Compliance Updates
ITIA: Three Tennis Players Provisionally Suspended
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that three tennis players – Timur Khabibulin, Sanjar Fayziev and Igor Smilansky – have been provisionally suspended pending consideration on sanction following multiple breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).
The decision was made by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Janie Soublière, who upheld the ITIA charges against the three players for related match-fixing activity.
Khabibulin reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 753 in 2016, Fayziev reached a career peak of 253 in 2017, and Smilansky 451 in 2018.
AHO Soublière determined that Khabibulin, from Kazakhstan, had committed 18 breaches of the TACP between 2014 and 2018. Fayziev, from Uzbekistan, and Smilansky, from Israel, were found to have, following an approach from Khabibulin, committed five and three breaches of the TACP respectively.
The players were collectively found to have contrived aspects of matches, facilitated wagering, failed to report corrupt approaches, and, in Khabibulin’s case, offered money to negatively influence players’ best efforts. The decision on sanctions for the three players will follow in due course.
In the meantime, as of 25 July 2023, all three players are provisionally suspended and, therefore, prohibited from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis events organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport.
The provisional suspension was imposed under section G.4.a of the TACP 2023:
“In the event that the Covered Person is found liable of one or more of the charges against them and sanction is not determined at the same time as the decision on liability, the AHO, either of the AHO’s own volition or on an application by the ITIA, must impose a Provisional Suspension pending the final decision on sanction.”
The ITIA is an independent body established by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.
Only one in twelve German betting websites is legal, warns the German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) at the start of the UEFA Champions League season: there are at least 382 illegal German-language websites offering sports betting compared to just 34 legal betting sites. The DSWV refers to a corresponding evaluation by the Joint Gambling Authority of the federal states (GGL) for the year 2024.
“Online, it’s 11:1 in favor of the black market and that puts players at risk. In the legal sports betting market, players benefit from guaranteed player protection, reliable payouts and tax revenue for the common good. Illegal providers in the black market, on the other hand, do not adhere to any rules, offer no security and have a higher risk of gambling addiction,” Mathias Dahms, President of the German Sports Betting Association (DSWV), said.
With the start of the UEFA Champions League, the second most-bet competition in Germany after the Bundesliga, the volume of betting has skyrocketed.
“Players need to be particularly vigilant at this time of year so that they don’t accidentally end up with illegal providers. This is another reason why it is important that the legal providers are present with perimeter boards and TV advertising during the Champions League matches,” Dahms said.
What many players do not know is that they are not only taking a higher risk, but are also liable to prosecution. Participating in unauthorized sports betting can result in a prison sentence of up to six months or a fine.
How to recognise legal betting providers:
• Only legal providers may advertise on stadium boards and on television during sporting events such as the Champions League or Bundesliga.
• Only providers on the GGL whitelist are legal in Germany. The list is publicly available at www.gluecksspiel-behoerde.de/whitelist.
• Legal providers have a clearly visible GGL permit logo on their website.
• Only legal providers offer comprehensive player protection measures such as deposit limits, player bans and monitoring of conspicuous gaming behavior.
• Only legal providers contribute to the funding of support services for gamblers at risk of gambling addiction, such as the anonymous and free hotline 0800-1372700 or the website check-dein-spiel.de of the Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG).
• With legal providers, payouts are guaranteed and the stakes are properly taxed.
“It is in the common interest of regulators, providers and players to strengthen the legal market and push back the black market. This is the only way to ensure player protection, integrity and tax revenues,” Dahms said.
The post German Betting Association Warns of Rise of Black Market Gambling appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR), an entity that brings together the main operators in Brazil and worldwide, announces the launch of BetAlert, an unprecedented tool that allows any user to quickly and easily verify whether the betting site they intend to use is regulated by the Federal Government. The initiative is part of the “No More Elephant in the Room” campaign, which includes a TV commercial, radio spots, airport panels, and social media actions. Its goal is to guide bettors in choosing platforms regulated by the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, under the Ministry of Finance.
Conducted between April and May 2025 with 2000 adult bettors, research by the Locomotiva Institute served as the basis for the economic study prepared by LCA. The survey estimates that between 41% and 51% of the Brazilian betting market still operates illegally. The activity of these irregular platforms reflects an alarming fiscal impact: between R$ 1.8 billion and R$ 2.7 billion went uncollected in just three months – which could reach R$ 10.8 billion in one year.
Named BetAlert (https://betalert.com.br/), the technology runs on an exclusive microsite that offers an interactive experience for those looking to bet safely and obtain tips on how to differentiate regulated betting sites from illegal ones. Simply enter the URL of any betting site, and the tool immediately indicates whether the platform is licensed. If it is regulated, the following message appears: “All good. This betting site is authorized by the Federal Government.” If not, the system displays a creative alert integrated into the campaign by agency We: “Attention. This betting site is not authorized by the Federal Government,” reinforcing the illegality of the platform consulted.
“IBJR greatly values the use of tools and technologies that contribute to spreading knowledge about the sector. BetAlert is extremely important, and we hope it will be widely used by bettors and Brazilian society. Our goal is to ensure that people have access to all the benefits of regulation, the core of which is the safety of those who bet,” said Fernando Vieira, Executive President of IBJR.
The post Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming Launches BetAlert appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted a resolution on licensing conditions in the gambling sector, which allows the state agency PlayCity to begin issuing licenses to gambling organisers and confirming previously issued ones.
“As a result, this will generate almost UAH 50 million (1.028.956,00 Euro) in additional revenues to the state budget from license fees in the near future,” PlayCity reported on Telegram.
It is noted that to obtain a license, impeccable business reputation, lack of ties with the aggressor state and implementation of all necessary mechanisms for responsible gaming are required.
PlayCity clarified that such requirements apply to both those who are only applying for a license and current licensees. Current licensees have two months to submit documents to PlayCity on compliance with the requirements.
The message emphasises that if the requirements are not met, sanctions in the form of fines or termination of the license may be applied to the organisers of gambling.
“The state will direct additional budget revenues to strengthen defense capabilities, in particular, to purchase drones for the Defense Forces,” PlayCity added.
The post Ukraine’s PlayCity Begins Issuing Licenses to Gambling Operators appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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