SBC News

Bulgaria proposes stricter online game limits

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Policymakers in Bulgaria have drafted a proposal to tighten control of consumer online gambling spend and behaviour.

The proposal was put forward by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Healthcare, with the texts calling for mandatory game session limits, a cap on wager amounts, as well as a ceiling on accumulated losses within a 24-hour period.

Age-based session limits
Both Ministries are calling for a maximum of four hours for game sessions per customer. This would fall within the responsibility of the iGaming operators to impose.

For customers under 24 years of age, this limit would be set at two hours per game session.

Each player would be able to ask for either an extension or a reduction in the time limit within that four-hour bracket. Requests for extensions are to be granted at the discretion of each operator, not earlier than 24 hours after the request has been made.

Customer requests for a reduction in the time limit are to be granted immediately by operators.

The clock on each game session starts counting the second a customer logs into their account. When a time limit is reached, operators will be required to inform the customer and log them out of their account.

Exceeding the limit will be possible in certain scenarios, such as participation in tournaments, but operators will again immediately log players out as soon as the tournament is over.

There will be a 15-minute cooling off period before players can log in again after they’ve reached their session limit, with the operator subsequently providing safer gambling messages and information about the national self-exclusion registry.

Loss limits
Further RG measures include a mandatory loss limit within a 24-hour period set by players.

All players will be asked by operators to agree to be signed into the national self-exclusion registry for a period of seven days if the 24-hour loss limit is reached. Players will not be allowed to gamble if they refuse to opt in.

The maximum amount of losses allowed within a 24-hour period will correlate to 10 average monthly salaries within the private sector, based on figures from the National Statistics Office from the year prior.

For everyone under 24 years of age, this amount will be set to a maximum of five average monthly salaries. Operators will be required to clearly communicate these figures with players by displaying them on their online platforms.

Again, loss limits can be increased or decreased within the given spectrum – with requests for an increase granted by operators no less than 24 hours, while requests for a decrease granted immediately.

Notifications will be automatically sent out when a customer reaches 50%, 75%, and 100% of their set limit.

When 100% is reached, operators will be required to automatically put the customer on the self-exclusion registry for a period of seven days.

Wager size capped
All operators will be required to introduce a maximum wagering limit across their iGaming portfolios, to be set by the player.

For players over 24, the total wagering limit across all games on a specific platform for a period of 24 hours must not exceed 20 average monthly salaries. For under-24s, this limit is 10 salaries.

Wager caps for individual games will depend on the hours of the day they are played in, with the set periods being between 6am and 8pm, and 8pm and 6am.

Deadline for consultations
The above proposals will be open for stakeholder consultations until 5 July. If accepted, the draft will become the latest step in Bulgaria’s active efforts to build a more sustainable gambling sector.

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IBJR study reveals illegal market to be up to 51 per cent in Brazil

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Brazil’s illegal betting market represents an estimated annual loss of up to R$ 10.8 billion in public revenue, according to the study “Off the Radar: Size and Socioeconomic Impacts of the Illegal Betting Market in Brazil”, conducted by LCA Consultores with support from the Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) and based on data collected…

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Buenos Aires set double the tax on online gambling

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The Buenos Aires City Legislature is considering a bill, presented by the Civic Coalition party, to raise the tax on online gambling from 6 to 12 percent. In the city, the activity pays half the tax of land-based gambling, which has much higher operating costs. Buenos Aires legislator Facundo del Gaiso’s initiative will be voted on today in…

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Sweden clamps down on influencers promoting illegal gambling on Twitch

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The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) has officially stopped influencers from promoting illegal gambling on Twitch.

A number of influencers were placed under supervision within an ongoing initiative to curb illegal gambling marketing – particularly content directed at Swedish audiences through digital platforms.

Marketing of gambling services to Swedish consumers is prohibited unless the operator holds a valid licence, as detailed in Sweden’s Gambling Act 2018. Twitch is of particular concern as it is a platform mainly used by younger audiences.

It is important to note that the SGA identified highlighted gambling amongst youths as a key focus area for regulatory oversight in its 2025 operational plan.

Now, the authority assures that those influencers who have been subject to supervision have completely ceased marketing illegal gambling.

It detailed in a statement: “The Swedish Gambling Authority’s operational plan for 2025 states that young people’s gambling and illegal gambling will be the focus of the authority’s supervision.

“The Swedish Gambling Authority will also continue to supervise influencers and other actors who conduct or promote illegal gambling under the Gambling Act.”

A global operation
The country’s clampdown on illegal activity of this kind falls in line with a growing number of jurisdictions overseas which are becoming stricter in terms of influencer marketing regulations in iGaming.

Similarly, in several regions, such as Brazil, YouTube introduced strict measures in March this year which now blocks user content that is related to illegal online gambling websites – though these policies are not isolated to Brazil, they do have a particular relevance to their developing market.

YouTube’s policy statement, as reported by SBC Noticias – BR, read: “Content that promises guaranteed returns may be removed, regardless of whether the online gambling site or app has been approved by Google.”

The UK is also closely monitoring influencer activity in the betting sector. For example, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) recently issued a warning to Stars Interactive, operator of PokerStars, over a “socially irresponsible” advert that featured social media stars.

Swedish market situation
As Sweden continues to closely monitor illegal activity in the sector, preliminary results for the country’s gambling market have recently revealed a slight drop in Q1 turnover compared to the previous corresponding quarter.

Interestingly, licensed operators saw a total of SEK 6.6bn (£512m) being staked in the three months ending March, representing a 0.9% drop from the SEK 6.7bn in Q1 2024.

Online betting and gaming led the turnover pack with a total volume of SEK 4.3bn. This is historically the segment which customers engage the most with, averaging more than SEK 4bn throughout 2024.

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Gordon Moody makes crisis call at House of Commons

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The UK’s leading residential treatment charity Gordon Moody co-hosted a reception with Labour Party MP Chris Bloore at the House of Commons yesterday to raise awareness of the growing crisis surrounding the implementation of the research, education and treatment levy. A room full of dignitaries, industry representatives and other charities heard about the life-changing services…

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ASA raps Ladbrokes for ‘Ladbucks’ social currency ad with under-18s appeal

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The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has upheld two complaints against Ladbrokes for an advertisement that was deemed to be of strong appeal to those under the age of 18 and in breach of the BCAP and CAP Code.

The advert in question from the Entain brand featured ‘Ladbucks’, the operator’s free-to-play games currency, and was aired on TV and video-on-demand on 17 December 2024 and 23 December 2024, respectively.

Imagery of coins with the initials ‘Lb’ was shown in the advert, alongside text that said “100m LADBUCKS”, FREE BETS” and “FREE SPINS”.

A voiceover in the advert stated: “This is a Ladbuck, the new way to get rewarded at Ladbrokes, and these are some of the 100 million Ladbucks that will be dropping weekly. Collect them on our free-to-play games and choose rewards like free spins, free bets and more.

“Over 100 million Ladbucks dropping every single week. Plus, you can even use them to play your favourite games for free in our Ladbucks arcade. Like Fishin Frenzy and Goldstrike. Start collecting at Ladbrokes.com.”

Ladbrokes contests Ladbucks’ appeal to minors

The reason why it is believed the term ‘Ladbucks’ could be of strong appeal to minors is because of its similarities to the in-game currencies of ‘V-bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox, two games popular with under-18s.

Ladbrokes argued that Ladbucks could only be used by logged-in, verified users over 18, couldn’t be purchased, had no monetary value, expired if not used, lacked a general market value with an exchange rate, and couldn’t be universally used across all products on its website.

Additionally, the Entain brand said each eligible product or offer had a set value, which was in contrast to in-game currency products, and that the term ‘Ladbucks’ was a play on the word Ladbrokes.

The operator argued that the term ‘bucks’ is “known as a colloquialism for dollars and was widely used to refer to money or a unit of currency in many contexts, which included video games”, had no origins in youth culture, and they believed it wasn’t of inherent strong appeal to under-18s.

Ladbrokes noted that both ads “had targeting restrictions to reduce the likelihood of children viewing them” and believed the term “was not associated with any coins from videogames which were popular with under-18s”.

It was highlighted by the operator that ‘V-bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox were in-game currencies that had to be purchased before being used to buy in-game items, certain elements of Robux required parental consent, and the purchaser of subscription services must be over 18.

As a result, Ladbrokes said the term bucks was the only similarity between those coins and Ladbucks, adding that the rewards programme was reviewed in its entirety with a conclusion that there was no risk of the term being associated with Fortnite or Roblox.

The operator also argued that other industries use reward schemes and that using poker chip imagery was suitable for a licensed gambling operator, and so argued that there was nothing in the advert’s imagery and content that shared similarities with either of the games.

The Entain brand also mentioned that they didn’t believe the term ‘lad’ “referred to a boy or young man”, and said their brand had never been used in that context, that Clearcast didn’t believe the term ‘Ladbucks’ appealed strongly to children or that the tokens were similar to in-game currencies.

Meanwhile, the broadcaster that showed the advert on its streaming service, Channel 4, believed the advert was compliant with the code.

ASA upholds complaints

In response, the ASA believed the Ladbucks name and appearance could be of appeal to minors due to their similarities to the in-game currencies of ‘V-bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox and how many under 18s play video games.

The agency also stated that Ladbucks, through the suffix ‘bucks’, had strong similarities with in-game currencies Robux and V-bucks because the latter Fortnite currency is a shortened version of ‘Vindertech’ bucks, which was a fictional company in the video game, and so similarly constructed.

Regarding the term ‘lad’, the ASA disagreed with Ladbrokes and said the term ‘lad’ was a colloquial term for a boy or young man, and so in the ad’s context alongside the word buck, it would have been recognised and of appeal to some minors.

In addition, the ASA noted that the Ladbuck poker chip design has the same characteristics as the V-buck, while the Robux’s previous iteration was also of a similar appearance.

Although Ladbrokes’ position as a gambling operator was acknowledged as a reason behind the design, the ASA stated that it was not poker chip imagery in isolation, but the token’s imagery alongside the term Ladbucks that was likely to have been perceived by many under-18s as similar to video game in-game currencies that are of strong appeal to minors.

It was also noted that the use of Ladbucks in an online store and arcade was “likely to be reminiscent of the way in-game currencies Robux and V-bucks were used” and therefore increase its appeal to minors.

The ASA stated: “For those reasons, we concluded the name Ladbucks, when considered alongside the imagery and the application of the coin in the ads, was depicted in a manner which was similar to features in video games popular with children. We therefore considered the term in the ads was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s and breached the Code.”

The agency added that the adverts must not appear again in their current form, and Ladbrokes has been told not to feature content in their adverts that has a strong appeal to under-18s or is reflective of youth culture.

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BGC: Increased gambling tax would bolster the dangerous black market

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Fears of a tax increase on online gambling in the UK loom while a new YouGov survey suggests that 65% of bettors agree that such change “would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites”.

The research was commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the trade and standards body for UK betting, which warns that this shift could not only fail to generate more tax revenue but also jeopardise player safety.

Furthermore, the BGC is also concerned that increased taxation would severely impact the financial health of sports, particularly horseracing, which currently receives significant funding from its members.

Undermining the regulated gambling market

UK gambling is a highly regulated sector, servicing 14 million adults (excluding the National Lottery) who gamble per month and generating £10.9bn in annual gross gambling yield (GGY).

Licensing duties see consumers protected by safer gambling rules, compliance monitoring, customer care interventions, responsible gambling tools, controls, and financial probity – UKGC.

With the government now consulting on a major change to the way betting and gaming is taxed online, fears of a price increase for betting on sports like racing and football are only on the rise.

Sporting betting and online gaming is currently taxed at different rates, but last month HM Treasury launched a new consultation which proposed a single new tax.

Describing the stats as “shocking”, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst said that these figures prove what’s at stake if the government forces through a self-defeating tax hike on ordinary punters.

“It’s clear it will not raise more tax, it simply risks forcing huge numbers of customers out of the regulated market, with its world leading standards on player safety, into the arms of the growing, illegal, unregulated and unsafe gambling black market online,” she said.

“Any tax rises would make a mockery of the Government’s growth strategy and be catastrophic for horseracing, which is already facing a bleak financial outlook.”

A wake up call
The study revealed that only 23% of punters believe a tax hike is unlikely to have an impact on customers moving towards the black market.

It is also worth noting that the argument around the potential impact of the black market is a long-running one – and one which politicians have not always been very receptive to.

Hurst continued: “This is a wake up call for the government, punters have been loud and clear, hit them with further taxes and they will walk away from sports like racing, straight to the black market, triggering a spiral of decline.”

The survey posed a scenario to customers: “Imagine that betting on sports events like horseracing became more expensive because the government increased the amount of tax that betting companies have to pay. How likely or unlikely do you think it is, if at all, that this would make customers turn to unregulated betting sites that don’t have to pay any tax at all?”

As stated above, the BGC’s main concerns are about the black market. It was only at the end of last year that the Council warned the government that unregulated black market gambling poses greater risks than perceived by British consumers.

This followed a study published by microeconomics consultancy Frontier Economics and was described as “the first major study on the black market since the publication of the previous Government’s White Paper on gambling reforms”.

The coverage and ease of promotion of illegal websites were detailed as an area of concern, as 15% (2.8 million people) of gamblers who responded to the survey said they had heard of at least one of the black market sites listed.

The BGC also revealed that 1.5 million Brits stake up to £4.3bn on the growing gambling black market annually.

The organisation concluded: “This growing, unsafe, illegal gambling black market does not contribute to sport, does not pay tax and targets customers who are vulnerable to harm, including the self-excluded.”

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Kenya influencer ban “hypocrisy rather than regulation”

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Content creators in Kenya have hit back at a ban on the use of influencers in gambling advertising, citing the economic consequences of the new regulation.

Following a 30-day ad blackout implemented on 29 April, Kenya’s Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) published an extensive list of rules that operators must follow, including refraining from using celebrities, influencers and content creators to endorse or promote gambling.

In response to the ban, a group of content creators issued an ultimatum to the BCLB, demanding a rethink of the regulation.

Advocate Hansen Omido told reporters that given social media’s prominence in modern-day advertising, marketing by influencers “needs to be responsibly managed and not completely abolished”.

“A blanket ban cannot be the solution. It is a blow to the creative economy and to the thousands of young people whose livelihoods depend on producing digital content,” Omido added.

Alongside a ban on the use of influencers and celebrities, all proposed adverts must be approved by the BCLB before publication and also classified by the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).

The advertising practices of operators will also be subjected to regular audits by the BCLB and the KFCB, as well as by Kenya’s Media Council, Communications Authority and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

Social media influencer ‘YY Comedian’ described the decision as hypocritical and unfair, noting that influencers have been targeted while the mainstream media is still allowed to promote betting.

“If the goal is to regulate and help the youth, why target one segment only?” he questioned. “This looks more like hypocrisy than regulation, and we are ready to engage in conversatout responsible oversight, but not at the expense of fairness.”

Sports journalist Erick Njiru also noted that many of Kenya’s sports teams are sponsored by betting firms, meaning that the players are associated with gambling operators.

He said: “The players themselves are celebrities and their association with betting is a significant part of the sports ecosystem. Let us sit down and discuss how we can regulate this industry responsibly, just like alcohol and cigarette advertising, which is done within safe hours and with proper restrictions.”

Despite issuing a 48-hour ultimatum on 4 June, the Kenyan government or BCLB has yet to respond to the content creators’ concerns.

The clampdown on advertising, particularly focused on protecting youth from exposure to gambling, comes into place as Kenya continues to stand out as a market with large betting engagement.

Last week, a GeoPoll study revealed that the country had the largest betting engagement among markets in Africa, with 82.81% of respondents from Kenya having engaged with gambling products previously.

The figure underpins both the potential of the market and the tricky regulatory questions that the BCLB are being forced to contend with as the sector continues to grow.

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Belgian regulator finds 30% of young people using illegal sportsbooks

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A recent report commissioned by the Belgian Gambling Commission (Kansspelcommissie) has revealed alarming gambling habits of young people in the country.

Looking specifically at those aged 18 to 30, the report, conducted by DataSynergy, suggests that over 25% of this group use illegal gambling websites.

Meanwhile, when considering both sports betting and games of chance, 28% of participants used illegal websites, with 8% exclusively using illegal websites and 19% using a combination of both legal and illegal platforms.

Illegal becoming ordinary
For sports betting, 30% of users played via illegal websites, whilst for games of chance, 22% of users played via illegal websites.

Meanwhile, three illegal websites are amongst the top 1011 most-used gambling sites in the country, and despite the increased minimum age for gambling to 21, one in five 18 to 20-year-olds use such platforms.

The study also confirmed that around a quarter 18- to 30-year-olds can spontaneously name at least one illegal gambling website, whilst 9% spontaneously name only illegal websites, and 16% name both legal and illegal ones.

Legislation changes
The study was conducted after a new ruling came into effect in July 2023, which imposed strict restrictions on gambling advertising in Belgium, as well as a change in September 2024, which increased the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21 years.

Although the participation rate is lower than in 2023 (39% compared to 51%), gambling among 18 to 20-year-olds still occurs. The restrictions seem to have had a mixed effect on brand awareness, whilst illegal gambling remains a pervasive issue in the country.

Regulatory bodies in charge of market surveillance are now however maintaining increased scrutiny over new forms of betting and gambling.

Similar to England’s upcoming Premier League sponsorship ban, it is important to note that the Kansspelcommissie also announced this year that sports clubs must only accept deals with companies that do not operate gambling.

They can however still use the logo or brand name of gaming operators in some form or another, therefore the relationship between legal betting brands and sports remains close in the country.

Black market betting on the rise
Stake has been cited as one of the most widely used offshore websites in the country, being in the top 10 list without holding an active licence.

The regulator is particularly concerned about the rate of consumer awareness with Stake having doubled from 2% in 2023 to 4% in 2025. Sitting alongside these brands are 1Xbet and 22bet, Parions Sport, Winamax and Pinnacle, to name a few.

It was just last week that Belgium’s Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) revealed that 25% of customers are on the offshore gaming market. The organisation also highlighted that 47% of all players that have self-excluded have started gambling again, this time through unlicensed channels.

Tom De Clercq, Chairman of BAGO, said at the time: “We are on a sloping plane. While licensed gambling sites are subject to strict rules, investing in responsible gaming and actively protecting players, illegal operators are given free rein.

“And that has consequences: more and more people, especially young people and vulnerable target groups, end up in an illegal circuit without rules, without control and without protection. If we do nothing, Belgium is in danger of losing control of its gambling market.”

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Estonia sets path to lower remote gambling taxes by 2028 

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Estonia is set to review its gambling tax framework by 2028, as part of reforms outlined in the newly signed coalition pact between the ruling Reform Party and its majority partner Eesti 200.

The coalition, which has governed since 2023 under Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, will push forward changes from 2025 onwards, aimed at strengthening national security, reforming social protections, and accelerating the transition to climate neutrality.

Gambling reforms are firmly on the fiscal agenda, as the coalition will review its tax agreement of 2024, which reclassified remote gambling levies under the Excise Duty Act and aligned the country’s framework with broader EU compliance standards.

Estonia’s 2024 tax reform saw the Remote Gambling Tax on games of chance increased from 5% to 6% of net bets, alongside similar hikes to the Game of Chance Tournament Tax, Toto Tax, and Lottery Tax — with the latter rising sharply from 18% to 22% on ticket sales.

According to published articles, the government will “initiate the amendment of the Remote Gambling Tax Act in parliament to find additional funding for sports and culture. We will reduce the annual tax rate by 0.5% and reach 4% by the year 2028.”

As such, a ‘dedicated national fund’ will be created to finance major sports infrastructure, using proceeds from online gambling. Projects will be selected in line with priorities set by the Estonian Olympic Committee, ensuring funds are channelled into nationally significant venues.

“Amendments to the Remote Gambling Tax Act will be initiated in parliament to find additional funding for sport and culture,” the agreement states.

A second fund is to be launched to incentivise private-sector co-financing of culture and sport. Here, 20% of new gambling tax revenues will be earmarked for matched donations, following a model where the state covers one-third and corporate sponsors the remaining two-thirds. Only non-profits listed as tax-exempt will qualify.

“To attract private funding for the cultural and sports sectors, we will create a private fundraising fund by amending the Gambling Tax Act and directing 20% of the additional revenue into this new fund.

“We will use a principle where one-third of financial contributions come from the state and two-thirds from companies, in the case of donations. Support will be based on organisations listed as tax-exempt non-profits and foundations.”

This renewed policy push builds on Prime Minister Kallas’s 2024 intervention, in which her government enacted strict advertising laws to curb the visibility of gambling.

Measures included broad bans on celebrity endorsements, inducements such as “risk-free” bets, and marketing targeted at underage audiences. Enforcement was handed to Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA).

At the start of the year, the Ministry of Finance detailed that it would hear feedback on applying a new tax framework for Estonian gambling. However the Reform Party maintains that it will grant no audience on advertising restrictions.

Estonia’s liberal coalition is betting that the industry can remain commercially viable while being repositioned as a contributor to public welfare — not just government coffers.

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