Compliance Updates
Advertising Standards Authority Partners with Grambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has partnered with the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), the new statutory body that, once established, will be responsible for the licensing and regulation of gambling services in Ireland, to streamline the process for complaints around advertising for gambling.
GRAI will now advise consumers they can direct complaints around gambling advertising to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Under the new partnership, ASA and GRAI will work collaboratively on triaging complaints around marketing communications for gambling in Ireland. In this regard, the GRAI will in future deal with complaints regarding entities who hold a licence with the organisation, whilst the Advertising Standards Authority will handle other complaints.
This strategic partnership follows the recent collaboration between ASA and the Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) to streamline the complaints process for advertising in cinemas and cinema-related promotions across other media outlets.
Additionally, ASA has signed a Cooperation Agreement with Coimisiún na Meán, the statutory body responsible for online safety and media regulation, to establish a cooperative framework on shared interests in advertising and commercial marketing communications. These initiatives further solidify the organisation’s leadership in the Irish advertising sector, fostering confidence and trust in advertising standards.
The partnership between ASA and the GRAI reinforces the commitment of both organisations to ensuring that gambling advertising content adheres to the high standards of the Advertising Standards Authority Code.
“We are delighted to partner with GRAI, a new organisation that will help to safeguard the public from problem gambling, particularly protecting children from accessing places or services where gambling activities are offered. The aim of the Advertising Standards Authority is to ensure that advertisements are legal, decent, honest and truthful for consumers. This partnership underscores our shared commitment to protecting consumers, and, by joining forces, we will remain dedicated to ensuring that the public can easily access information on responsible gambling advertising,” said Orla Twomey, Chief Executive of Advertising Standards Authority.
“The GRAI, once established, will protect the public by promoting a gambling sector that operates transparently and in accordance with the laws of Ireland, particularly the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. This Act contains a number of restrictions on licences in relation to advertising, social media and more. It will also create awareness of problem gambling and establish safeguards to address it. By working with the Advertising Standards Authority, as the GRAI’s powers are commenced, we will aim to address any concerns raised by the public about advertising in and surrounding gambling promptly and effectively, in line with the Advertising Standard Authority’s code. Our partnership reiterates our commitment to safeguard the public, and to ensure they are informed and protected by upholding the highest standards of marketing communications,” said Anne-Marie Caulfield, CEO Designate, GRAI.
The post Advertising Standards Authority Partners with Grambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Australia
Former Star Entertainment Executives Mathias Bekier and Paula Martin Disqualified and Ordered to Pay Penalties
The Australian Federal Court has disqualified former Star Entertainment Group Limited executives Mathias Bekier and Paula Martin from managing corporations for six and seven years respectively and ordered them to pay pecuniary penalties for breaching their duties by failing to properly manage serious risks at one of Australia’s major casinos.
The Court ordered:
Mr Bekier, the former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, to pay a pecuniary penalty of $700,000 and disqualified him from managing corporations for six years.
Ms Martin, the former General Counsel, Company Secretary, and Chief Legal and Risk Officer, to pay a pecuniary penalty of $400,000 and disqualified her from managing corporations for seven years.
His Honour also ordered that Mr Bekier and Ms Martin pay 45% of ASIC’s costs of the proceeding.
The Court previously found that both Mr Bekier and Ms Martin breached their duties owed to Star Entertainment in relation to their handling of the risks associated with money laundering and criminal activity.
ASIC Chair Sarah Court said: “senior executives have a critical responsibility to identify, escalate and properly manage serious risks within their organisations.
“These failures occurred in a highly regulated environment and contributed to significant governance breakdowns at Star.
“Penalties of this scale reflect the seriousness of their conduct and send a strong message to other senior executives of listed companies that failures of this type are unacceptable.”
ASIC has an enduring enforcement priority focused on governance and directors’ duties failures.
In relation to Mr Bekier, His Honour Justice Lee said:
“Senior executives of casino operators, and public companies conducting enterprises pregnant with risks more broadly, must understand that failures of the kind established by the contraventions may attract substantial personal consequences.”
Further, in respect of Ms Martin he found that “the community is entitled to expect that a solicitor occupying such positions and having such responsibilities, within one of Australia’s largest casino operators, will display professional independence, accuracy and judgment of a high order. The conduct established … represented a very serious departure from those standards” and that
“Ms Martin knew of a miscellany of alarming information pertaining to [an overseas gambling junket] … She was required to report such matters to the Board but failed to do so. This is all the more concerning when considered against the backdrop of Ms Martin being the most senior solicitor employed by Star”; and that
“The more pervasive the failures of governance and culture become, the greater the obligation upon those entrusted with legal and risk responsibilities to insist upon compliance with legal obligations and proper standards of corporate conduct.”
The post Former Star Entertainment Executives Mathias Bekier and Paula Martin Disqualified and Ordered to Pay Penalties appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
Kentucky AG Files Lawsuits Against Companies Allegedly Operating Illegal Betting, Gambling Platforms
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced on Wednesday that his office has filed separate lawsuits against three online platforms he claims are operating without licenses and engaging in illegal sports betting and gambling.
The lawsuits were filed in Franklin Circuit Court against:
Kalshi, a prediction market platform, and its affiliates including Coinbase;
Polymarket, a prediction market platform, and its affiliates; and
VGW, an online casino platform with brands including Chumba Casino, Global Poker, and LuckyLand Slots.
The suits against Kalshi and Polymarket allege that they allow users to place wagers on game winners, point spreads and player statistics, and that they are doing business in Kentucky without a gaming license or following state regulations.
The suit against Kalshi states that it offers so-called “event contracts” on several topics; sports betting made up approximately 70% of its trading volume during a selected sample period in 2025.
The Polymarket suit states that the platform’s flashy advertisements on social media and elsewhere give the false and misleading impression that it is authorized to offer sports wagering under Kentucky law. The platform offers many of the same traditional sports bets as a licensed sportsbook.
“Kalshi and Polymarket are operating illegal sportsbooks in Kentucky and breaking our laws. These multi-billion dollar corporations and their legal fictions don’t pass the sniff test. As one of our state legislative leaders said it best, ‘If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck’,” said Coleman on the suits.
The suits also allege that each company offers few or no resources to identify or seek help for a gambling problem.
The suit against VGW and its affiliates states that they allegedly operate unlawful sweepstakes casino websites that use two different types of virtual gambling chips.
The games on websites are designed to look and feel like slot machines and blackjack.
The alleged online casinos offer two types of chips: one free and one with cash value.
According to the suit, users pay real money for so-called Sweeps Coins, just as gamblers pay for poker chips at a real casino, or they can cash out their winnings.
“This company may use new technology and a new scheme to hide, but the reality is the same,” Coleman said on the suit. “Our Office has a duty to stop illegal gambling in Kentucky regardless of how it’s packaged.”
In recent months, Coleman has joined in national bipartisan efforts to regulate prediction markets.
The post Kentucky AG Files Lawsuits Against Companies Allegedly Operating Illegal Betting, Gambling Platforms appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Approval positions the supplier to distribute certified titles to licensed operators under Switzerland’s Federal Gambling Act.
PopOK Gaming has secured game certification for Switzerland’s regulated iGaming market, clearing the supplier to offer its online casino portfolio to licensed Swiss operators.
The company said the approval was granted under the Swiss Federal Gambling Act (Geldspielgesetz), which sets requirements around game fairness, security, and player protection. PopOK Gaming said it passed the necessary evaluations to meet local technical and regulatory standards.
According to PopOK Gaming, Swiss operators will be able to integrate an initial line-up including “high-volatility slots, unique artistic games, and instant games,” alongside mechanics such as animations and gamification features.
PopOK Gaming said the Swiss certification supports its broader European expansion strategy and that it is open to partnership discussions with licensed operators in the market.
The post PopOK Gaming secures Swiss certification to supply online casino games appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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