Player Protection

 Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ), The Gambling Authority of Portugal has reported that online self-exclusion registrants reached 215,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023. The agency noted that while online gaming gross revenue improved year-over-year by over 16 per cent, land-based gaming revenue dropped by almost four per cent. Publishing data for Q4, the SRIJ declared a 16.4 per …

Regulatory compliance specialist BetComply has introduced a tool that combines self-assessment with auditing services for licence holders in the Netherlands.  The ‘ComplyCheck’ solution, powered by SG Certified, offers a set of questions that can be completed by operators with the relevant evidence before submitting it to the BetComply team for review.  BetComply then analyses the information with the help of …

Kansspelcommissie, the Gambling Authority of Belgium, has confirmed that it will apply new gambling protection measures from 1 September 2024, raising the minimum age for gambling to 21 years.  The decision follows January’s approval of new player protection amendments to be added to the Belgian Gambling Act of 1999.  The mandate was approved by the Chamber of Representatives, which endorsed …

Glücksspielbehörde (GGL), the Federal Gambling Authority of Germany, has initiated its legal review of loot boxes and in-game video purchases. In its evaluation, GGL stated its support for the current initiatives aimed at effectively regulating loot boxes to protect children and youth in Germany. The specifics of loot box reward mechanisms and related activities like skin betting are under scrutiny …

The Charity Commission has received a complaint made against GambleAware for providing false information to the British public on gambling-related harms and suicides. The complaint has been submitted by The Good Law Project, an independent non-profit organisation led by public policy expert Will Prochaska, the former Strategic Director of Gambling with Lives (GWL). In its mission statement, The Good Law …

Franc Weerwind, Legal Protection Minister of the Netherlands, has informed the President of the House of Representatives about his intentions going forward in regards to the upcoming evaluation of the country’s Remote Gambling Act (KOA) taking place in October. The letter to Martin Bosma is a follow up to Weerwind’s previous alert on failing player protection measures of the Remote …

The National Assembly of Slovenia has been warned that “there are many more violations of online gambling” than previously assumed. The warning came from the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (FURS) carrying out its annual inspection of gambling activities and licences. The agency reported that “more and more online organisers are illegally organising games of chance in the …

Banco Central do Brasil has been authorised to expand the Pix payment platform internationally to accommodate cross-border transactions for Brazilian businesses. The decision was taken following a meeting of the Central Bank’s policy advisors on how to maximise global cross-border payment authorisations and efficiencies helping expand Brazil’s international network and resources for business. Pix was first launched by the central …

Yesterday’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) showcased the distinct opinions of key political actors at the centre of delivering the change needed to future-proof UK gambling.  “There is never a dull moment in our industry,” stated BGC CEO Michael Dugher, opening the proceedings of the AGM held at the Institution of Civil Engineers in …

Through the lens of his personal experiences of gambling addiction, Lee Willows, Founder & Executive Chair of ESG Gaming – a non-profit social responsibility, sustainability and harm minimisation group – discussed consumer protection, player integrity and safeguarding. At a session in the Esports Betting Conference during ICE London 2024, Willows expressed how he used this knowledge of gambling harms to …