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Lack of sustainable funding sees GamCare close Young People’s provision

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GamCare has announced that it will no longer provide its Young People’s provision services later this year due to a lack of sustainable funding.

At the end of September, GamCare will stop providing education, prevention or outreach programmes aimed at reducing gambling harm experienced by children and young people, or its specific treatment and support offer for under-18s.

The gambling harm support provider has been offering these services for children and young people for more than half a decade.

“For over five years, GamCare has delivered harm prevention programmes which have reached over 250,000 children and young people, parents, and professionals across the UK,” stated GamCare.

“Due to a lack of sustainable funding, GamCare has made the difficult decision to close its Young People’s provision at the end of September 2025.”

Statutory levy

Back in April, the UK Government implemented the new statutory levy on the gambling industry, which replaced the previous system of voluntary industry contributions.

Through the levy, up to £100m per year is expected to be raised, which will be collected and administered by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) under the strategic direction of the UK Government.

To generate funding for the levy, operators will be charged a percentage of their gross gambling yield from the previous year. These percentages are 1.1% for online operators, 0.5% for casinos and bookmakers and 0.2% for bingo operators.

Splitting up the levy funding, 20% will go to the Research Commissioner, UK Research and Innovation, to research to establish a bespoke Research Programme on Gambling, as well as the UKGC, to direct further research in line with licensing objectives.

The Prevention Commissioner, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), will receive 30% of the levy funding. OHID will develop a comprehensive approach to prevention and early intervention.

Meanwhile, 50% of the levy funding will go to the Treatment Commissioner, NHS England and relevant bodies in Scotland and Wales, who will commission treatment and support services in collaboration with the third sector.

Support still available for young people

GamCare added that while specialist services for young people will come to a halt later this year, its Youth Advisory Board will continue to operate to make sure that young people’s voices continue to inform its work, adding that it “remains committed to reducing gambling harm and none of our other services are affected by this change”.

“Children, young people and their families can still seek support by contacting the National Gambling Helpline on Freephone 0808 8020 133 or via live chat, available 24/7, and we will signpost them to the appropriate support for their circumstances,” noted GamCare.

“GamCare’s core focus will continue to be the provision of high-quality, accessible support to the thousands of people who come through our services each year, both those who are struggling with gambling directly as well as those who are affected by someone else’s gambling.”

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UK Gambling Commission fines Fafabet £170,000 for T&Cs failures

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has issued a £170,000 fine to Taichi Tech Limited, which trades as Fafabet, for regulatory failures, including the use of unfair terms and conditions.

Taichi Tech, which has been licensed by the Commission since February 2021, will also be subject to a third-party audit to check that it is complying with anti-money laundering and safer gambling policies, procedures and controls.

The UKGC investigation once again raises the issue of fair, clear and transparent terms and conditions by operators following the High Court case involving Paddy Power earlier this year.

T&Cs lacked transparency

According to the investigation, the UKGC discovered that Taichi Tech contained the following statement within their bonus terms for new casino promotions:

“Fafabet have the right at their own discretion to close accounts or forfeit winnings.”

The Commission concluded from its investigation that Taichi Tech breached the fair and open licensing condition by “including a discretionary term allowing the operator to close customer accounts or forfeit winnings without clear justification”, adding that these kinds of terms “lack transparency and may lead to unfair outcomes for consumers”.

The UKGC noted that the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) that operators must abide by refer to the general consumer protection legislation of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA).

The LCCP states that licensees must ensure their terms and practices are “fair, clear, and do not breach consumer protection law” and so “must therefore have regard to the CRA as part of their overall compliance obligations under the LCCP”.

John Pierce, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence at the Gambling Commission, said: “We expect all operators — regardless of their size or customer base — to comply with consumer protection legislation and ensure their terms and conditions meet regulatory standards.

“Licensed operators must ensure their terms are clear, fair, and transparent, so customers fully understand what to expect.”

AML and social responsibility failures

The UKGC noted that its investigation also discovered AML and social responsibility breaches, including failures to “effectively manage risk and implement adequate consumer protection measures”.

These failures included some customers gambling large sums in a short period despite the operator holding limited customer information, individuals exhibiting potential markers of harm (such as high-velocity spending over short periods) being given “insufficient customer interaction from the operator”.

In addition, the Commission noted that the operator didn’t further follow-up or intervene with customers they had sent safer gambling emails to but who didn’t respond and their concerning behaviour continued.

In response, the UKGC stated that Fafabet “acknowledged that it previously fell short of the standards expected” and has since “taken steps to address these shortcomings”.

Fafabet is required to commission an independent third-party audit to assure ongoing compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements as part of the regulatory outcome.

Operator T&Cs highlighted again

Fafabet’s fine from the UKGC is another reminder that operators must make sure that their terms and conditions are fair, clear and transparent.

Back in March, Paddy Power lost a High Court case and was ordered to pay customer Corrinne Pearl Durber compensation of £1m in relation to a disputed pay-out of a “Monster Jackpot.”

Durber was denied a jackpot of £1.097m that she won on the slot game Wild Hatter with the operator, who opted instead to only initially pay her £20,000 due to what they claimed to be a “software error” which caused an incorrect display.

The court ruled in favour of Durber, stating that the rules advertised to customers should take precedence over the company’s terms and conditions, noting that Paddy Power’s “terms were not clearly signposted”.

The court added that Clause B1 – which stated that, in the event of a discrepancy between the screen display and the server records, the server records would be definitive – was “buried in 44 pages of dense text” and was an unfair contract term that granted absolute power to the defendant to override errors while excluding the customer’s right to challenge them.

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Double Dutch warning for FDJ United’s Unibet

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FDJ United’s Unibet brand has received two warnings from the Dutch gambling regulator for failures linked to advertising and autoplay.

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming authority, issued the warnings to Optdeck, which provides games of chance under the Unibet brand in the Netherlands, for violations related to a cycling team sponsorship and a BonusBuy function in one of their titles.

In response, a Unibet spokesperson told iGaming Expert that the brand took the KSA’s warning “very seriously and took immediate action” to correct the errors, including adjusting branding and compensating affected players.

Sponsorship bus

As part of its sponsorship of the Unibet Tietema Rockets cycling team, the Unibet logo was shown on a coach, which was used to transport the team in the Netherlands and for additional purposes. The Dutch authority has stated that this violates the non-targeted advertising ban.

Speaking with Optdeck, the KSA said that the operator was “not aware that the bus was also used for other transport and that monitoring various sponsorship agreements can be complex”, adding that the team has been asked to stop using the bus immediately and modified stickers will be provided without the Unibet brand logo.

“The KSA has indicated that it is always the provider’s responsibility to guarantee that sponsorship agreements comply with the laws and regulations,” noted the regulator.

“In addition, the coach in this form will no longer be allowed on the road as of 1 July 2025, because that is also when the ban on sports sponsorship comes into effect.”

KSA Chair, Michael Groothuizen, has previously stated that current loopholes in sponsorship must be addressed by the forthcoming overhaul of the Remote Gambling Act undertaken by state secretary Teun Struycken.

A Unibet spokesperson told iGaming Expert: “Unibet takes the signals from the Dutch Gambling Authority very seriously and took immediate action upon notification. The broader use of the touring coach by the sponsored team was halted at our request.

“Ahead of the new regulations per July 1, all team vehicles in the Netherlands will be fitted with adjusted branding without the Unibet logo.”

BonusBuy not allowed

The second warning issued by the Dutch regulator to Unibet was due to a BonusBuy feature that was part of one of their titles. BonusBuy is a form of autoplay, which allows players to automatically continue playing with purchased bonuses without having to start a new game.

The KSA stated that this is prohibited as it encourages players to excessively gamble. In its conversation with Optdeck, the regulator stated that the BonusBuy feature was activated incorrectly by the supplier due to a third-party error.

The function was live for two hours, with players who suffered losses during that period being compensated, while measures have also been taken to make sure the same mistake isn’t repeated in the future.

“The identified autoplay functionality was unintentionally briefly available due to an error by an external supplier following the game’s launch,” noted a Unibet spokesperson to iGaming Expert.

“During our internal checks prior to launch, this functionality was still disabled. Affected players have been compensated, and we have implemented additional measures with the supplier to prevent such errors in the future.”

The Dutch regulator said in its release: “The KSA emphasised in the conversation that the provider itself is responsible for correctly following laws and regulations, even if there is a collaboration with third parties.

“Because both violations were stopped immediately as soon as they were noticed, the KSA will leave it at a warning for now. If Optdeck makes another mistake in the future, the KSA can impose stricter sanctions.”

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New algorithm to lead Spain’s player protection charge following operator failures

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Spain’s regulator has blamed significant operator player protection failures for the need to overhaul problem gambler detection systems in the country.

Mikel Arana, Director General of the Directorate General of the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), revealed at the Gaming in Spain Conference that very few of the country’s operators are implementing the detection systems mandated under the Royal Decree that governs gambling in Spain.

“We have seen that from 50 operators, around 38 have [no] risky players, which is hard to believe,” he explained.

Arana offered a behind-the-scenes insight into the responsible gambling algorithm that will step in to lead Spain’s player protection evolution, revealing the extensive picture being painted of players who engage with gambling in the country.

The data-driven tool is designed to be applied universally across Spain’s operators – as part of a strengthened approach to player protection

“The goal is to define an algorithm capable of distinguishing between two groups of players, regular players and risky players,” explained Arana. “To this end, we requested the authorisation of 506 individuals with a medical diagnosis of gambling disorder, whose complete gambling histories were available at the DGOJ.”

Following the analysis, the DGOJ was able to identify nine distinct groups of players and 81 variables that indicated problem gambling behaviours.

For example, some players spent significant amounts of time thinking about gambling even after placing themselves on a self-exclusion register. Meanwhile, others displayed trends of repeated deposits following losses.

At present, the DGOJ believes the algorithm is 80% accurate in correctly identifying risky players.

Ahead of finalisation, and boosted by a recently announced €1m research grant, the organisation is working with experts to validate the model and improve the system. Once complete, which is expected to be in March 2026, the use of the algorithm will be mandatory for all operators in the Spanish market.

When questioned, Arana confirmed that the identification of a risky player does not mean that they will be automatically prevented from gambling. Instead, depending on player behaviour, operators will be required to undertake actions such as contacting the player about their behaviour and not sending promotions to that player.

Sweeping regulatory changes

Alongside the government-backed algorithm, operators in Spain are also facing reforms of advertising restrictions and cross-platform deposit limits.

Currently, Spain enforces per-operator deposit limits of €600 daily, €1,500 weekly and €3,000 monthly. However, proposals are seeking to change this so that the limits are calculated across all the accounts a player uses.

In light of the changes, industry experts have warned that such stringent measures must be complemented by an efficient player experience to keep the market more competitive and stop players migrating to the black market.

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Exclusive interview: RGC on how to stay responsible while online gaming speeds ahead

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They say you never stop learning. When it comes to responsible gaming in a fast-moving digital world, that may be an understatement. Keeping up with the pace of change is no mean feat, as the Responsible Gambling Council’s Tracy Parker knows well.

Parker is the RGC’s Senior Vice President of Accreditation, Advisory and Insights. In her five-and-a-half years with RGC and her six years with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) before that, she’s seen the landscape change significantly both at home and across borders.

Online gambling has long been available to Canadians. But since Canada legalized single-event sports betting in summer 2021 and Ontario opened its regulated market in April 2022, things have changed hugely. With every year that passes, both inside and outside Ontario, the industry evolves further, new gaming options emerge, and staying ahead of the curve requires nimble footwork and a deft hand.

“New forms of gambling create new risks,” Parker told Canadian Gaming Business recently. “I do think there is a lag in RG awareness generally, and we work on keeping pace with the evolution of the industry as new forms of gambling emerge, whether it’s things like sports betting or access to a broader range of products and services. It’s a constant effort to keep up.”

Building on a strong base
It’s probably past time to stop calling regulated online gambling in Ontario new, given that we’re more than three years into a market that is embracing its own maturity and already drawing upon its own past experiences to iterate and refine itself.

What certainly is not new is gambling in Canada, nor the concept of protecting players and keeping the industry responsible and sustainable. The history of government involvement in gambling in Canada is decades long, and the focus on responsible gambling has been a constant thread of continuity.

“I think that foundation gave it a public interest slant from early on,” she reflects. “And I see a lot of that coming through in the continued investments in employee training and player education. The profit motive isn’t the be-all and end-all.”

Programs such as the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s GameSense, established in 2009 and used under license by everyone from other Canadian lotteries to MGM Resorts and BetMGM to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, are often held up as examples of Canada’s leadership in responsible gambling. Parker notes there’s also a strong history in academic research around RG. “We’re lucky in Canada that there is still a collaborative relationship between research and industry,” she notes. “That’s not the case in all jurisdictions.”

That thoughtful history and dedicated groundwork gave Canada a solid research and evidence base for implementing responsible gambling programs and safeguards in an impactful way. The direct ties between government and regulated gambling before Ontario’s market opened helped to ensure that when the big shift of 2021-22 did arrive, there was a deep resource pool to draw from.

“I think when it has been a public entity, there is a natural inclination to engage the community around prevention education, treatment, and support services. And I think we see evidence of that across the country.”

Helping to steer the ship
The RGC plays a unique role in Ontario’s online market, in that its RG Check accreditation program has been embedded into the requirements for all private operators contracting with iGaming Ontario (iGO). That program was developed in 2010 and was already used by land-based casinos in Ontario before 2022. Parker stresses it is a mutually beneficial experience; RGC may be the accreditor, but the organization is constantly learning, too.

“As we’ve been processing all of those operators, we’ve been learning a lot and doing some work on an update to the accreditation program to make sure it’s keeping up,” she continues. “We’ve done stakeholder expert interviews, player surveys, public consultations, research and reviews, all with the aim of pulling together the evidence base that exists to make sure that the standards that we’re assessing operators against are meaningful and relevant and robust.”

“New forms of gambling and new levels of access necessitate leveling up conversations, and with different audiences.”

Like everything in Canadian gaming, RG Check has evolved with time. A big facet of a recent update to the program focused on stakeholder engagement.

“We have found that we’ve needed to talk to more people,” Parker adds. “It really is about the collective understanding of impact and collaboration around solutions. And that’s not just operators. We need to be talking to manufacturers and marketing affiliates, payment solution providers, leagues, athletes, coaches, university campuses, the whole ecosystem. While there’s been some progress and diversification, I think new forms of gambling and new levels of access necessitate leveling up conversations, and with different audiences.”

Connecting with the digital-native player
Canadians have always been able to gamble. From retail casinos to government-operated online platforms and both regulated and grey market commercial websites, from the rise of mobile apps and the present-day gamification of so much that is accessible to so many, the options have never been greater.

And just as new products and delivery methods are always surfacing, so too are new players.

“There’s always youth coming of age and needing to gain some gambling literacy,” Parker adds. “So, that’s always been a key focus for us. When you get digital natives, they just interact with the product differently, there’s that exposure to the merging of gaming and gambling and the gamification of gambling.”

Does that necessitate a re-evaluation of what responsible gambling even means?

“Certainly, I would say something that’s coming into sharper focus is the connection between mental health, digital health, and gambling,” Parker explains. “We’re not looking at just gambling behaviour, but we’re looking at it in the context of a person’s overall well-being and how they use their phone or the internet, their digital well-being.”

To that end, Parker notes that algorithms and risk-monitoring detection software provide more insights and information than ever were previously available about when and how to interact with a player.

“The core practices and behaviours around safe habits are relatively similar. It’s just the form that changes.”

Real-time customized and contextualized interactions, she says, have proven to be the most impactful. That could look like a pop-up message noting that players in a certain user’s profile usually play for an average of a certain number of minutes, or that a break around a certain time is typical.

“Providing messaging in context and personalizing it is really, really important. Talk to people in the moment or as close to the behaviour as possible. In our accreditation and operator training, we stress the importance of that touchpoint. It’s very complicated from an operational point of view, but it really is the most impactful.”

No time to stand still
The truth is that the work simply never stops. Responsible gambling means something different now than it did 20 years ago. In many ways, the core concerns are relatively static, but the context and the issues within it are constantly evolving.

“That’s what RG is all about, really. “The core practices and behaviours around safe habits are relatively similar,” concludes Parker. “It’s just the form that changes. And it’s up to all of us to keep up.”

A version of this story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Canadian Gaming Business magazine.

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Record-breaking Canadian Gaming Summit set to rebrand as SBC Summit Canada

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The 2025 Canadian Gaming Summit concluded last week, breaking attendance records and setting the stage for the event’s evolution into SBC Summit Canada.

In what marked both a culmination and a turning point, the 28th and final edition under the current name brought together key stakeholders from across Canada and beyond to reflect on challenges and chart a future course for the country’s gaming industry.

“There are always moves and changes within the industry, so this is the perfect venue for us to collaborate, collaborate with the operators, collaborate with the providers, just to see what’s going on, what’s coming up and really being able to exchange ideas,” Gigadat Inc. COO Cliff Nywening said of the event.

Over the course of two days, the summit welcomed over 3,000 professionals, 40% of whom held key decision-making roles. The event also featured strong representation from operators and affiliates, with 1,000 operator representatives and 200 affiliates in attendance.

In addition, the event welcomed delegates, including leading suppliers, game studios, regulators and government bodies.

The high caliber of attendees was a point noted by many, including Nywening.

“Size doesn’t really matter, it’s about the quality. You’ve got quality attendees, quality vendors exhibiting, that’s all that makes a good event.”

“We have been at the helm of the Canadian Gaming Summit for three years now, and every year we have worked tirelessly to evolve this event that was already loved by many,” noted SBC CEO and Founder Rasmus Sojmark.

“This year has undoubtedly been our most successful yet. The feedback I’ve received has been incredible—conference rooms were full, the show floor was alive with conversation and our networking parties were by far the most memorable to date. I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended.”

Serving as a platform to explore the current challenges and future opportunities in the Canadian market, the event’s three-stage conference programme featured 150 industry experts covering key topics such as leadership, sports betting and casino, player protection, affiliation and advertising and payments and compliance. The event also featured a dedicated Cybersecurity Symposium in partnership with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

Amongst the notable figures that took the stage was Duncan Hannay (President, OLG), who kicked off the conference with an opening address, followed directly by Honourable Doug Downey (Attorney General, Ontario), who partook in a fireside chat. In the afternoon, delegates were treated to a special keynote panel with Dale Nally (Minister for Service & Red Tape Reduction, Alberta).

“What I’ve been very surprised by is the attention on the panels and the quality of the panelists… the collaboration between the regulators, like the AGCO and the operators. It’s amazing to see,” observed Game Lounge Director of Casino Keith Geary.

The show floor served as the heart of the event, hosting a number of local and global brands and giving attendees ample choices and opportunities to explore the products that can power their presence in Canada.

The show floor also gave new market entrants a chance to introduce themselves and build a foothold in the Canadian market.

“We are new to the Canadian market, and trying to make a splash here. To have so many people engage with us, come by, be curious, and even interact with some of our goods. It definitely gives us a lot of encouragement about the market as a whole,” Head of External Affairs at Lotto.com Kweku Separu-Grant.

This sentiment was echoed by Maverick Games CEO Matt Rathburn.

“You’ll really find everybody that you would need to connect with. If you’re going to launch a new site, you could probably start here and collect all the different pieces that you need to put it all together.”

Alongside the networking opportunities on the show floor, the Canadian Gaming Summit also featured two dedicated evening networking events.

On Tuesday, delegates gathered at the RS Sports Bar for the SBC Canadian Gaming Summit opening party. The evening featured a live screening of the Stanley Cup Final Game 6 between the Florida Panthers and Canada’s own Edmonton Oilers.

The following night, delegates were treated to a memorable experience at the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame for the official networking party. Attendees explored the iconic museum celebrating Canada’s national sport, took part in interactive virtual hockey activations and had the chance to meet NHL and Maple Leafs legend Wendel Clark.

“Our Canada event has earned its place among the SBC Summits. We’re rebranding it as SBC Summit Canada to better align with our global event portfolio and deliver the signature SBC experience. We hope to see you next year.” Sojmark added.

Save the date: SBC Summit Canada will take place in Toronto on May 19-21. For exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, contact sales@sbcgaming.com

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GambleAware: eradicating stigma faced by women experiencing gambling harm

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GambleAware has spotlighted those who are most at risk of experiencing stigma related to gambling harms.

Commissioned by the gambling support charity, the newly-released research project revealed that women were one of several demographics that are most at risk of experiencing gambling harms stigma, as support catered for women has taken a long time to arrive.

Women also experienced another layer of stigma as “their experiences did not align with the traditional stereotype of a male gambler”.

Other demographics more likely to face greater stigma due to experiencing gambling harms include young people, single people, people with children, people from minority ethnic groups, people from religious groups and people with alcohol and drug-related difficulties.

Tracy Madlin, who has experience of gambling harms, said: “Gambling harms had a terrible effect on my life for many years. But it was really hard for me to reach out for help because of people not understanding gambling harms and there being a stigma around them.

“This made me worried that I was going to be judged if I opened up. I think things wouldn’t have gotten so bad for me if there hadn’t been that stigma around it and I would have been able to get help earlier.

“It was particularly hard for me as a woman, because women who are experiencing gambling harms are seen differently to men in the same situation. I was a mum and a homemaker, so people saw me in a certain way and wouldn’t have expected that I would have been experiencing gambling harm.

“Even when I did reach out for help, I found that there wasn’t much specifically for women. When I first walked into a fellowship looking for help, there were 54 men, and I was the only woman. Now I help run female-preferred groups, but it’s taken a long time to get this kind of help for women.”

Gambling harms stigma research

The studies also revealed how those who are subject to gambling harms stigma can suffer from poor mental health, depression, stress, a lack of self-esteem, reduced confidence and in some cases self-harm.

GambleAware added that the research highlights why stigma campaigns, such as the one launched by the charity back in April this year, are important as they challenge stigmatisation and help people who are suffering to reach out for support.

The research project – published across four reports through the combined efforts of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), the University of Wolverhampton, Liverpool John Moores University and Magenta Research – examines how people in Britain who experience gambling harm are stigmatised and discriminated against.

Here are links to each of the four reports: Quantitative, Qualitative, Synthesis and Discourse.

Analysis was conducted of naturalistic data from online peer support forums, alongside a nationally representative survey of 3,567 people in Great Britain (including people with varying levels of experience of gambling harms).

35 people with gambling harms lived experience were also interviewed, as well as 24 people from groups who had come into contact with people who experience gambling harms, in addition to a discourse analysis exploring how people experiencing gambling harms are presented and perceived in public spaces, such as the media.

Game type and social stigma

The research project found that in-person gambling was associated with higher experienced stigma than online gambling, likely due to it being “a more visible means of gambling”.

In-person betting on football and gaming machines were associated with relatively high levels of experienced stigma, while playing the National Lottery was the least associated with experiences of stigma.

Some participants with experience of gambling harms felt judged and excluded by their family and friends, felt they lost respect in social circles and experienced long periods of estrangement from loved ones.

This resulted in social exclusion for many impacted by gambling harms to various degrees, from no longer receiving messages from family to not speaking to family for several years, contributing to stress, depression, low mood and poor overall mental health.

Previous research from the charity showed that stigma and shame stopped people who suffered from gambling harms from seeking help, as 28% of people who experience problems with gambling hide their activities from their family and friends, while 24% who experience the most serious harm do not seek support due to shame or embarrassment.

“This research shows the devastating impact stigma can have on people’s lives and their mental health,” commented Zoë Osmond OBE, Chief Executive of GambleAware.

“Gambling harms can affect anyone, so we all need to work to remove some of the myths and misconceptions that lead people to judge or discriminate against people experiencing these harms.

“Stigma and the fear of being judged is a powerful barrier which stops people coming forward to get much-needed help, so we need to minimise it and ensure people can feel able to be open with friends and family and others around them.”

Perception

The research project also examined how the general public perceives gambling harms, highlighting that while 90% of people said they would be friends with someone who gambles without issue, the figure drops to 70% when being friends with someone experiencing gambling harms.

In addition, 83% said they would be comfortable working closely with someone who gambled without harm, but the figure declines again to 58% for working with someone experiencing gambling harm.

Research participants felt that the media could do more to change the perception of gambling harms by having more discussions on the variety of harms people who gamble might experience, as well as showing people who have overcome such harms.

However, participants also highlighted how coverage of celebrities sharing their stories of gambling harm in the media helped to raise awareness and understanding of gambling harms in society, reducing stigma.

The gambling industry was also scrutinised for its advertising, as “people with lived experience spoke of being ‘bombarded’ by gambling advertisements, which they felt contributed to stigma” by perceiving gambling as “acceptable, fun and safe”.

The report stated that this contributes to the idea that “most people who gamble do so responsibly, and a few ‘stupid’ individuals are ‘ruining’ it for everyone else”, creating an “us versus them narrative” and leading to the perception of individuals with gambling harms being “a flawed minority”.

Research also suggested that those working in the gambling industry “may be particularly prone to holding stigmatising views about people who experience gambling harms – perhaps due to endorsement of narratives around ‘individual responsibility’ for gambling harms”.

Education

Recommendations on reducing gambling harms stigma were also provided.

This included increasing education on the topic for the public, young people and professionals (such as those working in the NHS or criminal justice system), more employment practices for tackling gambling harm stigma and discrimination, as well as additional research into developing interventions to reduce public and self-stigma.

Educational campaigns were also highlighted to challenge gambling harms stigma beliefs, framing it as a public health issue, emphasising the industry’s responsibility, involving individuals with lived experience in the development and implementation of interventions, as well as avoiding using stigmatising language in public discourse.

Professor Joanne Lloyd, the research project lead at the University of Wolverhampton, noted: “This research demonstrates how detrimental stigma can be for people who experience gambling harms, and highlights how important it is to challenge it.

“We hope that the insights we have gained into how a range of individual and societal factors increase the risk of stigma and associated harm can help direct educational interventions to reduce this harm.”

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Gambling Commission ‘concerned’ by BBC gambling centre probe

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched an investigation after a BBC report revealed stark compliance failures at gambling venues in the UK.

An undercover operation undertaken by File on 4 Investigates found that a BBC reporter who had placed himself on a self-exclusion register was able to play on slot machines at four out of five Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) he entered in Portsmouth, England.

Once signed up to a self-exclusion scheme at an AGC, a player’s image should be shared among similar venues within a 1km radius, and any players on the list should be prevented from playing. This distance can be extended further by calling a helpline.

“We take protecting consumers extremely seriously,” a Gambling Commission spokesperson told iGaming Expert. “The results of this BBC investigation are very concerning, and we will be taking urgent steps to investigate what has happened.”

According to the BBC, two of the venues the reporter entered were not signed up to a self-exclusion scheme, breaching one of the conditions of their gaming licence. They have since begun working with a self-exclusion scheme.

There are two self-exclusion schemes that AGCs can join. One called SmartExclusion and another run by Bacta, the trade body for AGC venues.

The UKGC notes that local authorities are responsible for licensing such premises, and part of the licensing fee they charge is used to inspect gambling businesses in regards to their compliance with responsible gambling measures.

Within the BBC report, Tim Miller, Executive Director of the UKGC, committed to “double down” on efforts to ensure that these checks are performed.

“Most of all, we do need to see inspections of those properties,” he told the BBC. “They’re not onerous, for just checking that what [AGCs are] actually doing is what they’re meant to do, and they’re not doing stuff which is marginally illegal.”

AGC scrutiny escalates

These damming findings come at a time when such gambling venues are facing increasing scrutiny from local authorities, who accuse AGCs of targeting the poorest areas of the UK.

In April, a letter addressed to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed fear that local communities are being overwhelmed by “24-hour slot shops”.

36 councils and two mayors, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, signed the letter calling for “key reforms of the Gambling Act”, which they believe has overlooked community-level concerns about gambling harms.

In particular, leaders are demanding greater local authority control over granting gambling licences to venues.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and author of the letter, commented: “Communities like Brent are experiencing a surge of land-based gambling operators spreading along our high streets, seemingly targeting areas of higher deprivation to maximise profits. The alarming concentration of these premises often faces strong community opposition, as well as concerns from public health and community safety officials.

“But despite this shared opposition among residents, police, and politicians, councils have found themselves effectively powerless to intervene. The current statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ duty severely restricts a council’s ability to block the opening of additional gambling venues, even when the community is unequivocally against it.”

Concerning compliance failures

Within the BBC report, gamblers shared their own experience of the failings of staff at AGCs.

One gambler spoken to as part of the investigation revealed that a member of staff at an AGC offered to show her how to remove a block on her bank account that she had put in place to prevent her from making transactions at gambling venues.

Meanwhile, the report also spoke to the family of a woman whose problem gambling activity sparked UKGC intervention against Merkur Slots UK Limited.

In February, the operator was handed a £95,450 fine for failing to interact with the customer, who lost £1,981 across two gaming sessions at its AGC in Stockport.

According to the UKGC’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), premises-based businesses such as Merkur are obligated to interact with customers to minimise the risk of customers experiencing gambling harm.

The UKGC noted at the time of announcing the penalty, Merkur had taken action to correct the compliance failure at the store in question.

“We urge anyone with concerns to report potential breaches of our rules through our confidential report line as soon as they can,” advised the UKGC spokesperson.

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MGA issues vehement defence against EU 

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The MGA has asserted its belief that Bill 55 does not shield Maltese operators from EU courts following the escalation of the dispute between the EU and Malta.

A formal notice was filed by the European Commission questioning whether the bill complied with European regulations. However, the MGA has staunchly defended the bill, emphasising that it doesn’t impose a blanket ban on enforcing European judgments against Maltese-licensed gaming companies.

The MGA emphasised that as a Member State, Malta has “consistently maintained the position that its gaming regulatory framework is in line with the principles established by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)”. Specifically around competition laws and the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Consequently, the MGA reiterates that Article 56A of the Gaming Act does not introduce new or separate grounds for refusing the recognition or enforcement of judgments beyond those already set out in Regulation (EU) 1215/2012. Rather, it codifies into law Malta’s long-standing public policy on gaming matters. The MGA will continue to support the Maltese Government in engaging in open and constructive dialogue with the European Commission.

A letter issued by the EC stated that it considers the Maltese legislation as a shield from litigation from other EU states, something the MGA vehemently denies.

An MGA statement defended the bill as the regulatory body underpinned its belief that any unjustified restrictions on the freedom to provide services and the freedom of establishment within the EU internal market run directly counter to the case law of the CJEU.

The MGA concluded its defence by outlining that Article 56A of the Gaming Act “does not introduce new or separate grounds for refusing the recognition or enforcement of judgments beyond those already set out in Regulation (EU) 1215/2012”.

They described it instead as codifying into law Malta’s long-standing public policy on gaming matters.

The bill was brought back into focus in recent times as Maltese courts ruled in two separate cases that Austrian courts do not have the power to dictate whether gaming operators in Malta compensate Austrian players.

This is in spite of courts in Austria both backing the players, with the Austrian framework currently citing any overseas operator as being illegal in the country.

Maltese courts and the two operators emphasised the free market and EU Laws enabling free movements of services, illegitimising the original Austrian decision in the eyes of the Maltese legal system.

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Swedish regulator continues legal battle with Svenska Spel

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There’s set to be a new chapter in the longstanding legal battle between the Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen and the operator Svenska Spel Sport & Casino AB.

The regulator has appealed a court decision that saw the operator successfully challenge a SEK 100m penalty fee (approximately £7.7m) for duty of care failures.

Spelinspektionen is appealing the decision of the Administrative Court in Linköping to the Court of Appeal in Jönköping as it believes it conflicts with previous court decisions, as well as the authority’s scope of the duty of care assessment.

Administrative Court sides with Svenska Spel

Back in March last year, Svenska Spel was issued a warning and a penalty fee by the Swedish authority following an audit of the operator in 2021, in which the authority stated that the operator had not fulfilled its obligations under Chapter 14, Section 1 of the Gambling Act, specifically the duty of care supervision.

Spelinspektionen said Svenska Spel didn’t work actively or proactively enough to protect ten customers who showed signs of potential gambling harm between 17 October and 17 December 2021, issuing a warning and a penalty fee of SEK 100m as a result.

Appealing to the administrative court, Svenska Spel said it did meet the requirements of Chapter 14, Section 1 of the Gambling Act, continuously monitors its customers’ gambling behaviour and takes action to help players reduce their gambling when necessary.

The operator added that as the constitution doesn’t state which measures should be taken and when, its own measures should therefore “be considered sufficient when examining whether there were grounds for intervention”.

Siding with the operator, the Administrative Court disagreed with Spelinspektionen‘s assessment based on the “legality principle”, which states that an authority may only take measures that are supported by the legal order and that it must be “sufficiently clear” what individuals must do to avoid a penalty.

Assessed in a ‘completely different way’

The Administrative Court’s judgment can be appealed by Spelinspektionen to the Court of Appeal, which is what the regulator has decided to do, arguing that the Administrative Court’s decision conflicts with previous court decisions and the authority’s scope of the duty of care assessment.

In a statement, the authority said: “The Administrative Court’s judgment incorrectly assumes that the duty of care under Chapter 14, Section 1 of the Gambling Act does not contain any concrete directives for action. The Swedish Gambling Authority considers that the provision places clear requirements on a licensee.

“A licensee must promptly take active measures to protect players against excessive gambling. A licensee must also continuously monitor extensive gambling and, if necessary, take measures at the same pace as the gambling occurs. A licensee must also voluntarily limit gambling to counteract the damage that excessive gambling can cause.

“The customers examined, one of whom was a young person, have gambled extensively and lost significant amounts over a short period of time. Over two months, the losses have amounted to between SEK 260,000 and SEK 600,000. In some cases, the losses correspond to a large part of the customer’s taxable annual income.

“The company’s measures have mainly consisted of warnings and informative messages. The Swedish Gambling Authority assesses that Svenska Spel Sport & Casino has neither continuously followed up on the customers examined nor taken necessary and individualised measures to limit their gambling.

“The Swedish Gambling Authority believes that the Administrative Court has assessed Svenska Spel Sport & Casino in a completely different way than other sanctioned licensees. The Swedish Gambling Authority is therefore appealing the Administrative Court’s ruling to the Court of Appeal.”

‘Greater clarity’

The interpretation of the duty of care under Chapter 14, Section 1 of the Gambling Act has already been raised by Svenska Spel, who called for clarification regarding its interpretation when they reacted to the Administrative Court’s decision earlier this month.

“It is gratifying that the Administrative Court upholds our appeal and overturns the decision of the Swedish Gambling Authority,” commented Fredrik Wastenson, CEO and Business Area Manager at Svenska Spel Sport & Casino AB.

“We appealed because we believe that the penalty fee is disproportionate in relation to the shortcomings and because there is a need to create greater clarity in the interpretation of the duty of care. We believe that the authority may only take measures that are supported by the legal order, the so-called principle of legality, which the court has also stated.”

Compliance

Spelinspektionen has also recently undertaken a review of three operators – AB Trotting and Galloping, Svenska Spel and Lotto Direct Limited – who will be checked for compliance with the provision on the notification obligation according to Chapter 11, section three of the country’s Gambling Act.

Chapter 11, section three of the Gambling Act requires licence holders to notify the gambling authority if they become aware of changes concerning their application or registration of a gambling agent.

The gambling authority stated that once the review has been completed, the results will be published with a link to a decision if intervention is necessary.

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