Building Sustainable Player Protection with pawaTech
Kris with Olabimpe Akingba
The episode opens with a discussion on sustainable gambling markets and the role of technology in managing player protection beyond licensing alone. Kris is joined by Olabimpe Akingba, Head of Responsible Gaming at pawaTech, to explore how responsible gaming frameworks can be strengthened through data, collaboration and education.
Olabimpe highlights a growing disconnect between what technology can already deliver and what regulators typically mandate. While behavioural tracking can identify risky play such as loss chasing, regulation often focuses on basic tools like self-exclusion, deposit limits and reality checks. She argues that the issue is not a lack of tools, but how they are selected and implemented. In her view, overlapping responsible gaming features can confuse players and reduce engagement without improving protection.
Drawing on her experience in African markets, Olabimpe stresses the importance of moving away from copying regulatory models from Europe and the UK. She believes regions should develop their own standards based on local data, player behaviour and cultural context. Collaboration between regulators and compliant operators is central to this approach, allowing decisions to be guided by evidence rather than assumptions.
The conversation also addresses the challenge of unlicensed platforms, particularly those targeting younger users through game like environments that sit outside traditional gambling definitions. Olabimpe explains that existing regulatory structures are designed to oversee licensed operators, leaving gaps where emerging digital products fall between gambling, gaming and collectibles. She calls for closer cooperation across gambling, technology and payment regulators to address this issue.
Self-exclusion schemes such as Gamstop are discussed as imperfect but valuable protections. Olabimpe supports the concept of multi operator exclusion, particularly when combined with counselling and locally tailored support. She contrasts this with fragmented approaches where players can self-exclude from one platform but immediately access others. Throughout the discussion, she emphasises that education and public awareness are as important as technical controls, particularly for younger and more vulnerable audiences.
AI, Sports Integrity and Global Fraud Networks with ULIS
with Ludovico Calvi
The episode then turns to sports betting integrity and large-scale fraud. Kris is joined by Ludovico Calvi, Honorary President at United Lotteries for Integrity in Sport, to examine how fraud has evolved into a global, industrialised operation.
Ludovico explains that artificial intelligence is accelerating fraud at scale. Organised networks now use synthetic identities, coordinated account creation and behaviour designed to mimic recreational play, making detection significantly harder. He describes this as the industrialisation of fraud, where attacks operate across hundreds of accounts and multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
The discussion explores how global monitoring networks work in practice. Ludovico outlines how trading floors around the world share data to identify suspicious betting patterns, often involving money flows from one continent, sporting events in another and bets placed elsewhere entirely. Without real time data exchange, he explains, these patterns are almost impossible to detect.
Ludovico also discusses the role of law enforcement and sports governing bodies, noting the complexity created by differences between criminal law and sports law. He highlights the importance of encrypted information sharing to comply with privacy requirements while enabling effective investigations. His focus is firmly on prevention rather than reaction, arguing that integrity systems must act before damage occurs.
Market sustainability is another key theme. Ludovico warns that excessive taxation and unrealistic regulatory expectations can weaken licensed markets and push consumers towards illegal operators. He stresses that legalisation only succeeds when markets are economically viable, protect consumers and generate community benefits. Regulators and operators, he argues, must recognise that they are on the same side when confronting illegal activity.
Innovation, Oversight and Protecting Young People with the UK Gambling Commission
with Sarah Gardner
The final segment features Sarah Gardner, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the UK Gambling Commission, who discusses the balance between innovation, regulation and consumer protection.
Sarah explains why lotteries are treated differently from other gambling products, citing their distinct legislative status, lower frequency of play and defined purpose of raising funds for good causes. She cautions against applying uniform regulatory approaches across all products, noting that risk must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Comparisons between online instant win games and online slots are used to illustrate how differences in speed of play significantly affect risk.
The conversation addresses statistics around youth gambling participation in the UK. Sarah clarifies that reported engagement often reflects indirect experiences rather than spending money. She notes that following the increase of the lottery age limit to 18, participation among underage players has effectively fallen to zero. Protecting children and vulnerable people, she explains, remains central to the Commission’s licensing objectives.
Sarah also discusses the ongoing challenge of unlicensed operators. While acknowledging that illegal gambling cannot be eliminated entirely, she outlines the Commission’s strategy of preventing it from operating at scale. This includes partnerships with payment providers, platforms and domain registrars, alongside enforcement powers and public awareness initiatives.
Looking ahead, Sarah identifies the growing risk posed by AI enabled illegal gambling. While AI presents clear threats, she also sees opportunities for licensed operators to use it responsibly to identify risk earlier and support players more effectively.
Episode Summary
Across all conversations, the episode highlights the same underlying message. Effective protection in gambling depends on more than regulation alone. Data driven decision making, collaboration across borders and sectors, education and sustainable market design are all critical in addressing harm, fraud and illegal activity. As technology accelerates both risk and opportunity, the industry’s response must be proactive, coordinated and focused on long term integrity rather than short term compliance.
