SBC News - Player Protection Hub

‘To save youth from destruction’, Bangladesh vows no leniency for illegal gambling

iGamingExpertMay 1, 20260126 views

Politicians in Bangladesh have vowed to launch a nationwide crackdown on gambling and online betting, emphasising that coordinated action is looming for the sector.

Action will begin following the closure of the country’s parliament on 30 April, with assertions made by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who promised a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on gambling, alongside drug use, in response to concerns raised by Zainul Abdin Farroque, parliamentary member for the Noakhali-2 constituency.

“To save the youth from destruction, the government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy,” said Ahmed, who promised that law enforcement agencies will conduct coordinated operations to dismantle networks linked to drugs and gambling.

Most forms of gambling remain illegal in Bangladesh under the Public Gaming Act of 1867, meaning online gambling operates in a grey area with no local regulation.

Ahmed’s call to arms over curtailing online gambling comes despite Bangladesh last year passing the Cyber Security..

Gambling Commission director turns fire on Big Tech in fight against black market

Steve HoareApril 29, 20260146 views

Tim Miller’s defence of financial risk assessments also provokes fury from BGC, which says GC stats are misleading

BetMGM brings back Connor McDavid for responsible gambling campaign

CanadianGamingBusinessApril 29, 20260150 views

BetMGM is once again placing responsible gambling at the center of its marketing strategy. But, instead of relying on traditional messaging that often feels distant or overly instructional, the operator is returning with a campaign that feels far more natural and aligned with how players actually consume content today.

By bringing back Connor McDavid, BetMGM is repeating a successful formula but refining it into something that speaks directly to modern players who expect entertainment, clarity, and control to exist within the same experience.

An entertaining campaign

The latest campaign, titled “Mullet Over,” builds on the foundation established by BetMGM’s earlier work, yet it leans more confidently into humor and storytelling, presenting responsible gambling as something that can be understood through everyday moments rather than formal warnings or disclaimers.

In the ad, McDavid appears alongside former NHL player Terry Ryan in a relaxed setting where the message is delivered t..

Flutter sets up Leeds customer protection hub with £1.5m backing

A.J. KoehnApril 29, 20260166 views

Flutter Entertainment has invested a further £1.5m into responsible gambling and player safety, launching a new dedicated centre at one of its major UK headquarters.

Located in the firm’s Leeds, West Yorkshire, HQ, the ‘Centre of Excellence’ is intended as a place for collaboration, learning and experimentation in the field of responsible gambling and customer protection.

The move forms part of a wider focus on responsible gaming tools, with Flutter having set itself a target of 75% of its customer base using these tools by 2030. The current rate sits at 60%, according to the Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair parent group.

Flutter’s new hub will host the company’s 450-strong customer safety team, and serve as an area for them to develop and test technological capabilities in this field.

The opening of the hub has been timed with Flutter’s Leeds office hosting the Ethical Gambling Forum, where the editor of SBC’s Player Protection Hub, Steve Hoare, will be moderating two sessions.

..

Google cracks down on bad ads but remains under pressure

Steve HoareApril 23, 20260138 views

Google has banned hundreds of millions of gambling adverts for breaching its rules, with the tech giant stating that its safety teams have been ‘working round the clock’. Despite its efforts, however, Google still finds itself in regulatory crosshairs regarding illegal gambling across multiple markets, alongside some of its fellow Big Tech players. Alphabet’s IT and tech firm…

Canada advances federal bill to limit sports betting advertising

CanadianGamingBusinessApril 23, 20260136 views

Bill S-211, the legislation that would set the stage for the federal government of Canada to take a firmer hand in regulating sports betting advertising, took a significant and unprecedented step forward on Wednesday.

Members of the House of Commons voted 298-21 in favour of sending the National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act on for further discussion in the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

It marks a watershed moment for the legislation. While the proposal to create a federal framework for sports betting advertising across Canada passed the Senate in both 2024 and 2025, the current version is the first that has been taken up for discussion in the opposite chamber.

Prime Minister Carney votes in favour

There is still a long way to go before the legislation can potentially become law. But it’s the latest sign that Canadian Members of Parliament believe that, while the Criminal Code of Canada gives provinces the rights and responsibilities to run online gambling ..

Easier self-exclusion mechanisms introduced by Dutch regulator

A.J. KoehnApril 23, 20260132 views

The Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has launched a new mechanism to simplify the process for authorised third-parties to register problem gamblers with the national self-exclusion scheme CRUKS.

Changes are meant to provide persons or guardians authorised by court to manage the finances of others with more legal leverage to put them on the register if problem gambling occurs.

These authorisations are generally made when there are financial problems already occurring in the first place with individuals who are at risk of mismanaging their finances.

Adding them to CRUKS eliminates the possibility of problem gambling exacerbating the issue. Previous mechanisms for authorised guardians to do so have been deemed ineffective and legally cumbersome, the KSA added.

Complaints about the process highlighted an unnecessary volume of evidence to prove that problem gambling is taking place and that it has caused damage, together with slow processing times.

Now, the KSA has m..

Colorado Senators remove prop bet ban from sports betting reform bill

SBC AmericasApril 23, 20260129 views

Senators in Colorado voted on Tuesday to advance a sports betting reform bill to the full chamber floor, but not before they struck a proposed ban on prop bets from the legislation.

Senate Appropriations Committee members voted narrowly 4-3 to advance the bipartisan Senate Bill 26-131 to the Committee of the Whole on April 21. It could be read at second reading there as early as April 23.

The bill, which has one Democrat and one Republican sponsor attached in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, is a wide-ranging responsible gambling bill aimed at implementing more safeguards and limitations on how licensed sports betting platforms can operate in the state.

Prop bet ban would cost too much

However, before the committee passed it on Tuesday, members approved an amendment via a 5-2 vote that scratched a proposed ban on prop wagers.

The original form of the bill proposed defining a proposition bet as one that is made on an individual athlete’s performance, a specific off..

Gambling Commission data shows spike in UK black market VPN use after Online Safety Act

A.J. KoehnApril 23, 20260156 views

An update from the Gambling Commission has suggested that there are no real patterns for consumer engagement with illegal gambling sites – but hundreds of millions of minutes are being racked up on there every month.

Data also suggests a huge increase in consumers using VPNs to access these sites since the Online Safety Act came into force in July 2025.

A blog post from Tim Livesley, Head of the Data Innovation Hub at the Gambling Commission, has revealed fresh insight into how the regulator is tracking illegal gambling activity and the challenges it faces in measuring it accurately.

Speaking following the Commission’s Spring Evidence Conference in Birmingham, Livesley outlined both recent trends and ongoing efforts to refine the regulator’s methodology.

The latest analysis, extending trend data through February 2026, suggests that engagement continues to fluctuate rather than follow a clear upward or seasonal pattern, but shows just how prevalent illegal operators consistently a..

New York AG sues Coinbase for illegal gambling activity tied to sports contracts

SBC AmericasApril 23, 20260147 views

New York Attorney General Letitia James is taking legal action against Coinbase over the company’s alleged operation of illegal gambling in the Empire State.

According to court documents, James is suing Coinbase for allegedly running an illegal gambling operation in New York through its delivery of event contracts. The AG alleges that Coinbase facilitates illegal gambling by operating in the state without a gaming license from the New York State Gaming Commission. As a result, James is seeking a court order to require Coinbase to pay a monetary penalty, forfeit “illegal profits,” and pay restitution.

“Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and Constitution,” said James in a press release.

In the suit, the AG directly points to Coinbase’s sports event contracts, which are considered illegal gambling activity as the company does not hold a gaming license. James provides specific examples of how the event contracts resemble..