Defining the boundaries of an operator’s responsibility and where the individual responsibility of the player begins is one of the central issues in the debate on responsible gaming. This topic will be at the heart of the panel ” Whose Shoulders Does Responsible Gaming Fall On ? “ , which is part of the player protection program of the SBC Summit 2026 , an event scheduled for September 29 to October 1 at the Lisbon International Fair (FIL) and the MEO Arena.
Lisa Corti , Head of Safer Gambling at BVGroup and one of the panelists, argues that player protection works best when responsibility is shared among the different participants in the sector, with clearly defined responsibilities.
In an interview with SBC Notícias Brasil , Corti stated that regulators must establish consistent standards, technology providers need to incorporate protection mechanisms into their products, and operators must remain responsible for interpreting risk signals and for the actions taken with clients.
During the interview, Corti also addressed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify risky behaviors, the limits of automation, the importance of human supervision, and the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. According to the executive, the greater the risk and potential impact of a decision on the player, the greater the human involvement should be in the process.
SBC News Brazil: In practice, where should an operator’s duty of care end and the player’s personal responsibility begin?
Lisa Corti: First, I would like to emphasize that operators are not subject to a general duty of care under common law , in the legal sense of the term. We do, however, have regulatory responsibilities and obligations stipulated by the various licenses. These obligations exist to ensure that we identify, assess, and take action when necessary.
We provide information, tools, and guidance to customers, whether through content about safer gaming and access to tools on the website, emails or messages with more specific guidance, or calls aimed at encouraging a safe and responsible relationship with gambling. It is up to the customer to assimilate this information and use it in the way that is most appropriate to their situation and their particular experience with gambling.
SBC News Brazil: How should this balance shift when an operator identifies clear signs that a client may be suffering gambling-related harm? At what point should protecting the player take precedence over preserving their autonomy?
Lisa Corti: People who are experiencing gambling-related harm don’t always realize it’s happening, especially in the early stages. Clients can go through different levels of risk, starting with recreational or low-risk activity and progressing to problem gambling and serious harm.
The best approach is to prevent the situation from escalating into problem gambling through early intervention, offering clients tools, guidance, and advice tailored to their situation, to prevent gambling from becoming a problem.
When there are clear signs that a client is progressing through the stages of problematic gambling and previous tools or guidance have not been adopted, appropriate measures will be taken on the client’s behalf, both in compliance with licensing obligations and as a business decision of care and protection. These measures depend on each specific situation and are tailored to provide the best possible outcome for the client.
SBC News Brazil: What should be the role of regulators, technology providers, and other industry participants in protecting gamers? And where do you see the biggest gaps in this shared responsibility?
Lisa Corti: Player protection is most effective when responsibility is shared but clearly defined. Regulators should establish consistent, proportionate, and results-oriented standards, while allowing sufficient flexibility for operators to respond to each client’s circumstances.
Technology providers should incorporate protection into their products from the design stage, offer transparent and explainable risk indicators, and help operators assess whether interventions are effective. Operators, who have the most direct view of gaming behavior, should remain responsible for interpreting these indicators, understanding the broader customer context, and taking appropriate action.
The biggest gaps lie in data fragmentation, inconsistent expectations across different jurisdictions, and a lack of clarity about responsibility when multiple organizations participate in the customer journey.
Greater collaboration between operators, regulators, providers, payment service providers, researchers, and treatment services would help in the earlier identification of risks and more effective interventions. However, shared responsibility cannot become diluted responsibility: each participant must remain responsible for the risks and decisions that are under their control.
SBC News Brazil: AI and behavioral data can help operators identify potentially at-risk players on a large scale. Which decisions can be safely automated and which should always involve human judgment?
Lisa Corti: While the use of AI and behavioral data can help identify at-risk players, prioritize cases, and implement interventions quickly and on a large scale, the decision to send automated responses depends on the level of risk and the stage of problematic gaming the customer is in.
The intention is to support, not replace, decision-making. Sending information about tools or self-assessments, as well as reminders related to time or money spent, for example, can be part of automated decisions.
This is based on industry data indicating that a large proportion of harm, in general, occurs among low- and moderate-risk gamblers simply because these groups are much larger than the relatively small number of people with serious gambling-related problems. As I mentioned earlier, when we engage earlier with clients at these lower risk levels, we increase the likelihood of preventing the situation from escalating into problem gambling.
It is essential, however, that these systems be accompanied by human oversight to ensure that decisions remain proportionate and explainable.
When signs of harm increase and more specific and personalized interaction becomes necessary, human judgment and involvement are indispensable. The greater the risk and the greater the potential impact of the decision on the client, the greater the demand for human judgment and responsibility must be.
SBC News Brazil: How should operators deal with false positives and false negatives when using AI to identify customers who may need intervention?
Lisa Corti: False positives and false negatives cannot be completely eliminated. Therefore, operators need to manage them through human supervision and continuous evaluation.
AI should not be used as an isolated system. Control mechanisms must exist to identify false positives and false negatives. Operators need reports and reviews capable of performing gap analysis and identifying customers who were not identified by the AI model or, conversely, those who were incorrectly flagged.
Models should be tested and recalibrated regularly using both quantitative metrics, such as sensitivity, accuracy, and known unidentified cases, and the results of interventions actually implemented. They should also keep pace with the latest guidance from various regulators.
The goal should not be to generate the largest possible number of alerts, but to identify the right customers at the right time and take actions that are proportionate, explainable, and demonstrably effective.
SBC News Brazil: When an intervention is necessary, what makes it truly effective? How important are factors like timing, tone, and personalization compared to simply conveying the required message about safer play?
Lisa Corti: For an intervention to be effective, the reason behind it needs to be the primary guiding factor. This is particularly important for higher-risk players, but it also applies to lower-risk clients.
Lower-risk behaviors, where signs such as loss chasing, increased playing time, or increased spending begin to emerge, can benefit from messages that correspond to these behaviors at the moment they are happening. This makes the communication relevant and specific. When it is short, direct, and based on current and real behavior, it tends to make more sense to the customer. In this case, the tone is informative.
As signs of worsening emerge and the potential for harm increases, a more targeted intervention is needed, capable of addressing all concerning behaviors. It should still be informative, but it also needs to explain how to manage this behavior or require the client to recognize or evaluate their own conduct. In this way, the client receives not only information but also guidance.
When it becomes necessary to discuss the activity in greater depth, as the client progresses toward a high-risk situation, it is crucial to recognize all behaviors that can lead to problem gambling, explain why they are potentially harmful, and offer tools and means to reduce the negative effects.
When this is communicated without judgment and accompanied by practical resources and guidance on how to manage the gaming account, it increases the likelihood of the customer engaging with the intervention.
The timing of the intervention is crucial in all these interactions. We live in a “near-instantaneous” world, and therefore, we react in different ways depending on when we receive certain information.
SBC News Brazil: How should operators measure whether their safer gaming interventions are actually working?
Lisa Corti: There are several metrics that can be considered and monitored. Are there fewer exclusions happening? Did the interaction have the desired effect and prevent a customer from needing to exclude themselves due to a game-related issue?
It is also important to observe whether there are repeated interventions. By this I mean: did the client’s behavior change after a single type of intervention? If so, for how long was this change observed?
When there is a direct conversation with the client, a great sign that the intervention was effective is that there is no need for further interventions: the behavior has changed and the client is no longer “at risk”.
These metrics can be evaluated at a broader level, but they should also be analyzed at the level of each individual customer. Achieving this is not simple. Most operators perform thousands of interventions per day, and analyzing the effectiveness of each one individually would require an automated evaluation system—which brings us back to AI.
SBC News Brazil: Looking ahead to the next few years, what could most significantly improve how operators approach player protection?
Lisa Corti: Clear guidelines and consistent expectations from regulators, combined with the effective use of AI to identify potentially at-risk players, will be fundamental to advancing player protection.
AI has the potential to transform how operators identify risks, enabling earlier detection of concerning behaviors and supporting more personalized interventions.
However, the best results will come from combining these technological capabilities with robust human oversight, sound judgment, and clear regulatory frameworks.
The interview with Lisa Corti, Head of Safer Gambling at BVGroup, is part of a series that SBC Notícias Brasil is conducting with confirmed speakers for the SBC Summit 2026. See also:
Rupert Ecker , Grand Casino Kursaal Bern, highlights the role of technology in protecting players.
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros , from SIGA, explains what is needed to strengthen the integrity of sports betting in Brazil .
Andrea Carvalho , from Entain, explains the benefits of a digital identity card for the regulated market .
Fellipe Fraga , from Stellar Gaming, anticipates discussions about artificial intelligence in iGaming.
Dario Evangelista , from Betsson, explains how operators can protect employees from the risks of gambling.
William Bonalume , from Open Gaming, analyzes technological integration in the betting industry.
Vanessa Arteaga , from Aposta Ganha, explains how to transform data into effective campaigns.
Floris Assies , from Better World Casinos, anticipates the debates at the SBC Summit 2026 and advocates for responsible gaming to be integrated into the product.
Khalid Ali , IBIA, analyzes Brazil’s progress and challenges in combating match-fixing.
Tickets for the SBC Summit 2026 are available here .
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Source: SBC Noticias BR
