Meet Caroline Newman, Director of Regulatory Compliance at The Pools

Comparasino sits down with Caroline Newman from The Pools to discuss brand heritage, the black market and diversity in compliance. 

Caroline Newman was appointed as The Pools’ new Director of Regulatory Compliance earlier this year.

Caroline is responsible for helping The Pools continue to adapt to a period of regulatory change, supporting the iconic British brand to sustain responsible growth while ensuring strong governance and compliance practices.

She has more than a decade of experience within the compliance sector, holding recent positions at Entain as Head of Anti-Financial Crime and MLRO for UK and Ireland and four years with Midnite as Head of Compliance and MLRO.

Despite her busy schedule, Caroline sat down with Comparasino to answer three quick-fire questions on brand heritage, the rise of the black market and how she is bringing diversity to the compliance aspect of online casinos. 

On Brand Heritage: You’ve spoken about “modernising” compliance while staying loyal to a traditional customer base. How do you implement high-tech AI safety tools for a demographic that may have been playing with The Pools for decades and prefers a more traditional, human relationship with the brand? 

At The Pools, we place a significant focus on innovation and modernisation as we seek to reach new audiences while also staying true to our loyal customer base. We utilise technology to identify the signs of gambling-related harm. By understanding our players and their behaviours, we can be on the front foot when it comes to communicating and interacting with our players.

The technology we use allows for a more human relationship between The Pools and our players, as we can provide a tailored interaction. This human relationship with our players is something we’ve prided ourselves on across our 103-year history.

In this sense, AI can go hand-in-hand with a personalised approach. For some of our players, they may require a reminder of our safer gambling tools, while for others they may respond well to a phone call. And at the far end of the scale, we can use technology to stop or restrict accounts.

It is this bespoke approach, based on data analysis, that allows the relationship between The Pools and our players to continue to grow, and means we can service both our new generation of players and traditional customer base appropriately.

On the “Black Market”: With increased taxation and tighter regulations on the horizon for 2026, there is growing talk of players migrating to unregulated sites. What’s the compliance community doing to prove to players that the safety of a UKGC-licensed site is worth the trade-off of stricter rules?

It is natural for the landscape to evolve, but it is essential that the highest standards of player protection are upheld across the industry. At The Pools, we have a responsibility to care for our players and to do things in the right way. The rules that are in place are there for the benefit of our players.

At The Pools, we welcomed the regulatory change inviting players to opt in or out of setting a deposit limit upon registration. Players are contacted regularly to share their transaction history, which enables us to promote player education regarding spend and affordability.

It is our priority to ensure that our players can trust and rely on The Pools to provide a safe, fair and enjoyable playing experience. In an unlicensed environment, that attention and commitment to customer care may not exist, to the detriment of the players themselves.

I am confident that our players understand that their welfare is our utmost priority. But it is important to reinforce that message.

On Diversity in Compliance: Given your background in advocacy and equality, how does having a diverse compliance team at the executive level lead to a fairer or more inclusive experience for the UK’s diverse player base?

Part of the reason I accepted the role as Director of Regulatory Compliance at The Pools was because I want to work with colleagues to ensure compliance stays truly embedded in the culture of the company. A big part of achieving that is having a team with a genuinely diverse range of experiences and perspectives.

I bring experience from my previous roles at Entain and Midnite to support The Pools’ growth, and that mix really helps me look at compliance through more than one lens. It means I can support The Pools as we modernise and evolve, while still staying true to players who have been with the brand for decades.

For me, having diversity at the executive level is about making better, more rounded decisions. Different backgrounds mean different perspectives, and that’s exactly what you need when you’re designing policies that work for such a varied customer base. It helps us recognise where risk looks different for different people.

That blend of experience also means I can help The Pools attract a new generation of players with more innovative, data-led approaches, while still making sure our long-standing players get the trusted, human-centred support they’re used to. Ultimately, a diverse team leads to more inclusive thinking, and that results in a fairer experience for everyone who plays with us.

And this really matters when you consider the history of The Pools. An iconic and much-loved century-old brand naturally has a diverse customer base, particularly across age groups, and I’m excited to have joined the company at such a key chapter in its 103-year story.

Having a compliance function shaped by people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives helps ensure we serve that whole community, from our long-standing players to the new generation discovering us for the first time.