Compliance Updates

UKGC Executive Director Tim Miller Issues Fresh Warning to Industry

Published

3 years ago

September 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Tim Miller, Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), has delivered a warning to industry leaders at a recent speech.

In his keynote address entitled “New normal, higher expectations” at the Know Now 2021 conference, Miller claimed the UKGC has risen to the hardships of pandemic life.

He began by outlining the Commission’s successes to keep gambling fairer and safer “in the face of once in a century challenges.”

Miller spoke at length about the measures the regulator had taken in the lead up to and during the pandemic, to address changing consumer behaviours.

He touched on the efforts the Commission has made online, especially those aimed at protecting children and young people from predatory advertisers such as age-gating content and the use of Ad-Tech.

Miller also discussed several new rules that will come into force on 31 October, including a cap on slot spin speeds in online games at 2.5 seconds, as well as banning auto-play.

However, Miller’s tone changed when he reiterated the Commission’s commitment to keeping crime out of gambling.

“With rapid changes in technology we know we need to be increasingly fleet of foot and may need a broader range of tools to tackle emerging risks.”

This focus on crime formed a large portion of Miller’s speech. In it, he addressed the dangers of black-market gambling and the efforts that have been made to curb the presence of money laundering in the industry.

In particular, Miller emphasised the need for compliance and cooperation from operators.

“When we talk about the results of our ramped-up compliance and enforcement action in recent years, the focus is often on the failings of operators to minimise the risk of harm. But just as often operators we take action against have failed to meet our standards to prevent money laundering as well.”

Miller ended on an optimistic note, acknowledging the difficulties of the past year and the need for the Commission to raise its own standards while looking forward to the future.

He concluded: “The last 18 months have been a period of profound challenge for everyone, including the Gambling Commission. But despite the turbulence that all of our lives have faced, the Commission’s objectives have remained the same. It has not diverted us away from the course of making gambling fairer, safer and crime free.”

Compliance Updates

Department of Trust set to meet challenges of new affordability checks

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

Zoltan Tundik

department-of-trust-set-to-meet-challenges-of-new-affordability-checks

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Department of Trust (dotrust.co.uk), the award-winning provider of financial risk assessments for safer gambling is poised to meet the challenges of the newly announced regulations on frictionless financial checks by the UK Gambling Commission and Betting and Gaming Council.

Under the new rules published by the Gambling Commission, operators have until August 30^th to implement frictionless checks on all customers making £500 net deposits in any rolling 30-day period. These frictionless checks form part of a new regime designed to protect players at risk of financial harm and replace the current ad hoc approach to affordability checks.

Department of Trust also welcomes the interim voluntary code published today by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the standards body representing over 90% of UK-regulated market operators. This code focuses on how responsible operators should support customers spending above the lower threshold set out by the Gambling Commission.

The supplier’s DoTrust Complete solution offers an integrated suite of frictionless and enhanced financial risk checks with a high level of automation capability -the only such tool built solely for safer gambling – and is perfectly positioned to help businesses navigate the newly regulated waters.

Charles Cohen, CEO of Department of Trust, said: “These important announcements flag the end of gambling’s ‘sus law’ where players faced seemingly arbitrary requests for personal information, operators were placed under a significant burden, and no one won

“We now know that in 120 days, every operator will need to perform frictionless checks on all players with net deposits in a 30-day rolling period of £500. A few months later this will fall to a much lower level.

“If operators want to protect their business, keep their customers and reduce costs, smart automation is the only answer.

“Department of Trust has spent over two years building the leading plug-and-play solution specifically for the gambling industry. Complete already automates over 90% of the processes required in both the new LCCP and BGC code. Now we know what the requirement will be, we are today committing to the goal of 100%. We want every operator and player to have instant assessments and sensible decisions cost-effectively. No one needs to lose sleep over this.”.

The post Department of Trust set to meet challenges of new affordability checks appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Argentina

Play’n GO breaks new ground with entrance into third Argentinian province

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

play’n-go-breaks-new-ground-with-entrance-into-third-argentinian-province

Swedish gaming giants’ games now available in the province of Córdoba’s newly regulated market

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced their expansion into yet another new regulated market, as the Swedish gaming giant has agreed a partnership with Betsson in the province of Córdoba, Argentina.

Argentina is currently in a process of regulation for online gaming purposes on a province-by-province basis, and the partnership with Betsson sees Play’n GO enter yet another regulated market, keeping up the momentum from 2023 that saw the company expand its global reach.

This announcement sees Betsson’s players in Córdoba gain access to Play’n GO’s entire catalogue of games, including classics such as Book of Dead, Reactoonz, and Moon Princess.

This announcement is a signal of intent from Play’n GO, who reiterate their commitment to be present in every regulated market in the world.

Michele Stefanelli, Sales Leader, LATAM and Southern Europe, Play’n GO said: “Our first foray into a new region is always exciting for us, and we’re looking forward to a successful partnership with Betsson in Córdoba. Players around the world, and especially in the LATAM region, have already shown their fondness for our content, and we’re quietly confident that this new region will be no different. We are on record with our commitment to a safe, regulated industry, and we’re very pleased to see that approach rolled out globally by lawmakers and operators alike.”

Maximiliano Bellio, Managing Director Betsson Argentina, added: “We’re pleased to welcome Play’n GO to the Betsson family here in the Córdoba region, and we look forward to many years of success together. Like Play’n GO, Betsson is committed to a sustainable industry model, so this partnership makes perfect sense for both parties. We’re sure our players will be as excited as we are once they start playing these games that have proven so popular around the world, so let’s get started.”

Play’n GO’s games are already available in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires Province within Argentina’s federal system.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

OpenBet bolsters compliance technologies with the launch of geolocation product, OpenBet Locator™, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

openbet-bolsters-compliance-technologies-with-the-launch-of-geolocation-product,-openbet-locator,-powered-by-amazon-web-services-(aws)

OpenBet Locator provides a highly flexible, low latency and scalable alternative for global betting and gaming marketplace

OpenBet, a leading content, platform and service provider to the global betting industry, has bolstered its modular product portfolio with the launch of its new flexible and scalable geolocation product – OpenBet Locator.

Built on the backbone of Amazon Web Services (AWS), OpenBet’s strategic cloud provider, OpenBet Locator is a low latency solution that enables operators worldwide to locate, promote to, and monitor customers, remaining fully compliant with regulatory requirements.

The technology strengthens OpenBet’s reputation for market-leading player protection and compliance following the company’s acquisition of Neccton in 2023. With OpenBet’s regulatory reach and multiple licenses, brands will be able to ensure seamless and swift integration of its trusted and compliant technology into their ecosystem.

Initially targeting the North American market, the solution will feature a number of components, such as:

Fully flexible geo-fence management and high precision location tracking
Fraud prevention combined with real-time virtual private network (VPN) and location spoofing detection
Player targeting for customer relationship management (CRM), data analysis and in-venue promotions
Multi-tenanted solution that supports travelling wallet
Easy and flexible configuration options to streamline business operations workflows

The product is underpinned by OpenBet’s unrivalled expertise within the global betting industry and is designed to remove the friction of geolocation to the end-customer’s onboarding process.

Jordan Levin, CEO of OpenBet, said: “Introducing OpenBet Locator is an exciting move for us and takes our modular product offering to a new level. Built in-house and leveraging AWS technology, we have developed a strong proposition that can be tailored to meet unique business needs.

“As a pioneer within the global sports betting arena for over 25 years, we have an in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities operators face within highly regulated markets. OpenBet Locator is a scalable, compliant and dependable geolocation solution that removes the barriers to operators’ success.”