U.K. Regulator Bans Cross-Sell Promotions
The U.K. Gambling Commission is banning licensed operators from offering multi-product promotions as they are “potentially harmful.” In a promotions update released March 26, the regulator has placed a ban on mixed product promotional offers, meaning operators will no longer be able to cross-sell players between certain verticals.
Bonus re-stakes will also be capped at 10, according to the marketing and promotions update. This, the regulator said, is due to heightened risk for players when gambling across multiple products, rather than a single one.
“There is also the risk that mixed product promotions confuse consumers because of complex terms and conditions,” the note said.
The commission said capping the wagering requirement at 10 would decrease the likelihood of harm and improve transparency. These changes follow a government consultation carried out in 2023, as part of the Gambling Act reform and subsequent white paper.
Commenting on the Gambling Commission promotions update, Tim Miller, executive director for research and policy, said: “These changes will better protect consumers from gambling harm and give consumers much better clarity on, and certainty of, offers before they decide to sign up.”
Ireland’s Regulator to Establish Stakeholder Advisory Group
Ireland’s gambling regulator (GRAI) will establish an industry panel to ensure its views are heard and considered while forming regulations, it told iGB March 25.
Earlier this month, the GRAI officially came into force with the appointment of seven new staff members. However, GRAI CEO Anne-Marie Caulfield has been in the role since 2022, to help establish the regulator and guide its setup.
Speaking to iGB, Caulfield said the body was seeking to establish a panel of industry advisors to ensure the sector is involved in establishing the market’s standards.
GRAI’s industry panel will be one of many, as it will form a “lived experience panel” to share accounts of individuals who have suffered gambling harm.
The regulator was formed under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, passed in October to establish a regulatory framework for gambling in Ireland.
Merkur’s Player Data Breach Raises Further Security Concerns in Germany?
A player data breach across Merkur Group’s gambling sites in Germany has raised concerns around the risks associated with cyber-attacks on the sector.
In this case, the German regulator (GGL) and impacted suppliers have said the cyber security incident was resolved, but stakeholders believe the regulator could face its own data protection breach if hackers use the player data to access further personal details.
One local legal expert told iGB the regulator has a host of measures it could use to reprimand the failings, which saw up to 800,000 players have their banking and sign-up data breached across a number of Merkur’s sites.
In terms of data protection, the regulator could also be at risk in this case, as it is responsible for its own data processing.
If hackers were to submit a request to the GGL using the breached player IDs, they could obtain further data on these respective players.
An ethical hacker named Lilith Wittmann first discovered the breach earlier in the year and published an exposé on her Medium account, calling for tighter restrictions on player data across gambling websites.
Croatia Updating Gambling Laws to Tackle Black Market
Croatia has introduced changes to its gambling laws, including strengthened advertising restrictions and tax increases. Local experts warn increased taxes could drive consolidation and market exits. Will these changes help tackle growing black-market concerns?
The planned changes focus heavily on tackling “aggressive” advertising, which the government believes is currently fueling problem gambling in Croatia.
Other changes would include the introduction of a self-exclusion scheme and the prohibition of self-service betting terminals (SSBTs) as well as higher tax rates.
Marko Tomic, partner at local law firm Siketić & Tomić, told iGB these reforms will mark the first changes to the Croatian gambling laws in over a decade.
Tomic said the reasoning is to protect minors from underage betting, as political pressure has been growing. The second reason is a desire to protect legal companies from the growing black market.
