Down The Rails

What is Down The Rails?

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. 

The regulator also launched a public awareness campaign earlier this year during the 2026 World Cup to warn of potential gambling addiction risks associated with increased sports betting during the tournament. 

What is Down The Rails?

iGB is proud once again to launch its Most Influential Women initiative, now in its ninth year. Since 2018, we have provided a platform for females in the gaming sector to honour their work and the progress they have made in advancing DEI.

Over the course of the campaign’s lifetime, various sectors and subsectors of the industry have been highlighted and the sheer diversity of talent has shone through, year after year. We have had the pleasure of delving into the careers and aspirations of our previous winners, and learned a lot about the make up of the sector along the way.

From recruitment to regulation, cybersecurity, tribal gaming, affiliates, gambling law, C-suite leaders and everything else in between, the campaign has shown that where roles, companies and backgrounds differ, many of the women we have honoured share a united drive to improve diversity within the sector.

How to play Down The Rails

Having received its licence in Peru in August 2024, Escobar argues Stake’s global scale delivers an advantage only when it is paired with a deep understanding of the Peruvian market and its players.

“We benefit from world-class technology, a market-leading product and one of the strongest brands in the industry, but success isn’t achieved simply by bringing a global platform into a new market,” Escobar says. “We’ve invested heavily in understanding Peruvian players, building local partnerships, working with creators, supporting football and tailoring our marketing and customer experience to local preferences.

“That balance between global capability and local relevance has allowed us to establish a strong position in one of Latin America’s most competitive markets.”