Compliance Updates

UKGC Issues Urgent Warning on Unlicensed Platforms and Operator Responsibility

Published

1 year ago

January 22, 2025

ukgc-issues-urgent-warning-on-unlicensed-platforms-and-operator-responsibility

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Tackling unlicensed gambling is central to the UK Gambling Commission’s objective of preventing gambling from being a source of crime and disrupting this illegal activity at scale.

The Commission has become aware of casino games supplied by licensed operators appearing on unlicensed websites available to the British consumers illegally.

Those markets are unregulated, and do not provide the same safeguards that are required of operators. They often target vulnerable customers, such as those who have self-excluded via the GAMSTOP scheme. The websites may have inadequate social responsibility and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) controls in place and leave customers open to risks of fraud, data privacy issues and unfair practices. It is therefore imperative that the Commission, in collaboration with the gambling industry and key partners take all possible steps to mitigate risk to GB consumers.

Operators providing Business-to-Business (B2B) gaming solutions including live games, live casinos and slots (B2B operators) can help the Commission tackle the illegal market by reviewing their own practices. The Commission has found that, in some instances, third party resellers are distributing games supplied by operators to the illegal market, often in breach of their contractual obligations. Commission licensees may have been negligent in allowing them to do so and in the process, place their own licence at risk.

The Commission advised operators to actively monitor their business relationships to ensure any partners are not participating in offering illegal gambling facilities to the GB market, and where identified, terminating relationships where non-compliance has occurred.

It is critical that licensees also actively engage with the Commission where such activity is identified, setting out the preventative measures adopted to ensure such activity ceases immediately. Actively notifying the Commission and setting out a clear plan to mitigate the issue at pace is a minimum requirement.

The Commission is adopting a proactive approach to this matter and may decide at any point to conduct test purchasing activity to evidence potential breaches.

The post UKGC Issues Urgent Warning on Unlicensed Platforms and Operator Responsibility appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Alberta

Continent 8 ready to support iGaming operators and suppliers in Alberta

Published

13 seconds ago

February 10, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

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Continent 8 Technologies, a leading provider of cutting-edge managed IT solutions designed for the global iGaming and online sports betting industry, announces that it is officially open for business in Alberta, Canada. This expansion follows the province’s release of its competitive iGaming regulatory framework and the publication of detailed hosting and security requirements by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), marking another significant milestone in Continent 8’s long-standing commitment to serving the North American market.

With proven operations in Ontario – where the company successfully launched its Public Cloud solution in Toronto in direct response to the province’s opening of its iGaming market in 2022 – Continent 8 brings to Alberta the same depth of regulatory understanding, technical capability, and customer-driven innovation that has established it as a trusted partner across Canada.

Alberta’s iGaming framework sets out detailed hosting and data governance obligations for operators and suppliers. For example, all data centres used by licensees must receive AGLC approval, covering data residency, cross-border transfers, and encryption key controls.

The province also mandates fully functional disaster recovery infrastructure and immutable, encrypted backups, with strict requirements for quarterly testing and offsite storage – areas where Continent 8’s experience provides immediate value.

In addition to hosting requirements, Alberta introduces some of the most comprehensive security requirements in the country, including mandatory MFA, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance, annual penetration testing and extensive log retention requirements.

“Our heritage means we understand the rigorous regulatory expectations, and the operational challenges operators and suppliers face when entering new markets,” said Michael Tobin, CEO and Founder of Continent 8 Technologies. “Alberta’s standards are comprehensive, particularly around disaster recovery, backups, and security. We have built our solutions so customers can meet these requirements confidently from day one. We are excited to support customers as Alberta opens its market and continues Canada’s growth story.”

Continent 8’s network now spans every major regulated province or state in North America, supported by facilities across more than 100 locations globally. Customers benefit from end-to-end services including managed hosting, cloud, connectivity, and cybersecurity, all engineered for regulated industries.

The post Continent 8 ready to support iGaming operators and suppliers in Alberta appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Compliance Updates

IBIA Publishes 2025 Sports Betting Integrity Report

Published

1 hour ago

February 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

ibia-publishes-2025-sports-betting-integrity-report

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has published its 2025 Sports Betting Integrity Report. The report reveals that 300 suspicious betting alerts were reported to the relevant authorities during the year. This represents an increase of 29% on the 232 alerts reported in 2024 and reflects IBIA’s expanding global monitoring coverage and enhanced analytical capability.

Key findings from the 2025 report include:

•300 suspicious betting alerts were reported across 16 sports.

•Football (110) and tennis (74) remained the most reported sports.

•Alerts were detected across all major regions, with Europe accounting for the largest share (35%), alongside increased activity in North and South America.

•Operator intelligence from IBIA’s members contributed to 54 matches being proven corrupted.

Through its Global Monitoring & Alert Platform (Global MAP), the association monitors over 1.5 million matches across more than 80 sports, generating over US$300bn in sports betting turnover per annum. IBIA data again played a crucial role in supporting sporting and law-enforcement investigations. Sanctions announced in 2025 involving IBIA data included 54 matches proven to have been corrupted, with sanctions subsequently imposed on 24 players, teams and officials across five sports.

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Our 2025 data highlights a familiar integrity risk pattern, with football and tennis continuing to account for most suspicious betting activity. At the same time, the greater scale and reach of our Global Monitoring & Alert Platform means our ability to detect, assess and support investigations across markets and sports has increased. This is driven by operator intelligence generated by our membership and their continued commitment to identifying, disrupting and preventing betting-related corruption through collective action and information-sharing with our partners.

The 2025 report includes a dedicated Africa Focus, which highlights that IBIA reported 117 alerts on African sporting events during 2021-25. H2 Gambling Capital forecasts that Africa’s total betting gross gambling revenue (GGR) will grow from US$3.5bn in 2021 to US$19.4bn by 2030. As regulated betting markets continue to develop across the African continent, IBIA views early engagement, data-driven monitoring and collaboration with regulators and sports bodies as essential to safeguarding sporting and betting market integrity.

The post IBIA Publishes 2025 Sports Betting Integrity Report appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Compliance Updates

UKGC Publishes Further Data on the Gambling Industry in Great Britain

Published

1 day ago

February 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

ukgc-publishes-further-data-on-the-gambling-industry-in-great-britain

The UK Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.

The data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and December 2025, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering betting premises found on Britain’s high streets.

The release compares Quarter 3 (Q3) of financial year 2025 to 2026, with Q3 of 2024 to 2025, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.

This is the third quarter since the maximum stake limit for online slots games was introduced. The £5 limit for all adults went live 9 April 2025 and the £2 limit for adults aged 18 to 24 went live 21 May 2025.

The latest operator data shows:

• online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q3 (October to December) was £1.5 billion, a decrease of 2% from Q3 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and spins increased 6% Year-on-Year (YoY), to 27.4 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts in the quarter decreased 2%, to 12.7 million during the same time-frame.

• real event betting GGY decreased by 18% YoY to £530 million. The number of bets decreased 6%, while the average monthly active accounts in Q3 decreased 7%.

• slots GGY increased 10% to £788 million YoY. The number of spins increased 7% to 25.7 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q3 increased 5% to 4.6 million per month. The GGY and number of spins represented new peaks for this dataset for the third quarter in a row.

• the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour decreased by 16% YoY to 8.9 million. The average session length decreased by 2 minutes to 16 minutes. Approximately 4.4% of all sessions lasted more than one hour, a decrease from 6.2% in Q3 the previous year. A couple of operators have refined their session length methodology during the previous year which will impact year-on-year comparisons on the number of sessions, sessions over one hour and average session length metrics.

• betting premises GGY decreased by 7% to £549 million in Q3 2025 to 2026, compared to the same quarter last year. The number of total bets and spins decreased by 1% to 3.1 billion.

The post UKGC Publishes Further Data on the Gambling Industry in Great Britain appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.