Compliance Updates
Lifetime Ban And $200,000 Fine For Joao Olavo Soares De Souza After Conviction On Match-fixing Charges
31-year old Brazilian currently ranked 742 in ATP singles has been Provisionally Suspended from professional tennis since March 2019
Brazilian tennis player Joao Olavo Soares de Souza has received a lifetime ban together with a fine of $200,000 after being convicted of multiple match-fixing and associated corruption offences.
A Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) investigation established that between 2015 and 2019 the player committed numerous breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). These included repeated incidents of match-fixing at ATP Challenger and ITF Futures tournaments held in Brazil, Mexico, the United States and Czech Republic.
In addition to match-fixing offences, the player was also found to have:
- failed to report corrupt approaches
- failed to fully co-operate with the TIU, including destroying evidence
- solicited other players to not use best efforts
The case against Mr Souza was considered by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Prof Richard H. McLaren at a disciplinary Hearing held in London on 14 January 2020.
Prof McLaren’s decision to impose a lifetime ban means that with effect from 24 January 2020 the player is permanently ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned event organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport.
In March 2019, and prior to being charged with corruption offences, Mr Souza had been Provisionally Suspended from professional tennis, pending completion of the TIU investigation and case against him.
The 31-year old is currently ranked 742 in ATP singles, with a career-high of 69 reached in April 2015. As a doubles player his highest ranking was 70, achieved in January 2013.
The breaches of the TACP he has been found guilty of are as follows:
Section D.1.d. No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event.
Section D.1.e. No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or facilitate any Player to not use his or her best efforts in any Event.
Section D.1.f. No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or accept any money, benefit or Consideration with the intention of negatively influencing a Player’s best efforts in any Event.
Section D.2.a.i. In the event any Player is approached by any person who offers or provides any type of money, benefit or Consideration to a Player to (i) influence the outcome or any other aspect of any Event, or (ii) provide Inside Information, it shall be the Player’s obligation to report such incident to the TIU as soon as possible.
Section F.2.b. All Covered Persons must co-operate fully with investigations conducted by the TIU including giving evidence at hearings, if requested. No Covered Person shall (i)tamper with, damage, disable, destroy or otherwise alter any evidence or other information related to any Corruption Offense or (ii) solicit or facilitate any other person to tamper with, damage, disable, destroy or otherwise alter any evidence or other information related to any Corruption Offense.
The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam Board, who are jointly committed to a zero tolerance approach to betting-related corruption in professional tennis.
Source: tennisintegrityunit.com
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The Gaming Control Board (GCB) is a foundation established on 19 April 1999 with the specific purpose of becoming the supervisor of the entire gaming industry operating in and from Curaçao. With the entry into force of the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) on 24 December 2024, the GCB has been designated as the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) and will continue operations under this name.
The CGA is led by a Board of Directors under the supervision of a Supervisory Board. Until recently, the CGA fell under the political-administrative responsibility of the Minister of Finance; since 19 august 2025 this responsibility has been transferred by the government to the Minister of Justice, as announced by the government on 13 october 2025.
In the context of its activities and its commitment to transparency, the CGA confirms that the Supervisory Board resigned in mid-September. The process to appoint new members by the government has already begun. This development has no impact on the performance of the CGA’s supervisory duties, including the continued implementation of the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK). All licensing and supervisory activities continue uninterrupted.
The Curaçao Gaming Authority remains committed to ensuring the integrity and reliability of the gaming sector in Curaçao.
The post Curacao Gaming Authority statement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
KSA: Monitoring report autumn 2025: turnaround in market development, concerns about illegal share
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The growth of the legal online gambling market appears to be stagnating, but the illegal market continues to grow. This turnaround in the legal market is partly due to the positive effects of measures introduced a year ago to protect players. This is according to the Dutch Gaming Authority (Ksa) in its autumn 2025 monitoring report. Although the number of players is still increasing, the gross gaming result (GSR) of the legal market is lagging behind.
The gross gaming result (GSR, stakes minus prizes paid out) for the first half of 2025 is €600 million. Six months earlier, it was 16% higher, at €697 million. This is partly due to the introduction of new rules to better protect players, which also include a deposit limit.
Number of players and accounts
The number of accounts played on a monthly basis has increased: in the second half of 2024, this averaged 1.18 million accounts. In the first half of 2025, this number rose to 1.29 million. On average, 7.1% of the accounts are new. More new accounts are likely being created because, with the implementation of the new rules at the end of 2024, players will be able to deposit less per account monthly without sharing their income data with the provider.
A player can have multiple accounts, so the number of accounts doesn’t equal the number of people gambling. It’s estimated that in the first six months of 2025, there were 839,000 active players with legal providers. This means that 5.7% of the adult population gambled legally online during those months. That’s slightly more than the previous six months, when that percentage was 5.4%.
Loss
The average player’s monthly losses have decreased substantially since the implementation of the protective measures. While the average loss per player was €146 per month at the end of 2024, it has dropped to €119 per month by the beginning of 2025. This takes into account the fact that players play with multiple providers and may not be active every month.
Young adults (ages 18 to 24) played with 23 percent of the accounts used in the first half of 2025. This is relatively high, as they represent only 9.3% of the adult population. They do lose less money per account on average than adult players, namely €37 per month compared to €78 for adults. Compared to the total player population, young adults also engage in relatively more sports betting.
Illegal market
The channeling in terms of players (the percentage of people gambling with legal providers) is stable: approximately 94% gamble exclusively legally. The channeling in terms of BSR (the amount of total gambled money going to illegal providers) has shown a slight downward trend that continued in the first half of 2025: from 51% at the end of 2024 to 49% at the beginning of 2025. This downward trend may be explained by players shifting to illegal offerings due to the new player protection regulations, where these perceived restrictive rules do not apply. The Ksa considers this a worrying development, as players in the illegal market are much less well protected.
Source: kansspelautoriteit.nl
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2025 Global Regulatory Awards
Vixio Announces the 2025 Recipient of the Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award
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Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, is delighted to announce that Wes Himes will receive the Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award at the 2025 Global Regulatory Awards. This prestigious honour recognises individuals whose exceptional contributions have advanced the culture of compliance and regulatory standards across the gambling industry.
Throughout his distinguished career, Wes has been at the forefront of shaping modern gambling regulation, from founding the Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (iGGBA) in 2000 to serving as Executive Director of Standards and Innovation at the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and now as a Partner at Intrepid Partners. “I am truly humbled to be receiving this award… When I started in this industry 25 years ago, I had no idea how dynamic and exciting the sector would later become,” stated Wes Himes. Himes added: “It has been a privilege and a pleasure working with so many colleagues that I call friends, and I can not thank enough the operators and other stakeholders who have been so supportive of my work and career.”
As part of this announcement, Vixio has released a special episode of the Regulatory Radar Podcast. Vixio’s Chief Analyst, James Kilsby, sits down with Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award recipient Wes Himes to discuss his 25-year journey in the gambling sector, from navigating policy debates to building bridges between regulators, operators, and policymakers. Listeners will gain insight into how compliance has evolved into a cornerstone of sustainable growth and hear Wes’s perspective on the future of regulation and responsible gaming. A thoughtful and inspiring conversation with one of the most respected voices in the field, don’t miss this look back at a remarkable career and what lies ahead for the industry. To listen to the episode in full, please visit the Vixio website or follow the link here.
The post Vixio Announces the 2025 Recipient of the Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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