Compliance managers of the Merkur Group attended a two-day workshop at Schloss Benkhausen, the company’s own training centre at its headquarters in Espelkamp. The aim was to global compliance challenges together, develop successful strategies and promote company-wide exchange. The participants came from 13 countries.

“Regulatory requirements are increasing from year to year. It is therefore all the more important that we are in constant dialog within the company and benefit from the perspectives and experiences of others,” said Ludwig Beckmann, Chief Compliance Officer of the Merkur Group.

An important topic at the event was the presentation of the Group’s newly created central risk management system. The focus is on optimizing existing systems and developing a holistic risk management system that integrates the areas of “Legal”, “Audit” and “Business Operations”, among others. Subsequently, the careful examination of customers (know-your-customer checks) and business partners (due diligence checks) in the individual companies was discussed in working groups.

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In order to improve the legal overview, the concept of a Group-wide central register documenting all relevant legal disputes of the Merkur Group was explained. This can be helpful in responding more accurately to official requirements in licensing procedures. While the UK compliance team then presented the UK Gaming Authority’s draft legislation with a view to the regulatory peculiarities, another topic of discussion was how the reporting procedure for breaches of the compliance principle could be made even more effective.

“The measures and strategic guidelines developed form a solid basis for the continuous development of the company’s global compliance culture,” Ludwig Beckmann added.

The compliance managers from the UK, Malta, Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, Belgium, Australia, Colombia and Peru came to East Westphalia for the meeting.

BetComply, iGaming’s most trusted technical and regulatory compliance firm, has appointed Iliana Lazarova as its first ever Head of Account Management.

Lazarova brings with her more than 15 years of experience in the online gaming sector, including senior account management roles at Markor Technology, Microgaming and Yggdrasil.

She joins at a time of rapid expansion for BetComply, as the company grows its team to more than 20 members to support a fast-growing roster of clients.

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Daniel Brookes, CEO of BetComply said: “BetComply is now providing compliance support to many of the biggest names in our industry. Iliana’s deep experience makes her the perfect fit to ensure we’re delivering exceptional service to our partners at every step. She’s another superstar addition to our already world-class team.”

Iliana Lazarova, Head of Account Management at BetComply, added: “BetComply has built an incredible reputation for trusted, expert compliance, and I’m thrilled to be joining at such an exciting time. My focus will be on strengthening partnerships and ensuring every client feels fully supported as they continue to navigate regulatory change.”

Lazarova is just the latest senior hire at BetComply. In March, the firm appointed former Entain executive Jez White in a new role overseeing safer gambling and sustainability.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, recently spoke with Antena 3, one of Romania’s leading news channels about safer gambling in Romania.

In the interview, Maarten outlined our recommendation that Romania establishes a national self-exclusion register for gambling—a crucial player protection measure already implemented in 17 EU member states. The interview was conducted at a recent event held at the Romanian Parliament organised by the Romanian online gambling association (AOJND).

EGBA’s recommendations for Romania

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At that meeting, EGBA underlined its recommendation that Romania introduces a comprehensive gambling self-exclusion framework, and recommended that the system should:

• Apply to all licensees (land-based and online gambling operators).
• Be accessible through a user-friendly, GDPR-compliant, government website.
• Be clearly communicated and made accessible via gambling platforms.
• Apply in real-time and be fail proof.
• Have clear minimum and maximum time periods for the self-exclusion duration.
• Ensure registered players receive information on where to seek support.
• Require operators to remove self-excluded players from marketing databases.

Establishing a self-exclusion framework based on these European best practices would provide a crucial safety net for Romanian players.

Source: EGBA