Compliance Updates
UKGC Announces Changes Aimed at Increasing Consumer Control Over Deposit Limits
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced changes aimed at increasing consumer control over deposit limits and greater transparency of customer funds protection by operators.
A further change to the Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) will also pave the way for implementation of Government’s upcoming statutory levy.
The changes follow a consultation and are consistent with the 2023 White Paper High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age.
New rules will give consumers more effective ways to manage their gambling by making it easier to set and maintain deposit limits on their online accounts, in ways that work best for them.
From 31 October 2025 all gambling businesses must prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit and make it easy to review and alter this limit at any point after.
These rules will take good practice already offered by some operators and expand that so customers can expect the same standards across the industry.
Gambling businesses will also be required to remind consumers every six months to review their account and transaction information – this will help consumers consider if they want to change existing, or set new, deposit limits.
Operators who hold customer funds must set out in the terms and conditions whether these are protected in the event of insolvency, the level of such protection and the method by which this is achieved. They must also make this information available at the point at which a customer first deposits money.
The Commission’s LCCP currently requires operators to make annual financial contributions to a list of research, prevention and treatment organisations. This requirement will be removed close to the introduction of the government’s statutory levy (opens in new tab) (expected to come into force on 6 April 2025) as it will become obsolete.
“These changes illustrate our commitment to ensuring gambling is fair and open by improving consumer empowerment and choice. These changes will help consumers decide on deposit limits, enable them to keep track of their spending and ensure they are fully aware of what happens to their funds should an operator become insolvent. We will now continue our work to deliver our remaining White Paper commitments, including our programme of evaluation,” Tim Miller, Commission Executive Director for research and policy, said.
The post UKGC Announces Changes Aimed at Increasing Consumer Control Over Deposit Limits 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.
-
América Latina4 days agoLas diferencias locales de Argentina representan tanto un desafío como una oportunidad para el sector del iGaming
-
game-launch4 days ago
Million Games launches East West Wild slot with progressive multipliers
-
Africa4 days ago
Booming Games signs content deal with World Sports Betting in South Africa
-
AI4 days ago
Veikkaus rolls out OpenBet’s Neccton responsible gambling platform ahead of 2027 reform
-
Latest News4 days ago
Connect with N1 Partners at G Gate Conf 2026
-
Gmonitor.ai4 days ago
Gmonitor llega a Latinoamérica: la plataforma de inteligencia de mercado para operadores debuta en seis mercados regulados
-
Latest News3 days agoSportradar Report | World Cup 2026: Opportunities for the Latin American Sports Betting Market
-
eSports5 days ago
G2 partners with PUBG MOBILE Esports to scale Western Europe competition
