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Compliance Updates

Belgium Makes Legal Age to Gamble at 21 from September

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Belgium regulators have made new amendments to the gambling laws in the country with the legal gambling age from 18 to 21. This move aims to align the age requirements for sports betting, arcades and bingo with those already in place for land-based casinos. The revised regulations are set to come into effect on September 1, 2024, and have been outlined in a press release by the Gaming Commission, as published in the Belgium Official Gazette.

The decision to increase the legal gambling age in Belgium is part of a broader effort to prioritise player safety and well-being. By raising the age limit, the authorities aim to provide a more secure environment for individuals engaging in gambling activities. The new legislation includes several other measures designed to safeguard players and ensure responsible gambling practices:

  • Prohibition of Devices “3.3”: The revised regulations include a ban on the use of specific gambling devices, known as “3.3” devices. This prohibition aims to eliminate potential risks associated with these devices and promote safer gambling experiences.
  • Ban on Cumulation of Online Licences: The new laws also prohibit the cumulation of online licenses on the same website. This measure seeks to prevent operators from exploiting multiple licenses to maximise their reach and potentially exploit vulnerable players.
  • Ban on Gifts/Bonuses/Free Games: Another noteworthy provision is the ban on offering gifts, bonuses, or free games to players. This restriction aims to minimise the potential for excessive gambling and the associated risks it may pose to vulnerable individuals.
  • Ban on Advertising Games of Chance: The revised regulations also introduce a ban in principle on advertising games of chance. This change intends to reduce the exposure of individuals to gambling advertisements, particularly targeting vulnerable populations, such as minors and problem gamblers.
  • Age Limit of 21 Years and Refund in Case of No Control: To ensure effective age verification and compliance with the new regulations, individuals who fail to provide proof of age will be eligible for refunds. This provision emphasises the importance of age control measures and strengthens the responsibility of operators in verifying the age of their customers.

The raised legal gambling age in Belgium will have implications for both operators and players within the country’s gambling industry. For operators, it means implementing necessary changes to comply with the new regulations and adapt their marketing strategies to adhere to the ban on advertising games of chance. Additionally, operators will need to ensure strict age verification processes to prevent minors from accessing gambling services.

Players, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 21, will be directly affected by the increase in the legal gambling age. Those who were previously eligible to participate in certain gambling activities may now need to wait until they reach the age of 21. However, it is essential for players to understand that this change is intended to protect them from any potential harm associated with underage gambling. Responsible gambling practices and adherence to legal age limits are crucial for maintaining a safe and enjoyable gambling environment.

While the decision to raise the legal gambling age has been made with the best intentions, there are concerns and criticisms regarding certain aspects of the revised regulations. One notable concern is the potential for the new advertising restrictions to inadvertently benefit illegal operators. The Belgium Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) has expressed opposition to a total ban on gambling advertising, arguing that it could make it more challenging for consumers to differentiate between legal and illegal operators.

Tom De Clercq, Chair of BAGO, emphasises the need for targeted advertising limitations rather than a blanket ban. BAGO advocates for limiting advertising, particularly through traditional media, but warns against the potential negative consequences of a total ban. They believe that a comprehensive approach that combines responsible advertising practices and effective regulation is key to maintaining a healthy and well-regulated gambling industry.

Compliance Updates

TaDa Launches Slot Games in Sweden, Breaking into Established Market

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Launching a new company and new products in emerging markets takes skill and discipline to achieve success: but entering an established and sophisticated iGaming market requires an entirely different approach. Announcing receipt of the Swedish Spelinspektionen licence in June 2024 was TaDa’s first step to approaching this exciting but very crowded market.

Subsequently, the innovative content provider has been working behind the scenes to gather deep data and market understanding to ensure that launch day would be a guaranteed success. Read on to find out more about TaDa’s long-term plans for building its brand in one of iGaming’s more iconic and demanding jurisdictions.

Is iGaming in Sweden a Saturated Market?

A long-term regulated market since 1 January 2019, Sweden is an innovative hub for the iGaming industry across all verticals, making it a key destination for ambitious content providers.

But having played a very significant role in developing and popularising the industry, especially via software providers, regulations and mobile-optimised slot game design, is there any potential for new entrants?

Currently, CAGR is estimated about 3–6% meaning that by-2030, iGaming is expected to be worth around €2.0–2.3BN (SEK 22–25BN). This matches other European market estimates for steady but not explosive growth in the regulated sector and requires a specific type of content provider to be able to deliver differentiation and innovation in a very established and crowded market.

The Importance of Licencing and Certification

With clear licencing regimes and growing regulatory oversight designed to reduce legal ambiguity and deliver more stable potential revenue, regulated markets are tightening their controls against unlicenced operators. This also increases the value of being licenced and certifiedsomething TaDa has focused on across the last two years.

Consequently, anticipating that regulation across Europe and indeed globally would only increase in both scope and demands, TaDa set its go to market strategy to secure licences for regulated markets across Europe first and subsequently begin its B2B development building.

In this way, TaDa integrations are always a compliant, fully tested and secure process for its clients and deliver the right products and services for players.

Ensuring technical readiness, expert localisation and certification for all games aimed at regulated markets enables TaDa quickly to deliver highly successful engagement and retention figures for casino operators, plus scale via aggregator integrations.

Announcing TaDa’s First Integration with Videoslots

TaDa successfully received its Spelinspektionen licence in a shorter than anticipated timeframe and, following deep data mining and review of its localisation strategy, was ready to go live in May 2025. The first integration is with Videoslots with distribution through Light & Wonder Inc.

Currently home to over 7,000 games, Videoslot’s clients will now have access to TaDa’s innovative portfolio including Fortune CoinsJackpot JokerPirate Queen 2; and Devil Fire 2.

Part of the Hit the Cash™ concept, Fortune Coins is the first release in the series.

Hit the Cash™ is designed around three interconnecting mechanics of Multipliers, Lock & Respin and Jackpots. Played out on a 3×3 grid with 5 fixed paylines and 3,000x max winFortune Coins is a classic fruit slot with a twist.

Enhanced with Fortune Coins and Fortune Coin Bonus symbols, the polished visuals and crisp graphics highlight the clean interface for players without making the slot appear basic.

The gameplay is built around proven mechanics and nostalgic fruit symbols but delivers a twist in the tale as collector coins can appear in both the base and bonus games, triggering jackpots and accumulating wins, plus a random bonus game can trigger any time.

Fortune Coin symbols only appear on the 1st and 3rd reel in all rounds.

The top of the screen will display the bonus, which is the player’s bet amount x multiplier of x1, x2, x3, x5, x8, x10, and x12 the player bet.

The Fortune Coin Bonus symbol, appearing only on reel 2 is both a collector and a trigger for the bonus game. During the bonus round, multiple collector coins can be active at once, increasing the chance of accumulating higher payouts.

Players can also win one of four dynamically fixed jackpots, with the top prize reaching up to 1,000x the stake.

Keeping players on high alert, in the main game, when any Fortune Coins appear they will fly to the pile of coins on the top of the screen and can randomly trigger the Throw Fortune Coins” feature.

When triggered, the pile of coins will throw at least 1 and up to 9 Fortune Coins on to the grid, maximising a bonus win potential and definitely helping players hit the cash.

Jackpot Joker 

When the saucy Joker tells you it’s showtime, you’d better believe her. This game may seem like a classic fruit inspired slot with a 3×3 grid and five fixed paylines. But when you see the numbers, it’s a whole new story.

Multipliers, a unique free respin bonus and four fixed multiplier jackpots drive the excitement for up to 15,000x.

Each spin, there’s a chance to add a multiplier win of x1, x2, x3, x5, x10 and a very welcome x15 so the total win for that round = (total line wins or jackpot wins) x the multiplier x bet!

Even better, the multiplier obtained can also be applied to the jackpot prize. Three jackpot symbols will trigger one of four jackpots: the prize is the player’s bet x the fixed multiplier for Minor (5x-10x); Major (15x-30x); Grand (50x-200x) and a whopping 1,000x for the Joker Jackpot.

Adding a twist to the excitement, if two Jackpot symbols land in a non-winning combination, the “Extra Buy” feature is triggered. After purchasing, the two reels will remain in place while the remaining reels spin once more. This feature can be repurchased until triggering the Jackpot Free Spin game.

This innovative interplay of mechanics and features for big win potential with nostalgia inducing symbols and graphics has seen Jackpot Joker take the top spot in multiple markets. 

Pirate Queen 2

Set sail for adventure and wealth with the dancing Pirate Queen who offers free spins, cascading reels and Bomb bonus multiplying multipliers that can be accumulated to give up to 5,000x max win.

A player favourite feature, cascading reels, appears in Pirate Queen 2 and can create multiple winning combinations with one spin when eight or more identical symbols land. After every spin, winning combinations are paid and all winning symbols disappear. Empty positions are replaced with new symbols until no more winning combinations appear.

Packed with winning chances in both the base game and free game, the black Bomb bonus symbols bring multipliers of 2x to 100x and wins resulting from eliminations are multiplied by the bonus multiplier! When multiple bonus symbols appear in the same game, the multiplier effect is added.

And, if that were not treasure enough, the fiery Super Bomb bonus will deliver multipliers from 200x or 500x to an incredible 1,000x that will be added to the win!

During each calculation of win points in the free game, the current prize multiplier will be retained and added to the win points multiplier effect for the next time players win with a Bomb bonus combination. No wonder the Pirate Queen is dancing!

Devil Fire 2

Smoking hot gameplay and fiery wins have made this a player favourite through 3-row, 5-reels and 40 paylines, generous free spins, multiple bonus win potential and four fixed jackpots alongside stunning animations and a heavy metal inspired soundtrack for 15,000x max win.

The Devil Wild will only appear on the central position of the three rows, five reels grid. Once free spins begin, the Devil Wild locks into position, increasing payout potential and boosting your chance of triggering one of the Mini, Minor, Mega or Grand jackpots.

Bonus symbols are padlocked and will only unlock with the appearance of the little Devil Wild who will collect all the values, add them together and apply them to your win.

He’s a very generous little Devil Wild as he can also trigger the Free Game. Throwing gold coins to the flying Piggy Banks either side of the grids, six free spins could be randomly triggered when the piggy bank swells and bursts.

Mixing quirky humour and dynamic gameplay, Devil Fire 2 is beloved by operators as well as players as its simple rules and quickfire rounds keep players engaged and ready to come back for more.

What Players in Sweden Can Expect from TaDa Gaming

With a portfolio of 200+ RNG titles to choose from and constantly growing, players in Sweden can anticipate an avalanche of diverse gaming experiences still to come.

Initially, TaDa and its partners will focus on delivering slots but according to industry surveys, gaming in Sweden is currently seeing a rise in social multiplayer formats, with 65% of Swedish gamers playing cooperatively.

Additionally, Sweden’s gaming market saw 58% of Swedish Gen Z accessing hybrid arcade and VR formats. These older digital natives are the strongest demographic making the crossover from digital to iGaming and TaDa’s fish-shooting releases have become a natural destination.

The post TaDa Launches Slot Games in Sweden, Breaking into Established Market appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

EGBA Welcomes Approval of European Standard on Markers of Harm

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has welcomed the positive outcome of the vote on the draft European standard on markers of harm in the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). An overwhelming majority of national standardisation bodies voted in favour of the standard, representing a significant milestone for player protection in Europe.

“The positive outcome of this vote is a real testament to the power of collaboration across our sector,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA. “When EGBA first proposed this initiative to CEN, we envisioned creating a commonly agreed standard that would benefit players across Europe. We’re delighted with the support the standard has received, and I want to personally thank all the stakeholders who participated in this process. The result shows what happens when we work together to strengthen player protection.”

“After years of driving this project, through its conception and development, seeing the overwhelming support it has received is incredibly rewarding. This will be the first commonly agreed European standard for identifying risky gambling behaviours and it will offer an essential building block for effective harm prevention in Europe. The cooperation to develop the standard was extremely valuable, bringing together diverse expertise from across the continent,” said Vasiliki Panousi, Senior Manager of EU Affairs at EGBA.

The voting process closed on 25 September. While the outcome of the vote is a significant milestone, the standard must now go through the formal CEN finalisation process before it will be published. This process can take several months, and includes language translations and other procedural requirements. The finalisation process is expected to be complete by early 2026.

The post EGBA Welcomes Approval of European Standard on Markers of Harm appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Andrew Rhodes

UKGC Publishes Second Annual Report from Gambling Survey for Great Britain

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published the second annual report from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), the world’s largest dedicated study of gambling participation, behaviours and consequences.

Produced by National Centre for Social Research and University of Glasgow the survey has undergone independent review and complements the Commission’s wider exploration of gambling in Britain through a range of research and data.

Key findings in this year’s report include:

• overall, 48% of adults aged 18+ in Great Britain have gambled in the last 4 weeks, decreasing to 28% when those who had only bought tickets for a lottery draw were excluded

• 42% of adults who gambled in the past 12 months rated the last time they gambled positively, compared to 21% who rated it negatively. For the chance of winning big money was the main reason why people gamble (85%) followed by because gambling is fun (72%)

• in 2024, 2.7% of adults aged 18+ in Great Britain scored 8+ on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), which is statistically stable compared to 2023.

Recent research published by Professor Patrick Sturgis to further understand the impact of methodology on survey estimates has strengthened confidence in the robustness of GSGB estimates.

The large survey sample size – 19,714 respondents – has enabled the Commission to publish two supplementary reports into risk profiles among people who gamble on a weekly basis and the potential negative consequences of gambling.

The first report highlights the risk profiles among people who gamble on a weekly basis. These findings show that levels of risk vary not only between gambling products, but also within product categories themselves – underlining the need for operators to take account of risks within their customer bases.

The second report broadens understanding of the potential negative consequences of gambling. The findings reinforce evidence from earlier qualitative research indicating gambling can simultaneously impact multiple aspects of a person’s life such as their relationships with others and their health.

The new release complement other research published by the Commission over the last year including:

• four quarterly publications tracking participation in gambling

• a deep dive report written by the University of Glasgow to investigate the relationship between reasons for gambling and different gambling activities

• a deep dive report written by the University of Glasgow to explore the relationship between gambling activities and PGSI scores

• findings of new research exploring people’s experiences of gambling consequences

• its response to Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) review of the GSGB

• experimental research findings on why different gambling surveys produce different estimates.

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “The Gambling Survey for Great Britain is a key building block of the evidence base which helps government, industry and other partners understand both gambling behaviour and potential consequences from gambling.

“This year’s findings deepen our understanding of consequences from gambling and provide crucial insight into risk profiles among those who gamble most frequently. We strongly encourage operators to use this evidence to consider the risks within their own customer bases.

“Data and research, such as GSGB, is essential to helping us identify where our regulatory focus should be and informs our ongoing work to implement player protection recommendations from the Gambling Act Review White Paper.

“We have already introduced light-touch financial vulnerability checks on those spending £150 a month, reduced the intensity of all online games by banning autoplay and slowing game speed, and tightened age verification in premises.

“We’ve also banned potentially harmful marketing offers involving consumers having to carry out two or more types of gambling, such as betting and playing slots, and limited the number of times bonus funds must be re-staked before a consumer can withdraw winnings.”

He continued: “From the end of this month [31 October] our new rules will give consumer controls over deposit limits and all gambling businesses must prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit.”

“In the land-based sector, we are also considering time and monetary limit setting functionality and safer gambling messaging on machines.

“In addition, we have been piloting enhanced frictionless financial risk assessments for those spending £1,000 within 24 hours or £2,000 within 90 days. We are currently analysing the data gathered during the pilot examining data-sharing between credit reference agencies and gambling businesses.”

The post UKGC Publishes Second Annual Report from Gambling Survey for Great Britain appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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