UK Labour Party’s Deputy Leader, Tom Watson, has asked the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to cancel the gambling licenses of all online gambling operators who got their licenses after 2014. Watson has written a letter to the UKGC CEO, Neil McArthur and Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright, concerning the malpractices in the UK gambling industry.

Tom Watson had warned that problem gambling is an epidemic in disguise. He said that problem gambling is a public health issue and urged for more research into problem gambling and also for “far more specialist treatment for an addiction that ruins lives.”

Watson says that such operators would need to reapply. He believes that would help in making operators more responsible and also would weed out operators that lack professional and social integrity. He is also seeking a revision of the entire 2005 gambling act.

Spillemyndigheden, the Danish industry regulator, has launched a new whistleblower scheme for the employees of gambling operators who wish to report evidence of money laundering.

Spillemyndigheden has detailed that employees can report a company’s violation or potential violation of the anti-money laundering legislation to the regulator via a dedicated, anonymous contact form which will then trigger a legal investigation. All submissions will be encrypted to ensure that submissions are secure.

In April, Spillemyndigheden has blocked access to 25 gambling websites after petitioning the country’s telecommunications providers. Danish internet providers have now been obliged to block access to ten igaming sites, in addition to 15 skin betting websites.

Dr. Katie Hartmann, Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs of the European Gaming and Betting Association has spoken at a stakeholder seminar in Dublin about the proposed changes to the gambling regulations in Ireland.

The seminar was part of the legislative package to regulate gambling activity in Ireland, including the online sector. The new bill foresees the creation of an independent gambling regulator and a number of other changes to Ireland’s gambling framework.

Dr Hartmann said: “We welcome the proposal to establish an independent gambling authority and will follow closely the discussions on how the new regulator will be established and the powers it will have.

It is in the interest of everyone involved in the gambling sector – companies, players and policymakers – to have a well-regulated online gambling market, which provides legal certainty and protects Irish players by ensuring they can play within a regulated environment. To enable this, a Gross Gaming revenue tax, among others, is of crucial importance so that licensed gambling operators can offer a competitive product.

For the law to be a success it should introduce a licensing system which is competitive and establishes a high degree of standards for operators and consumers alike.

All reputable operators already have responsible gaming tools in place, but regulation should make those obligatory for all operators on the Irish market. Likewise, the Irish authorities should consider introducing a self-exclusion register for those who have, or are at risk of, problem gambling behaviour. These punters should be able to exclude themselves from accessing gambling websites if they feel the need to.

We look forward to the finalisation of the draft law and will work constructively with the proposed gambling authority to implement it.”