SBC News - Player Protection Hub

Kalshi turns to IC360 to beef up event contract consumer protection

SBC AmericasMarch 25, 20250332 views

Amid continued scrutiny, prediction markets operator Kalshi has unveiled new measures which it says are focused on strengthening protections for its users and ensuring integrity is upheld in its sports trading operations.

The company’s CEO Tarek Mansour posted on X to announce a new Customer Protection Hub which will include several guardrails we have come to expect from online sportsbooks.

Tools will include deposit caps, trading breaks and voluntary opt-outs, which Mansour said will complement Kalshi’s “internal market surveillance team and regulation systems to improve our market integrity.”

“No important financial innovation has ever been created without critics,” Mansour wrote. “… That said, criticism and doubts play a crucial role in this process: they help stress test new systems and often constructively encourage them to get better.

“From day one at Kalshi, we have been conscious of our position in building prediction markets and we carry the responsibility of fostering a..

Legislative action urged to curb illegal gambling in Japan

iGamingExpertMarch 25, 20250356 views

Japan is set for a new framework around its gambling sector as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet approved a new focus on tackling addiction in the country.

As first reported by the Japan Times, central to the plans is the extended effort to take action against affiliates that promote gambling.

During a news conference following the discussions around the new bill, Yoshitaka Ito, the minister in charge of measures to combat gambling addiction stated: “There are strong indications the number of people accessing online casino sites is increasing.”

He added that he believes this is fuelling issues of gambling addiction within the country.

Noriko Tanaka, representative director of The Society Concerned about the Gambling Addiction, has continued to call for more intensive measures when it comes to the framework around iGaming.

She urged the government to take legislative action and tighten guidelines for the space.

Furthermore, there will also be strengthened efforts aroun..

BetBlocker backs UNLV IGI study into gambling blocking software

iGamingExpertMarch 25, 20250313 views

BetBlocker has announced a collaboration with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), providing a donation in support of the International Gaming Institute’s (IGI) research program to help advance academic research on gambling software and its users.

Both organisations have stated that the goal of this project is to produce “transformative insights that will help inform evidence-based policies, enhance player protection measures, and contribute to the broader public good”.

A UK-registered charity, BetBlocker provides gambling support via its free-to-use app, which blocks a user’s device from accessing more than 88,000 gambling websites and 1,500 gambling apps. The service can also be used anonymously.

Founder and Trustee of BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, stated: “For the first four years of the project, I delivered the user technical support for BetBlocker. I’ve interacted with thousands of people using the tool and I know how much of a difference it has made to a huge number of liv..

Police pressured to take action over Indian celebs betting promotions

iGamingExpertMarch 25, 20250282 views

A number of prominent Indian actors have been accused of “accepting huge sums of money” to promote illegal betting platforms.

As reported by The Tribune in India, a case under relevant sections of India’s BNS, Gaming Act and IT Act has been registered against six actors and 19 social media influencers.

The issue was brought to the attention of the authorities by an unnamed businessman who claims that he came across those accused actively promoting the platforms on social media via pop-up ads.

“These platforms are encouraging [the] public, especially people who are in dire need of money, to invest their hard-earned money in those apps/websites. Slowly they get addicted to these apps, leading to financial distress,” claimed the businessman in his first information report (FIR) submitted to the Indian police.

According to the Miyapur Police Station, the case includes actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj and Vijay Deverkonda – stars of cinema in the Telugu language.

The businessman h..

GambleAware maps intersection of neurodivergence and gambling harms

SBC NewsMarch 24, 20250376 views

GambleAware has published the research findings of its report on “Gambling Harms and Neurodivergence: Mapping the Evidence Landscape.”

In 2024, GambleAware commissioned IFF Research and the University of Bristol to examine the intersection of gambling harms with neurodivergent disorders – an area of concern deemed as under-researched.

The study sought to understand whether individuals suffering from neurodivergent disorders such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia are at greater risk of gambling harms?

Research was required for GambleAware to provide better specialised treatment and a dedicated engagement with neurodivergent individuals by removing barriers to treatment and support.

Advised by Dr Amy Sweet and Dr Tim Morris of the University of Bristol, the research was applied over three phases of examining available evidence of neurodivergent disorders and gambling harms, followed by primary research with neurodivergent people experiencing gambling harms.

The study is concl..

Norsk Tipping rallies support as Conservatives ponder operator’s future

SBC NewsMarch 24, 20250330 views

A coordinated media campaign to save state-owned Norsk Tipping has been launched by several constituencies in Norway.

Agder, Østfold, Rogaland, and Finnmark are the four main regions that have come out united under the slogan ‘We can’t gamble away’ in support of the current gambling model in Norway, where the only entities allowed to offer gambling products are the state properties Norsk Tipping and Norsk Risktoto.

Decisive times
As Finland, Sweden and Denmark move from a monopoly gambling regime to a liberalised market, the Norwegian model – which will soon become the last remaining monopoly after Finland transitions in 2027 – is currently being put under review.

The governing Labour party appears to be in favour of a state-led monopoly, so is the majority of the second biggest political power – the Conservatives.

In fact, the 2024 Conservatives manifesto clearly states that Norsk Tipping’s responsible gambling model must be preserved so that responsible gambling measures are kept..

Ukraine to reveal ‘PlayCity’ as new state authority of gambling

SBC NewsMarch 24, 20250324 views

The government of Ukraine is expected to imminently announce the creation of a new state agency charged with the regulatory oversight of gambling activities.

This weekend, Ukrainian news sources referenced the Telegram of Taras Melnychuk, the Secretariat of the SOP government, who divulged plans for a new “Central Executive” to “implement state policy in the field of organising and conducting gambling and lotteries.”

Melnychuk’s revealed that the agency would take on the title of “PlayCity” to replace KRAIL, the liquidated Gambling and Lotteries Commission of Ukraine. However the Telegram provided no information on the direct duties of the agency.

PlayCity will be formed through coordination involving the Cabinet of Ministers, with oversight provided by Mykhailo Fedorov, the Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology, and Minister of Digital Transformation.

Gambling advisory 4H Agency confirmed to SBC that it anticipates the Rada to publi..

GambleAware maps intersection of neurodivergence and gambling harms

SBC NewsMarch 24, 20250336 views

GambleAware has published the research findings of its report on “Gambling Harms and Neurodivergence: Mapping the Evidence Landscape.”

In 2024, GambleAware commissioned IFF Research and the University of Bristol to examine the intersection of gambling harms with neurodivergent disorders – an area of concern deemed as under-researched.

The study sought to understand whether individuals suffering from neurodivergent disorders such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia are at greater risk of gambling harms?

Research was required for GambleAware to provide better specialised treatment and a dedicated engagement with neurodivergent individuals by removing barriers to treatment and support.

Advised by Dr Amy Sweet and Dr Tim Morris of the University of Bristol, the research was applied over three phases of examining available evidence of neurodivergent disorders and gambling harms, followed by primary research with neurodivergent people experiencing gambling harms.

The study is concl..

Finnish gaming law enters parliament while Veikkaus plans trotting investment

SBC NewsMarch 24, 20250301 views

Major developments are underway in Finland as legislators look to push key gaming reforms forward while a cross-border deal between two operators broke down earlier in the week.

This week the Finnish government submitted a bill to parliament, the Finnish Gambling Act, which if approved will dismantle the monopoly currently held by the Veikkaus state-owned operator.

Veikkaus is currently the only operator of betting, gaming and lotteries in Finland, with the exception of the island territory of Åland where gambling services are provided by the company Paf.

Finland’s state-backed operator has been broadly supportive of changes, however, noting that the lack of competition sees Finnish channelisation rates fall well below target, with many bettors instead gambling with unlicensed overseas firms.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, of the centre-right National Coalition Party (NCP), believes reform is needed to better protect players and ensure better all-round taxation of gaming revenue in F..

Newsletter: Germany and Netherlands give cause for optimism

Steve HoareMarch 21, 20250282 views

This week the German regulator, GGL, and the Netherlands regulator, KSA, have both warned about the need to balance player protection with a viable market. Taking the long view: In the next issue of SBC Leaders magazine, Super Group CEO Neal Menashe speaks very passionately about the balance needed between player protection and market viability.…