SBC News

India approaches key legislative moment with GST levy in focus 

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A major period has commenced around the Indian iGaming market, as debate over the GST framework takes centre stage amongst government officials and iGaming operators.

The 28% GST tax levy has caused much debate in India, with operators departing the regulated market and the black market continuing to grow.

As reported by media outlet, The Hindu, the debate this week could have a key impact on the future of gambling within the Indian market.

The debate looks to tackle the issue of which games fall under the umbrella of the levy, with the senior advocate A.M. Singhvi underpinning his views that the character of the game isn’t altered simply because money is wagered.

His case has been put forward as the debate lines are intensifying between games of skill and games of chance, with the Government stating that skill games should transition into a new genre once bets have been placed on them.

Singhvi responded: “Is the government saying that in chess, the moment I put money on it, ..

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Dutch regulator sends illegal slot machine warning

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Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming regulator, has issued a stark warning against gaming machines entering the illegal market.

The regulator revealed it is monitoring developments after several casino branches closed down due to ongoing pressure in the Dutch market, including an increase in gambling tax.

As a result, gaming machines from the failed venues are being auctioned or sold, and the KSA reminded buyers that they must hold the necessary licence to operate the machines.

“When gaming halls close and licensed operation stops, it is very important that the gaming machines present do not end up in the illegal circuit,” noted the regulator.

“It is important that buyers do not operate these slot machines without the necessary licences. The KSA has therefore sent a letter to all buyers in which the rules are clearly explained.”

Beginning on 1 January 2025, income taxes on gambling businesses rose to 34.2% from 30.5%, with a further increase planned to 37.8% in 2026.

At ..

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EGBA pushes for targeted player protection regulation in Romania

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is encouraging Romanian officials to establish a national self-exclusion register for gambling to help protect players in the country from gambling harm.

In conversation with the Romanian news channel Antena 3 at a recent event held at the Romanian Parliament organised by the Romanian online gambling association (AOJND), the EGBA’s Secretary General, Maarten Haijer, explained why a gambling self-exclusion register is a must in the country to promote responsible play.

Haijer said: “We need to have very targeted, specific regulation that really addresses the prevention of harm of individuals, rather than very horizontal, one-size-fits-all regulation, because that has proven to be not as successful as more targeted.

“Our advice would be to set up a self-exclusion register as quickly as possible because that allows people who don’t want to gamble to self-exclude.”

The EGBA has recommended that Romania’s gambling self-exclusion system s..

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Ontario’s licensed iGaming operators couldn’t file FINTRAC reports for an entire year

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Ontario’s licensed online casinos couldn’t use FINTRAC’s web portal to file any suspicious transaction reports between March 2024 and March 2025 following a hacking incident.

Business and technology publication The Logic reported that the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada’s portal, which is how Ontario operators submit their reports, was taken down by FINTRAC following a cyberattack in March 2024. The report notes that the portal is mainly used by small businesses; banks and most other large organizations use a secure data feed for filing reports, but iGaming Ontario (iGO) has allegedly not set up that avenue.

Hackers didn’t transfer sensitive data
Consequently, operators were left unable to report suspected money laundering or other suspected fraudulent activity, a state of play that extended for a year until iGO gave operators access again in March 2025 after FINTRAC completed an update of its tech systems and restored access.

FINTRAC stated that the attacker didn’t transfer any sensitive data, per The Logic.

iGO spokesperson Josh Elliott confirmed to the publication that the conduct-and-manage agency is building its own improved and automated system for filing such reports. Canadian Gaming Business reached out to iGO seeking more information, but has not received a response yet.

Authorized online gaming operators in Ontario must file suspicious transaction reports manually and upload them one at a time on a per-incident basis via the FINTRAC portal, although they do have the option to use their own in-house automation technology to speed up the process.

iGO has submitted 80K reports to FINTRAC
Some 49 licensed commercial operators are active in the Ontario market as of May 5 and the largest of them file thousands of reports every year. Elliott said that iGO has submitted more than 80,000 reports to FINTRAC on behalf of operators since April 2022, and the agency and its contracted operator partners are working on clearing the backlog that remains.

Ontario’s 49 operators, who run a combined 84 online gambling platforms, collectively handled almost $83 billion in player activity in the 2024-25 fiscal year alone. That year ran from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025; for almost the entirety of that period, they could not file suspicious activity reports via FINTRAC.

Canadian Gaming Association President and CEO Paul Burns told The Logic that the FINTRAC downtime has “been awful for everybody.”

Observers suggest Canadian gambling has a fraud problem
The CGA has made anti-money laundering a core issue of its advocacy. It noted in its 2024 Advocacy Policies that one of its goals for last year was to “actively participate” in the parliamentary review of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTF Act) to ensure Canada’s AML laws and regulations can keep up with the evolution of online gambling.

Last October, a report from TransUnion Canada found that online gambling is the most susceptible sector in the country when it comes to digital fraud attempts, and the rate of instances within Canadian-specific gambling soared 79.3% year-over-year.

TransUnion Canada Head of Identity Management and Fraud Solutions Patrick Boudreau urged businesses including gambling operators to make technology such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection “critical components” of their fraud prevention programs.

In January of this year, FINTRAC publicly warned that known fentanyl traffickers were believed to be using online gambling platforms to launder money from dealing and production, disguising the deposits and withdrawals as wagering winnings.

Under its “general money laundering indicators,” FINTRAC notes that a client making high-volume or frequent purchases from a personal account to online gambling platforms and subsequently receiving funds into the same account from payment processors associated with online gambling platforms is “an unusual pattern” that warrants close attention.

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Newsletter: Academics under fire for unsubstantiated claims  

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GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond made an important intervention this week in the fight against junk science and misinformation from the anti-gambling lobby, with a letter to UK MP Layla Moran outlining the “inaccurate, unsubstantiated [and] ill-informed” evidence given at a recent Select Committee hearing on gambling harm. Over in Canada: Just last week at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute Conference,…

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BetComply and Mindway AI join forces to boost player protection

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BetComply has teamed up with Mindway AI in a new partnership aiming to prioritise player protection.

Following the collaboration, Mindway AI will seek advice from BetComply on the future roadmap of its offering in addition to new business opportunities.

This will aid the player protection tech provider to develop its products in a bid to support a wider range of clients.

Jez White, Safer Gambling and Sustainability Specialist at BetComply praised the partnership, commenting: “Our goal is to help bridge the gap between innovation and implementation, ensuring operators can fully harness tools like GameScanner to deliver more effective, proactive player protection.”

White is set to lead the partnership, bringing a wealth of experience within responsible gambling to the collaboration as BetComply’s safer gambling lead, while also having served as Director of Player Protection Systems and Analytics in a previous role at Entain.

Rasmus Kjaergaard, Mindway AI CEO, also praised the tie-up, hailing the support of BetComply’s operational expertise as a “huge asset” for his company.

Future focus

BetComply will begin the partnership with a particular focus on GameScanner, with plans to oversee the future development of the AI-powered problem gambling detection tool.

This tool was recently implemented into Mindway AI’s new partner, Hommerson Amusement’s Dutch online casino offering, earlier this week.

Commenting on the recent deal, Kjaergaard explained: “With GameScanner, Hommerson Online will be equipped with the most advanced tools to ensure a safe gaming environment, demonstrating a proactive approach to player protection that sets a new standard in the digital gaming industry.”

European expansion

The player protection provider has also been working with regulators across Europe to expand the influence of its proprietary tools, having offered its Gamalyze software to the Hellenic Gaming Commission in April.

HGC President, Dimitrios Ntzanatos, commented: “The HGC leverages technology to enhance player protection. The integration of Gamalyze into the Commission’s website marks a significant step towards a safer and more sustainable gaming environment.”

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GAMSTOP scores 75% success rate amid changing UK landscape

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GAMSTOP has expressed full commitment to supporting the shifting UK gambling landscape in the wake of a successful 2024.

The gambling self-exclusion scheme reported a 75% success rate with users who have stopped gambling online after registering with the service between April and June 2024. This was backed by an independent evaluation from Ipsos.

Within the same evaluation, “almost half” of users have stopped gambling altogether, while 75% reported feeling more confident in controlling their gambling choices.

Overall satisfactory rates with the service were found to be 74%, with a total of 78% saying they have achieved the results they’ve been looking for when reaching out to GAMSTOP.

The three main quoted reasons that people signed up to GAMSTOP last year were to stop online gambling, regain control over their lives, and control their gambling spend.

This is further explained by the negative impact that people reported gambling as having on their personal relationships before seeking support from GAMSTOP.

A total of 60% reported bad relationships with friends and family, 85% were in a bad financial situation, 58% reported having bad physical health as a result of gambling, while 80% believed they were negatively impacted mentally.

Another highlight that catches the attention is that out of the three optional self-exclusion periods of eight months, one year, and five years, GAMSTOP reported that most users selected the latter.

The five-year period option was upgraded in December with an auto-renewal function, excluding players automatically for another five years once the first interval is completed.

Moving forward, GAMSTOP will need to work in a somewhat different UK gambling market given the statutory levy on funding, research, education, and treatment (RET Levy) by the DCMS, which was introduced last year as an additional layer of player protection.

This measure aims to secure £100m in additional funding annually for organisations, projects, and initiatives related to the prevention of problem gambling.

On the new landscape and GAMSTOP’s active role within it, Fiona Palmer, CEO of the self-exclusion scheme, concluded: “While the newly-announced funding mechanism for research, prevention, and treatment in the UK, revealed in November, does not impact our funding model, we anticipate significant changes to the broader environment within which we work.

“We are well-placed to assist the new commissioners of prevention and treatment at national and local levels by providing GAMSTOP heatmap and demographic data, and have made a commitment to them to do this going forward.”

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BGC: Public response proves SGWeek is more relevant than ever before

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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has underscored the relevance of Safer Gambling Week (#SGWeek) as an industry initiative informing the public about safer gambling tools and behaviours.

The UK gambling trade body cites new data from SGWeek 2024, stating that the “numbers of punters using safer gambling tools surged for another year running”.

A positive response to last year’s campaign saw over 1.5 million unique accounts use a safer gambling tool during SGWeek (18–24 November), representing a significant 22% year-on-year increase.
The 2024 campaign delivered 7.2 million safer gambling messages to UK adults throughout the week, a 10% rise on 2023. Campaign targeting was heightened across social media, generating over 60 million impressions on major platforms including X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram a 21% increase on the previous year.

Research also found that user-established deposit limits rose by 14% compared to the prior year. Notably, 47% of those setting deposit limits were first-time users, reflecting a positive shift towards responsible gambling behaviours.

SGWeek serves as the gambling industry’s flagship social responsibility campaign, bringing together UK and Irish regulated betting and gaming operators across all businesses. The campaign is run in collaboration with charities, support organisations, and the Gambling Commission to promote safer gambling practices.

The 2024 edition received cross-party political backing. Key supporters included Baroness Twycross, Minister for Gambling; Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Stuart Andrew; and Shadow Gambling Minister, Louie French. Endorsements from these senior figures strengthened the campaign’s credibility and broadened its public and industry reach.

Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Southampton FC also contributed to the campaign’s exposure, sharing safer gambling messages with millions of fans via matchday channels and digital platforms.

During the week-long campaign, the SGWeek website recorded over 500,000 visits. The site provides essential information on tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion, and reality checks, alongside resources for individuals seeking support.

Grainne Hurst: BGC
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst commented: “Safer Gambling Week has proved its worth once again by making a real impact encouraging even more punters to make the most of the broad range of safer gambling tools only available in the regulated sector.

These new figures are a testament to its ongoing success, and this industry’s commitment to raising standards and ensuring the millions of customers who enjoy a regular flutter, do so in a safe and responsible environment.

SGWeek continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in raising awareness and increasing use of regulated safer gambling tools. The latest figures highlight the initiative’s sustained success for UK gambling and its emphasis on high standards on player protection.

Looking ahead, BGC members will continue to promote safer gambling year-round — but the dedicated focus of Safer Gambling Week, combined with broad political and sector support, delivers unique impact.

Hurst concluded: Our members promote safer gambling every day of the year, but a single dedicated week, bringing together the whole sector with support from MPs, peers, the regulator and other stakeholders, promotes that work in a uniquely powerful way.”

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