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UK Gambling Commission highlights failures to stop children playing on 18+ pub gaming machines
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Tests on a sample of pubs in England indicate that almost 90% failed to prevent children accessing 18+ gaming machines.
The Gambling Commission has worked with licensing authorities and local police to test compliance with laws in place to protect children from the risks gambling can pose.
Children are not permitted to play Category C gaming machines in pubs. Staff are expected to stop children playing on the machines and there should be clear signage indicating the age restriction.
Announcing the results at the Institute of Licensing National Conference, Helen Rhodes, Programme Director at the Gambling Commission, said: “We are extremely concerned that pubs across England are failing to stop children playing gaming machines designed for adults. We urgently call on the pub sector to take action immediately to enforce the laws in place to protect children and young people.”
“We expect to see significant improvement in further tests and will continue to work with licensing authorities to support any action required against those failing to adhere to the requirements.”
The current failure rate (89%) compares to an average failure rate of 15% to 30% for other age restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco.
The Commission has written to the pub industry today outlining the findings of our work and calling for urgent improvements. The letter can be found below.
Letter
Dear Trade Association
Age Verification on Category C (adult only) gaming machines in pubs
In June 2018 the Gambling Commission (the Commission) set out further commitments to protecting children and young people from the dangers of gambling, building on work already underway in this area.
The Commission asked its expert advisers the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB) for specific advice on the critical theme of children, young people and gambling. Bringing together existing work and acting on the advice provided by the RGSB, the Commission’s strengthened focus seeks to ensure the right protections are in place to reduce the risk of harm to children and young people.
The Commission called for all those responsible for safeguarding children, to work together with the Commission to address the wide range of issues identified in RGSB’s advice. Amongst the actions identified was the need to address access and exposure to gambling by children and young people.
The Commission has therefore been working in conjunction with licensing authorities across England for the last six months to test the compliance of pubs with the requirement to prevent under 18s playing on Category C machines. These exercises were led by licensing authorities (and trading standards staff) or police officers who had volunteered their resources to work with the Commission.
The interim results are sufficiently concerning that we consider it to be in the public interest to release them immediately. The current failure rate is 89% based on 61 tests. This compares to a pass rate of 70 – 85% for most age restricted products such as alcohol or tobacco. (Source: Serve Legal.)
The pubs tested were a matter for the licensing authority to determine based on their local priorities. The failure rate did not vary significantly between licensing authorities nor between [large] pub companies and independents. The results were uniformly poor.
To summarise the legal position, at s46 of the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act)
(1) A person commits an offence if he invites, causes or permits a child or young person to gamble.
At s284, a licensing authority may remove the exemption (to make gaming machines available on a licensed premises) if:
‘an offence under this Act has been committed on the premises’.
The Commission has published a Code of Practice[1] for gaming machines in clubs and premises with an alcohol licence under s24 of the Act. The Code makes it a condition of the permit that:
‘All gaming machines situated on the premises must be located in a place within the premises so that their use can be supervised, either by staff whose duties include such supervision (including bar or floor staff) or by other means.’
Section 3.1 of the Code sets out good practice in relation to access to gambling by children and young people:
‘Permit holders should put into effect procedures intended to prevent underage gambling. This should include procedures for:
• checking the age of those who appear underage
• refusing entry to anyone unable to produce an acceptable form of identification.
Permit holders should take all reasonable steps to ensure that all relevant employees understand their responsibilities for preventing underage gambling.’
The Commission, the Local Government Association and the Welsh Local Government Association are very concerned about the findings and the clear risks that they indicate to children and young people’s access to gambling. Further tests will be undertaken over the coming months.
We urgently call the industry and their Trade Associations to take the results as a serious indication of the need to improve matters. We expect that the action taken will be reflected in significant improvements in future test results.
As a part of the Commission’s wider focus on children and young people, we will support licensing authorities in their further actions against operators who fail to meet the conditions of their permits and will also not hesitate to amend the Code of Practice for gaming machines in clubs and pubs if that is proved necessary.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Watson, Executive Director Enforcement
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network

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International guests arriving at South Korea’s largest foreigner-only casino, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, now enjoy a significantly faster and more seamless check-in experience. Customer onboarding times have noticeably improved following the integration of Regula’s advanced identity verification technology. Regula Document Reader SDK, the most comprehensive ID verification solution in the world, integrates with the resort’s anti-money laundering (AML) procedures, boosting operational efficiency and compliance.
Seeking to enhance operational efficiency and meet evolving AML requirements, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort sought a faster and more accurate solution. The resort, which features a high-volume casino catering exclusively to foreign guests, needed a system capable of recognizing passports from around the globe with minimal friction.
Following vendor evaluations, INSPIRE selected Regula Document Reader SDK for its superior document reading speed, intuitive interface, and unmatched global ID coverage. Regula’s solution is powered by the company’s proprietary ID template database—the world’s largest—covering 15,000+ document templates across 254 countries and territories.
Deployed across six entrance stations, Regula Document Reader SDK enables real-time extraction and validation of critical ID data, such as name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number. This data is then passed directly to INSPIRE’s AML system, which in turn performs automated screening against external compliance and watchlist databases.
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The post Faster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Make-A-Wish® International, the world’s leading wish-granting organization, has announced the launch of its Infinite Wishes Initiative, a global programme aimed at uniting the video games industry to help grant life-changing wishes for children living with critical illnesses.
Launched in response to a dramatic rise in gaming-related wishes – ranging from building custom PCs to meeting developers or creating custom skins – Infinite Wishes provides a flexible, inclusive framework for the industry to make a meaningful impact, no matter an organization’s size or budget. With tiered partnership levels and non-financial participation options, companies can get involved in ways that align with their goals and resources.
April Stallings, Charitable Gaming and Creators Community Manager at Make-A-Wish International, commented:
“Infinite Wishes is about creating pathways for the games industry to do great things, whether that’s funding wishes, hosting a livestream, or simply sparking a new idea for impact. We know how passionate and talented this community is. This initiative is about giving teams a purpose-driven outlet to rally around – one that lifts spirits, sparks creativity, and changes lives.”
To help shape and guide the programme, Make-A-Wish International has assembled a Games Industry Advisory Committee made up of leaders and experts across the sector. Going into its second year, the committee includes representatives from Square Enix, Bethesda, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Raccoon Logic, 2K, Deviant Legal, Modoyo, Stream for a Cause, and Dames4Games.
Wouter Van Vugt, EMEA Communications & Community Engagement Senior Director at Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe and Chair of the Make-A-Wish Games Industry Advisory Committee, added:
“There’s never been a better time for the games industry to show its heart. Through Infinite Wishes, our industry has the opportunity to channel our collective goodwill and reach into something that delivers lasting, real-world impact for children who need it most. The opportunity to help fulfil a child’s wish is one of the most powerful things we can offer.”
Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted over 615,000 wishes globally. In 2024 alone, the international network granted more than 16,000 wishes, with gaming playing a growing role in the wish journey of many children. The Infinite Wishes initiative reflects Make-A-Wish International’s commitment to expanding its impact through new and innovative partnerships with the gaming community.
Inaugural members of the Infinite Wishes Initiative include Raptor PR and PlaySafe ID.
The post Make-A-Wish® International Launches Infinite Wishes Initiative to Inspire Hope Through the Power of Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Tugi Tark today announces a strategic partnership with WebPrefer, the Swedish software company behind the Wepam iGaming platform. The collaboration brings Tugi Tark’s AI-powered support software into WebPrefer’s core technology, offering iGaming operators a fully integrated solution for modern customer service.
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Harpo Lilja, CEO of Tugi Tark, said: “We are thrilled to partner with WebPrefer to bring smarter support to the iGaming world.This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to help operators create deeper connections with their players through AI-enhanced support.”
Mikael Lindberg Castell, Founder & CEO of WebPrefer, said: “Implementing Tugi Tark’s AI Agent support tool into our own PAM solution was a no-brainer for us. Assisting end users is fundamental to any business, and together with Tugi Tark we can now present a complete solution for iGaming operators. This partnership is one more way we’re making player care faster, smarter, and at scale.”
This partnership marks a significant milestone in both companies’ missions to modernize iGaming support and operational strategy. The integrated system is customizable, fast to deploy, and designed with regulatory frameworks in mind, ideal for operators scaling across brands, geographies, and languages.
The post AI-powered iGaming customer service firm Tugi Tark signs strategic partnership agreement with WebPrefer appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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