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Casino Guru teams up with City, University of London to research and recommend best practice for self-exclusion standards

Published

3 years ago

April 19, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Casino Guru, a global gambling authority with the most extensive database of online casinos, has recently engaged City, University of London, one of Britain’s top universities providing outstanding education to its students for over 125 years, to identify best practice in online gambling self-exclusion and to recommend a set of standards for adoption across different jurisdictions.

The origins of the project can be traced back to Casino Guru’s Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, launched back in 2020, whose aim is to establish an online self-exclusion scheme on a global scale that would provide a much-needed additional layer of protection for players grappling with problem gambling.

“Upon identifying the rules for self-exclusion in a proposed global system, we came to a conclusion that no general standards are currently in existence. Each jurisdiction creates their own set of rules for self-exclusion, and very few of them actually follow the same level of standards, not to mention the details of implementation. This creates a considerable gap in terms of the general effectiveness of self-exclusion within the industry, and the goal of this project is to close this gap,” stated Šimon Vincze, Casino Guru’s Sustainable and Safer Gambling Lead and the mastermind behind the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative.

The project is led by City, University of London’s Associate Professor Dr Margaret Carran, who possesses extensive research experience in the field of gambling and has in the recent past devoted herself to the analysis of player protection and monitoring of problem gambling in the EU states. The project is set to last around 18 months and involves three phases: research and fact finding, workgroup meetings with representatives of all stakeholders’ groups, and broader consultations.

The workgroup meetings will consist of experts with various backgrounds, whose task will be to find a consensus based on the research and fact finding exercises of existing self-exclusion rules’ impact, their professional experience, expertise and lived-in experience. This is set to be the main pillar of the project, which plans to deliver a recommended set of rules for online self-exclusion.

The final phase of the project will see the findings of the workgroup be open for broader consultation for other stakeholders in the industry. Gambling operators, regulators, non-profit organizations and trade associations will be invited to give their feedback. Criticism will be evaluated and incorporated, and the project will culminate in a series of freely available self-exclusion guidelines for effective implementation and greater protection of players who use self-exclusion to limit their access to gambling.

“Research represents a reliable basis for decision-making of regulators and the creation of standards, especially in the field of player protection. This project is exciting as no such work on self-exclusion has ever been done on an international level before. I have high hopes for the real impact of the project and wish for it to significantly improve player protection across jurisdictions,” Carran commented.

The first phase of the project has already started, and the second phase is scheduled to begin in September when the workgroup holds its initial meeting.

Alona Shevtsova

Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova moderates Global Gaming Expansion panel in Riyadh

Published

1 hour ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

sends-ceo-alona-shevtsova-moderates-global-gaming-expansion-panel-in-riyadh

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, will moderate a panel at The Blockchain show on 29^th June, bringing together experts from entertainment, location-based gaming, and content localisation to examine what it takes to build sustainable gaming ecosystems across emerging markets.

The panel, titled “Global Gaming Expansion: Lessons from Untapped Markets,” will structure its discussion across four themes: the growth dynamics reshaping emerging gaming markets; the role of localisation in creating experiences that genuinely connect with new audiences; the infrastructure and communities needed to build gaming ecosystems beyond the game itself; and the lessons and opportunities that will define successful expansion in the years ahead.

Alona Shevtsova plans to frame the discussion around the central challenge for companies looking to expand globally: entering a new market requires far more than bringing an existing product to a new audience. Understanding local cultures, building communities, adapting experiences, and creating ecosystems that allow gaming to grow sustainably are all as important as the product itself.

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, said:

“The future growth of gaming will come not only from new technologies, but from understanding people — their cultures, communities, and the experiences they want to be part of. Successful expansion will belong to those who can combine global ambition with local understanding.”

The first segment will examine why regions including the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia are becoming increasingly significant for developers, operators, and investors — driven by young audiences, accelerating digital adoption, and new entertainment models creating substantial growth potential. Panellists will explore how consumer preferences differ across markets and what trends among younger audiences are shaping the future of gaming and entertainment.

The third segment will broaden the lens beyond the game itself, exploring the role of location-based entertainment, gaming centres, esports, and experiential destinations in attracting new audiences and building long-term communities. Panellists plan to address how entertainment ecosystems — spanning physical venues, events, and community infrastructure — accelerate gaming adoption in markets where the category is still establishing itself.

Earlier this month, Alona Shevtsova was shortlisted for the 2026 Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Established Business of the Year category. Her team is also preparing for the Fintech Connect conference in London later this year. Sends will be a leading sponsor of this event.

*Sends is a trade name of SMARTFLOW PAYMENTS LIMITED, registered in England and Wales (Company No.11070048). For more information, visit sends.co .

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