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Nigeria’s gambling sector continues to undergo significant transformation nearly eighteen months after a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court fundamentally altered the regulatory structure governing lotteries and games of chance across the country. The decision, delivered in November 2024, transferred regulatory authority from the federal government to individual state governments, triggering a wave of legislative and administrative activity as states move to establish or str

South Korea’s Supreme Court has established that operators of unlawful online gambling platforms can be held criminally responsible for violations of data protection laws when they acquire and use personal information obtained through illegal means. The ruling clarifies that individuals involved in illicit gambling operations are not exempt from liability under privacy legislation simply because the information was used within the context of an illegal enterprise. The decisio

Canada’s financial intelligence authorities have identified online sports betting and gambling as increasingly significant channels for money laundering, warning that both licensed and unlicensed platforms are being exploited by criminal organizations seeking to move illicit funds through the financial system. An examination of suspicious transaction reports filed between 2016 and 2023 reveals increasingly complex laundering methods involving financial institutions, payment p

Austria’s long-standing online casino monopoly may finally be approaching its end following a dramatic shift in policy by the Finance Ministry. After years of speculation and only limited movement toward reform, a leaked draft gambling law published on Wednesday indicates that the government is preparing to open the online gambling market to multiple operators. The proposal represents one of the most significant developments in Austria’s gambling sector in decades and could f

Italy’s communications regulator is moving to provide greater clarity on how licensed gambling operators can interact with customers while remaining compliant with the country’s stringent advertising restrictions. The initiative comes as the regulator launches a consultation focused on responsible gambling communications, seeking to establish clearer distinctions between customer information that may be permitted and marketing activity that remains prohibited under existing l

The European Commission is reportedly examining the possibility of introducing an EU-wide tax on online gambling as part of a broader effort to identify new sources of income for the bloc’s next multiannual financial framework. According to reports , the measure is being discussed alongside potential taxes targeting cryptocurrency activity and large digital businesses, with the combined package projected to generate as much as €13.3 billion annually during the 2028–2034 budge

Hedge funds have generated enormous profits this year by betting against publicly traded gambling companies, as a wave of declining share prices across the online betting sector delivered billions in gains to short sellers. Hedge funds have earned at least $2.3bn in 2025 through short positions targeting major online gambling operators. The profits came as several of the industry’s largest listed companies suffered steep market declines amid increasing regulatory pressure,

Kazakhstan is moving aggressively to expand its gambling industry, with authorities announcing the creation of several new gambling zones across resort destinations and urban centers as part of a broader economic development strategy. Under the country’s current legislation, gambling activities are legally restricted to just two designated areas: the city of Konaev in the Almaty region and the Shchuchinsk-Borovoye resort district located in the Akmola region of north-central

Spain has temporarily halted the operations of prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi within its territory after regulators concluded that both services were offering gambling-related products without the legally required authorisations. The country’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs & Agenda 2030 confirmed that the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling has initiated formal sanction proceedings against the two companies. The measure was also

Mounting financial problems among young people in the Dutch city of Enschede have intensified calls for stricter gambling regulation, with local councillor Meryam Sümer urging the Netherlands government to increase the legal minimum age for online gambling from 18 to 24. Sümer, a representative of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and a welfare worker, has also advocated for tighter controls on buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services and stronger enforcement against gam

Indonesia has intensified its nationwide campaign against illegal gambling by officially blocking access to the crypto-based prediction market platform Polymarket, following controversy surrounding wagers tied to President Prabowo Subianto and his political future. Although gambling remains illegal throughout Indonesia, underground betting operations and offshore online gambling sites have continued to attract users for years. Under Prabowo’s administration, however, author

France has taken another step toward strengthening oversight of its gambling industry after the National Gaming Authority (ANJ) unveiled a new risk algorithm designed to help online operators identify compulsive and excessive gambling behavior. The initiative comes as the French gaming market reached a value of €14.1 billion in 2025, increasing pressure on regulators to improve consumer protection measures across the sector. Rather than serving as a medical diagnostic tool,

Nevada gaming regulators have officially approved a far-reaching overhaul of the state’s anti-money laundering framework, imposing strict new operational requirements that are expected to permanently reshape compliance practices throughout the casino industry. The updated regulations introduce direct personal licensing obligations for compliance executives while simultaneously restricting the methods high-value gamblers can use to fund wagering accounts. Casino compliance d

The regulation of online betting in Brazil is already producing a substantial financial impact on public accounts. During the first quarter of 2026 alone, the federal government recorded R$3.4 billion in revenue generated from licensed betting operators. The figure stands out not only because of its size, but also because it represents a 123.7% increase compared to the same period in the previous year, when collections totaled R$1.5 billion. Official data released by the Fede

The Curaçao Gaming Authority has officially published its first Information Security Control Requirements framework for public consultation, introducing a detailed cybersecurity baseline that will become a compulsory licensing condition for every operator licensed under the CGA, including both B2C and B2B entities. Released in April 2026 under the authority of the Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (LOK) and the Landsverordening Casinowezen Curaçao (LCC), the 62-page framework

Brazilian betting companies authorized by the federal government have identified placement on the Apple App Store, the official iPhone application marketplace, as a strategically important distribution channel. Industry executives indicate that extended negotiations took place with Apple in order to enable regulated operators to enter the Brazilian market through the platform. According to representatives within the sector, illegal betting applications had previously been ava

Six weeks after the United Kingdom implemented a dramatic increase in Remote Gaming Duty, doubling the tax rate from 21 per cent to 40 per cent, the immediate financial fallout feared across the gambling sector has yet to become fully visible in public earnings reports. Major operators have acknowledged the pressure created by the tax hike, but the industry has so far avoided the kind of sharp market shock many analysts initially anticipated. Entain adopted a cautious stance

Indonesian authorities have carried out one of the country’s largest-ever operations against illegal online gambling, raiding a high-rise complex in West Jakarta and dismantling what police described as a major international betting syndicate operating dozens of illicit gambling platforms. The raid, conducted on Saturday, led to the arrest of 321 foreign nationals accused of managing and operating more than 75 illegal online gambling websites aimed at players across multipl

A vast parallel gambling economy is continuing to flourish within the digital shadows of Italy, generating an estimated €20 billion while attracting millions of active users despite mounting enforcement actions, domain shutdowns, and regulatory intervention by state authorities. The illegal online gambling sector has evolved into a highly adaptive digital ecosystem powered by smartphones, social media platforms, disposable domains, and rapidly replicating websites engineered

A civil court in the state of Goiás has dismissed a compensation lawsuit filed against Novibet by a plaintiff who identified himself as a problem gambler, establishing a firm judicial distinction between the duties of betting operators and the responsibility of users within Brazil’s evolving regulated gambling framework. The ruling was issued by the 3rd Court of the Special Civil Court in the District of Anápolis, which concluded that the case was “completely unfounded” and r