Join SBC Media today (Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, as we present the latest iteration of SBC Digital Player Protection in partnership with 1xBet. The global conversation on safer gambling will take centre stage during a full-day digital-only conference dedicated to advancing responsible gaming, regulatory cooperation and player wellbeing across the international betting and gaming landscape. The event will unite regulators,…
Norway’s monopoly regime is once again under fire from the state regulator, raising more questions about the future of the market.
Lottstift, the Norwegian gambling authority, is considering the issue of a penalty for Norsk Rikstoto – the country’s exclusive horse betting provider – in relation to a number of AML deficiencies.
An audit by Lottstift for the period between 6 February and 27 May 2025 has revealed a list of violations of Norway’s Money Laundering Act, which threatens Norsk Rikstoto with a fine of up to NOK 2mn (£150k) and an additional NOK 50k per day until “the deviation is corrected”.
What are the failures?
According to the investigation, the AML compliance team of Norsk Rikstoto consists of an insufficient number of people and relies on manual work procedures, which leaves “great” room for improvement in terms of automation and reducing the risks of errors due to overburdening workloads.
Another identified shortfall is Norsk Rikstoto’s customer risk assessments. Lottstift reported that the operator should make improvements as to how it classifies customers based on their risk profile, with the current distinction between monitoring and follow-up procedures not quite clear yet.
On the topic of risk management, the regulator also advised Norsk Rikstoto to conduct a review of its internal policies and ensure that the risk management process is harmonised across all departments.
Compliance documentation was another identified deficiency, with Lottstift stating: “Both the review of sample checks and what we observed during on-site inspections have shown that there is a lack of a systematic approach to documentation and logging of implemented measures, assessments and choices. We saw that some customers/cases have better descriptions of the course of the case than others.”
Finally, Lottstift focused on how effective Norsk Rikstoto is when reporting the implementation of audit recommendations, also identifying room for improvement there.
Atle Hamar, Director of Lottstift, commented: “They have deliberately set aside absolute legal requirements that should enable them to uncover and prevent money laundering.
“When they do not have good enough systems, the risk of them being exploited for money laundering increases.
“Money laundering is a serious social problem. We expect that a monopoly operator with over 170,000 players follows the law and has better control over how they will uncover and prevent money laundering.”
Lottstift lawyers say a fine is justified
Lottstift additionally released an official notice, where Tatyana Søreide Klepaker, Senior Legal Advisor for the regulator, reflected on whether a fine should be imposed.
According to Klepaker, the offences are pervasive and serious enough to suggest that a fine should be imposed.
“After a comprehensive assessment of the case….we find that a violation fine should be imposed,” she wrote. “Our assessment is that Norsk Rikstoto has good financial capacity, and that imposing the violation fee will not be disproportionately burdensome for Norsk Rikstoto’s finances.”
Norway at a crossroads
Besides Norsk Rikstoto, the regulator has also been closely monitoring Norsk Tipping – Norway’s state-owned provider of lottery, sports betting and instant games.
It has also found itself embroiled in controversy more than once over the last year, having been found violating multiple compliance standards – from AML breaches to marketing regulations.
With scrutiny over the two operators constantly piling up, the future of Norway’s monopoly market remains at a crossroads given that it will become the only monopoly regime in the Nordics after Finland transitions to a licenced market in 2027.
Score Media and Gaming (theScore) has been given a CAD $105,000 (approximately €65,000) monetary penalty by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) for failing to meet responsible gambling and player protection standards.
The AGCO has stated that the penalty is due to several alleged violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
All registered operators are required by the standards to proactively monitor player behaviour, intervene when risks of gambling-related harm are detected, and ensure employees are properly trained to support player protection.
A regulatory review by the AGCO found that a customer of theScore wagered $2.5m and lost approximately $230,000 over eight months, including approximately $100,000 in the first month.
The Commission stated that this customer showed “frequent, high-stakes play and escalating losses that clearly indicated potential gambling-related harm”, including “repeatedly requested bonuses, displayed loss-chasing behaviour, and showed signs of distress to the operator’s VIP host”.
According to the AGCO, theScore missed opportunities to appropriately intervene and reduce the potential for high-risk play, adding that the operator “relied on the patron’s self-assessments and failed to conduct meaningful responsible gambling due diligence or interventions” despite inaccurate income documentation and warning signs being shown.
“Player protections are a fundamental requirement for any gambling operator looking to conduct business in Ontario,” noted Dr Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the AGCO.
“When operators fail to uphold these critical safer gambling standards, they not only betray the trust of their players but also undermine the integrity of Ontario’s regulated igaming market.”
The AGCO added that theScore has the right to appeal its decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.
iGaming Expert has reached out to theScore for a comment on this penalty from the AGCO.
Swedish leisure and hospitality businesses have been advised of new licensing obligations governing the operation of slot machines in public venues, which see limitations on their hosting of slot machines based on annual turnover.
Under the new rules, restaurants will only be permitted to host slot machines if their annual food and beverage turnover exceeds SEK 1m (€100,000 including VAT), with one additional machine allowed for every extra SEK 250,000 in verified turnover. However, slot machine revenue must never exceed the restaurant’s dining turnover, a safeguard designed to reduce over-reliance on gaming income.
The reform follows Spelinspektionen, Sweden Gambling Inspectorate decision to end the former rules (LIFS 2018:9) applied by the Swedish Lottery Authority on casino gambling and slot machine games.
The intervention sees venue rules switched to a “modernised framework” – titled: “Regulations and General Advice on Slot Machine Gaming.”
Adopted from 1 December 2025, the new framework introduces clearer operational conditions for licensees servicing värdeautomater (slot machines) in hospitality and leisure venues, as defined under Chapter 5, Section 1 of the Gambling Act (2018:1138).
Further requirements demand that machines remain in full view of staff and under active supervision. They must be located within the licensed serving area, disconnected outside licensed serving hours, and cannot be positioned near ATMs or obscured spaces.
Similar provisions apply to bingo halls, where slot machines may only operate during bingo sessions and up to one hour before and after play, always under staff supervision.
Operators are also instructed to improve player-facing information, providing clear contact details, licence information, game fees, and references to responsible gambling resources such as Stödlinjen. Staff acting as spelombud (gaming attendants) must be trained in the Gambling Act, responsible gambling protocols, and player protection procedures.
Spelinspektionen’s Director General Camilla Rosenberg said the reforms promote “greater alignment between land-based and online gaming environments” and reflect the regulator’s ongoing efforts to modernise gambling oversight.
“These changes clarify the responsibilities of licensees and venues, ensuring slot gaming takes place in safe, supervised, and socially responsible environments,” the Inspectorate stated.
SIFS 2025:1 will come into force on 1 December 2025, formally repealing the LIFS 2018:9 framework and marking the first step in what regulators describe as “a complete renewal of Sweden’s gambling supervision entering 2026.
Prelude to sweeping 2026 reforms
In the closing months of 2025, Spelinspektionen has warned all Swedish licensees to prepare for a transformative 2026, during which several significant changes will reshape the country’s gambling governance.
Next year will bring modifications to the Gambling Act, tightening definitions of illegal gambling engagements and activities to strengthen enforcement against unlicensed operators. The government has moved to expand the scope of the Gambling Act to explicitly target illegal offshore companies operating in or accessible from Sweden.
The Ministry of Finance has endorsed a memorandum proposing the removal of the “directional criterion” from the Gambling Act — a long-standing provision that excluded games not specifically aimed at the Swedish market from domestic law. Its removal will allow authorities to pursue operators simply for allowing Swedish players to participate, regardless of geographic targeting.
Governance of Sweden’s gambling market will also be reinforced through new enforcement powers and a penalty framework granted to Spelinspektionen, giving the Inspectorate broader authority to issue sanctions, revoke licences, and increase penalties for non-compliance and conduct.
Of significance, Sweden will become the first EU nation to implement a complete ban on gambling with credit. Scheduled from 1 April 2026, all licensed operators will be prohibited from processing payments funded by credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans, or buy-now-pay-later services. The reform, championed by the government as a consumer-protection measure, aims to curb gambling-related indebtedness and strengthen responsible gambling safeguards.
The implementation of these measures will now fall under the leadership of Acting Director General Johan Röhr, who succeeded Camilla Rosenberg as head of Spelinspektionen on 1 November 2025, signaling a new phase in the Inspectorate’s direction and governance.
France’s leading online gambling trade association AFJEL has escalated its campaign against the rise of black-market gambling, urging authorities and media to confront the growing risks of an unregulated online casino sector that continues to erode consumer protection and state revenues.
The warning marks a renewed call from AFJEL for the French government to end the structural liabilities of the country’s gambling framework by regulating online casino gaming (iCasino) — a reform the association has pushed for since the relaunch of France’s regulated online gambling market in 2011.
The trade body has now taken its campaign directly into the French mainstream press, with its PwC-commissioned study published by Le Parisien and Libération, two of the country’s most prominent national newspapers.
According to the findings, 5.4 million French players are now active on unlicensed gambling sites, surpassing the 3.5 million users in the legal market and representing a 35% surge in two years. PwC estimates that the illegal market generated €2 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2025, causing fiscal losses of more than €1.2 billion annually.
AFJEL warns that France faces a “digital sovereignty crisis” as unregulated offshore operators — often tied to criminal networks — continue to capture consumers through aggressive social media marketing, oversized bonuses, and influencer sponsorships, all while avoiding taxes and player-safety obligations.
“These illicit platforms lure customers with outsized inducements, flood Facebook and Google with ads, and even manipulate search engines to make themselves look legitimate,” said Nicolas Béraud, CEO of Betclic Group and President of AFJEL.
“The magnitude of this problem proves that prohibition is not protection. The only solution is a regulated and controlled iCasino offer that restores trust, protects players, and ensures fair competition.”
AFJEL maintains that the continuing ban on online casinos represents a “structural liability” for France — one that undermines consumer safety and deprives the state of significant tax revenue.
“France cannot allow a sector that could be safely regulated to remain dominated by illegal sites,” Béraud continued. “We are demanding a swift and decisive response — to end this French anomaly and restore order to the market.”
The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) — France’s gambling regulator — has adopted a cautious stance, warning that any potential opening of the iCasino market must be “carefully considered given the highly addictive nature of such products.”
While the ANJ has expanded enforcement powers and blocked over 1,000 illegal websites in 2025, AFJEL argues that regulatory measures alone are not enough.
“Despite ANJ’s commitment, the illegal market continues to grow,” Béraud added. “This is no longer a question of enforcement — it’s a question of political will.”
The NCAA’s investigations into betting violations continue, and the college sports association has banned another six men’s basketball players at three different universities for manipulating their own performances.
In a statement published Friday, the association said that it uncovered three separate infractions involving student athletes who played for the New Orleans Privateers, the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils and Arizona State Sun Devils. The three cases are not considered to be directly related to one another.
The six athletes — Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, Jamond Vincent, Donovan Sanders, Alvin Stredic and Chatton “BJ” Freeman — are all no longer enrolled at their schools.
Students intentionally misled investigators
In all three cases, the violations involved betting-related game manipulation and/or student-athletes providing information to bettors. The NCAA said that student-athletes on all three teams knowingly provided false or misleading information to i..
A new bill authored by the Chair of the New York Assembly Committee on Racing and Wagering would limit how the state’s online sportsbooks can provide problem gambling support.
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner introduced Assembly Bill 9146 on Oct. 17, and it has been referred to the committee she chairs for consideration.
The act would expressly ban mobile sportsbooks from providing counseling, therapy or other treatment services for bettors in New York via any avenue other than directing them straight to the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). “The mobile sports wagering operator shall not advertise or promote any other organization or entity that provides counseling, therapy or treatment services for compulsive play,” reads the text of Woerner’s bill.
More problem gambling oversight needed?
OASAS is the designated New York agency for addiction services, including problem gambling. The office told SBC Americas that all of its operated and certified services are ava..
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published the last out of a part-four series on its approach towards the black market.
While comprehensive, the Yonder Consulting-conducted report did recognise some of the caveats that obstruct the exact estimate of the prominence of the online black market in the UK.
Consumer awareness, drivers, and motivations
To understand the current trends better, the UKGC attempted to first build a profile of the typical black market player with part one of its study, published on 18 September.
With the agreement that it shouldn’t be treated as representative of all those who gamble online, the study outlined four typical characteristics of the users that engage with illegal gambling.
These are generally men, between the age of 18 and 24, who are active gamblers, and who usually rank eight or above on the PGSI problem gambling scale. They typically go to the black market to bet on football, for online bingo, or to play online fruit or slot games.
The motivation behind going out of their way to find illegal sites are most often better odds and offers, games unavailable elsewhere, access to alternative payments like crypto, no stake limits, and a low entry barrier – meaning weak ID or financial checks.
Still, the majority of responses painted illegal gambling as “supplementary rather than exclusive”, meaning people favoured more time and money spent on licensed websites.
Interestingly, however, this seemed to contradict another key highlight – the Commission established that players generally had low levels of awareness of the illegal iGaming market, with responses denying illegal play but indicating differently elsewhere, and vice versa.
Furthermore, only a minority of people was able to name specific black market operators – “numerous” responses named licensed providers as such. Almost all, however, responded that having a licence in the UK is important.
In conclusion, the first part of the Commission’s report found a “disconnect between perceived license importance, understanding if an operator is licensed, and knowledge of how to verify that”.
For the second part of its report, the regulator measured consumers’ rates of engagement with the online black market. Between May 2024 and July 2025, a total of 1,000 unique black market websites were identified, but “no overall increase in engagement in Great Britain”, the Commission stated.
Disruption strategies
Part three highlighted the three tactics that the gambling authority is utilising to hit the black market where it hurts the most. These are Regulation and Investigation (RI), Technological Advances (TA), and Marketing Strategy (MS).
RI includes legal and enforcement measures, such as cross-border collaboration with other institutions, tracking of illegal websites, blocking of such websites, and blocking payments to them, among others.
TA, meanwhile, focuses on eradicating the tools that black market operators are utilising to avoid scrutiny, such as indexing manipulation, VPN use, AI to evade detection, and URL concealment.
Lastly, MS deals with disrupting advertisers and affiliates based in the UK, enforcing advertising standards through the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), as well as in-depth analysis of SEO marketing.
Estimating the size of the online black market
The latest and final chapter in this four-part study uncovers the three approaches that the UKGC is taking to estimate just how prominent the black market is.
Through the dwell-time approach, the regulator estimates average engagement and time-spent-on-site data – but it largely relies on assumptions, and each additional assumption adds additional margins for error, the UKGC recognised.
The channelisation approach involves comparing engagement rates with the legal and illegal market, but the caveat here is also the need for multiple assumptions.
With the third approach, the UKGC bets on survey-based data. However, this can also often lead to misrepresented assumptions.
All in all, the conclusion was that illegal online gambling is “clandestine” and its exact size often changes and almost always remains in the shadows, with participation rates diluted by a wide range of consumer behaviours.
Reflecting on the latest findings and painting the way forward, Ben Haden, UKGC Director of Research and Statistics, commented: “We have set out areas of work to focus upon. By breaking down the challenge into its constituent parts, it is possible to see a pathway to making an estimate that is fit for purpose.
“Getting there will also need input from operators – data on the legal market will help us strengthen assumptions and update our evidence base. We are looking forward to further conversations to clarify what we need and how operators can help.
“While the exercise of trying to understand the macro-metric of the size of the illegal market is important, the generation of trend data – and insight into specific websites to target disruption activity, is arguably even more vital. We are pleased we are now able to better understand these trends and supply key operational data to our Enforcement Team.”
Dutch operators must accept “the human cost of gambling addiction” as the defining factor in strengthening consumer safeguards, according to Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) Chairman Michel Groothuizen.
Reflecting on his recent visit to Anonieme Gokkers (Gamblers Anonymous NL), Groothuizen revealed that the charity had tracked 113 suicides directly linked to gambling debt, underscoring the deep personal and social harm that can follow gambling addiction.
“If there’s one thing I took away from that evening, it’s the certainty that the appeal of gambling for former addicts will always remain and that perseverance is a daily struggle,” he said.
Dutch health authorities report 1,878 suicides annually from roughly 50,000 attempts, with loneliness, family breakdown, and mental-health issues among the key factors. Citing Swedish research, Groothuizen stressed that gambling addicts face a 15-times higher suicide risk than the general population, adding that “loneliness and lack of perspective often play a major role — in a phenomena with which gambling addicts are so familiar.”
CRUKS– 100,000 registrations
Groothuizen’s comments follow confirmation that the CRUKS (Central Register for Self-Exclusion from Gambling) system has surpassed 100,000 registrations.
While acknowledging that the number reflects a worrying level of dependency, he described the milestone as “a sign that self-protection tools are working” and providing at-risk consumers with “a tangible route back to control.”
Under Groothuizen’s leadership, the KSA is widening its focus beyond market oversight to include consumer education, early intervention, and addiction prevention as equal priorities. The regulator has launched public awareness campaigns to promote the Gambling Counter helpline and to encourage wider use of CRUKS as part of a proactive harm-reduction strategy.
The KSA continues to refine its approach to player protection and operator compliance, taking on feedback about involuntary Cruks registration and improving communication around exclusion procedures. Groothuizen emphasised that effective supervision “depends on empathy and consistency — not only enforcing the rules but understanding what drives people to harm.”
Since beginning his chairmanship, Groothuizen has prioritised stronger duty-of-care obligations for all licence holders urging operators to move beyond box-ticking compliance and demonstrate genuine accountability for player welfare. The regulator expects operators to conduct one-to-one checks with customers, assess risk behaviours in real time, and ensure customer service teams receive targeted training to identify signs of vulnerability and potential harm.
This renewed focus, Groothuizen said, reflects the KSA’s intent to build a culture of proactive intervention, where operators act as the first line of defence in preventing gambling addiction and related harms.
A call for holistic support
The Netherlands’ emerging gambling regime aims to bridge regulation, prevention, and recovery through a coordinated support network involving health bodies, addiction charities, and state agencies. Groothuizen said the KSA will intensify cooperation with organisations such as 113 Suicide Prevention and Anonieme Gokkers, ensuring that gamblers in crisis are not left isolated.
“Regulation alone cannot restore lives,” he concluded. “Our responsibility is to ensure that every person who struggles with gambling knows there is help, hope, and a path forward.”
Groothuizen further believes that compassion and understanding must guide the next phase of revisions to the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), which will be undertaken by the incoming government. He urged policymakers to look beyond political ideology and ensure that any reform “carries the ultimate objective of protecting those at risk of suicide and the most vulnerable from gambling — the greatest human cost of any gambling regime.”
Minnesota is the latest state to take action against unlicensed sweepstakes casinos and offshore operators.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office resent a round of cease and desist orders to 14 unlicensed operators accepting customers in the state. Ellison is targeting online sweepstakes casinos and offshore operators for violating Minnesota consumer protection laws related to fraud and deceptive practices.
“Illegal online casinos and sweepstakes sites make big promises but deliver only risk to Minnesota consumers,” said Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “Most are based outside the U.S. to avoid laws, regulation and enforcement measures. There’s no accountability, no protection for players and no way to know if the betting will be run fairly.”
Minnesota’s active gaming laws
The Attorney General is demanding that the operators exit Minnesota, as online gambling is prohibited in the state. Minnesota’s active ga..