QUOTABLES QUOTABLES “If we were to blindly issue a license simply because a bill was passed last year while disregarding other external factors, that would be irresponsible.” —Alice Mak Mei-kuen, Hong Kong Home and Youth Affairs Minister, after suspending the rollout of legal basketball betting amid shifting regulatory approaches to global prediction markets. “Less than 3% of active customer accounts would trigger any steps by an operator under these proposals. Of these 3% that would undergo an assessment, the pilot showed 97% would have a frictionless assessment process. This is far better than what government estimated when they published the White Paper, which was that 80% of assessments would be frictionless.” —Helen Rhodes, Director of Major Policy Projects and Evaluation at the U.K. Gambling Commission, on the post-pilot analysis of financial risk assessments in the U.K. “These practices may increase the risk of gambling harm by blurring the line between entertainment and marketing, and by exposing at-risk groups to persuasive promotional content.” —Tarek Barakat, New South Wales Deputy Secretary of Hospitality and Racing, after the regulator stepped up its scrutiny of operators’ relationships with social media influencers in 2026. “If it were up to me, we close them. I am deeply worried about the indebtedness of the Brazilian people. If these platforms cause harm, why don’t we end them? We are discussing this very seriously.” —Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in an interview with ICL Noticias, regarding a proposed nationwide ban on online betting platforms. GPWAtimes.org 10
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