Replacing Gehan Talwatte, who has served as Chair for the past two years, Erlandson brings knowledge in executive leadership, strategy and innovation to the position, as well as over 30 years of senior leadership experience in the data and analytics sector.

The regulatory intelligence solutions provider noted that he has “led successful digital transformations, spearheaded product development initiatives, built high-performing teams, and leveraged data-driven insights to deliver exceptional results for clients”.

As Chair, Erlandson will utilise his industry experience and leadership to support Vixio’s growth, assisting with new product launches and expansion into the wider financial services industry and new territories.

“I am honoured to join Vixio as Chair and excited to contribute to the company’s continued success and growth,” commented Erlandson on his new role. 

“Vixio’s commitment to the RegTech space, combined with its innovative AI-driven platform that enhances data insights and streamlines workflows, positions the company as a leader in regulatory intelligence. 

“I look forward to helping steer Vixio through this exciting period of innovation and expansion, delivering impactful solutions for our customers, future customers, and employees alike.”

Previously, Erlandson has held the roles of CEO of Dun & Bradstreet UK, Managing Director at Thomson Reuters, Chief Commercial Officer at GfK, and CEO of Automotive Transformation Group. 

He is currently an advisor to Spotlio, as well as CEO at TNW, a Financial Times company, reporting to the Financial Times Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Christian to Vixio, and extend a heartfelt thanks to Gehan for his invaluable contributions to support Vixio’s expansion over the past two years,” stated Mike Woolfrey, CEO of Vixio. 

“Christian’s extensive leadership experience, strategic vision, and commitment to fostering innovation will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our position as a leader in the RegTech market.”

Gurinder Sunner, Partner at Perwyn, the European private equity investor which acquired Vixio in December 2022, added: “Christian’s exceptional track record of driving growth and delivering value to stakeholders makes him the perfect leader to guide Vixio into its next phase of success. 

“We are confident his leadership will strategically position the company for continued growth in payments and gambling, as well as long-term success as we expand further into financial services. I look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead under his chairship.”

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Taking place before Safer Gambling Week 2024, SBC Digital – Player Protection kicks off at 9AM GMT with a special presentation from lead sponsors Vixio Regulatory Intelligence. Vixio View: Global Player Protection Policy Trends will feature Vixio’s Chief Analyst and VP Americas, James Kilsby, discussing key regulatory trends on responsible gambling in Europe, North America, Brazil and beyond, and focusing on affordability, monitoring and intervention. 

This will be immediately followed by a fascinating discussion on whether operator focus on player protection can increase shareholder value, and features Evoke’s Head of Player Safety, Yardena Almagor, she’s joined by leading industry consultant Peter Marcus, Founder & CEO of Better World Casinos, Floris Assies, and Gambling Lawyer Andy Danson of Bird & Bird, in a session moderated by Founder and Managing Director of SBC Advisory Partners, Anton Kaszubowski. 

Financial Risk Checks is another topic that will be debated at the event, with Sam McKnight, Head of UK Compliance at Fitzdares, Iris Den Boer, Chief CSR Officer at Betnation and Gamstop’s CMO Katie Reynolds-Jones taking part in a discussion chaired by CasinoBeats Editor Joe Streeter. The panel will discuss whether financial risk checks are an essential tool for player safety, or if they are likely to fuel the black market. 

Leading industry academic Mark Griffiths, who is the Director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University headlines our fourth panel of the day. He is joined by Miguel Luis, Head of Compliance at Portuguese operator LeBull, Ian Perrygrove, Chief Risk Officer at Kwiff, and Jonathan Aiwazian, CEO of IDpair, in a session discussing player protection software. Payment Expert Editor Ted Orme-Claye is the moderator. 

Elsewhere, Player Protection Hub Editor Steve Hoare is joined by Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of the European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA), as well as Betsson’s Head of Safer Gambling Eduards Jakubovs and Flutter’s Director of Risk & Safer Gambling Luke Sugden, and Frazer McNaughton, Head of Compliance & MLRO at Grace Media. The panel will discuss collaboration between operators as the logical next step for player protection. 

Jessica Welman, Editor of SBC Americas chairs the penultimate discussion, focusing on the essential tools for self help, where she is joined by Phil Sherwood, Senior Director of Responsible Gambling at PrizePicks, Bernardo Chagas, Lecturer in Strategic Management and Marketing at the University of Lisbon, Simon Vincze, the Head of Sustainable and Safer Gambling at Casino Guru, and from the EGBA, Vasiliki Panousi, Manager EU Affairs.

The final session of the day focuses on creating the perfect safer play message, and features Alex Wolf of Underdog Fantasy, Lisa Corti, the head of Safer Gambling at BV Group and Dr Maris Catania, Senior Consultant in Safer Gambling at SG: Certified, in a panel moderated by SBC’s Director of Content Ted Menmuir. 

You can register for the event by clicking here. 

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Described as a “one-stop solution for technical requirements in the online casino industry”, the Technical Compliance Tool gathers the need-to-know requirements for providers and operators alike in regulated markets in a consistent format, saving them time in terms of manual research.

The tool will sit within Vixio’s GamblingCompliance platform, which offers insights into specific requirements for over 180 jurisdictions to help users stay compliant with regulatory landscapes and support their growth objectives.

“At Vixio, we’ve always prioritised listening to our customers and the launch of our Technical Compliance Tool is a direct response to their needs,” stated Mike Woolfrey, CEO of Vixio. 

“We understand the complexity and urgency of staying compliant in a rapidly evolving industry, and this Technical Compliance Tool will help our customers accomplish that simpler and quicker than ever before.”

The Technical Compliance Tool will initially cover regulations for more than 24 markets in Europe, North America and Latin America, including Brazil, helping online casino providers and operators capitalise on opportunities in newly regulated markets, speed up game development and assist compliance teams with product and regulatory compliance.

Within the tool, over 65 of the most critical technical requirements which affect online casino games’ development, deployment and certification across regulated markets will be provided in a comparative view. Source references are also provided in their original language and English translations.

James Kilsby, Chief Analyst at Vixio, added: “With our Technical Compliance Tool, we’re providing a solution that empowers our customers to confidently expand into new markets, knowing they have the most up-to-date and comprehensive regulatory intelligence at their fingertips.

“The technical compliance landscape for online casino games has become significantly more complex in recent years as European regulators have imposed stricter requirements on game design at the same time that North and Latin American markets have offered significant new opportunities for suppliers and operators to grow their businesses.

“The Vixio Technical Compliance Tool ensures compliance teams can continue to meet these two challenges.”

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The report highlights how the US igaming market has grown since 2019 and the direction Vixio is forecasting the market to go in through 2027.

The regulatory intelligence solutions provider also stated that the report offers “forward-looking intelligence and consolidated research on key segments of the global gambling industry”, 

Intelligence is based on Vixio’s analysis of recent regulatory events and published market data, as well as Vixio analysts’ views on key markets, legislative proposals and policy trends.

Within the report, Vixio is forecasting that total US igaming GGR will grow by 22 per cent year-on-year in 2024 to $8.2bn, overtaking the $7.5bn UK igaming sector as the largest regulated igaming market in the world.

By 2027, Vixio forecasted the US igaming market to be worth between $10.8bn and $13.7bn.

James Kilsby, Vixio’s GamblingCompliance Chief Analyst and a co-author of the report, stated: “The US now overtaking the UK highlights the US igaming paradox in 2024. Online casino games are generating significant revenue, especially in the three key markets of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

“Yet, industry advocates are encountering more opposition in their efforts to expand regulation to additional states, as certain land-based casino operators and labour unions point to concerns of cannibalisation and perceived competitive imbalances in online gambling.”

Vixio noted that seven US states have legalised online casinos, with the most recent being Rhode Island in March earlier this year. Several states also had bills in 2024 to authorise igaming but none approved legislation.

To read the semi-annual US iGaming Outlook report, click here.

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Moderated by James Kilsby, Chief Analyst at VIXIO, the panel entitled ‘Regulation 2030: Anticipating Future Compliance Challenges’ emphasised the importance of collaboration as the framework around social responsibility evolves and the potential for federal intervention increases.

Painting a picture of her ideal outcome for the industry Cathy Judd-Stein, the Former Chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, emphasised her optimism that regulators will embrace further collaboration with operators as ambitions to eradicate the threat of the black and grey market are realised. 

Louis Rogacki, Assistant Attorney General, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, echoed this sentiment as he urged operators to be more forthcoming with solutions when it comes to RG and tackling the black market. 

He said: “Regulators shouldn’t always have to go to the industry to provide them best practices, they should be coming to regulators. If the industry doesn’t heed the warnings it will lead to federal intervention, which is not a good scenario for the regulated industry.”  

Judd-Stein added that the base built is a strong one as solid connections have already been formed, while specifically referencing Massachusetts for praise as a region that has taken a strong lead in terms of advertising regulations. Building on this, she told the audience that they have regulation pending to provide broader prohibitions when it comes to gambling advertising. 

That being said, she detailed that federal intervention may well play a vital role in terms of the detection and tackling of unlicensed operators, stating that the industry shouldn’t be hesitant to ask for support when it comes to this eradication of the black market.

Cole Wogoman, Senior Manager, Government Relations and League Partnerships, National Council on Problem Gambling, stated his belief that federal intervention is highly likely and downplayed the sentiment that it would definitely be a bad outcome. 

A national standard in terms of RG is an avenue that Wogoman believes could be fruitful in improving the approach of RG. However, he highlighted that it wouldn’t have to be federal or come from congress. 

Providing further analysis of the market, he emphasised that ‘culture matters’, and the type of stringent affordability checks being implemented in the UK simply wouldn’t translate successfully to a US audience. 

Rogacki also agreed that attempts to bring UK-style affordability checks to the US markets would be futile in the bid to build the most impactful regulatory framework. 

Nonetheless, the scrutiny being placed under many new entrants to the market is too significant of an obstacle according to Behnam Dayanim, Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, who revealed that some of the most talented people are being discouraged from entering the igaming space. 

He told the panel that ‘regulators should step back and take a look at what they don’t need to regulate’, as he urged the need for evolution when it comes to the regulatory strategy being undertaken in the market.

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Providing clients with “workflow tools for rich analysis”, the refresh includes a new website filled with resources for compliance professionals in the gambling and payments industry, bringing “together the people and technology element” of its business.

Mike Woolfrey, Vixio CEO, commented: “We simply help our clients remain compliant so they are able to mitigate risk and identify opportunities for growth.

“By having a culture of compliance, and using us as a compliance partner, we have seen many of our clients grow more quickly and maintain their reputations in the market.”

With “a history of being a first mover in complex markets that require a systematic approach to regulatory compliance”, Vixio’s solutions help clients analyse a market’s current state and anticipate regulation trends to accelerate business strategies for product and global expansion.

A part of that service includes the Data Hub for the gambling industry, which Vixio launched back in June and described as “a portal for strategic planning and analysis that updates the regulatory parameters as they change, to make business forecasting more accurate”.

The Data Hub allows business stakeholders to “validate internal assumptions, quantify the size of new business opportunities, and prepare for future market growth with confidence”. 

Vixio has also recently launched a Market Assessment Tool for gambling and a Horizon Scanning service for payments, which offers in-depth coverage of the regulatory payments landscape.

“By taking the heavy lift out of compliance through our analysis and insights, it was a natural step to offer workflow tools that give access to the depth and breadth of data and further help our clients test assumptions and inform new business strategies with ease,” added Woolfrey.

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Research from VIXIO has indicated that online gross gaming revenues in Europe and the Americas are expected to exceed $50bn by 2026.

As a result, the regulatory and business intelligence provider believes it is vital for the industry to have a “centralised access point for reliable data, information, and insights to support strategic growth opportunities and empower accurate market projections”.

Described as “a portal for strategic planning and analysis that updates the regulatory parameters as they change, to make business forecasting more accurate”, the VIXIO Data Hub will allow business stakeholders to “validate internal assumptions, quantify the size of new business opportunities, and prepare for future market growth with confidence”.

Roseanne Spagnuolo, Chief Content Officer for VIXIO, stated: “In an era of expanding regulations and the pursuit of new opportunities, industry executives and advisors require access to the broadest range of verifiable data and accurate, transparent forecasts to ensure their business plans are aligned with regulatory and market realities.”

The hub offers global coverage of verifiable data, forecasting dashboards and industry-leading analysis to support global gambling companies, along with their investors and advisors, with due diligence, strategy, and development initiatives.

Regarding global coverage of verifiable market data, the Data Hub offers over 400 data sets and four million data points on an “easy-to-navigate portal” for industry professionals to access.

All the data from regulated gambling markets and publicly traded companies is reported and verifiable, updated in real-time and consolidated thanks to VIXIO’s proprietary Market Monitor to enable “easy comparison on a regional basis”.

Using VIXIO’s proprietary forecasting methodologies, forecasting dashboards are available on the Data Hub to allow users to produce forecasts for key global gaming markets based on growth strategies and future regulatory assumptions. 

These dashboards are updated continuously to take into account legislative or market developments, “supporting internal forecast benchmarking and underpinning operating strategies”.

Industry-leading analysis within the Data Hub is provided by VIXIO’s expert team of analysts. The team will help businesses identify “market trends before the competition” and grow their global gambling knowledge, including in new verticals and jurisdictions.

Spagnuolo added: “Data Hub provides a 360-degree view of the global gambling industry, simplifying the due diligence process and empowering clients to swiftly and easily develop their growth strategies.”

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