SBC News

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB) has confirmed that the licences held by Pay Fix and Aypara have been suspended amid investigations into illegal gambling.

Media reports have emerged over the past few days stating that Erkan Kork, the Chair of Pay Fix, had been arrested along with some other significant people involved with the firm.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) states that the firms processed millions of transactions for illegal betting sites, with many payments processed via cryptocurrency.

Both land-based and online gambling are completely banned in Turkey except for the state-owned national lottery, Millî Piyango İdaresi, which also provides some online betting and gaming services.

Turkey’s Central Bank subsequently announced that the Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licences held by Pay Fix and Aypara had been revoked due to many arrests on illegal gambling charges.

EMI licences essentially mean that a payments firm sits in a tier below a..

Corbett Bookmakers has run afoul of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) due to anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility failures.

The independent retail bookmaker has been issued a £686,070 penalty by the regulator after a two-day assessment found evidence of licensing breaches.

Corbett operates a small chain of high-street betting shops, owning 36 in total with most of its properties located in Wales but with a substantial amount also based in England, particularly in the North West region.

The UKGC enforcement shows that the regulator is not shying away from penalising operators big and small for licensing failures. The Commission broke UK records in recent years with successive actions against Entain and William Hill, which were issued penalties of £17m and £19.2m respectively in 2022 and 2023.

Commenting on the action against Corbett, John Pierce, UKGC Director of Enforcement, said: “This operator has failed to adhere to vital regulations designed to make gambling sa..

Corbett Bookmakers has run afoul of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) due to anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility failures.

The independent retail bookmaker has been issued a £686,070 penalty by the regulator after a two-day assessment found evidence of licensing breaches.

Corbett operates a small chain of high-street betting shops, owning 36 in total with most of its properties located in Wales but with a substantial amount also based in England, particularly in the North West region.

The UKGC enforcement shows that the regulator is not shying away from penalising operators big and small for licensing failures. The Commission broke UK records in recent years with successive actions against Entain and William Hill, which were issued penalties of £17m and £19.2m respectively in 2022 and 2023.

Commenting on the action against Corbett, John Pierce, UKGC Director of Enforcement, said: “This operator has failed to adhere to vital regulations designed to make gambling sa..

The Netherlands will embark on a “fundamental change of course in gambling policy”, with a new gambling bill set to be proposed to the House of Representatives (Kamer) by the end of 2025.

The announcement was made by the State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken, in response to the “worrying results” of the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), undertaken by the Kamer’s policy agencies in 2023 and 2024.

In a statement submitted by Struycken to the government on 14 February, he declared: “The most important principle in the new vision is the protection of all citizens against the risks of negative effects of gambling, such as addiction or debt.

“Special attention must be paid to minors and young adults. The reason for this change of course is that the current gambling policy does not yet sufficiently protect people against the risks of gambling.”

Responding to the KOA evaluations, the Kamer detailed that the current regime was grounded in policies set in 2011, whic..

The Netherlands will embark on a “fundamental change of course in gambling policy”, with a new gambling bill set to be proposed to the House of Representatives (Kamer) by the end of 2025.

The announcement was made by the State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken, in response to the “worrying results” of the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), undertaken by the Kamer’s policy agencies in 2023 and 2024.

In a statement submitted by Struycken to the government on 14 February, he declared: “The most important principle in the new vision is the protection of all citizens against the risks of negative effects of gambling, such as addiction or debt.

“Special attention must be paid to minors and young adults. The reason for this change of course is that the current gambling policy does not yet sufficiently protect people against the risks of gambling.”

Responding to the KOA evaluations, the Kamer detailed that the current regime was grounded in policies set in 2011, whic..

More protections are needed against the online black market, according to Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL), Germany‘s gambling authority.

Together with representatives from the political, scientific and commercial fields, the authority participated in a series of discussions regarding online regulations during the Berlin Congress organised by the German gambling trade body DAW.

Ronald Benter
Ronald Benter, Chairman of the GGL, noted that the fight against the black market requires a wide range of instruments if effectiveness is to be achieved.

A particular development that Benter wants to see implemented as soon as possible is a new framework around the blocking of illegal gambling advertisements based on IP addresses.

Benter has sought developments on this particular front for a number of years now. Towards the end of 2023, it was announced that the government is intending to modify Germany’s Criminal Code by deleting Section 284 – previously allowing the GGL to fil..

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has once again asked customers to be aware of illegal websites as some have been found to be offering easily accessible deposits.

An investigation by the Observer revealed that a total of 10 unlicensed online gambling providers available to UK customers had incorporated Mastercard and Visa payments into their websites.

According to the investigation, several UK players had already fallen victim to the unregulated offering, losing thousands of pounds by being obstructed from withdrawing their winnings.

This is not surprising, given the fact that the black market lacks the safeguards against scams and financial fraud that regulated operators in the UK are required to adhere to as part of their licence conditions.

Referencing the illegal websites highlighted by the Observer, a spokesperson for the UKGC said: “We are aware of these websites and continue to take action to disrupt the unlicensed market, including working with online platforms and with ..