Announcing the 2nd Edition of the Certified Gaming Compliance Specialist (CGCS)
A New Standard for Casino and iGaming Compliance
The Certified Gaming Compliance Specialist (CGCS) is now in its 2nd edition - marking a significant step forward in how compliance, risk, and investigations are understood and managed across the global gaming industry.
As casino and iGaming environments continue to evolve, so too do the risks that operators, regulators, and compliance professionals must navigate. Financial crime, game integrity threats, cyber risk, and player protection are no longer isolated challenges - they are interconnected, fast-moving, and increasingly scrutinized. The CGCS 2nd Edition has been developed to reflect this reality.
Built for the Modern Gaming Risk Environment
The updated CGCS delivers a comprehensive, real-world curriculum designed to align with the operational and regulatory demands of today’s gaming sector.
From Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and fraud to sanctions, match-fixing, and cyber-enabled financial crime, the program covers the full spectrum of risk through a practical and integrated lens. It emphasizes not just what compliance frameworks look like, but how they function under pressure - on the gaming floor, within digital platforms, and under regulatory review.
Introducing the CGCS 7 Domains Framework
At the core of the 2nd Edition is a seven-domain framework, designed to reflect how risk actually emerges across casino and iGaming environments:
Foundations of Casino Compliance & Risk
Financial Crime & Player Risk
Game Integrity & Operational Risk
Player Protection & Social Responsibility
Investigations & Intelligence
iGaming, Cyber Risk & Data Analytics
Program Assurance, Governance & Regulatory Engagement
These domains are not treated as standalone topics, but as interconnected components of a single risk system, ensuring professionals develop a holistic understanding of compliance across the full gaming ecosystem.
From Compliance Knowledge to Practical Capability
A key focus of the CGCS 2nd Edition is practical application.
The program is designed to build the skills required to:
Identify and assess complex, multi-dimensional risks
Recognize how financial crime, operational failures, and human factors intersect
Conduct and support investigations with structured, defensible methodologies
Document decisions and actions in a way that stands up to regulatory and legal scrutiny
This emphasis on regulatory defensibility reflects the reality that compliance is no longer just about meeting requirements—it is about demonstrating, evidencing, and justifying decisions over time.
Bridging Land-Based and iGaming Environments
The 2nd Edition places a strong emphasis on the convergence of land-based and digital gaming.
With expanded coverage of iGaming, behavioural analytics, cyber risk, account activity, and digital evidence, the program equips professionals to operate confidently across both physical and online environments. It recognizes that modern threat actors, risks, and compliance challenges do not operate in silos—and neither should compliance programs.
Who the CGCS is For
The CGCS is designed for professionals across the gaming industry, including:
Compliance officers and AML professionals
Risk and audit specialists
Investigators and intelligence analysts
Surveillance and security personnel
Regulators and policymakers
Whether working in land-based casinos, iGaming platforms, or regulatory environments, the certification provides a practical, globally relevant framework for managing risk and maintaining integrity.
Setting a New Benchmark for Gaming Compliance
The launch of the CGCS 2nd Edition reflects a broader shift in the industry - from fragmented compliance approaches to integrated, intelligence-led risk management.
As regulatory expectations increase and risks continue to evolve, the need for structured, defensible, and forward-looking compliance capability has never been greater.
The CGCS provides that foundation.