SBC News - Player Protection Hub

Donald Tusk backs EU gambling levy as ‘direct tool’ to fund €2trn budget

iGamingExpertSeptember 17, 2026018 views

With only two months remaining for EU leaders to seek a settlement on the Union’s next budget, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland has called on member states to consider a bloc-wide gambling levy as a “serious economic proposal”.

The former President of the European Council (2014 to 2019), becomes the highest-profile figurehead to support calls for the EU to fund its 2028–2034 budget cycle through new “own resources”, reducing its dependence on direct national contributions.

Speaking following a meeting of Visegrád Group leaders in Bratislava, Tusk said the EU would need more resources to respond to its changing responsibilities but argued that the additional burden should not fall on citizens and workers.

“As the European Union, we need to spend more money because there are new challenges,” Tusk explained. “I would like these increased resources not to burden people.”

The Polish premier urged leaders to give serious consideration to proposed EU taxes on major digital platforms, ..

Gambling Commission sets out to establish how informative ‘informed choice’ is

A.J. KoehnSeptember 17, 2026012 views

The UK Gambling Commission has flipped the consumer insights playbook around, publishing its first study on what players understand as ‘informed choice’.

Introduced by Commission Strategy Manager Donna Bateman, the Behavioural Insights Team report forms part of the UK regulator’s 2024-2027 strategy to nurture a better gambling landscape in the digital age, which includes the collection of wider data sets focusing on consumer voices.

Contrary to the Commission’s current regulatory framework, which defines informed choice in relation to the transparency and fairness of operators, Bateman and her team have instead looked through the opposite side of the lens to understand how consumers themselves interpret the ‘informed choice’ concept when gambling.

The study analysed 53 sources, three deliberative focus groups, and four in-depth interviews with players at higher risk of gambling harm. One detail that consistently popped up across the insights team’s work was that participants identif..

KSA Chair: The Netherlands needs cross-border collaboration to tackle black market

A.J. KoehnSeptember 17, 2026011 views

The Chair of the Netherlands’ gambling regulator has urged European nations to collaborate as the continent continues to fight against the illegal gambling market.

Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), lamented the problems that the EU nation continues to face in a blog released on the back of the Netherlands’ annual gambling committee debate.

“Illegal gambling is, in fact, an unprecedentedly large and complex problem. Of every euro a Dutch person gambles away, half goes to the illegal market,” he said.

“Anyone examining this industry will see that the turnover of the global illegal gambling market exceeds the GDP of any country, with the exception of the US and China.

“The public often holds the image of foreign companies with sound business practices that, thanks to the freedom of the internet, occasionally attract a Dutch player. We must abandon that image.”

Michel Groothuizen, Chair of the KSA. Credit: LinkedIn

Groothuizen added that achieving meaningfu..

Dabble issued ACMA penalty of more than $1m over BetStop failures

iGamingExpertSeptember 17, 2026018 views

Dabble Sports has paid a penalty of over AUS $1m to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after an investigation found several breaches of its online gambling self-exclusion rules.

Alongside the $1,069,200 in penalties, the operator has also given a court-enforceable undertaking to ensure future compliance, after the ACMA investigation found it failed to close 157 wagering accounts after account holders registered with the national self-exclusion register BetStop.

The investigation also found that 165 self-excluded people had been sent a total of 839 electronic messages – SMS, emails and app push notifications – by Dabble. 45 customers had been sent over 2,000 push notifications without including BetStop information, a requirement under the gambling self-exclusion rules.

Online gambling self-exclusion rules state that wagering accounts of people registered with BetStop must be closed by operators as soon as practicable, in addition to stopping electronic marketing..

Stake blocks access in Ireland after reported consultation with regulator

A.J. KoehnSeptember 17, 2026018 views

Stake has reportedly blocked access to Irish consumers following consultation with the Gambling Regulatory Authority for Ireland (GRAI), according to national media.

It comes two months on from the GRAI’s new licensing system being implemented as the regulator, which took over responsibility for the gambling sector from Ireland’s Revenue Commissioners, works towards a new system focused on integrity and player protection.

Stake has previously implemented strict geo-fencing measures for UK users after the removal of its licence in March 2025 and will do the same for consumers in Ireland.

The GRAI told the Irish Times that “operators, including two major prediction markets and a major international online gambling platform, have geo-blocked their services, which means that they have voluntarily restricted access to their platforms for users from Ireland”, though it did not confirm which three platforms this is in reference to.

However, Stake has continuously referred to itself as ..

Germany cracks down on €6bn illegal gambling ring

A.J. KoehnSeptember 17, 2026013 views

Germany interstate authorities have begun targeting illegal gambling networks amid warnings by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) of heightened money-laundering risks as a direct threat to the German economy.

A three-year long investigation has resulted in the raiding of eleven premises by German authorities, Frankfurt’s Prosecutor’s Office revealed, with total stakes said to be worth almost €6bn (£5.1bn).

The raids were part of a coordinated operation between the Prosecutor’s Office, the Frankfurt Tax Office, the North Rhine-Westphalia Counter-Financial Crime State Office, and the Frankfurt police, involving more than 100 officers.

According to official government sources, five suspects were identified to be involved in the illegal gambling ring, which operated an online casino without the required licence for the period between 2021 and 2023. The casino processed more than €5.8bn worth of wagers.

Authorities seized several luxury vehicles, froze a number of bank accounts, an..

Former Playtech exec Francesco Rodano joins Allwyn as RG chief

Steve HoareSeptember 11, 2026021 views

Allwyn has appointed Francesco Rodano has joined the lottery-led gaming entertainment company as Group Head of Responsible Gaming, bringing substantial international experience spanning public policy, regulation and technology innovation. Francesco joins after 10 years at the technology-led gaming company Playtech, where he led a global initiative focused on player protection and long-term business sustainability. During this time, he also championed…

One in five students in Brazil has already placed bets online, according to research

Steve HoareSeptember 10, 2026018 views

One in five Brazilian students in the final years of elementary and high school say they have already placed bets online, according to a survey released this Wednesday, the 9th, by the Mixed Parliamentary Front for Education , in partnership with Equidade.info , a non-profit initiative of the Lemann Center at Stanford Graduate School of Education . The survey polled 1,912…

Buenos Aires: Questions raised about the lack of biometric controls in online gambling

Steve HoareSeptember 10, 2026018 views

Diego Garciarena , a deputy from the province of Buenos Aires, questioned the government of Axel Kicillof for the lack of implementation of the announced biometric controls for online gambling platforms, and demanded urgent measures to prevent children and adolescents from accessing betting sites, nine months after the province made these systems mandatory. “In December 2025, the Provincial Institute of Lotteries…

Ruth Evans appointed as Gambling Commission Chair

iGamingExpertSeptember 10, 2026021 views

The appointment of Ruth Evans as the new Chair of the Gambling Commission (GC) comes at a vital moment for the UK iGaming market, as industry stakeholders continue to combat illegal operators.

Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), confirmed that Evans’ five-year term as Chair will begin later this month, on 30 September. She replaces Charles Counsell, who has filled the role as Chair on an interim basis since the departure of Marcus Boyle in January last year.

Evans’ appointment comes at a crucial time, with UK iGaming operators battling against a black market which is estimated to have generated $50bn in gross revenue in 2025, according to a Fincord Intelligence report recently shared by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

Commenting on her appointment, Evans said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the Gambling Commission at a time when its role in keeping gambling fair, safe and crime-free is more important than ever..