Compliance Updates
State Senators in Hawaii Propose Legalised Gambling
A pair of bills have reached the Hawaii Senate proposing legalised gambling in the state.
Senate Bill 850 and Senate Bill 2669 were both proposed by Maui Sen. Gilbert Keith-Agaran and co-sponsored by Kona Sen. Dru Kanuha. The two bills are functionally identical and would establish a Hawaii Lottery and Gaming Corporation to oversee a legal gambling industry throughout the state.
Such gambling would include legal wagering on games of chance, free-to-play games and sweepstakes offered outside of Hawaii to attract visitors to the state.
Hawaii is one of only two states in the U.S. to have an outright ban on all forms of gambling, along with Utah. All other states permit legal gambling in some form or another.
“We should remember that there’s already a lot of people in the state participating in gambling. The fact that we have direct flights to Las Vegas on every island should be emblematic of that,” Keith-Agaran said.
“What we don’t want to do is rely on it. But I’m interested in finding funding for things like medical services in rural areas. Either we fund it with this, or we have to find the money somewhere else,” Keith-Agaran added.
Kona Sen. Dru Kanuha said the bills represent a “good effort” to generate revenue for programs that are consistently short on funding. The bills, he said, have a more thorough structure than similar attempts at gambling legalisation that failed to succeed in the past.
“There are always different perspectives when considering new industries, and we’re on the right path with every measure and discussion we have regarding generating revenues and not increasing taxes on residents in Hawaii,” Kanuha said in an email.
Keith-Agaran said much of the opposition to gambling legalisation has come from moral standpoints, but other concerns have been raised by representatives of the tourism industry.
“Visitor dollars are finite,” Keith-Agaran said, explaining that dollars that go to a casino could have instead supported local businesses and services.
Anjouan B2B licence
VeliGames secures Anjouan B2B licence to expand operator reach
VeliGames, the game aggregation platform by VeliTech, has secured an Anjouan B2B licence, marking a major step in its international expansion. The new licence allows VeliGames to provide its portfolio of in-house and third-party content to Anjouan-licensed iGaming operators, opening doors to a wider network of partners.
For operators, the licence provides confidence and regulatory assurance when selecting a content provider, while simplifying the onboarding process and accelerating access to VeliGames’ extensive catalogue.
Irakli Kakhidze, CEO of VeliGames, said: “Securing the Anjouan B2B licence is a key milestone in our global growth strategy. It strengthens our position as a trusted aggregation partner and enables us to collaborate with more licensed operators, supporting faster content delivery and smoother integration.”
Recently recognized as an Industry Rising Star at SiGMA Africa 2026, VeliGames continues to expand its reach across emerging markets including Africa, Asia, and LATAM. The company combines exclusive in-house titles with a growing library of third-party games, providing operators with a diverse and scalable content offering.
The Anjouan licence is part of VeliGames’ broader strategy to grow its international footprint while maintaining a strong focus on regulatory compliance, technology reliability, and long-term industry partnerships.
The post VeliGames secures Anjouan B2B licence to expand operator reach appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Central Register for Exclusion from Gambling
KSA Publishes Studies and Provides Guidance on the Duty of Care
The Dutch Gambling Regulator (KSA) has published two studies and provided additional guidance on the fulfillment of the duty of care by online gambling licensees. The documents provide insight into practice and offer clarification on personal interviews and the submission of notifications for registration in the Central Register for Exclusion from Gambling (Cruks).
The KSA conducted research into these topics in 2025. The results were discussed in December 2025 during a roundtable discussion with license holders. During this discussion, practical experiences and bottlenecks were gathered. Based on this, the KSA has drawn up guidelines to provide more clarity regarding implementation.
Personal maintenance
The personal interview is a far-reaching intervention that license holders are required to implement when there is a suspicion of excessive gambling behaviour or gambling addiction. Research shows that license holders implement this differently and encounter bottlenecks, such as a low response rate from players. The guidance explains, among other things, the timing of the intervention, the form of contact and the content of the conversation. In doing so, room remains for customisation and professional judgment.
Notices
If a license holder observes serious signs of problematic gambling behaviour or suspects a gambling addiction, the player must be advised to register with Cruks. If the player does not follow this advice, the license holder must report this to the KSA (a notification). The KSA may subsequently decide to involuntarily register the player in Cruks.
The research shows that license holders apply this measure differently and that there are questions in practice regarding its implementation. For example, it is difficult for the license holder to verify whether a player has actually registered, and it is not always clear when a notification must be submitted.
The guidance provides practical explanation regarding this, including the timing of reporting and the information required.
Guidelines
The guidelines do not contain new rules, but provide further explanation regarding the application of existing obligations. This gives permit holders more clarity regarding the fulfillment of their duty of care.
The post KSA Publishes Studies and Provides Guidance on the Duty of Care appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Baroness Fiona Twycross
BGC AGM 2026 Discussed About Surging Illegal Gambling Black Market
The Betting and Gaming Council AGM 2026 has discussed about the surging illegal gambling black market. As speakers repeatedly highlighted, 1.5 million people in Britain are already gambling on unlicensed sites and staking around £10bn a year outside UK regulation.
That concern is only set to intensify in the coming weeks as the Government considers further regulatory changes. In particular, Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs), which would require customers to provide detailed financial information such as bank statements and will only drive more customers towards unlicensed operators.
Chaired by broadcasters Gloria de Piero and Liam Halligan, the event began with a keynote from the Gambling Minister, followed by a discussion with BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst. A panel on the illegal market and the Gambling Commission’s assessment of the challenge followed, alongside research, polling and personal testimony from across the industry highlighting the scale of the problem.
Baroness Fiona Twycross, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Gambling, opened proceedings by addressing the tensions in current policy. She acknowledged that the gambling duty changes announced in November’s Budget were “extremely challenging for the sector, particularly for online operators,” and that they would “significantly affect business decisions and staff.” She defended the government’s position, arguing the changes were necessary to support public finances and would raise over a billion pounds a year for the Treasury.
The minister was clear: “Illegal gambling causes harm to vulnerable consumers,” she said, adding that it also damages the regulated sector. She announced an additional £26m for the Gambling Commission over the next three years and publicly confirmed the establishment of an Illegal Gambling Taskforce. This will bring together major companies including Google, Mastercard, TikTok and Visa alongside law enforcement and advertising bodies with a focus on illegal payments, advertising and cross-agency collaboration. She also announced a forthcoming consultation on the banning of unlicensed sport sponsorships, including in the Premier League. For many in the industry, this welcome action on enforcement will sit uneasily alongside tax policy that they believe is actively driving consumers towards the harmful black market.
The post BGC AGM 2026 Discussed About Surging Illegal Gambling Black Market appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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