- Gibraltar  -
The Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming (CERG) at the University of Gibraltar is opening a call for applicants wishing to start their PhD. studies in the academic year starting in October 2022.
 

Successful applicants may have an interest in the etiology of problematic gambling/gambling disorder and understanding the mechanisms of gambling-related risks and harm.

Interested applicants may apply as self-funded individuals or for PhD scholarships funded by the CERG. Scholarships would cover tuition costs, a monthly living stipend and travel assistance.
Please, visit our website for the details: https://www.unigib.edu.gi/cerg 

If you are interested in applying, contact Dr Zsolt Demetrovics, Chair of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming at cerg@unigib.edu.gi 
 

The closing date for application is the 31st May 2022.

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- The Netherlands -
KSA warns operators over “insufficient” AML compliance
 

Licensees in the Netherlands are required to adhere to regulations set out in the Wwft, but an investigation by KSA and data from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-the Netherlands) found certain rules were not being properly followed.

Setting out its findings, the KSA said some operators were failing to check customers’ origin of money, saying many licensees only saw a reason to carry out these checks when players make a deposit in excess of €2,500 (£2,097/$2,627).

However, the KSA made the point that spending this amount of money on games of chance is only possible for a few people noting how the average net monthly salary in the country is approximately €2,500.
 

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igamingbusiness.com  3rd May 2022 

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- Australia -
Vic gambling ad spend three times alcohol
 

Young men under 24 make up almost one third of Victorian sports betters, with responsible gambling advocates blaming an advertising deluge as betting agencies out-spend the alcohol industry.

Neilsen advertising data released on Sunday showed a daily average of 948 gambling ads aired on Victorian free-to-air stations last year, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation CEO Shane Lucas said. That's up from an average of 374 ads per day five years ago."That is a very significant increase and demonstrates just how pervasive these ads have become," Mr. Lucas said. The ads came at a cost of about $287 million, an increase of almost $16 million over 2020 which does not include in-stadium advertising or sponsorships.

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The singleton argus,  April 30 2022

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- Ireland-
Northern Ireland Gambling Reform Bill Becomes Law

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A bill designed to bring stricter regulation of gambling in Northern Ireland has received Royal Assent, meaning it has officially become law.

The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements Bill modifies several aspects of gambling laws in NI, which were last updated in the 1980s.

One of the changes brought about through the bill is that betting shops can now open on Sundays and on Good Friday. However, betting shops will still have to close on Christmas Day.

It is also now an offence to allow anyone under the age of 18 to use a gaming machine. Anyone found guilty of this offence could face 6 months in prison.

A mandatory levy on licensees will also be introduced, along with a code of practice for those holding licences. A company that fails to adequately protect customers could lose its betting license.

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European Gaming, May 4, 2022

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- United Kingdom -
Klarna brings gambling block to open banking payments

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Klarna is enabling banks to extend voluntary gambling blocks to open banking-driven payments through its subsidiary, Sofort, using public code developed by Monzo and TrueLayer.

Monzo, was the first bank to introduce a gambling block in 2018, following demand from customers who wanted help controlling their use of gambling sites. Since then most UK banks have followed Monzo’s lead.

However, while gambling blocks are effective for payments made by card, open banking powered payments are often not covered.

Klarna first entered the open banking space when it acquired Sofort, a direct bank-to-bank payment service in Germany, in 2014. Sofort provides immediate, bank-to-bank payments services to a range of merchants, including online gambling sites.

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Finextra.com, 22 April 2022

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- United States -
IGT Becomes First US Industry Supplier to Achieve G4 Responsible Gaming Accreditation for Sports Betting

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GT's proactive approach to responsible gaming and achieving prestigious G4 certifications sets the pace for the entire industry to go above and beyond what state regulation mandates when it comes to player protection," said Joe Asher, IGT President of Sports Betting. "As sports betting continues its expansion across the U.S., IGT is actively demonstrating that it is now more important than ever to exercise strong responsible gaming support. We are honored to be the first industry supplier to achieve sports betting responsible gaming accreditation and we look forward to working with our customers to implement our best-in-class solutions for their players."

"G4 applauds IGT for making responsible gaming a top priority across all of its business verticals," said Pieter Remmers, Chairman of the G4 Board of Directors. "G4 appreciates having IGT as an accredited member and glad to see the company continue leading the gaming industry with its responsible gaming initiatives."

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prnewswire.com, 26 2020

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- Sweden -
Swedish inspectorate to begin May trials of Spelpaus 2.0 self-exclusion system

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Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s Gambling Inspectorate, has informed licensees that it will undertake a ‘testing phase’ of Spelpaus – Swedish gambling’s centralised self-exclusion scheme and customer database during the month of May.

A pilot phase is required as Spelinspektionen has procured a new systems supplier to operate Spelpaus.se, charged with delivering comprehensive upgrades.

At the start of the year, Spelinspektionen alerted Swedish licensed operators that it would launch a new ‘Spelpaus 2.0 system’ – with the aim of making Swedish self-exclusion more seamless for players and to better inform relevant health authorities with more data on consumer engagements across gambling verticals. 

The Spelpaus self-exclusion system was launched at the start of 2019, to coincide with the government’s relaunch of Sweden’s new online gambling marketplace.

Applied as a statutory order by Spelinspektionen, all Swedish licensed operators must remain connected to the Spelpaus database, which to date has registered over 73,000 self-excluded players.

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sbcnews.co.uk, 25 April 2022

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- Belgium -
Belgium’s BAGO condemns proposed ban on unified gambling accounts

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Proposals by Belgian legislators to enforce customers to open multiple accounts for different gaming verticals have been criticised by the country’s gambling industry trade association.

The amendment to Belgian gambling law would require bettors to open multiple accounts with the same operator across different gaming offerings – i.e., different accounts for sports betting, online casino, poker etc. 

A law relating to gaming accounts was first introduced in 2019 but was postponed for over two years, and since then a change in Belgian political administration has seen the new coalition government adopt a different approach. 

The new policy adopted by legislators has called for an end to customers using one account to access different gambling offerings with one operator, with the original 2019 legislation allowing this practice.

Belgium’s Gambling Commission (BGC) had asserted that the original proposals may not be beneficial to players, but the Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) industry body has condemned the recent changes as having a potentially negative impact on player protection.

 

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sbcnews.co.uk, 22 April 2022