SBC News - Player Protection Hub

SBC Summit: PAF reveals potentially groundbreaking Meta collaboration

iGamingExpertOctober 2, 2026025 views

Speaking at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, Jesper Eliasson, Director at PAF, revealed a potentially new approach to tackling illegal gambling.

The subject of the lurking black market was rife throughout the event, with the threat being elevated by increasingly tight taxation regimes and hostile frameworks.

Whilst these factors are having a major impact on the regulated market competing with the illegal sector, social media platforms are pivotal in driving players there and escalating exposure of black market operators.

Speaking during the Scandinavia panel, Eliasson stated that they are in an experimental partnership with Meta, working together to thwart the surge of the unlicensed sector.

He revealed they will be sharing certain parameters as a result of the deal, including license documents and URLs, helping Meta create a clearer picture of who is regulated and who isn’t, both in terms of affiliates and operators.

There is a real concerted effort to eradicate the creative around ..

New UK regulations for responsible game design exclude existing machines

A.J. KoehnOctober 2, 2026010 views

The UK Gambling Commission will go forward with the implementation of a revised compliance framework for land-based gaming machines.

Changes are based on a consultation paper launched last year that collected a total of 1,065 responses. The topics covered included the Gaming Machine Technical Standards (GMTS), the Gaming Machine Testing Strategy, and the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).

Today’s response to the consultation confirms that the Commission will go through with a number of changes, although with some modifications applied as a result of the amassed reactions.

Most importantly, existing gaming machines will be excluded from the new standards given the concerns raised with the Commission about the high costs of the technical changes that businesses would’ve otherwise had to incur.

New responsible game design

Starting 30 June 2027, new category B gaming machines will have to incorporate a number of responsible gaming design features to remain compliant with..

Dutch trade body escalates legal case against Meta

A.J. KoehnSeptember 30, 202608 views

Dutch gambling trade body VNLOK has summoned Meta to court, making good on its promise to legally challenge the tech giant over allowing illegal gambling ads on its platform.

Earlier in June, VNLOK filed a complaint with the European Commission relating to an alleged large influx of gambling ads promoting illegal operators to Dutch consumers across both Facebook and Instagram.

The complaint was filed on the basis of numerous VNLOK surveys examining the gambling marketing content on Meta’s platforms. According to the trade body, the findings highlighted that ‘more than 90% of the analysed gambling ads on Facebook were related to illegal operators’ .

What’s more, the results published by VNLOK showed that ‘only 11% of the illegal content targeting Dutch consumers was removed in May, and a further 15% in June’.

Therefore, VNLOK accused Meta of insufficient actions to protect the Dutch market, leading to the tech giant being summoned to an Amsterdam court.

Björn Fuchs, Chairman of VN..

Lula’s decree drives near-100% jump in illegal operators

A.J. KoehnSeptember 30, 2026011 views

The rise of illegal online gambling platforms in Brazil post-outright online betting ban has now ensued, with an eye-watering amount of unlicensed operators beginning to infiltrate the South American country.

President Lula’s decision to prohibit regulated online gaming and betting operators came as a shock to the industry, putting it mildly.

Just under two years, Brazil’s online licensed market went from non-existence to becoming the sixth-largest in global value, as per Blask data, with potential to top the ranks by the end of the decade.

However, Lula’s drastic measure, introduced a week before the Presidential election, now seems to have reversed years of efforts to establish a safe environment for players.

SBC Noticias Brasil reported that illegal iGaming operators had climbed to 575 on 26 September, as opposed to the 331 recorded the day prior before Lula’s announcement – representing an increase of 244, or 74% in 24 hours.

The stats were shared by Amilton Noble, Executive ..

SBC Summit: CEO defends DraftKings RG culture after NYT, ProPublica articles

SBC AmericasSeptember 30, 2026017 views

LISBON, Portugal — DraftKings CEO Jason Robins offered a forceful defense of his company’s responsible gaming approach on Tuesday, amid a run of challenging press.

Speaking at SBC Summit as part of a keynote panel with Michael Jordan and Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl, Robins responded to a question about responsible gaming from moderator Kirsty Gallagher with a passionate answer, days after recent stories about DraftKings’ use of AI by The New York Times and its approach to problem gamblers by ProPublica.

“I think a lot of people — and it’s frustrating for us — look at us and say, you’re motivated by the wrong things. You don’t want people to bet within their means, you want to take advantage of people. That could not be farther from the truth. Every single person in the company will tell you that it’s not at all what we want. That’s the worst possible thing for our company, for our industry,” Robins said.

DraftKings responsible gaming philosophy, in CEO’s words

Robins discussed his..

Brazil bans online gambling – effective immediately

Steve HoareSeptember 28, 202609 views

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) announced this Friday, the 25th, the prohibition of fixed-odds betting in Brazil, effective immediately, while fulfilling an official agenda in São Paulo . The regulated websites and applications will be taken offline on October 6th, two days after the first round of elections, through a joint effort between the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and…

Brazil’s President Lula pledges outright online betting ban

Steve HoareSeptember 25, 2026013 views

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will declare an outright ban on Brazil’s Bets Law, today Friday, 25 September, as an election pledge kept by the Workers Party (PT) government. Yesterday, the news sources of O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo, reported that Lula had confirmed his decision in a meeting of economic ministers in São Paulo. The decision comes just nine days…

Alberta government gives $2.4m to gambling treatment provider

CanadianGamingBusinessSeptember 25, 2026012 views

After welcoming commercial online casinos and sportsbooks to the province this summer, the government of Alberta has pledged new funding to expand gambling addiction treatment and related services.

The government announced in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 24, that it will provide approximately $2.4m to Brick House Recovery Centre in an effort to ensure provincial residents have access to specialized care to address gambling issues.

Brick House is an Alberta-based addiction service provider that offers evidence-based treatment and support. The government said that its funding will help the centre deliver a flexible outpatient program consisting of four weeks of outpatient treatment and up to eight weeks of subsequent individualized aftercare to support ongoing recovery.

Treatment is available in-person at centres in Edmonton and Calgary or online across the province.

“Gambling can ruin people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale..

Olympic Entertainment faces October judgement on €8.5m Lithuania fine

iGamingExpertSeptember 25, 202609 views

The Administrative Court of Lithuania has confirmed it will determine whether to fine Olympic Casino Group Baltija €8.5m by 19 October.

Proceedings have been disclosed to Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG), the operating company of Olympic Casino Group, the Lithuanian subsidiary of the Baltic gaming group, which believes that its subsidiary should face no action.

The dispute stems from an investigation into the gambling activity of Šarūnas Stepukonis, a former partner at investment firm BaltCap.

LPT, the Gaming Supervisory Authority of Lithuania, found five alleged breaches of gambling and anti-money laundering rules linked to his activity between December 2016 and June 2021.

The regulator says Olympic Casino failed to do enough to establish where the money Stepukonis was losing had come from. It also found that the company’s monitoring of his transactions was ineffective.

OEG is challenging the decision. Its Lithuanian subsidiary argues that the regulator has misread both the r..

Turkey intensifies fintech scrutiny following following Papel suspension

iGamingExpertSeptember 25, 2026010 views

The Central Bank of Türkiye (TCMB) has suspended fintech Papel Elektronik Money’s operating licence for soliciting financial transactions of illegal gambling and helping hide funds related to activities connected to illicit gambling.

The enforcement was disclosed in this morning’s ministerial gazette (23 September) of the Central Bank’s orders to suspend Papel Elektronik and its online wallet and money transfer services.

The gazette reported that TCMB had summoned a review of Papel’s licence in January, and ordered the company to be put under trusteeship of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).

Papel is being investigated over allegations that its payment infrastructure was used to move money from illegal betting, fraud and unauthorised forex. The case is based on reports from the central bank and Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board MASAK (The Financial Crimes Investigation Authority).

Investigators say proceeds entered the financial system via electronic money se..