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Payments Under Scrutiny: Polish Example

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Online gambling continues to thrive in Poland, despite the country’s strict regulatory framework. Virtual casinos and betting platforms still attract players with the promise of easy access and quick winnings. Yet, their operations would not be possible without the involvement of payment institutions that process transactions for entities operating outside the boundaries of the law. Behind the scenes lie not only questions about compliance with Poland’s Gambling Act, but also serious concerns about money laundering and the potential financing of criminal activity.

 

PSPs Legal Responsibility

The key question remains the legality of actions taken by payment institutions that handle transactions linked to illegal online gambling. Do they, even unintentionally, help such operations thrive? Under Polish law, payment service providers are required to monitor and limit high-risk transactions. In practice, this means that every deposit or withdrawal connected to unlicensed gambling activity should be treated as a red flag. Special attention is also given to transactions made through popular mobile payment systems such as BLIK. While BLIK itself is not a payment institution under Polish law, the banks and financial operators using it are and it is they who bear responsibility for preventing the flow of funds that may support illegal gambling activities.

 

Clear Legal Framework, Limited Excuses

Polish law leaves little room for speculation here. The register of domains used to offer illegal gambling, the ban on processing payments for unlicensed operators, and the penalties outlined in the Fiscal Penal Code and Criminal Code set clear boundaries of responsibility.

The Anti-Money Laundering Act (AML) and the EU Regulation 2023/1113 require payment institutions to actively monitor transactions, block suspicious transfers, and cut off risky relationships. Guidance issued by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF/UKNF) and the National Risk Assessment, along with its sectoral annex, describes typical abuse schemes and makes it clear that payments directed toward online gambling should be treated as a major warning signal. In practice, this means that financial channels supporting illegal gambling must be identified and shut down before the funds return to players as so-called “winnings.”

And this principle is now being actively enforced. Recently, the Financial Supervision Authority (UKNF) went a step further, issuing a sector-wide warning urging payment service providers to block financial flows to unlicensed operators. In response, Polish payment providers have begun withdrawing support for illegal gambling sites and removing payment options such as BLIK from unlicensed platforms.

 

The Hardest to Detect: The Intermediary Role

The flow of funds into illegal online gambling can take many forms, depending on the relationships between the parties involved in the transaction. The most difficult to detect, however, is the scenario in which a payment institution acts only as an intermediary within a larger payment chain transferring money between other financial service providers without directly serving the payer or the recipient. Even in such cases, the institution is not exempt from its obligation to continuously monitor and analyse all transactions.

Depending on the type of payment, it should apply different verification methods, all aimed at determining whether executing a transfer on behalf of another provider could, in practice, end up funding entities that organize illegal online gambling. The institution must obtain information from the ordering provider about the recipient, determine whether it is engaged in gambling related activity, and verify its legal status. If red flags arise during the analysis such as missing data in the payment chain, a domain listed in the official register, or the absence of the website from the list of legal operators the transaction should be paused or rejected and properly escalated. This includes raising the risk level, notifying the relevant authorities, or even terminating cooperation. When dealing with correspondent relationships involving other institutions, including those based within the European Union, heightened caution is essential.

 

Grey Market Fuelled by Inaction

Illegal online gambling would not exist without the support of the payment system. Although the law clearly defines the obligations of financial institutions, in practice it is often these very institutions that knowingly or not enable the flow of money into illegal online gambling. This is why effective identification and blocking of such transactions is crucial, especially within complex payment chains where tracing the connections can be most difficult. Every transfer made in support of illegal online gambling represents not only a legal risk but also real support for the shadow economy that thrives on the lack of vigilance within the financial sector.

This article was supplied by:

Marek Plota

Founding Attorney at RM Legal & Gaming In Poland •

Marek is a founder and a head of the legal team at RM Legal Law Firm and Gaming In Poland, jointly providing multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional support for leading international gambling operators in the Polish, European Union, and African markets. His gambling practice includes regulatory support at the pre and post-licensing stage, IT, and taxation services, as well as the unique service of performing a function of a gambling representative. RM Legal is the only law firm in Poland representing offshore companies operating legally in the Polish gambling market. Apart from gambling Marek specializes in corporate commercial law and international investment projects.

The post Payments Under Scrutiny: Polish Example appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

AML

BiS Brasília ya tiene definido tema central para el próximo evento

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El BiS Brasília ya tiene definido el tema central para la próxima edición y será la gobernanza responsable para el futuro de los juegos y las apuestas en Brasil.

El evento se celebrará los días 2 y 3 de junio en el hotel Royal Tulip Brasília Alvorada.

BiS Brasília está confirmado para los días 2 y 3 de junio, con un enfoque en la gobernanza responsable del futuro del sector de juegos y apuestas en Brasil.

El encuentro reunirá a autoridades, líderes y expertos para debatir las principales novedades del sector.

En su segunda edición, el evento espera un crecimiento del 20% en la asistencia en comparación con el año anterior.

“Llegar a la segunda edición del BiS Brasília representa la consolidación de un espacio esencial para el diálogo entre el sector privado, las autoridades y los especialistas en un momento decisivo para el mercado brasileño.

Brasília es el centro de las grandes discusiones regulatorias del país, y reunir a los principales actores de este ecosistema en la capital federal refuerza el compromiso del evento con la construcción de un entorno cada vez más transparente, responsable y sostenible para la industria”, destacó Alessandro Valente.

Los interesados pueden adquirir sus entradas en: https://brazilianigamingsummit.com/brasilia/

Sobre BiS Brasília

En su segunda edición, BiS Brasília es un encuentro dedicado al ecosistema de iGaming y apuestas, promoviendo el diálogo entre el sector privado, el poder público y la sociedad sobre el desarrollo del mercado regulado de juegos, casinos y loterías en Brasil.

El evento reúne a líderes empresariales, autoridades y expertos para debatir temas estratégicos como regulación brasileña, tributación, integridad, innovación, juego responsable, compliance, AML / prevención de lavado de dinero, licenciamiento, integridad deportiva, relación con el Gobierno, publicidad y CONAR.

BiS SiGMA South America forma parte del portafolio de eventos de SiGMA World, una de las principales plataformas globales de negocios y organización de eventos B2B enfocados en la industria de juegos y apuestas.

The post BiS Brasília ya tiene definido tema central para el próximo evento appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Isle of Man Adopts New Laws Ahead of Vital AML Review

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Following final approval from the nation’s parliament, the Isle of Man’s new gambling laws are set to come into effect. The new legislation comes at a delicate time for the island, as it looks to rebound from a series of crime-linked scandals and make a good account of itself to incoming Moneyval inspectors.

The Gambling Legislation (Amendment) Bill passed through the final stage of the Isle of Man’s parliament this week, and now only needs a form of rubberstamping known as Royal Assent before it passes into law.

The government says the new act will modernise the island’s gambling regulation and improve its international reputation.

It also gives much greater enforcement leverage to the Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC), allowing it to enter premises without a warrant and seize evidence when there is suspicion of non-compliance.

To bolster these powers, the act will bring in new offences for anyone who obstructs or fails to cooperate with a GSC investigation.

“The gambling sector has seen a global shift in the threat landscape, and the GSC is committed to being agile and responsive in its approach,” a spokesperson told Isle of Man Today.

The stakes, officials say, are high.

GSC chief executive Mark Rutherford told a committee examining the bill last year that the island’s gambling industry was currently “under attack” by organised crime and claimed that the new legislation would enable it to “take the fight back to the enemy”.

The Isle of Man’s police force, in partnership with the gambling regulator, has conducted a number of raids and arrests over the two years, in particular targeting companies with alleged links to Asian markets where offshore gambling is illegal.

In November, police cooperated with the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to seize assets believed to belong to Cambodian organised crime outfit, the Prince Group.

In advance of the new law coming into effect, the GSC is consulting on what its new penalty regime should look like. Questions include what the maximum civil penalty that may be imposed on an operator or individual should be.

And in a further effort to avoid organised crime establishing a foothold in the island’s gambling market, the GSC is also asking for input on its new “fitness and propriety” guidance. The new rules will allow the regulator to assess whether individuals and entities meet required integrity standards.

Inspection pending

Passage of the law is also taking place mere months before a formal inspection of the Isle of Man’s anti-money laundering capabilities by international watchdog Moneyval.

A formal inspection, known as a “mutual evaluation”, began in January of this year and will continue throughout 2026.

Enshrining the island’s new Gambling Act will come just months before a key milestone, in October 2026, when investigators arrive for a two-week onsite inspection.

Assessors will judge whether the Isle of Man’s policies and practices are good enough to reliably counter money laundering and prevent the financing of terrorism.

In the wake of its recent brushes with gambling-linked crime, officials need to show that efforts like the new gambling bill have done enough to bolster its defences.

The dire consequences of failing this review are well known, thanks to object lessons from fellow point-of-supply jurisdictions Malta and Gibraltar.

Following a negative assessment, Malta was added to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) in 2021 and spent a year dealing with the consequences. Gibraltar suffered the same fate in June 2022, not emerging from the list until February 2024.

Greylisted jurisdictions face difficulties with finance and investor confidence. During Malta’s 12 months on the list, companies on the island repeatedly reported problems accessing banking and other financial services.

A spot on the greylist also does serious damage to the reputation of a region’s regulatory framework. 

This sees international regulators placing additional scrutiny on companies and leaves key suppliers like payments companies thinking twice before doing business with businesses in greylisted jurisdictions.

New era

The reworking of the Isle of Man’s gambling laws also comes at a time when the role of offshore hubs is in flux.

Nations globally are increasingly establishing their own licensing regimes and removing grey markets in the process.

The introduction in 2025 of a licensing regime in Brazil, for example, was a major blow to companies that prefer to operate offshore. Operators were told they need to either leave the market or comply with local regulations.

National regulations in several major nations are also taking a more critical look at the wider group activities of their licensees.

Authorities like the UK Gambling Commission are increasingly educated on the global activities of their licensees and regulators, both in Europe and worldwide are sharing more and more data when they discover operators populating the black market.

All of which raises the stakes for this new era of Isle of Man gambling regulation. 

There is an increasing need to sell the island as a solid, stable and secure hub for operators and suppliers who may need to manage local compliance requirements worldwide, but can rely on the island to provide a tax-friendly, low-drama hub on which to locate their headquarters.

The post Isle of Man Adopts New Laws Ahead of Vital AML Review appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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eyeDP closes late seed round to fund product and team expansion

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eyeDP has closed a late seed funding round, the company said, with the round closing on 28 March. eyeDP did not disclose the amount raised or name its investors, describing them as a network of experienced angel investors and strategic industry figures.

The company, which launched in 2025, said it has seen early growth through pilot deployments and increased demand for document intelligence tools as AI-driven fraud rises.

Over the next 12 months, eyeDP said it will focus on product development, including expanding the range of documents the platform can process, improving accuracy, and progressing toward “fully automated, dynamic intelligent document processing.” It also plans to grow its team to support scaling.

eyeDP also pointed to partnership activity aimed at accelerating adoption, including an integration with the Provenir Data Marketplace, a reseller agreement with Devcode, a distribution partnership with Crucial Compliance, and a collaboration with IDVcheck focused on strengthening anti-money laundering capabilities.

Warren Russell, CEO at eyeDP, said: “We’ve been building towards this for some time. This investment gives us the ability to stay focused on what matters, improving the product, scaling the team, and solving a problem that’s only becoming more complex as fraud evolves. Our goal is simple: to give regulated organisations clarity and confidence in every decision they make.”

The post eyeDP closes late seed round to fund product and team expansion appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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