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Brazilian authorities are introducing new measures designed to identify and interrupt financial transactions connected to unlicensed gambling operators targeting the country’s online betting market. The Secretariat for Prizes and Betting (SPA) will implement the measures under Ordinance SPA/MF No. 2,750/2026, published on 14 September. The ordinance establishes procedures aimed at addressing the financial flows that sustain illegal gambling operations in Brazil. The new frame

Google is preparing to introduce revised requirements for its gambling advertising certification process, with the updated rules set to apply from October 2026 to advertisers operating in gambling-related markets. The changes were announced by Google on 14 September 2026 through an update to its Gambling and Games policy. Under the revised framework, advertisers will be expected to maintain what Google refers to as “good policy health” in order to remain eligible for gambling

Europe’s illegal online gambling market has grown at an estimated compound annual rate of 18% since 2019 and could reach approximately €13 billion in value by the end of 2026, according to research commissioned by the European Gaming and Amusement Federation and produced by Regulus Partners and Helios. The study examined black-market online gambling activity across 28 European jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Spain, Portu

New Zealand will begin the auction stage of its new online casino licensing process on 29 September 2026, with up to 15 licences available under the country’s newly established regulatory framework. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) will conduct the licensing process under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, which established New Zealand’s first domestic licensing regime for online casino gambling. The Act came into force on 1 May 2026, with supporting regulations tak

German authorities have conducted coordinated searches against a suspected illegal online gambling operation that allegedly processed more than €5.8 billion in wagers between mid-2021 and the end of 2023. The operation took place on 11 September 2026 in Frankfurt and the wider Rhine-Main region, with 11 properties searched by more than 100 officers. The investigation was conducted by the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office together with the Frankfurt tax investigation author

Two industry-funded studies have reached strikingly different conclusions about the size of Europe’s illegal online gambling market, highlighting the challenges involved in assessing activity that takes place beyond regulated gambling systems. Research commissioned by Euromat estimates that Europe’s illegal gambling market generated €12bn (US$13.94bn) in net revenue in 2025. According to the study, the market has tripled in value since 2019 and accounted for roughly 25% of Eu

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged the European Union to give serious consideration to introducing a gambling tax at EU level as the bloc explores new revenue streams for its next long-term budget. Tusk raised the proposal after a meeting of Visegrad Group leaders in Bratislava, where European Union budget priorities for the 2028–2034 period were discussed. During the talks, the Polish prime minister argued that efforts to secure additional funding for the EU should

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to send a provisional measure (MP) to Congress this week aimed at tightening the country’s betting regulations, as concerns over household debt and gambling addiction increasingly put pressure on the sector. According to CNN Brazil, the government is considering broader restrictions on betting advertising as well as a possible ban on online casino games. Under the proposal being discussed, sports betting would remain p

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has identified a range of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing risks affecting the global gaming and gambling sectors, including casinos, sports betting, online gambling, lotteries and online gaming. The findings were published on September 9, 2026, following an assessment of developments across the sector. The review covers both land-based and online activities and examines the increasing use of digital plat

Democratic Bulgaria has introduced legislation in Bulgaria’s 52nd National Assembly seeking to impose an almost comprehensive ban on gambling advertising and close what its MPs describe as loopholes that have allowed operators to continue promoting their businesses despite restrictions introduced in 2024. The bill, registered under number 52-654-01-130 on 9 September 2026, proposes amendments to the Gambling Act that would significantly broaden the scope of prohibited gamblin

The growing conflict over unlicensed gambling sponsorship in English football has intensified, with Entain calling on 10 Premier League clubs to reconsider commercial relationships with betting operators that do not hold a licence to offer gambling services in Great Britain. The intervention comes as the UK Government considers whether sponsorship agreements between Premier League clubs and unlicensed gambling businesses should be prohibited. The consultation is examining whe

Brazil has taken another step towards changing the way lottery revenues are distributed to the country’s sports sector after the Senate approved legislation altering the transfer of lottery funds to the Brazilian Olympic Committee and other sporting organisations. The bill will now be submitted to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for presidential sanction, potentially introducing a new framework for the distribution of revenues generated through Brazil’s lottery system. Th

Cambodia is preparing to suspend online betting operations conducted or broadcast from licensed casino premises nationwide from October, as the government intensifies its campaign against online scams, illicit financial flows and criminal activity associated with gaming properties. The decision was directed by Prime Minister Hun Manet and announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Sokha. Authorities have indicated that the suspension will remain in place unt

The Netherlands is stepping up efforts to combat illegal online gambling advertising, with the government committing to closer cooperation with major technology platforms including Google and Meta as lawmakers demand faster and tougher action against unlicensed operators targeting Dutch consumers. The issue was central to a recent parliamentary debate on the Dutch gambling market, where members of the House of Representatives broadly agreed that the illegal gambling sector re

Singapore recorded a significant increase in betting-related tax revenue during the financial year ended March 31, 2026, with collections rising 11.9 percent year on year to SG$3.6 billion (US$2.84 billion). The figure compares with SG$3.2 billion (US$2.53 billion) collected in the previous financial year and represents faster growth than Singapore’s overall tax revenue, according to the annual report of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), released on September

Ukraine has linked 28 of the country’s 31 licensed gambling operators to a new state monitoring platform intended to provide regulators with access to detailed, transaction-level information from the regulated gambling market. The State Online Gambling Monitoring System is currently operating in pilot mode, with participating operators transmitting data to the platform through application programming interfaces (APIs). The system’s first rollout involved 11 operators earlier

Canada’s financial intelligence regulator has imposed administrative monetary penalties totaling C$631,538.50 on two provincial gaming corporations after compliance examinations identified failures in their anti-money-laundering controls. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) took enforcement action against Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation and New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation over deficiencies involving suspicious transaction r

The NCAA is facing another legal challenge over its sports-betting rules after former Texas Tech wide receiver Roy Alexander filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a six-game suspension imposed for gambling violations. The case adds to growing legal pressure surrounding the NCAA's authority to discipline athletes for betting and comes after a series of court disputes that have questioned the organisation's ability to enforce its rules. Alexander's challenge is particularly signi

A proposed nationwide prohibition on gambling advertising in the Philippines could place the greatest burden on licensed gaming operators while doing little to curb promotional activity by offshore and illegal gambling platforms, according to two gaming lawyers. Russell Stanley Geronimo, founder of Geronimo Law, told AGB that legislation enacted at the national level could establish advertising restrictions extending beyond operators licensed by the Philippine Amusement and G

Brazilian authorities have launched a major investigation into NSX Group, the operator behind Betnacional and Betfair’s Brazilian operations, over allegations involving tax evasion, currency violations and money laundering. The investigation comes as authorities intensify scrutiny of the rapidly expanding betting sector and seek to establish whether some operators continued using financial structures associated with the pre-regulation market after Brazil introduced its licens