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Compliance Updates

New Initiative from DI Council Aims to Enable Betting on Professional Sports

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The Division I Council introduced a proposal that, if adopted in October, would change sports betting rules to permit student-athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and refocus the Association’s enforcement efforts on college sports betting and behaviors that directly impact game integrity. If adopted, the change will be implemented only if Divisions II and III also vote to allow betting on pro sports.

The council’s introduction of the proposal, which comes after a directive from the Division I Board of Directors in April that the council adopt changes to sports betting rules, is not an endorsement of sports betting behaviors, especially for college athletes. The NCAA’s prohibition against betting on college sports would remain in place, as would the prohibitions against sharing information about college events with bettors. The NCAA also would continue to maintain its prohibition for NCAA championships  against advertising and sponsorships associated with betting.

“NCAA rules prohibiting sports betting at all levels were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide,” said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the council. “As betting on sports has become more widely accepted across the country, Division I members have determined that further discussion of these sports betting rules is warranted, particularly as it relates to the potential distinctions between betting on professional versus collegiate sports. Throughout our discussions, the council has remained focused on student-athlete wellness and educating student-athletes about the risks and potentially harmful impacts of betting.”

Current NCAA rules do not allow student-athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting at any level (professional, college or amateur) for any sports that have NCAA championships, and NCAA members have continually maintained that any betting by a student-athlete on his or her own team or own sport in college should continue to result in a permanent loss of any remaining collegiate eligibility. However, in 2023, Division I changed the reinstatement guidelines for student-athletes who participate in sports betting on professional sports to focus on harm reduction for problematic betting behaviors.

“Deregulating professional sports betting may provide schools an additional opportunity to implement harm-reduction strategies, which can be more effective and have long-term benefits not seen with abstinence-only approaches. Harm-reduction strategies include education, stigma reduction and acknowledging actual behaviors,” said Dr. Deena Casiero, NCAA chief medical officer. “By meeting student-athletes where they are, schools may be more effective at preventing, identifying and supporting student-athletes with problematic gambling behaviors. Regardless of the change, schools are encouraged to use the many sports betting resources already available.”

The recently released Harm Reduction Considerations for Gambling & Sports Betting in Collegiate Sports references available sports betting resources, including the NCAA Mental Health Best Practices. Additionally, more than 100,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators have been reached through the NCAA’s education efforts with EPIC Global Solutions, and the NCAA has launched an e-learning module to educate student-athletes on problem gambling harms and the integrity risks associated with sports betting.

Several sports betting-related violations by staff members at NCAA schools have been resolved through the infractions process in recent years, and the enforcement staff is working on issuing Notices of Allegations in several ongoing cases that involve allegations of betting on professional and college sports by student-athletes and/or athletics department staff members at a handful of NCAA schools.

The proposed rule change would not be retroactive. If it is adopted, it would apply only to sports betting activities that occur after the effective date of the proposal.

“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff — including our new sports betting integrity unit — has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement.

The Association prioritizes competition integrity, which is vital to college sports. The NCAA uses a layered strategy to respond responsibly to the rise in sports betting across the United States by monitoring over 22,000 contests per year, advocating for limits on  prop bets that pose heightened risks, reducing the potential for student-athlete abuse by aggrieved bettors, and creating greater transparency to assist with the timely investigation and resolution of integrity-related issues.

This layered approach includes the most recent agreement extension with Genius Sports to establish unprecedented betting restrictions on high-risk proposition bets. Sportsbooks licensing NCAA championship data must cooperate fully with NCAA investigations, including providing access to account data, financial history and geolocation records. This will allow the NCAA to work with the sportsbooks to gather detailed account information when harassers are identified to prevent repeat offenders from continuing to place bets across platforms, increasing safeguards to protect student-athlete mental health and well-being.

The post New Initiative from DI Council Aims to Enable Betting on Professional Sports appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Alon Segev

Segev LLP Celebrates 10 Years of Business-Focused Legal Innovation

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Leading business, technology, finance, and gaming law firm, Segev LLP, is proud to announce its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, Segev has evolved from a bold idea into a multi-jurisdictional firm serving clients across Canada, the U.S., and beyond.

Built for innovation-driven industries, the firm is widely recognized for its work with companies at the forefront of gaming, crypto, technology, and emerging sectors. “Our 10-year anniversary is a defining moment,” said Founding Partner, Ron Segev. “It’s a testament to the strength of our team and our culture of teamwork, self-improvement, and growthall of which is directed at scoring wins for our great clients.”

As industries like fintech, crypto, iGaming, and AI have matured, so has the firm, often in parallel with its clients. “We’ve all grown together with our clients from one success to the next, whether it be helping clients complete financings or helping them close business,” said Managing Partner Alon Segev. “I look forward to continued growth for us and our clients in the next 10 years!”

The firm’s client-first approach has consistently earned recognition from top legal ranking guides. Segev LLP is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a “Leading Firm” and “Band-1” in Canada for Gaming Law and are also recommended by The Legal 500 and Lexology. These rankings reflect the team’s ability to deliver strategic, high-quality legal solutions that align with their clients’ business goals.

Recognized for their unique ability to exceed expectations and deliver out-of-the-box solutions, Segev LLP’s clients have affirmed: “The firm demonstrates its capability not only to understand complex matters, but also to offer solutions that are practical, pragmatic, and value-adding.”

“Segev possesses outstanding resources and maintains global partnerships, enabling it to deliver precise and informed responses to any queries related to the iGaming industry.”

“Epic service, very good, I won the case!”

“Great service, friendly atmosphere, and support.”

Several Segev team members also reflected on the milestone: “There was a moment early in my time here when I realized I wasn’t just being brought in to help; I was expected to contribute, take initiative, and run with big ideas. That stuck with me,” said Negin Alavi.

“Together with our clients, [Segev] has experienced remarkable growth over the past decade. I’m honored to have contributed to this journey and to celebrate these shared successes,” said David McHugh.

Segev has cultivated a thriving law practice on the principle that challenges are to be embraced as opportunities. The approach has enabled us to grow as lawyers, but more importantly, it has enabled us to ensure the success of our clients,” said Mark Balestra.

“Since joining through Segev’s Ontario expansion, I’ve had the chance to work alongside some of the sharpest and most collaborative lawyers in the gaming space,” added Manav Bhargava. “As a full-service firm and industry leader, Segev stands out for its ability to support innovative businesses with practical, forward-thinking legal advice.”

Segev LLP will commemorate the anniversary with a series of internal and external initiatives throughout the remainder of the year.

The post Segev LLP Celebrates 10 Years of Business-Focused Legal Innovation appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Compliance Updates

Illinois Gaming Board Announces Enhanced, Uniformed Advertising Rules for Casinos, Video Gaming and Sports Wagering

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The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) adopted new rules that expand existing restrictions on advertising, marketing and promotions for licensed casino, video gaming, and sports wagering operators including a ban on advertising on college campuses and new requirements to protect the public, especially young people and problem gamblers.

“By adopting these measures, the IGB is building upon existing regulations to implement additional safeguards and standards that further protect the public and encourage responsible gambling habits. These regulations provide for clear, consistent, ethical, and transparent advertising and marketing guidelines for all casino, video gaming, and sports wagering operations under IGB jurisdiction,” said IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter.

While previous IGB rules placed restrictions on advertising and promotional content which included prohibitions against false or misleading claims and other restrictions, the new rules go farther to ensure advertisements are not placed in locations where they are likely to be seen by underage or vulnerable populations. The expanded rules also require operators to maintain advertising records and include prominent, responsible gaming messages in advertising, marketing and promotions.

After assessing the advertising and marketing rules for sports wagering adopted in 2020, the IGB determined that those limitations apply equally to video gaming and casinos. The IGB further determined to enhance the existing rules to best assure an ethical advertising environment that restricts enticements to minors and those with gambling problems.

The revised advertising and marketing rules which expanded and codified practices for all gambling segments under IGB jurisdiction are now effective, following a public notice and comment period, the May 13, 2025 approval from the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), and publication by the Secretary of State in the Illinois Register Issue 31 on August 1, 2025.

The rules feature requirements for Illinois operators including:

• Prohibition from having advertisements or promotions published, aired, broadcast, displayed, or distributed on any college or university campus, or college or university media outlets such as college or university newspapers and radio or television broadcasts, or any sports venues used primarily for college and university events.

• Prohibition from depicting college or university students, colleges or universities, or college or university settings.

• Retention of copies of all advertising and marketing materials including a log of when and how those materials have been published, aired, displayed, or distributed.

• Allowing patrons the option to unsubscribe or opt out of advertising, marketing or promotional materials. Additionally, operators should comply with any patron request to unsubscribe or opt out of receiving materials as soon as practicable.

• Prohibition on entering into agreements with third parties to conduct advertising or marketing on behalf of, or to the benefit of, the Illinois operator when compensation is dependent upon, or related to, the volume or outcome of wagers.

• Include problem gambling text as determined by the Illinois Department of Human Services in all advertising and marketing materials.

The post Illinois Gaming Board Announces Enhanced, Uniformed Advertising Rules for Casinos, Video Gaming and Sports Wagering appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Compliance Updates

KSA Conducts Impact Assessment of the Increase in Gambling Tax

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The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has conducted an impact assessment of the increase in gambling tax. Effective January 1, 2025, the gambling tax was increased from 30.5% to 34.2%. This increase was intended to increase government revenue. The KSA’s impact assessment shows that this objective has not been achieved. Due to various developments, the gross gaming result (GSR) has declined in both the online and land-based markets. Consequently, despite the increase in gambling tax, tax revenues have decreased.

The increase in gambling tax means that gambling providers must take measures to maintain their profitability. This can be done in various ways, for example, by reducing costs or increasing revenue. In the land-based segment of the market, these options are limited. Therefore, the tax increase is further hampering this segment of the market in particular. The KSA currently sees a faster decline in the number of gaming locations. For example, the number of gaming locations decreased by 9% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the last quarter of 2024. By comparison, between 2020 and 2025, the number of gaming locations decreased by an average of 6% per year.

The online market’s BSR has also decreased, partly due to the implementation of various measures, such as the Responsible Gaming Policy 2024 and the Regulation on Gaming Limits and More Conscious Gaming Behaviour. However, the online market appears to have slightly more room to absorb the decline in the BSR than land-based providers. This is because they have more options to adjust payout percentages and reduce other costs.

Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the Royal Netherlands Gambling Authority, said: “The measures we have taken to offer players more protection have made it financially more difficult for providers. This has led to a decrease in the BSR (Belgian Gambling Tax) for the entire market. Consequently, gambling tax revenues have also decreased. The Ksa had already indicated this would be the effect before the increase in gambling tax was implemented. A financially driven measure like gambling tax is at odds with the policy objective of offering players more protection. If we want to offer players a protected gaming environment in the future, this requires serious, responsible providers. A financially sound, legal market is essential for this.”

The post KSA Conducts Impact Assessment of the Increase in Gambling Tax appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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