Desert Drag

About Desert Drag

Earlier this year, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi called illegal betting a “scourge that corrupts society” and emphasised a move towards tougher enforcement.

According to Çiftçi, the rapid growth of digital payments and cryptocurrencies has transformed illegal betting into a major conduit for money laundering. 

“Casinos, junkets, cryptocurrencies and underground banking are the most critical parts of the money laundering infrastructure that fuels international organised crime,” he said at the time. “The global gambling market will reach $205 billion in 2030.”

What is Desert Drag?

They must also evaluate their current technical safeguards to ensure alignment with regulator expectations and certification standards.

Safeguarding has reappeared as a focal point for the regulator. In July of this year, ANJ imposed a €500,000 ($572,797) fine on an unnamed online betting operator, referred to as Company X, for not adequately identifying and supporting customers exhibiting signs of problematic gambling. 

The fine followed an investigation that found Company X had failed to correctly identify 29 high-risk players at an appropriate risk level. Six players were missed entirely and 23 were misclassified at a lower risk tier. 

What is Desert Drag?

I have also been impressed with the number of like-minded, empowered female CEOs and leaders I have met. I was recently added to a WhatsApp group exclusively for C-level women in iGaming. When I joined, there were already 150 women in the group, and I was told it started at just 20.

This community has become invaluable to me. Being in a C-role is isolating. You have to make difficult decisions and, unfortunately, you can’t be everyone’s friend all of the time. In fact, a lot of the time, it’s quite the opposite.

Having a community of women who understand that exact feeling, who have experienced these challenges themselves, and who can offer support without any judgment has been transformative. Finding that kind of space in a professional setting is challenging and I couldn’t be more grateful to the women in these communities.