Dr. Melissa van den Broek
Dr. Melissa van den Broek is a Senior Manager at KPMG Forensic in the Netherlands and leads the AMLA Office Monitoring Unit. With over ten years of AML, CTF, and sanctions compliance experience, she combines academic and practical expertise. She previously held roles at ING Bank and the Dutch financial regulator (AFM), and earned a PhD in Law from Utrecht University, focusing on EU AML supervision.
Presentation Overview:
Casino operators in Europe are entering a period of major regulatory change. Dr. van den Broek will guide AML and compliance professionals through the implications of the EU Single AML Rulebook and AMLA's upcoming supervisory powers. She will explore how AMLA will select high-risk obliged entities for direct supervision and assess what this could mean for casino groups. With the €10,000 cash limit coming into effect in July 2027, the presentation will provide practical strategies for operational readiness. Finally, she will examine enhanced customer due diligence (CDD) obligations and how gaming operators can adopt risk-based approaches while maintaining compliant customer experiences.
Valentin Ramognino
Valentin Ramognino is an Associate Lawyer at Vlaemminck Law in Brussels, specialising in anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorist financing (CTF), and compliance issues in the gambling sector. He has extensive experience advising private and public stakeholders on European regulatory developments affecting the gaming industry. Before joining Vlaemminck Law, he worked at the European Commission in a unit dealing with state aid matters, including gambling cases, and at the French Association for Lawyers in Brussels, where he focused on the application of the new AML framework. He is a regular speaker at the ECA AML & Compliance Workshop and other industry forums.
Presentation Overview:
European casino operators face a rapidly evolving regulatory environment shaped by ongoing developments in Brussels. In this session, Valentin Ramognino will outline the latest EU directives and regulations under discussion that could significantly influence compliance requirements for land-based casinos. He will also highlight key cases currently pending before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerning gambling operations and their potential implications for the sector. This presentation provides participants with a wider understanding of the EU’s regulatory direction and judicial context, offering valuable insights for future compliance planning.
Hermann Pamminger
Hermann Pamminger is Secretary General of the European Casino Association. With over three decades of experience in the casino industry, he serves as Expert for Public and European Affairs at Casinos Austria Group's Head Office in Vienna. His career began in 1991 with Casinos Austria International, where he led project development across diverse regions including Eastern Europe, Australia, South Africa, South America, Switzerland and the USA. Hermann holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration with focus on Marketing and Corporate Governance from the University of Linz, Austria, and a degree in Knowledge Management from Danube University Krems. As Secretary General, Hermann supports the European Casino Association’s mission to combat illegal gambling operations both online and offline, and strengthen the network and competitiveness of the ECA member casinos.
Presentation Overview:
Hermann will present an update on the following topics currently pursued by the European Casino Association:
- YieldSec Study on Illegal Online Gambling: Insights on the size and scope of the illegal online gambling market in the European Union.
- AML Questionnaire Evaluation: Assessment of the Anti-Money Laundering questionnaire shared with ECA members in October 2025.
- ECA-Europol Collaboration: Review of the recent meeting between the European Casino Association and Europol focusing on security and enforcement cooperation.
- New ECA Position Paper on AML: Overview of the Association’s latest policy recommendations on Anti-Money Laundering compliance and regulatory frameworks.
Sundhevy Debrand
Sundhevy Debrand recently joined the AML-CFT Directorate of the Luxembourg Ministry of Justice, bringing nearly three decades of financial sector experience to her new role. Her career began at Chase Manhattan Bank, where she quickly specialized in internal control functions. Over the years, she has held senior compliance and AML positions at prominent financial institutions including Banca Intesa, Nikko Bank, HSBC, PayPal, Intertrust, Nordea, and most recently Gen II Luxembourg, where she served as Authorized Manager responsible for the Compliance function and the prevention of money laundering and counter-terrorist financing.
Ms. Debrand is also an adjunct teacher in the Master programs in European Banking & Finance Law and Investment Fund Law at the Luxembourg Faculty of Law. She holds a Master 2 in Business Law with a specialization in the prevention of fraud and money laundering, as well as a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) from the EDHEC Business School.
Presentation Overview
In this session, Ms. Debrand will demonstrate how Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) tools can effectively support due diligence obligations in anti-money laundering compliance. Participants will gain practical insights into using advanced search syntax and specialized techniques to refine search engine results, enabling them to uncover information that may not be readily accessible through conventional search methods. The presentation will provide actionable guidance and best practices for leveraging OSINT tools to enhance investigative capabilities and strengthen AML compliance frameworks.
Tom Westendorff
Tom Westendorff (born 1975) serves as Compliance and Risk Management Officer at Spielbank Bad Homburg, bringing a unique perspective shaped by nearly two decades of operational gaming experience. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Maastricht University (1998-2005) and built his career foundation working as a croupier at Spielbank Aachen (2000-2007) and Spielbank Bad Homburg (2007-2021) before transitioning to his current compliance role in 2021. This combination of front-line gaming operations expertise and regulatory knowledge provides him with practical insight into the implementation challenges facing casino compliance professionals. Mr Westendorff’s presentation represents his personal professional perspective on operational efficiency and innovation in AML processes, rather than an official institutional position.
Session Teaser: Leveraging AI Tools for Initial Risk Analysis and Assessment
Exploring the frontier of technology-assisted compliance, Tom Westendorff presents an innovative approach to streamlining AML workflows through artificial intelligence. This conceptual framework, currently in development and testing, demonstrates how ChatGPT and similar AI tools could support risk-based information gathering whilst maintaining compliance with GwG (German Money Laundering Act), GDPR, and the EU AI Act. The presentation outlines a potential pathway towards standardised documentation, transparent source attribution, and significantly reduced manual workload in preliminary risk assessments. Designed to provoke discussion and inspire fresh thinking about process optimisation, this session offers practical insights into how European casinos might enhance operational efficiency without compromising regulatory obligations. Please note: this workflow is in the concept and testing phase and has not yet been approved for operational use.
Disclaimer: This presentation represents the speaker’s personal professional analysis and does not constitute an official position of François-Blanc-Spielbank GmbH, Bad Homburg. The objective is to stimulate dialogue on how compliance processes might be made more efficient in future whilst respecting existing regulatory frameworks.
Jochen Biewer
Jochen Biewer, founder and CEO of Chevron Group, will lead our workshop on the new AML regulation and the €10,000 cash transaction threshold for land-based casinos. With over 25 years of expertise in gaming compliance, he is recognised as one of Europe's leading authorities in anti-money laundering and regulatory frameworks. As founder and CEO of Chevron Group, he has built one of Europe’s premier compliance consulting firms specializing in the gaming and financial industries.He holds degrees in Economics and Law (LLM) and is a certified compliance auditor, AML officer, and data protection officer.
Workshop Overview
Led by Jochen Biewer, this interactive workshop provides casino professionals with practical guidance for adapting to new anti-money laundering regulations impacting ECA member casinos across Europe. The session begins with an introduction to the latest AML regulatory changes, followed by an overview of proven compliance best practices, including effective management of the €2,000 threshold and approaches to Source of Funds and Source of Wealth requirements. Participants will engage in scenario-based discussions, receive actionable handouts and templates, and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with peers and the expert facilitator. The workshop concludes with a focused Q&A session, ensuring participants leave well-prepared to meet new compliance demands.