SBC News - Player Protection Hub

Gambling Commission reveals 7% of players need vulnerability checks

iGamingExpertMay 15, 2026033 views

There will be growing alarm among online gambling licensees after it emerged that the frequency of affordability checks triggered for UK players could far exceed the estimates laid out in the White Paper.

It was expected that just 3% of players would be subjected to Financial Vulnerability Checks (FVCs); however, the total observed during the initial implementation phase hit 7% – according to an update provided by the Gambling Commission’s senior policy research team of Sarah Webster and Richard Sutcliffe.

Furthermore, it is anticipated that this number will rise further when thresholds for full checks are decreased from £500 to £150.

Insights about light-touch FVCs have been provided by the Gambling Commission (GC), offering information on their impact since their implementation in August 2024, before forecasting what the next steps will be.

Looking ahead, the GC reported positive feedback from the period, but there were also concerns raised over a lack of awareness or clarity ..

Belgium public health body finds less than 3% of gamblers at-risk despite high ad exposure

A.J. KoehnMay 15, 2026031 views

Sciensano has reported that risky gambling behaviour in Belgium has remained stable over the past five years, although more than half of the population continues to be exposed to gambling advertising on a weekly basis.

According to the Belgium public health institute’s latest Health Survey, 2.6% of Belgian players currently display risky gambling behaviour, while 0.6% are considered at high risk of problematic gambling activity.

At the same time, the survey found that 52.2% of the Belgian population is exposed weekly to at least one form of gambling advertising via either television, websites or social media platforms.

The research also highlighted the continued dominance of lottery products within the Belgian market, with nine out of 10 Belgian players participating in lottery games.

Exposure to gambling sponsorship appears more mixed. Around one in 10 Belgians reported frequent exposure to sponsorship activity, while four in 10 stated they noticed little or no gambling sponsorshi..

UK govt launches gambling harms research programme but treatment levy in limbo as abolition of NHS England is confirmed

A.J. KoehnMay 15, 2026024 views

The British government is swinging back the hammer to drive the final nail into the coffin of NHS England, one of three administrative bodies tasked with overseeing funds generated from the statutory levy on gambling harms.

Yesterday, King Charles III delivered his annual speech, outlining the Labour government’s legislative plans for the rest of the year. Of the various bills announced by the King yesterday, the NHS Modernisation Bill was addressed for a forthcoming application.

If approved, the bill will abolish NHS England, a body of the Department of Health and Social Care established by the previous Conservative government to oversee the planning, budgeting and delivery of NHS services across English constituencies and councils.

The abolition of NHS England is nothing new, with Keir Starmer’s government having set out plans to do so over a year ago, the return of the UK’s health service under a streamlined framework to address the nation’s most urgent health needs and region..

UK government sets out key aims of black market taskforce

A.J. KoehnMay 15, 2026030 views

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has released new details on the remit of the UK’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce, five months after its creation.

Back in January, Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross made a landmark announcement that the government has set up a specialised unit to wage war on the black market in the UK. Not much else was known about the operations of this taskforce, until now.

Three key objectives

Those assigned to the taskforce will work towards lessening the influence of illegal gambling by tackling three distinctive objectives – preventing payments from and to black market operators, taking down offshore online marketing, and enhancing cross-agency enforcement to crack down on illegal remote and land-based gambling.

All three objectives will be handled by a separate Taskforce sub-group, which will assess the progress made and propose follow-up amendments.

Enforcement powers still on the cards

The DCMS added that from the outset, the Taskforce and..

RGC calls for financial institutions to step up efforts against gambling harm

CanadianGamingBusinessMay 15, 2026030 views

The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has called upon Canada’s financial sector to take more of a ‘proactive role’ in combatting gambling-related financial harm.

Publishing a new white paper entitled ‘Opportunities for Impact: The Role of Financial Institutions in Mitigating Gambling-Related Harm’, the RGC noted that financial institutions are in a unique position to both understand the financial well-being of their customers and better strategise how to address gambling-related harms.

“The rapid expansion of regulated gambling in Canada requires an evolved response from our financial systems,” says Tracy Parker, SVP, Accreditation, Advisory & Insights at RGC.

“By adopting tools already proven in other jurisdictions, Canadian banks can become leaders in protecting customer financial health.”

According to a 2021 study reported in the Canadian Journal of Public Health,2.7% of Canadians can be identified as “at-risk gamblers” and 0.6% are “problem-gamblers”.

With direct access to ..

Super Group not fazed by Nigeria tax turmoil as efforts doubled down

iGamingExpertMay 14, 2026027 views

The reform to taxation and governance has not tempered the appetite of Super Group for the Nigerian market.

Updating investors yesterday, the group’s Chief Executive Officer, Neal Menashe, underscored that momentum is building in Africa as it continues to strengthen its footprint and plough on despite regulatory turbulence.

Having recently spent time on the ground in Nigeria, Menashe revealed, ‘the free flow of currencies is improving in the country’, marking a key boost for the operator’s presence in the market.

He emphasised that the group is looking to double or treble its business size in Nigeria, whilst also ensuring that it continues to get the product strategy right for the market.

Menashe’s unwavering enthusiasm for the Nigerian market would indicate his faith in the steps taken by the government to provide stability in the market.

Super Group’s resilience in the market is potentially boosted by the size of the operator’s footprint in the wider African market, enabling..

Sweeping Colorado sports betting bill approved on deadline day

SBC AmericasMay 14, 2026041 views

The Colorado sports betting market could undergo a major overhaul if a bill passed Wednesday by the state legislature receives approval from Gov. Jared Polis.

The state Senate agreed to minor amendments approved earlier this week by the House, then narrowly backed the measure, 20-15, to clear it on the final scheduled day of the 2026 legislative session. Polis now has 30 days to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.

If enacted, SB 131 would put in place sweeping player protection measures. Those include a ban on credit card deposits and daily limits on how frequently a bettor can fund their online wagering account.

While creating stronger safeguards for most players, the CO sports betting bill also would score a major victory for professional bettors by preventing sportsbooks from limiting an account, with the exceptions of suspicious activity and responsible gambling concerns.

Legislators initially attempted to outlaw player prop..

French regulator claims 60% of GGR comes from high-risk players

A.J. KoehnMay 14, 2026031 views

The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France’s gambling regulator, has unveiled a new algorithm designed to estimate problem gambling activity across France – and initial signs are those which cause concern.

Findings revealed that players identified as high-risk generated 60% of total operator gross gaming revenue (GGR), which the regulator described as “concerning”.

The ANJ has warned of a dual upward trend in both the number of problem gamblers and their contribution to operator revenues.

According to the ANJ, the algorithm identified approximately 600,000 players with a high probability of excessive gambling during the second half of 2025.

This represented 8.7% of the total online account-based gambling population across licensed operators, including accounts at FDJ United and Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) accounts – two of the country’s biggest gambling businesses.

Of those 600,000 players, the regulator said around 300,000 were classified as “manifestly excessive” gamblers whose..

South Africa regulator shuts down ‘unsupported’ media claims

A.J. KoehnMay 14, 2026022 views

South Africa’s regulator, the National Gambling Board (NGB), has hit back at public criticism of its recently-launched licensed operators’ whitelist portal.

The authority labeled recent media reports about the accuracy of its portal, which launched early last month, as “speculative and unsupported”.

In particular, the NGB referenced apparent comments made about the registry’s Limited Payout Machines (LPMs) section, which lists gambling machines located outside of traditional casinos in venues like clubs, hotels, and pubs.

While it is difficult to comment with certainty about these media reports, as the NGB did not link directly to them, SBC News understands that certain LPMs were verified as licensed while having the word ‘closed’ next to them – which might have led to some confusion about their legality.

“It is incorrect to assume that the mere appearance of the word ‘CLOSED’ indicates regulatory failure or that the premises are unlawfully operating gambling activities,” the NGB ..

Dominican Republic launches protection charter for new gambling regime

iGamingExpertMay 14, 2026028 views

The Dominican Republic will be taking steps to tighten its control of its gambling licences, as the Ministry of Finance and Economy has authorised Resolution No. 184-2026.

The mandate seeks to introduce a new “Responsible Gambling Charter” that requires the signature of President Luis Abinader.

The charter will establish a new Central Self-Exclusion System as the principal safeguard for gambling activities in the Dominican Republic, which aims to become the first Caribbean nation to implement such a universal protection on gambling consumers.

Winning his re-election campaign in 2024, President Abinader pledged to modernise the gambling regime of The Dominican Republic as part of his administration’s broader economic overhaul to enhance investment and tax resources of the government.

Economic reforms

The latest reforms build on the Dominican Republic’s launch of a new online gambling licensing regime in 2024, under Resolution 136-2024, which established a formal framework for ..