Compliance Updates
UK Government launches review to ensure gambling laws are fit for digital age
The Culture Secretary has launched a major and wide-ranging review of gambling laws to ensure they are fit for the digital age as committed to in the manifesto.
Online restrictions, marketing and the powers of the Gambling Commission will be looked at as part of a call for evidence, to examine in detail how gambling has changed over the past 15 years.
Protections for online gamblers like stake and spend limits, advertising and promotional offers and whether extra protections for young adults are needed will all be explored.
The findings will be used to inform any changes to the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure customer protection is at the heart of the regulations, while giving those that gamble safely the freedom to do so.
The review will also look at evidence on the action customers can take where they feel operators have breached social responsibility requirements, such as intervening to protect customers showing clear signs of problematic play, and how to ensure children and young people are kept safe from gambling-related harm.
The Government recognises the need to balance the enjoyment people get from gambling with the right regulatory framework and protections.
It has also been announced today that the minimum age for playing the National Lottery will be raised from 16 to 18 from October 2021.
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Whilst millions gamble responsibly, the Gambling Act is an analogue law in a digital age. From an era of having a flutter in a high street bookmaker, casino, racecourse or seaside pier, the industry has evolved at breakneck speed.
“This comprehensive review will ensure we are tackling problem gambling in all its forms to protect children and vulnerable people. It will also help those who enjoy placing a bet to do so safely.
“This builds upon our clear track record of introducing tough measures to protect people from the risk of gambling harm – banning the use of credit cards, launching tighter age verification checks and cutting the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals.”
Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage Nigel Huddleston said:
“We’re committed to protecting young people from gambling related harm which is why we are raising the minimum age for the National Lottery. Patterns of play have changed since its inception, with a shift towards online games, and this change will help make sure the National Lottery, although already low-risk, is not a gateway to problem gambling.”
It follows a range of measures recently introduced by the Government to protect consumers from the risk of gambling-related harm. These include cutting the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals, bringing in tighter age and identity checks for online gambling, banning gambling using credit cards and expanding national specialist support through the NHS Long Term Plan.
In September the Government launched a call for evidence to explore young people’s experiences of loot boxes in video games. This will provide a clearer picture of the size of the loot box market in the UK and fully examine any evidence of harms or links to problem gambling.
The review of the Gambling Act 2005 will also consider the Gambling Commission’s powers and resources to ensure it can keep pace with the licensed sector and tackle the black market.
In October the Gambling Commission introduced new rules on VIP schemes, and has called for evidence around how to ensure operators identify and intervene where people are at risk of harm, including through carrying out affordability checks. The Commission will also soon set out new rules on safer game design for online slots and withdrawing winnings.
Alongside the launch of the review, the Government is announcing its decision to raise the minimum age to play the National Lottery from 16 to 18, to protect young people from gambling related harm.
Since it began in 1994 the National Lottery’s games portfolio has changed significantly and there has been a growing trend towards online play and instant win games like scratchcards. Following a consultation, from October 2021 it will be illegal to sell all National Lottery products to under 18s.
The Government is working with the Gambling Commission and Camelot to roll out the new age limit across the National Lottery products as quickly as possible and to ensure that it is in place by October. Under current plans, online sales to 16 and 17 year olds will stop in April 2021.
Source: gov.uk
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The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has updated the good and bad practices for the implementation of the means test. The adjustments follow follow-up research into how online gambling providers verify whether players’ gambling behaviour aligns with their financial means.
Since October 2024, online providers have been required to conduct a means test when players wish to deposit more than €300 net (young adults aged 18 to 24) or €700 (aged 24 and over). This test is intended to prevent players from spending more money on gambling than is responsible.
Follow-up research
In February 2025, the KSA published an overview of good and bad practices for conducting the financial capacity test for the first time. Subsequently, in a follow-up investigation, the KSA conducted sample checks at 20 license holders, during which concrete financial capacity tests were assessed. The KSA concludes from this that the good and bad practices have ensured that many providers have adjusted their working methods for conducting the financial capacity test in a positive way. At the same time, areas for improvement and violations were still identified. In total, the KSA applied a total of ten improvement interviews, three warnings and one binding instruction to various providers.
More clarity
The findings from the follow-up study have been incorporated into an updated version of the good and bad practices. With this, the KSA aims to provide providers with more clarity regarding the correct implementation of the affordability test. The new version clarifies, among other things, that liquid assets, such as savings, may not be part of the affordability test. The assessment must be based on the player’s structural income. The previous explanation regarding this led to confusion among providers in practice.
Supervision
The proper application of the means test remains an important subject for the KSA. The test helps prevent players from gambling away more money than they can afford, thereby contributing to the protection of vulnerable players.
The KSA continues to supervise the implementation of the capacity test and, in response to these tightened good and bad practices, will conduct new sample checks on permit holders.
The post KSA Updates Guidelines for Conducting Means Test appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) officially began issuing Business-to-Consumer (B2C) remote betting and betting intermediary licences on July 1, 2026. The issuance of in person betting licences will commence later this year.
With the commencement of GRAI licences, licensed operators must now meet strict obligations designed to protect consumers and uphold the integrity of the market. These include age verification requirements to prevent underage gambling, obligations to pay out winnings, safeguards such as a ban on facilitating credit or accepting credit cards and requirements on closing accounts on request. Operators are subject to ongoing compliance monitoring, and the GRAI has powers to investigate operators, enforce compliance, apply significant sanctions and take action against unlicensed or illegal activity.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan TD said: “The commencement of licences for remote betting operators establishes a clear and robust regulatory regime for the gambling sector, strengthening Ireland’s reputation as a well-regulated market, and ensuring operators are held to consistent standards of compliance. I welcome the progress made today as part of the phased implementation of licences for the gambling sector in Ireland.”
Anne Marie Caulfield, Chief Executive Officer of the GRAI, said: “We commenced the roll out of our licensing with the largest segment of the Irish betting market, remote betting. Once an operator is licensed by the GRAI, they are required to comply with all commenced obligations under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. This means that as of today, consumers in Ireland have important new protections when they bet online or over the phone.
“The GRAI licensing application process is substantial with a number of important requirements that operators must satisfy before they can be approved, this is to check that operators are (a) fit and proper, (b) have financial capacity to provide gambling activity, and (c) that winnings are funded from lawful means.
“It is important for consumers to understand the dangers of unlicensed operators. When gambling is unlicensed, oversight is removed and the risk of harm is radically increased. Tackling illegal operators is also a major priority for the GRAI, it is a criminal offence to operate without a betting licence, and our work has commenced in identifying unlicensed operators.”
GRAI licences are being rolled out on a phased basis, applications for further licence including gaming, lotteries, B2B, charitable and philanthropic will be opened throughout 2027 and 2028.
The post GRAI Starts Issuing Remote Betting Licences appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Coljuegos, the regulatory authority overseeing gambling sites in Colombia, continues its efforts to block illegal gambling websites. Since the beginning of the Government of Change in 2022, Coljuegos has issued a total of 46,228 blocking orders against websites that operate unauthorized betting.
According to the president of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, this is the result of an intense fight against gambling structures that operate outside the law.
“Never before has an administration fought illegal gambling with such force. At Coljuegos, and through our Artificial Intelligence Center, we have optimized the detection and blocking of unauthorized websites,” the official said.
He added: “We have been working with the Ministry of ICT to simplify the process with Internet Service Providers and effectively block any page that operates or promotes gambling illegally.”
It is worth noting that, throughout the history of the entity, 55,658 blocking requests have been issued, of which 83% correspond to the Government of Change.
“While past administrations only issued around 9,000 blocking requests, we multiplied that figure by 5, and in just 4 years. Illegals have never had it so bad,” Hincapié asserted.
Furthermore, the official reiterated the importance of players only betting with the 15 operators authorized by Coljuegos.
“By playing on legal websites, you are not only guaranteeing the protection of your data and your bets, but you are also contributing to the health of less fortunate Colombians,” concluded the president of Coljuegos.
The post Coljuegos Issues More Than 46,000 Requests to Block Illegal Websites appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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