importance of heart health.

An eight-step guide on how to perform resuscitation and increase survival rates in heart failure can be accessed through an Augmented Reality experience, featuring the owners of TDT Bas Tietema, Devin van der Wiel, and Josse Wester.

Tietema said: “I try to follow my heart in everything I do, but I have noticed both in cycling and outside the sport that a less well-functioning heart can also make you very insecure. Unfortunately, you he..

GamCare has promoted Mark Weiss to the position of Deputy CEO of the gambling harms treatment support and intervention charity.

Updating stakeholders, GamCare informed that Weiss will take on the new role alongside his existing duties as GamCare’s Director of Communications and External Affairs.

An expert in public health, Weiss joined GamCare in 2022, from the Royal College of Anaesthetists where he served as Head of Policy and Public Affairs.

His tenure was distinguished as he spearheaded all aspects of Policy and Public Affairs for the UK’s largest hospital specialty, anaesthesia, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GamCare highlighted Weiss’s diverse background in promoting public health organisations and initiatives, having worked for the Faculty of Public Health and as an advisor to the All-Party Parliament Group on public health and welfare policies.

In his new role, Mark will work closely with Margot Daly, Executive Chair, in providing strategic leadership and direction across G..