Compliance Updates
UK Gambling Operators Face £100M Tax in Harm Reduction Push
Gambling operators in the UK face a tax of as much as 1.1% of profits on some types of games as the government seeks £100 million ($126 million) a year to invest in harm reduction and research.
The planned statutory levy on all licensed operators will range from 0.1% to 1.1% of the gross gambling yield, depending on the sector and nature of the gambling, according to a statement Wednesday from the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The UK has over the last few years introduced stricter regulation of gambling, including requiring operators to reduce the intensity of online games, carry out financial vulnerability checks of players and provide customers with better control over the types of marketing they receive. Many of the measures were announced under a Conservative government, which lost to the Labour Party in July’s General Election.
The government will review the charge within five years of its introduction, with the first formal review expected by 2030, according to the statement.
UK gambling stocks soared last month after UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget did not include much-speculated tax hikes on the sector.
The statutory levy is a separate initiative, proposed under the Conservative government in a 2023 white paper on gambling reform.
The announcement was welcomed by anti-gambling campaigner Matt Zarb-Cousin, who said that he was “really pleased” that it is being introduced. “It will totally transform the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm,” Zarb-Cousin said.
The four biggest gambling operators – Entain Plc, Flutter Entertainment Plc, William Hill-owner Evoke Plc and Bet365 – previously pledged to pay 1% of their gross gambling yield to an industry-funded charity GambleAware in anticipation of the levy.
In the year ending in March, the charity said it received donations of £49.5 million, £46.6 million of which came from the top four operators.
“This represents a significant step towards protecting people from gambling harm. The levy is also a crucial step towards ensuring continued support through a statutory system and is something we have been calling for since 2017,” GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond said of the plans in a statement.
The Betting and Gaming Council, which lobbies for the industry, said that it supports plans for the levy outlined in last year’s proposal.
“Ministers must not lose sight of the fact the vast majority of the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, on the lottery, in bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls and online do so safely,” Betting and Gaming Council Chief Executive Officer Grainne Hurst said in a statement.
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AleRT Bettor Protection System
Regulating the Game Names “Prevent” Risk Identification System by Focal as Latest Innovation Selected for 2026 Pitch! Event
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Leading gambling law and regulation conference Regulating the Game (RTG) has announced “Prevent” – a real-time gambling risk identification and safer gambling messaging system developed by Focal – as the latest innovation selected to feature at next year’s Pitch! event.
Part of RTG’s networking schedule taking place alongside the summit itself in Sydney in March, Pitch! – to be held on the evening of 9 March at the Sydney Opera House – is designed to surface solutions that confront real regulatory challenges by strengthening consumer protection, enhancing governance and offering operators practical capability uplift.
Organisers said “Prevent” exemplifies this mission by reframing player protection as a core operational system rather than an ancillary responsibility. Specifically, it advances the identification of risk across the millions of interactions land-based venues experience by using live behavioural data to detect risk early, generate real-time alerts and deliver safer gambling messaging directly to customers.
It is the next evolution of Focal’s award-winning ALeRT Bettor Protection System, bringing faster insights, automated outreach and a more complete picture of customer behaviour.
According to RTG, “Prevent” expands the reach of player protection by identifying emerging risk in real time, monitoring both carded and uncarded play, delivering instant and automated safer gambling messages, supporting venue teams with accurate, consolidated risk information and streamlining compliance reporting and documentation.
“‘Prevent’ is exactly the sort of innovation Pitch! is built to spotlight. We’re looking for solutions that lift capability, that translate research into operational practice and that show what is possible when technology meets real-world regulatory challenges. ‘Prevent’ is pushing safer gambling further upstream – and making it part of mainstream operations,” said Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and founder of RTG.
RTG also revealed its first batch of sponsors for the 2026 event, namely GLI as Gala Dinner Partner and Amazon Web Services as a Silver Sponsor, with support from ebet, CherryHub, Intralot Australia, IGT, Everi, Vanguard Overwatch, Leagues Clubs Australia and Thomson Geer.
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Compliance Updates
GAMOMAT Achieves ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification
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GAMOMAT, one of the leading independent German software developers for slot games, has achieved its ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification. This marks a major milestone in the company’s ongoing commitment to information security management.
The ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification was awarded by Proks Certification GmbH, an independent certification body accredited by the German Accreditation Body (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle DAkkS). The certification, valid until August 2028, also covers GAMOMAT Distribution GmbH and GAMOMAT RGS Ltd.
This important certification ensures that GAMOMAT has the right framework to process, manage and protect both its own sensitive information and that of its clients and employees. GAMOMAT completed a full audit by ISO consultants as part of the assessment, confirming its procedures meet the required benchmarks.
“Securing our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification is a testament to our unwavering understanding that data and information security are crucial. This certification demonstrates that our technology is managed responsibly and securely, in line with internationally recognised best practices,” said Paul Schulleri, CTO of GAMOMAT Development GmbH.
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Compliance Updates
Expanse Studios Secures Swedish B2B Gaming License
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Expanse Studios, a B2B iGaming content provider and subsidiary of Golden Matrix Group Inc., has been granted a software provider license by Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s national gambling authority, authorizing the company to distribute gaming software to licensed operators in one of Europe’s most mature and regulated iGaming markets.
The license, valid until December 1, 2030, enables Expanse Studios to supply its portfolio of proprietary slot games, crash games, and casino content to Sweden’s licensed B2C operators. This approval positions the company to serve a market that generated approximately €2.4 billion in total gambling revenue in 2024, with online gaming accounting for 64% of total market activity.
Entry into Europe’s Most Regulated Market
Sweden represents one of Europe’s most sophisticated iGaming jurisdictions, with approximately 100 licensed operators serving a population of 10.5 million where internet penetration exceeds 95%. In 2024, the online gambling revenue reached $1.9 billion, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous year.
The Swedish market maintains one of Europe’s highest channelization rates at 85-90%, indicating strong player preference for licensed platforms. Sweden’s regulatory framework, established through the 2019 Gambling Act and overseen by Spelinspektionen, emphasizes technical compliance, responsible gaming, and transparent operations—standards that align with Expanse Studios’ existing operations across 1,300+ casino brands in regulated markets.
“Sweden’s licensing framework sets the gold standard for regulated iGaming markets in Europe,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. “Securing the license approval from the Swedish Authority once again validated our technical capabilities and commitment to responsible gaming in one of the world’s most demanding regulatory environments. This license opens substantial distribution opportunities with established operators serving a highly engaged, tech-savvy player base.”
The Swedish license complements Expanse Studios’ recent European regulatory approvals in Romania and commercial partnerships with operators including AdmiralBet (Novomatic Group) and MerkurXtip (Merkur Group), demonstrating accelerating demand for certified, compliant content across regulated jurisdictions in Europe.
Sweden’s market characteristics—including strong preference for mobile platforms, high consumer spending on digital entertainment, and established payment infrastructure—align well with Expanse Studios’ content portfolio. With 56 proprietary titles including Super Heli, Titan Roulette, and Wild Icy Fruits, the company continues scaling its high-margin B2B operations across Europe, Latin America, and North America.
This license approval reinforces Golden Matrix Group’s strategic focus on expanding regulated B2B operations in jurisdictions with transparent licensing frameworks and very robust player protection standards.
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