Compliance Updates
BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington Statement Following Parliamentary Debate on Affordability Checks
BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington has issued the following statement after MPs debated the impact of affordability checks.
“Yesterday’s debate on the impact of affordability checks on British racing has shone a light on a hugely important issue for our sport.
“It was vital that MPs were given proper parliamentary time to thoroughly interrogate the Government’s proposals and we were encouraged by the high turnout for a Westminster Hall debate.
“Many MPs made valuable contributions to the debate, and we are sure that Sports Minister Stuart Andrew will have listened with interest to the views expressed.
“From MPs of all parties and all sides of the debate, there was a clear recognition of the need for the Government to protect and support British racing when reviewing gambling legislation.
“If our sport is to remain a healthy industry, supporting jobs in the rural economy and remaining competitive with our international rivals, we hope that Government will heed this advice.
“We were encouraged by Minister Andrew ruling out the use of job titles and postcodes in the implementation of enhanced spending checks and confirming that these changes will at least be subject to a genuine pilot.
“We will continue to make the case into the heart of Government that the impact of these checks both on our industry and racing bettors needs to be carefully considered and look forward to further discussions on this important issue for British racing with the Gambling Commission and DCMS.”
Compliance Updates
BetComply brings ComplyCheck to the UK and beyond with major update
BetComply, iGaming’s most trusted technical and regulatory compliance firm, has expanded the coverage of its ComplyCheck tool to the UK, with even more new markets to follow.
ComplyCheck launched earlier this year as a new self-assessment / audit hybrid designed to help licence holders in the Netherlands navigate increasingly complex requirements.
The tool has proven so successful that partners have called for it to cover other regulated markets. BetComply has responded by adding the UK, with Ontario and Estonia to follow shortly. There are plans to roll out many more jurisdictions for ComplyCheck, starting with MGA and Curacao licences in early 2025.
Mike de Graaff, Chief Compliance Officer at BetComply, said: “When we launched ComplyCheck, it was a completely new approach designed to simplify licensing audits for operators. It’s been so popular in the Netherlands, we’ve prioritised bringing the service to new markers, starting with the UK. We’ve designed ComplyCheck to provide greater clarity to operators, making the audit process more efficient without compromising on the all important details. We couldn’t be more excited to see our partners using the tool in these new markets.”
ComplyCheck, which is powered by SG Certified, guides operators through the licensing process in two stages. Firstly, the tool presents operators with a simple set of questions they can complete and substantiate with evidence in their own time.
These responses are then analysed by BetComply’s team of regulatory experts, who reply with a full report highlighting any gaps where the operator may not be compliant.
Compliance Updates
Enteractive Appoints Lukasz Zebrowski as Head of Compliance
Enteractive, a global leader in player reactivation and retention solutions, has appointed Lukasz Zebrowski as its new Head of Compliance. Lukasz brings vast experience in regulatory compliance and will play a crucial role in ensuring Enteractive’s services continue to offer excellence on every level when talking directly with the players.
Andrew Foster, Chief Business Development Officer at Enteractive, stated: “Lukasz’s expertise in navigating complex regulatory landscapes will strengthen our compliance efforts, helping us deliver even greater value to our clients across diverse jurisdictions. His leadership will ensure we maintain the highest standards in responsible gambling and fraud detection, reinforcing our commitment to safeguarding operators and their players.”
Enteractive views this role as essential to delivering top-tier service to operators globally. As regulations evolve, having strong compliance leadership allows Enteractive to provide safe, responsible, and effective reactivation services tailored to the unique regulatory requirements in each market. This ensures that operators can focus on their core business while trusting Enteractive to handle outreach to operators’ lost audience segments with compliance excellence front of mind.
Lukasz Zebrowski added, “At Enteractive, my focus will be on aligning our services with the highest industry standards, ensuring regulatory alignment in all the markets we operate in. We are dedicated to maintaining a compliance-first approach, particularly in player protection and fraud prevention, with comprehensive training programs to uphold these values at every level.”
This appointment further solidifies Enteractive’s position as a trusted partner in the iGaming industry, offering operators peace of mind when it comes to ensuring all customer communications are compliant with regulatory challenges in each market. The company remains committed to excellence, ensuring the highest levels of service and compliance across all operations.
Compliance Updates
Dutch Regulator Reprimands Operators Over Sponsorship Violations
The Dutch gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has reprimanded three providers for incidents involving sponsorship. Since 1 July 2024, there have been new rules regarding sponsorship. This means that sponsoring television programmes and events is no longer permitted. Until 1 July 2025, only sports sponsorship is permitted, after that it will no longer be permitted.
In sports sponsorship, providers may not target vulnerable groups, including minors and young adults. It is the responsibility of the gambling provider to adhere to these rules at all times, even if third parties are involved in the sponsorship. The Ksa saw this go wrong several times.
Incidents
One provider had a sponsorship contract with an organiser of a national event in the past. Despite the fact that this agreement had expired, the organisation continued to use the promotional materials that contained the provider’s name, while this was no longer allowed after July 1. After the warning from the KSA, the provider immediately had its logo removed from the promotional materials.
A second provider also went wrong in agreements with a third party. The provider sponsored a major sporting event. In the run-up to the tournament, children and young adults played sports at the location. As a result, the provider’s advertising expressions were also visible outside the sporting events, and moreover by a vulnerable target group. The KSA emphasised again that the provider itself is responsible for the sponsorship expressions and their visibility and should therefore have been alert to the fact that these were also visible outside the tournament.
The third provider had an issue in a sports webshop: T-shirts of a famous athlete were sold there with the provider’s logo on them, as shirt sponsor. These shirts were also available in children’s sizes, which meant the advertising was aimed at a vulnerable target group, which is not permitted. The provider took immediate action to ensure that the children’s sizes no longer carried the provider’s logo.
In these three cases, the KSA has once again explained the rules regarding sponsoring to the providers. In the event of a subsequent violation, the KSA may take enforcement action. It is up to the provider to make clear agreements with external parties. This includes the use of sponsor materials, the time at which sponsor messages are shown and the way in which they are distributed. In addition, it is also up to the provider to ensure that external parties adhere to these agreements.
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