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Cyprus is not the first market to consider whether to block its welfare recipients from using their benefits to gamble, Brazil introduced a similar ban in 2025.
During a session of the House Audit Committee last Thursday, members of parliament (MPs), the Data Protection Commissioner and representatives from the Welfare Benefits Administration Service (WBAS), the Gaming & Casino Supervision Commission and the National Betting Authority (NBA) convened to discuss ways to identify and restrict gambling activity among GMI beneficiaries, as reported by Cyprus Mail.
While the intention is to protect vulnerable households and ensure welfare is spent on essential needs, proposed measures are being complicated by legal, technical and privacy obstacles.
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The participants suggested timely and relevant interruptions as well as enhanced onboarding processes and in-game assistance, which could include free-play modes, easy access to concise game rules and AI-driven help to clarify complex terms.
For land-based venues, unobtrusive and empathetic staff checks to identify signs of distress without creating a sense of surveillance was suggested.
The study drew parallels with evolving financial regulation, such as the Financial Conduct Authority’s Consumer Duty, which stressed the importance of providing information and ensuring customers understand and can act on it.
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As Kesitilwe explains, a key theme of the week has been turning conversations on safer gambling into practical actions.
He says the signs have so far been “very encouraging”, telling iGB: “The initiative demonstrates that cooperation does not have to remain at the level of conference and policy discussion.
“It has to translate into practical action, educating players, engaging communities, protecting young people and highlighting the dangers of illegal and unlicensed gambling.”