The Gambling Business Group has released its High Street Hub seminar programme to be held at ARE Expo, highlighting player protection, compliance and the introduction of new facial recognition standards.
The Gambling Business Group has announced its High Street Hub seminar agenda for the Amusement & Retail Entertainment Expo 2026, with a programme focused on player protection, regulatory compliance and technological innovation across the sector.
Taking place on 28-29 April, the GBG sessions will bring together industry specialists to address key operational and regulatory challenges.
Proceedings begin on Tuesday at 12:00-12:45 with Training, Education & Apprenticeships: Building a Stronger, More Respected Gambling Industry, led by Dave Richardson, director of strategic partnerships at Better Change. The session will examine workforce development and the role of education in improving industry standards and perception.
At 13:30-14:00, Andrew O’Brien, head of biometric technology at Innovative Technology, will present ‘How facial analysis can enhance player protection’. The session will explore how facial analysis technology can protect minors, including on-machine age verification, restricting access to over-18 zones and generating instant alerts and compliance logs to support compliance and accountability.
Later, from 16:00-16:30, Richard Dutton, director of ELIAS Partnership, and Peter Hannibal, CEO of The Gambling Business Group, will introduce Facial Recognition & Self Exclusion – the FRACT Standard. FRACT – Facial Recognition Accreditation, Compliance & Technical Standard – has been developed as an accreditation and governance framework designed to ensure facial recognition technologies used in self-exclusion environments meet appropriate technical, compliance and operational standards. It provides a consistent approach to assessing providers, supporting lawful deployment, ensuring oversight and maintaining governance beyond initial approval.
The final GBG session on Tuesday, scheduled for 16:30-17:00, will cover Subjects of Interest in Gambling (including Martyn’s Law). The panel features Richard Dutton alongside Jim Leitch, CEO of Link Integrated and a counter-terrorism expert addressing wider regulatory and security considerations.
On Wednesday 29 April, GBG will host Regeneration and Saving the High Street from 12:00-12:45, with panel details to be confirmed but will also include representatives from the pub and hospitality sectors.
Charlotte Meller, the GBG General Manager, said: “ This year’s Hub comes at a time when so much is happening on the licensing front. We’ve got a schedule of excellent seminars and I think the dialogue and examination of policies and new innovations this year will generate enlightening debate.”
Image: Andrew O’Brien, head of biometric technology at Innovative Technology
Originally published on Coinslot on March 30, 2026. Republished with permission.