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Italy’s far-reaching redesign of its online gambling framework is finally taking shape, and the results point toward a future where dominant incumbents thrive while smaller operators are pushed out of the market.   When the country implemented its long-anticipated overhaul in November 2025, it did so with the precision of a government intent on restructuring — not merely regulating — its digital gambling sector.   What had been discussed and delayed for nearly five years arri

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has issued an impact assessment for a draft decree intended to replace Decree 03/2017 on casino operations, a move that local outlet VietnamNet reports is aimed at clearing long-standing regulatory hurdles and bringing the legal framework into alignment with current national laws. The release comes shortly after two landmark decisions: the government’s approval of permanent locals gaming at Phu Quoc’s Corona Resort & Casino and the authorisation

Finland is preparing for one of the most significant shifts in its gambling landscape, as the country transitions from its long-standing state-controlled model to a fully regulated, licensed framework.   The Administrative Committee of the Finnish Parliament has now completed its report detailing the backbone of this reform — a reform that lawmakers expect to pass through Parliament without any further modifications.   The roadmap outlines several major milestones relevant fo

Gaming Corps has confirmed a new content partnership with UK operator MrQ, bringing its portfolio of slot and instant-win titles to the platform as the Swedish supplier continues to expand its footprint among licensed British brands. MrQ, which entered the UK market in 2018, now offers a catalogue of more than 1,000 games and has positioned its platform around simplified play conditions, distinguishing itself as one of the few UK casinos that do not impose wagering requiremen

Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary general of the Sweden Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS), has sharply criticised AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth’s call for Sweden to raise taxes on online gambling operators. Hoffstedt characterised the proposal as an act of “self-harm” that would damage the country’s regulated market.   Skarplöth’s suggestion, made earlier this week, urged Sweden to mirror the UK’s recent decision to increase tax levels on licensed onli

Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court has placed all municipal lotteries across the country on immediate hold, casting significant uncertainty over their future.   The precautionary suspension follows a filing from the Solidarity Party, which argued that these locally run lotteries were violating national betting regulations.   The decision, issued on Wednesday by Minister Nunes Marques, freezes every municipal law and decree that establishes, authorises, or governs lottery and spor

Nigeria’s Senate has officially passed the Central Gaming Bill, 2025, pushing the country closer to repealing the National Lottery Act of 2005 along with its 2017 amendment, despite persistent objections from state-level regulators.   The bill, brought forward by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, successfully completed its third reading on 4 December and now moves to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for his signature.

Lawmakers in Estonia have granted final approval to a bill that will gradually lower the tax rate on remote gambling to 4 per cent by 2029. The legislation cleared its third reading in parliament on Wednesday, passing by a vote of 51-31, with one abstention. As first reported in October by Gaming Intelligence, the bill reverses an earlier plan to increase the remote gaming tax in Estonia to 7 per cent in 2026. Under the new legislation, the tax rate will gradually fall from i

Brazil has settled on an 18% tax rate for fixed-odds betting operators, marking the latest and most significant fiscal adjustment in the country’s newly formed gambling regime.   The decision follows today’s approval by the Senate’s Committee of Economic Affairs (CAE), which endorsed the plan to lift the gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax from the existing 12% to 18% through a phased process beginning in 2026.   Under the CAE-approved proposal, the tax rate will rise to 15% by 20

The £825,000 penalty imposed on Done Brothers Cash Betting Limited, trading as Betfred, has brought renewed attention to ongoing deficiencies in anti-money laundering (AML) controls within the retail gambling sector. According to the first paragraph of the regulatory report, the fine resulted from an investigation that concluded the operator had “failed to maintain effective anti-money laundering oversight for customers using B3 gaming machines.” Regulators determined that th

Macau’s casino operators entered the week on a strong note, with shares climbing again Monday as the market reacted to a November gross gaming revenue (GGR) report that surpassed expectations and reinforced the sector’s robust 2025 performance.   Casinos in the special administrative region reported $2.63 billion in revenue last month — a 14.4% increase year over year — extending Macau’s streak of monthly gains to ten consecutive months. The total also exceeded the consensus

New research suggests that Australia’s nationwide ban on using credit cards for online gambling has indeed curbed sports betting — but not because it restricted access to borrowed money.   Instead, the reduction appears to stem from the added inconvenience the policy introduced for bettors.   The study, conducted by economists Aditya Maitra and Matthew Maltman and published by the e61 Institute, examined anonymized bank-transaction data from before and after the federal gover

Advocate General Siewert Lindenbergh has issued guidance indicating that gambling agreements entered into before the Netherlands introduced its licensing system in April 2021 should not be regarded as invalid by default. His opinion comes in response to questions raised by the district courts of Amsterdam and Noord-Holland, both of which are handling test cases brought by players who are seeking repayment of losses accumulated before the country formally regulated online gamb

In a coordinated enforcement effort that spanned Sweden and Spain, Europol-backed authorities exposed the financial engine behind a violent criminal organisation whose activities hinged on illicit gambling and extensive laundering schemes. The operation resulted in multiple arrests, the confiscation of luxury goods and cash, and the discovery of locations dedicated to managing underground revenue. Officials stated that the network not only generated significant sums through u

Sky Bet, a major force in the UK gambling market, has officially moved its main headquarters to Malta, a decision that took effect this month and is expected to substantially reduce its UK tax burden—by as much as £55m per year—due to Malta’s significantly more favourable tax framework.   The operator has been steadily expanding its presence on the island, having begun active recruitment there in the summer of 2025.   The relocation entails the transition of core teams and se

The UK government’s 2025 budget was thrust into the spotlight earlier than intended on Wednesday morning after a leak exposed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s plans—most notably a sweeping series of gambling tax increases designed to raise more than £1 billion from the betting sector. The premature publication came after the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) mistakenly posted its Economic and fiscal outlook online ahead of schedule. In its statement acknowledging the error, th

South Africa’s National Treasury has unveiled a proposal for a national 20% tax on gross gambling revenue (GGR) from online gambling, positioning the measure as a tool to reduce the social risks linked to the rapidly expanding digital betting sector.   In a discussion paper released on 25 November, the Treasury outlined plans for the levy to cover all forms of online betting, including interactive gambling platforms.   Although Treasury officials estimate the measure could ra

The Association of Gaming Operators of Kenya (AGOK) commemorated its 20th anniversary last Friday with an elaborate celebration at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel, bringing together industry operators, government representatives and key stakeholders for an evening devoted to networking, entertainment and evaluating the evolution of Kenya’s gaming landscape.   Throughout the event, participants focused heavily on AGOK’s achievements, the sector’s growing emphasis on responsible ga

Shares in Evoke, the UK-based operator behind William Hill and 888, plunged today after the company cautioned that rising taxes on online gambling will sharply reduce profits and force a sweeping restructuring that could include thousands of job cuts.   The announcement comes on the heels of new tax measures unveiled by UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves in yesterday’s budget.   Under the government’s plan, taxes on online slots and games will jump from 21% to 40% starting Apr

Britain is preparing for one of the most sweeping changes to online gambling taxation in years, with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves unveiling plans to sharply increase the tax burden on the sector’s most lucrative operations.   The details surfaced ahead of schedule after the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) mistakenly published its analysis before the official announcement in the House of Commons.   Under the new framework, online casinos will face a dramati