SBC News

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has moved to strengthen oversight of land-based gambling venues, releasing new duty of care guidance for gaming arcades and casinos.

The regulator said the advice is designed to help operators improve how they protect customers, following a series of site visits earlier this year. Inspectors noted that while arcades generally showed awareness of their safer gambling responsibilities, the way policies were applied in practice often left room for improvement.

Rather than adding new obligations, the KSA has provided operators with practical support – from a handbook and FAQs to awareness posters and a short animation – aimed at ensuring staff are better equipped to handle player protection on the ground.

The package also includes an updated guide to using Cruks, the country’s exclusion register, after repeated requests from operators for clarity.

“Working together” on safer gambling
Explaining the regulator’s position, KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen said: “Certain key factors of the duty of care are easier to monitor for online providers than in brick-and-mortar casinos. In our conversations with arcade owners, we’ve noticed that they want to do more with the duty of care, but sometimes still struggle with its proper implementation.

“With this new guidance, supplemented with informational materials for employees, we’re giving them new tools to do so. In this way, we’re working together to ensure that players are optimally protected even at brick-and-mortar providers.”

Dutch market under pressure
The release comes at a time when the Dutch gambling market is undergoing sweeping change. The Remote Gambling Act (KOA) is being reshaped by Legal Protections Secretary Teun Struycken, with new safety rails set to tighten rules for online and retail providers alike.

July also saw the introduction of a blanket ban on sports sponsorships, further limiting operator visibility in the country. Enforcement has been stepped up too: in April, the KSA handed out a €734,000 fine to an unnamed operator for failing to comply with player protection standards.

Meanwhile, taxes on gambling companies have also been increased, though the regulator has acknowledged this has had less impact than restrictions and fines when it comes to curbing risky practices.

By publishing its new guidance now, the KSA is signalling that its focus on player protection will extend beyond the online space, with arcades and casinos expected to raise standards in line with the regulator’s wider crackdown.

Italy is preparing to overhaul its defences against illegal gambling as the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) sets out plans for a national “cybersecurity shield” in the forthcoming Budget Law.

The measure, revealed by Italian gambling news source AgiproNews, will require any business offering public internet access to install anti-illegality software on devices ranging from PCs and kiosks to tablets. Developed jointly by ADM — Italy’s Customs & Monopolies Agency — and state-owned tech hub SOGEI, the software will automatically block connections to unauthorised gambling domains.

“The software will be made available for download to all operators and relevant authorities, creating a national safeguard against illegal gaming domains,” AgiproNews has reported.

ADM to lead mutli-stakeholder project
ADM will draft the implementing regulations, while inspections by both the Guardia di Finanza and ADM will ensure compliance. Fines will be levied against non-compliant operators, with heavier penalties — and potential criminal charges — if devices are found in “closed browsing” mode designed to funnel users directly to illegal betting sites.

The move follows a ruling by Italy’s Constitutional Court which struck down the Balduzzi Decree’s blanket ban on gaming devices in public venues, arguing the measure was disproportionate and unduly restrictive to business freedoms. Even so, ADM has stressed that so-called “totems” and closed-circuit devices dedicated exclusively to gambling remain prohibited.

MEF: New Regime needs better protection
The MEF is keen to stress the economic weight behind the reform. Italy’s gambling industry generates an estimated €21bn in gross income, delivering around €8bn annually to the state through duties and taxes.

New online protections are considered critical to securing the government’s updated licensing regime, under which operators must pay €7m per licence. So far, ADM has approved 46 applications.

The reforms reflect a market in transition. While Italy remains Europe’s fourth-largest regulated gambling market, MEF officials highlight that online gambling alone is now worth roughly €1bn per year, with rapid growth accelerating the need for robust digital protections.

As noted that the new online regime requires operators to adhere to a new compliance charter, mandating that operators promote responsible gambling tools for players to control time and spend and offer in-play warnings on high-risk games.

Italy is no stranger to Black Market encroachment

Yet exposure to the black market remains high. In 2023, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) estimated that Italy faced around €1bn in illegal activity, as offshore operators exploited the country’s strict Dignity Decree, which banned advertising and sponsorship. The restrictions have fuelled demand for “quick-deposit” skin sites, many of them hosted abroad.

The Meloni government has signalled it wants to repeal blanket bans, instead moving towards a modernised framework for marketing and sponsorship. A new mandate is expected to reach parliament later this year, shaped by recommendations from Serie A, Italian media and the Ministry of Sports. Negotiations are ongoing between Sports Minister Andrea Abodi and Serie A president Ezio Simonelli.

Land-based reorganisation moved to 2026
Despite the urgency, wider structural reform has slipped. The second phase of Italy’s gambling reorganisation has been pushed back to August 2026, a delay blamed on complex negotiations with regional authorities and ADM’s need to complete the Lotto Italia tender, awarded to a consortium of Brightstar, Allwyn and Novomatic

Key settlements are required on compensation terms for provinces and municipalities that host gaming outlets, alongside new licensing conditions for franchise networks and an expected revision of land-based gambling taxes. The fiscal and regulatory changes are likely to dominate talks between Rome and regional governments over the coming year.

2026: Year of technical upgrades for Italian gambling

2025 is recognised as year of regulatory revisions and settlments for Italian gambling. Moving into 2026, it will likely be a year of technical adjustments and settlements for both online and land-based incumbents, as the government moves in a new direction that recognises and values the economic contribution of the gambling sector.

Italy’s policy shift reflects a balancing act: securing billions in state revenues, tightening oversight of a fast-growing digital market, and settling disputes with provinces and franchise operators, while giving Serie A and national media a lifeline after years under the Dignity Decree’s advertising blackout. Whether the “cyber shield” can hold back the black market tide will be the first real test of the MEF’s new regime.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs of Spain has raised the alarm at teenagers’ exposure to gambling, deemed “a worrying scenario for all Spanish authorities.”

Concerns are raised following the publishing of the 2024 ESTUDES Survey, which provides insights on behavioural risks and addictions in secondary schools across Spain.

According to the study, almost one in five teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 (19.8%) admitted to having gambled for money, with the average age of initiation beginning at approximately 13.9 years.

Of those who gambled, a majority of 19% did so in physical venues such as bars and cafés, while 9% responded that they had gambled online.

Among the most concerning findings, a near one in four teenagers (24%) who engage in gambling admitted having played Type III games such as slot machines, cards and other high-risk formats.

Type III games are recognised as the highest risk games category impacting customer behaviour. However, within many of Spain’s autonomous provinces Type III games can be serviced by cafés and bars as ‘recreativos’ – in-venue terminals with fixed jackpots.

The data reveals a clear gender divide. By the age of 17, nearly one in five students are involved in gambling, with boys more than twice as likely as girls to take part. While many gamble infrequently and spend modest amounts, 3.7% of teenagers already show signs of problematic behaviour, rising to 5.5% among boys.

When placed alongside other risky behaviours, gambling remains under-addressed. The ESTUDES survey shows that only 48.4% of students recall receiving information on the dangers of gambling, compared with more than 70% who recall prevention training on alcohol and tobacco use.

This educational gap is seen by authorities as one of the most pressing concerns, particularly given that gambling begins at almost the same age as drinking and smoking.

In response, the Ministry has called for an urgent strengthening of prevention policies in schools, with greater emphasis on educating young people about the risks of gambling and early signs of problematic behaviour.

Authorities have also flagged the need for tighter checks on retail points where underage gambling typically occurs, including cafés, lottery shops and small venues that continue to provide easy access to minors.

The Ministry concluded that without stronger action at the educational and retail levels, the current trajectory risks embedding gambling into adolescent habits in the same way tobacco and alcohol once were, but with potentially hidden consequences that emerge later in adulthood.

The findings of the ESTUDES survey are required by Spain’s federal government and its commitment to uphold the United Nations 2030 Agenda (UN2030) – which contains the charter to reduce social inequalities by investing in education and public health.

In wider developments, Spain seeks to position itself as the most sophisticated EU member state in supervising gambling behaviours, tasking the Directorate of Gambling (DGOJ) with building a dedicated AI-driven monitoring system to detect risk patterns.

Last week, the DGOJ launched its first public consultation on the framework since 2023, outlining a model that will apply more than 60 behavioural variables from frequency and stake size to deposit timing and cash-out habits — to identify players at risk.

The system aims to unify standards across operators and enhance consumer protections, underlining Spain’s ambition to combine education, prevention, and cutting-edge technology in tackling gambling harms.