Couple arrested over AU$1.2 million fraudulent casino win

A husband and wife from Kazakhstan have been arrested over allegations they defrauded an Australian casino out of AU$1.2million (US$786,059).

The BBC reports that the couple was caught cheating at Crown Sydney. Dilnoza Israilova was found to be wearing a discreet camera on her T-shirt while gambling at the venue.

Police also found “magnetised probes” and a mirror attachment for a phone allegedly used to rig games. Both she and her husband, Alisherykhoja Israilov, were arrested shortly after.

New South Wales Police charged the pair with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage. They remain in custody over the matter.

Malta regulator issues further warning over illegal sites

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has distanced itself from two websites that claim to be licensed by the regulator.

Both Lavbet321.com and Kasinoseta.com claimed to have been approved by the MGA and that they hold a Malta licence. However, the regulator said this was not the case with either site.

The MGA said that any reference to the regulator or a Malta gaming licence is “false and misleading”.

“The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA,” the regulator said.

London councils join anti-gambling ad campaign on Underground

Five more London councils have declared their support for a campaign to stop gambling advertising on the city’s Underground.

Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Hackney and Lewisham councils joined the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), the BBC reported. The group campaigns against the spread of harmful gambling promotions, with the Underground one of its focus areas.

Haringey Council was the first council to join CEGA in January 2025. The ongoing campaign calls for the end of advertising for all forms of gambling.

In 2021, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan pledged to implement such a ban as part of his re-election manifesto. However, this has yet to come to fruition.

Evoplay welcomes Mantsiou as chief financial officer

The game development studio Evoplay has promoted Vasilena Mantsiou to the role of chief financial officer.

As CFO, she will oversee the studio’s financial strategy, planning and operations. This, Evoplay said, will support sustainable growth and stability as part of its global expansion plans.

Mantsiou joined Evoplay in May 2022 and was promoted to head of the accounting department in January 2024.

“Vasilena’s been an integral part of Evoplay’s journey, demonstrating exceptional leadership and deep financial expertise,” said Ivan Kravchuk, CEO at Evoplay, “Her promotion to CFO is a natural step forward. We’re confident that her strategic vision will continue to support our long-term goals as we expand into new markets.”

Caesars launches sports betting in Missouri

On the first day online sports betting became available in Missouri Monday, Caesars Entertainment has announced its launch.

Players in the state can now download the Caesars Sportsbook mobile app and place bets on a range of markets. They can also visit physical locations at both Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St Louis.

Missouri was also the first state where Caesars launched with Universal Digital Wallet on the first day of wagering. This enables deposits and withdrawals across Caesars platforms in all regulated states.

Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital, said: “From our intuitive mobile app to our in-person sportsbooks at Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St Louis, we’re committed to providing a secure and responsible way for fans to engage with the sports they love.”

Allwyn and UK National Lottery set for Christmas

Allwyn has launched a new scratchcards campaign for the UK National Lottery for the 2026 festive season.

The fully integrated campaign focuses on how scratchcards can help bring people together at Christmas. This includes playing Musical Scratchcards at the dinner table and other games in a variety of settings.

The campaign has gone live in the week that the National Lottery also celebrates its 30th anniversary.

“Christmas is all about shared moments, many times involving games and a healthy dose of competitiveness,” said Steve Parkinson, brand and marketing director at Allwyn. “Scratchcards are all about adding some fun and excitement – so are the perfect thing to bring along to festive gatherings.”

LeoVegas scores Valletta FC deal

LeoVegas Group has entered into a partnership with Malta Premier League football club Valletta FC.

LeoVegas will serve as the team’s exclusive online gaming partner for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. The deal includes match kit sleeve branding for the men’s squad.

Other aspects of the agreement include visibility across all club facilities such as the training grounds and the matchday fanzone. LeoVegas branding will also appear on the squad’s training bags.

“Our Group has considered itself a partly Maltese company almost since its inception,” said Stefan Nelson, LeoVegas Group CFO and Malta managing director. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the capital’s club to create exciting opportunities for fans, employees and future talent alike.”

William Hill launches Racing Bet Builder

William Hill has announced the launch of its Racing Bet Builder product in the UK and Ireland.

Bettors can combine multiple selections from the same race into one customised bet. This will be the first time an option like this will be available to customers.

Same-race bets include horses to finish in the top three, beat one another, exact finishing positions, betting without runners, and winning distance.

“Our customers have been asking for more customisable ways to bet on racing,” said Mark Howarth, William Hill’s director of racing. “We’re delighted to deliver this fantastic product.”

Swintt to expand Italian offering

Swintt has announced plans to extends its offering in Italy following early success in the country’s iGaming market.

The software provider entered Italy in October via an exclusive partnership with Eurobet.it. This included an initial roll-out of content such as Pirates Pledge Hold & Win, Battle of Myths, Supa Crew, Wizardz World and Crystalium.

Swintt will now seek approval from the regulator to roll out a second round of releases from Elysium Studios on the Italian platform. Additional games may include A Hopping Kiss and Enigma of Egypt.

David Mann, chief executive officer at Swintt, said: “Having only launched with Eurobet.it at the end of October, we’ve been really encouraged by the reception our Elysium Studios titles have received from Italian players, and work is already under way to roll out our next round of releases.”

Stakelogic eyes engagement with mini games

Stakelogic has launched five new mini games with a focus on player engagement and instant-win excitement.

Golden Kick, Mouse on the Run, Gold Pick Legend, Flip N Win and Tiki Tiki Twist are all now available from Stakelogic.

The developer said the collection blends “simple play with high engagement”. This, it added, gives players something “compelling” to dip in and out of between longer sessions.

James Jelliffe, head of slots at Stakelogic, said: “This latest collection showcases just how much personality and excitement can be delivered in short-form play. We’re excited to see them live across our operator network.”

The report, published on 6 November, was based on internal Meta documents viewed by Reuters. It says the company exposed billions of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users to bogus investment schemes, illegal online casinos and purveyors of outlawed medical products. It estimates that revenue from scam promotions could total from $7 billion to $16 billion.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which previously criticised Meta for failing to remove illegal gambling ads, called the report “very worrying”. Commissioner Derek Fernandez said the matter is “disturbing” and of “grave concern”.

In a statement, Meta spokesman Andy Stone said Reuters took “a selective view that distorts Meta’s approach to fraud and scams”.

Malaysia: Meta failing in cybercrime fight

Starting in January, Malaysia required all social media and messenging services with at least eight million registered users to have a licence to operate in the country. Penalties for non-compliance include fines of $118,500 and up to five years in jail.

But Meta insists it polices its own platforms, “regardless of the licensing regime”. In comments reported by the South China Morning Post, Meta Director of Public Policy Rafael Frankel said, “We don’t need any licence to continue that work.”

Meanwhile, the MCMC claims Malaysians lost almost $60 million from 2023 through August 2025 to e-commerce scams promoted on Meta platforms, primarily Facebook. To date this year, the government has sent more than 168,000 requests to remove illegal Facebook content, particularly online gaming ads and gambling-related posts.

“These figures show Meta has not fully cooperated in combatting cybercrime, leaving room for offences to continue,” said Malaysian Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.

According to the Reuters investigation, Meta does not act to ban advertisers until it is at least 95% certain they are pushing illicit products or services. If it suspects the advertiser is a scammer, it simply charges more for the ads.

At the same time, Meta analyses consumer data to deliver ads based on user preferences. In other words, viewers who click on scam ads are likely to get more of the same.

Fernandez has proposed a “public safety and online-harm rating system” for digital platforms that will grade them for transparency and effectiveness.

Is more regulation in order?

The world’s most popular social network has consistently failed to block the use of credit cards used to pay for illegal ads, Fahmi added. “If a gambling ad is paid for using a credit card and Facebook knows this content is illegal in Malaysia, they should block the account. But Facebook has refused to do so.”

Fraud consultant Sandeep Abraham, a former Meta safety investigator, agrees. “If regulators wouldn’t tolerate banks profiting from fraud, they shouldn’t tolerate it in tech,” he told Reuters.

GambleAware made the call following the publication of its new report ‘Online gambling: Are current regulations fit for the digital age’ on Wednesday.

The primary concern highlighted within the report was children and young people being heavily exposed to gambling . It said that, despite gambling being an age-restricted product, children are being exposed to marketing online, before they are old enough to “critically evaluate” it.

This, GambleAware said, is leading to gambling being normalised and portrayed as “risk-free”. This increases the risk of children experiencing gambling harm, with poor regulation being the reason for such exposure.

The report also flagged how the number of gambling adverts on channels popular among children is a growing concern. It picked out social media and streaming platforms, noting marketing could be encouraging children to gamble and, potentially, lead to harm.

What is GambleAware suggesting?

GambleAware stopped short of calling for a blanket ban on gambling marketing, instead recommending a “pragmatic framework of policy and regulatory”.

The charity has urged more protective messaging on gambling adverts and content. This includes making signposting for gambling support and health warnings a mandatory requirement when an operator appears within online content.

It urged the government to consider restrictions on the marketing of specific gambling activities most commonly associated with harm, such as casino games and slots.

It also suggested a ban on individuals such as influencers, celebrities and tipsters from representing operators.

Among its other suggestions were new rules on paid-for media targeting to only allow age-based media targeting, with 25 being the lower limit, as well as restrictions on influential environments such as sports stadiums and sports clothing.

GambleAware also advised the government to explore restrictions on inducement marketing. This, it said, could include a ban on using inducement marketing where it includes wagering requirements.

Other recommendations include potentially placing more restrictions on content marketing. This would see gambling operators banned from using gambling marketing on channels most popular with children.

Strong support for new marketing regulations

Referring back to previous research, the report included data exposing the impact of gambling ad exposure on children. A statistic from the Gambling Commission’s ‘Young People and Gambling 2024’ report suggested approximately 85,000 11-17-year-olds experience problems with gambling in the UK.

In terms of exposure, in the same publication, 62% of children reported seeing gambling ads online. This included social media and streaming platforms, with over half of the same group seeing adverts on social media weekly.

As for the impact of marketing, 76% of children said it made gambling seem fun. Of more concerns was that 73% of the same age group said such advertising made gambling appear “harmless or risk-free”.

GambleAware added that it was not alone in its desire for changes to the rules on gambling marketing online. It noted a finding from a September 2025 report on the appeal of celebrities in gambling marketing, which revealed 79% of children said there should be more rules on gambling ads on social media.

This was further supported by an Ipsos report, which found 74% of adults in the UK said there should be more regulation around gambling advertising on social media. In addition, the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (Cega) said nine in 10 adults would support a ban on gambling ads on social media sites popular with children.

Changes require to keep children safe

GambleAware Transition CEO Anna Hargrave backed the findings in the report. She said it was clear that more needs to be done to regulate gambling marketing online and protect children from harm and exposure.

“Gambling operators invest significant resources into online marketing because it works at getting people to gamble more,” Hargrave said. “This has resulted in children and young people being exposed to gambling content online before an age at which they can critically evaluate it and understand the risks that come with it.

“The current regulations covering gambling marketing and advertising online were designed before most children had easy access to the internet. Urgent action is needed to update these rules and bring them into the digital age to help keep children and young people safe from gambling harm.”

Incidentally, this could be one of the final reports out of GambleAware before it downs tools. In July, it was confirmed GambleAware will close and transition work to the government, following the introduction of a new statutory levy. This process is due complete by the end of March 2026.

Hargrave is serving as transition CEO to oversee the managed closure of the charity. She took on the role after Zoë Osmond stepped down as CEO in September.

The ad appeared in the William Hill app on 17 May, promoting an offer for the game ‘Marble Race Live’.

It stated, “Enjoy £40 on us, when you opt in and stake £20”, with smaller text underneath requiring a minimum £40 stake.

A single complainant challenged whether the advert was misleading. The primary issue was that the minimum stake to secure the £40 in free bets was £40, rather than the £20 stated in the first part of the ad.

Responding to the complaint, William Hill admitted the advert had displayed incorrect wording on how much players needed to spend. This was due to a manual error made when resizing the ad for layout purposes. It said the correct £40 requirement was clearly stated in the smaller text.

“Although the campaign was based on the correct template, the staking requirement was mistakenly changed from £40 to £20 because of a typographical error,” the operator said.

William Hill also said only one advert in the promotion was impacted, with this shown to a target group of up to 3,057 customers via its app. As the ad was live for a few days, it said this reduced the likelihood of “widespread exposure”.

The operator said that customers who clicked the ad saw the full and accurate terms and conditions before opting in. It added that it has reviewed its processes to ensure this type of error does not occur again.

ASA sides with complainant over advert

However, the ASA ultimately agreed with the complainant. It said headline text was likely to mislead users as it did not reflect the terms and conditions.

The ASA acknowledged the small print referred to the correct staking value necessary to participate in the promotion. However, by introducing a higher staking requirement as a qualifying condition, this contradicted rather than clarified the headline claim.

“Because the ad suggested that a stake over £20 was eligible for the offer, when that was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading,” the ASA said.

William Hill was found in breach of CAP Code rule 3.1 on misleading advertising, as well as rule 3.9 for qualification. The ASA ordered the operator to not run the advert again in its current form.

ASA clamps down on gambling ads

William Hill is the latest gambling operator to feel the wrath of the ASA for breaching rules on advertising.

Earlier in October, the ASA warned Betway and Kwiff over ads likely to have been of appeal to under-18s. Betway was criticised for featuring the logo of Premier League football club Chelsea throughout its advert. Meanwhile, Kwiff included British Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton in its advert.

Elsewhere, the ASA rejected an appeal from SkyBet about a historical advert featuring ex-footballer and now-pundit Gary Neville. It upheld a ruling from October 2023 that the ad may have appealed to youngsters under the age of 18.

The measures are expected to be implemented no later than 1 January 2027. 

On Friday, the Danish parliament passed its ‘Gaming Package 1’, aimed at preventing gambling addiction and strengthening the protection of children against gambling harms. 

The package will introduce a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling ads during live sports broadcasts, starting 10 minutes before the event and ending 10 minutes after the games conclude.  

This will include bans on live odds being displayed across banners in stadiums and a restriction on the use of celebrities and influencers in gambling ads.  

Package prohibits gambling ads near schools 

Additionally, the package prohibits the use of “free money games” as welcome bonuses. 

Gambling ads on public transport and within 200 metres of schools or other educational institutions will also be prohibited under new rules, while persons aged under 25 will not be allowed to feature in any gambling marketing. 

Denmark’s Gambling Act will be amended to mandate age filters on social media ads to ensure content isn’t targeted at those aged under 18, while gambling addiction treatment centres will receive an additional DKK8 million ($1.2 million) in funding next year.  

These centres will receive further funding of DKK3 million in 2027, DKK5 million in 2028, DKK2 million in 2029 and DKK3 million in 2030. 

Denmark’s Tax Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said the measures should prove effective in curbing gambling addiction in the country. 

“With Gaming Package 1: A More Responsible Gaming Market, the government, together with a broad majority in the Danish parliament, is taking an important step towards a more responsible gaming market,” Halsboe-Jørgensen said.  

“The work does not stop here.” 

Government’s ‘showdown’ with Danish gambling sector 

Upon revealing the package of restrictions, the government said Denmark had faced issues with rising gambling addiction in the country.  

It claimed nearly 500,000 Danish adults had experienced some extent of gambling problems in 2021, a figure that has doubled since 2016, with almost 30,000 experiencing serious gambling problems. 

The government also stated 25,000 Danish children and young people have experienced some degree of gambling harm, with 2,600 having a serious gambling problem. 

Halsboe-Jørgensen explained the agreement marked a shift in mentality in Denmark, with closer attention paid to restricting the gambling sector and the harms that can come from it. 

“This is the beginning of a showdown with a gaming industry that has been allowed to take up too much space for far too long, so that entertainment does not turn into addiction,” Halsboe-Jørgensen said.  

“This requires both responsible providers, stronger rules and a sustained political effort.” 

Denmark regulator to be strengthened 

The agreement will also seek to further empower Spillemyndigheden, the country’s gambling regulator.  

Spillemyndigheden will be given the authority to block illegal gambling sites, with clearer principles and criteria for calculating fines and sanctions. 

Certain administrative burdens will also be eased, such as the need for gaming providers to send a copy of decisions on closing gambling accounts to Spillemyndigheden. 

Denmark gambling revenue on the increase 

In August, Denmark achieved gambling revenue of DKK714 million, both a year-on-year and month-on-month increase. 

Denmark’s sports betting and iGaming markets both posted double-digit growth when compared to the same month last year. 

The nation’s self-exclusion scheme ROFUS reached 63,488 users by the end of August, with 41,362 of those having permanently excluded themselves from gambling.

In the case of Super Group-owned Betway, a complainant took issue with a YouTube advert that appeared in May. This featured a football fan wearing clothing carrying the logo of Premier League football club Chelsea.

The complainant contended the appearance of the Chelsea logo could have been of appeal to under-18s. As such, the advert could have been seen as a breach of regulations.

In response, Betway said the advert referred to its rewards scheme, rather than directly to its gambling services. It also noted how official guidance allows gambling adverts to include content that “specifically identifies a subject of the gambling activity”. This, it said, includes sports team logos.

Betway also flagged how the advert did not feature any active football and focused on the actual stadium, with rewards club members having the opportunity to win a stadium tour of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. It noted how everyone in the video was over the age of 18 and actual competition winners and not actors.

Further defence included that it was permitted to use Chelsea logos under its partnership with the club. In addition, it said the advert was targeted at logged-in YouTube users over the age of 25.

ASA brands Betway ad ‘irresponsible’

However, the ASA disagreed. It said that while guidance does allow for club logos to appear, this only applies to being featured in a standalone context, such as at the end of an advert. It said the fact logos appeared throughout breached this rule and would have appealed to under-18s.

The ASA also dismissed the argument that the ad targeted logged-in YouTube users aged over 25. It said YouTube was a media environment where users self-verify on sign-up and does not use robust age-verification methods. As such, it ruled Betway did not exclude under-18s from the audience.

With this, it flagged Ofcom research based on a 2025 survey that indicated 81% of 8-17-year-olds active on social media used YouTube. It also estimated 20% of this age group with their own profile had a registered user age of at least 18.

“Given that evidence, we considered it was likely that there was at least a significant number of children who had not used their real date of birth when signing up to YouTube and were able to see and access content intended for those aged 18 or older, meaning they could view advertising content from gambling operators,” the ASA said.

“We concluded that the ad was irresponsible and breached the code.”

Kwiff criticised over Lewis Hamilton ad

Meanwhile, the ASA also ruled against Kwiff, a brand operated by Eaton Gate Gaming, over an advert featuring British Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton.

The ad appeared on X before the 2024 British Grand Prix and featured an image of Hamilton. It also contained a link to an article on Kwiff’s website about the race, as well as an 18+ symbol and GambleAware branding.

The complaint, from a researcher at the University of Bristol, noted the inclusion of Hamilton could appeal to under-18s.

In its lengthy defence, Kwiff made several remarks about the ad. It said that it believed it to be responsible and was published to drive traffic to a blog article, rather than to its gambling site. It also noted the article content was a piece of sports commentary and not about gambling.

Other defence factors included that none of its followers on X were younger than 18. It also said there was no “standardised approach” to age verification on social media and that it took “reasonable” steps to prevent younger people from seeing the ad.

In addition, it took the position that Hamilton would likely be of more appeal to older fans of F1. Kwiff said younger supporters would have more interest in younger drivers, as opposed to 40-year-old Hamilton.

X also issued a response, saying the post was organic and not a promoted or paid-for ad. It added that it has now put in place a multi-step age assurance methodology in line with the UK Online Safety Act. This was not the case when the post appeared last year.

ASA upholds irresponsible ruling

But the ASA disagreed with the operator. It flagged several stand-out issues with the ad and the defence put forward by Kwiff.

Key points included that the ad directly connected to Kwiff’s gambling site. It also dismissed the argument that Hamilton would not be of appeal to under-18s, given that he has won seven F1 World Drivers’ Championships. As such, his inclusion in the post was in breach of official guidance.

Other points were that X did not have in place robust age-verification methods at the time and that it relied on users self-verifying. As such, it said there was potential that some Kwiff followers may have been under 18 and seen the post.

“We accepted that X had an additional measure in place, whereby third parties could report accounts that they believed were under age,” it said. “While helpful, we considered that this measure was unlikely to effectively identify all accounts that had falsely claimed to be over 18.”

It concluded: “We acknowledged Sir Lewis Hamilton was primarily famous for his association with an adult-oriented sport but considered he was very well known to a general UK audience, including to children and young people.

“We considered, based on his public profile, commercial partnerships, media appearances and UK under-18 social media following, that he had strong appeal to under-18s. For those reasons, we concluded the ad was irresponsible and breached the code.”

SkyBet fails with Gary Neville ad appeal

In other news, the ASA rejected an appeal from SkyBet about a historical advert featuring ex-footballer and now-pundit Gary Neville.

In October 2023, the ASA ruled an ad featuring Neville breached regulations as it may have been of appeal to under-18s. The post on X featured an embedded video clip from The Overlap football podcast, with Neville discussing which team might win the Premier League. The SkyBet logo appeared occasionally throughout the video.

SkyBet defended the ad by saying Neville would not have appealed to under-18s, given that he retired from football some time ago. However, the ASA agreed with the complainant that Neville’s fame among the wider football community meant the ad may have appealed to young people.

SkyBet appealed the decision and while the ASA made “minor factual amendments” to the ruling, its decision was the same. It said the ad should not appear again in its current form.

Betfred could close all UK shops

Bookmaker Betfred has warned it could close all its UK high street betting ships if gambling taxes rise as feared.

According to The Guardian, Betfred is considering shutting all 1,287 of its shops. This would put 7,500 jobs at risk across the UK.

The government is considering introducing higher tax rates for gambling companies active in the UK. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out the plans during November’s budget.

Flutter Entertainment also recently said it plans to close shops in the UK and Ireland. Entain and Evoke also said they could shut branches in response to higher tax.

Aerssen departs Dutch Lottery

The Dutch Lottery has announced that Jet Roos-van Aerssen is stepping down as chief financial and risk officer (CFRO).

Aerssen had worked for the operator since May last year, having succeeded Arjan Blok as CFRO. Blok went on to become CEO of the Dutch Lottery.

Prior to joining the organisation, Roos-van Aerssen worked in various international and national financial roles. This included stints with Talpa Network, Aegon and General Electric.

“Jet has made a significant impact on our organisation and our contribution to sports and exercise in the past year and a half,” Blok said. “We have come to know her as a professional and appreciate her commitment to the Dutch Lottery. We wish Jet every success in the future.”

Kambi scores betting partnership with Betnation

Also in the Netherlands, Kambi Group has agreed to a multi-year partnership with online operator Betnation.

Kambi will deliver its turnkey sportsbook solution to Betnation in the country. This includes a range of sports betting technology and services, such as a betting engine and trading and risk management capabilities.

Betnation has operated an online casino in the Netherlands since October 2022.

“Kambi’s reputation for excellence, cutting-edge technology and a commitment to regulated markets made them the natural choice as our new sportsbook provider,” Betnation CEO Robert Schouten said.

BetMGM extends with NFL’s Steelers

BetMGM has extended its partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.

The deal will run to 2029, with BetMGM serving as an official sports betting, online casino and gaming partner.

BetMGM and the Steelers will introduce new fan-focused experiences, as well as continue the “Decade of Black & Gold Sweepstakes”. The latter awards one fan in Pennsylvania or West Virginia with 10 years of season tickets and hospitality tent passes for Steelers home games.

“This partnership extension allows BetMGM to continue delivering experiences that reflect the energy and passion of Steelers Nation,” said Casey Hurbis, BetMGM chief marketing officer.

Svenska Spel details community funding programme

Svenska Spel has launched a new initiative to fund local sports clubs in the Gotland region of Sweden.

Föreningsdrömmen Gotland will distribute SEK1 million ($106,124) each year. This will see 10 clubs in the region receive SEK100,000 each.

Clubs interested in the funding can begin to apply from 12 November. Funds can be used to fund equipment, travel, camps or support their own initiatives.

“Sports are an important meeting place for children and young people. It is where joy is born, where dreams grow and where community takes shape,” Svenska Spel CEO and President Anna Johnson said. “With Föreningsdrömmen, we want to give more people the chance to be involved and feel the joy and belonging that sports create.”

The division will be led by two new senior hires, Hugh Johnson as chief client officer and Nick Withersby as chief creative officer.

Johnson and Withersby each bring more than 20 years’ experience in brand strategy, marketing and advertising, having worked together since 2022 at Amigo Partnership, where they delivered standout and award-winning work for clients including LiveScore, Flutter, Virgin BET, UNICEF and Soccer Aid.

They also collaborated on The Pools’ brand relaunch, with the campaign being a winner at the 2025 Alliance of Independent Agencies Awards.

Based from SITA’s London headquarters, Withersby will oversee the agency’s creative output, working with its in-house copywriters, design and video teams. Johnson will lead creative client relationships and the agency’s responses to briefs. Both will report to chief executive Ben Cleminson.

‘Transformational’ appointments

Square in the Air described the recruitment of Johnson and Withersby as “transformational” for the agency.

Cleminson said: “I have been fortunate to see Hugh and Nick work at close hand, and they are exceptional creatives. The addition of their skills and experience is incredibly exciting for all teams across our business, and their leadership and fresh perspective will massively benefit the agency.

“The division that we are launching with Hugh and Nick will add a creative layer to our business, allowing us to provide a vital, sought-after service to a client base that we have nurtured over nearly 20 years, while also extending our reach into new markets and sectors.”

Square in the Air is a full-service marketing agency with clients around the world and a team of more than 50 employees. It works with operators, suppliers and affiliates in betting and gaming, as well as sport and fintech, offering services including digital and traditional PR, social media and influencer management.

Some have estimated the black market could account for up to 70% of the total betting sector in Brazil but, speaking to iGB in a recent interview, Flood believes it is closer to 15%.

While many operators and other industry stakeholders highlight illegal operators as their main concern, Flood and Superbet maintain that their strong start in the market is their main area of focus.

“I don’t wake up every day thinking about the illegal market,” Flood tells iGB. “The competitive intensity would be what wakes me up every day, or what I think about when I wake up.

“I think there’s a lot of data out there that suggests that it’s quite meaningful in terms of total size. I think there’s ways that that gets big and scary when people use deposit volume to size that market.

“In actual terms of maybe revenue capture, which is a better marker of what players are spending, I think it’s a good bit lower than most people’s estimates.”

However, Flood does say he is concerned about the threat the black market poses for players in terms of player protection standards.

Superbet looking to maintain podium position

Superbet has enjoyed an impressive start to the regulated market in Brazil, ranking among the top three licensed operators for market share, according to H2 Gambling Capital’s data.

Flood has a “high degree of confidence” that Superbet is currently in a firm podium position. He also believes the company is closing in on second place.

Like many, Flood expects consolidation in Brazil as the market matures. Three top brands are expected to dominate the market as smaller operators fall away due to high costs and lack of competitive edge against Superbet, Betano and Bet365.

“What we see is there’s going to be a wave of consolidation at some point in the market as the unit economics of competing get a bit harsher,” Flood continues. “High tax burdens, the cost of advertising, you see some sponsorship prices going through the roof.

“It’s incredibly expensive to raise awareness in Brazil about a brand and to build trust. We see that probably some of those smaller brands may fall away at some point in time and the market will probably be dominated by three big players, that would be our estimate. We would hope, and are quite confident, that we will be one of the three.”

Localisation key to Superbet’s success

Prior to 1 January, there was some speculation that international brands may struggle to get a foothold in Brazil, with local operators winning out due to localisation and an enhanced knowledge of their home country’s diverse culture.

But Superbet has invested heavily in local talent, deepening its connection with Brazilian bettors.

“If you were to ask why we’ve been successful, I would say it’s because we’ve invested in finding local people to really help us connect with the Brazilian audience, the Brazilian fan base,” Flood explains.

“That goes deep into how we communicate with customers, even the brand tone, these types of things.

“You cannot take a European proposition and just stick Brazilian flags or change it into Portuguese and put it out there to customers. You really have to find ways to connect.”

Superbet’s investment has extended to sponsoring the 2025 Rio de Janeiro Carnival and Série B, the second-highest football league in Brazil. Additionally, the club is also the front-of-shirt sponsor of top-flight clubs Fluminense and São Paulo.

“The Brazilian fan base is so passionate about sports and so emotionally involved in it, that there’s just different ways to connect,” Flood says. “And we’ve brought that to life.

“But it’s not just putting a badge on that shirt. It’s how we’ve brought that to life in terms of the activations. They are ways for us to connect with those local customers and local audience in a much, much deeper way.”

Superbet Brazil marketing investment to continue

Flood says Superbet has “definitely” achieved what it sought from its initial marketing investment in Brazil.

“When you look at the brand we’ve built in such a short time in Brazil, it’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of,” Flood continues. “That’s testament to the local marketing team that we’ve built out, who make all these decisions day to day.

“When you look at our brand awareness, it’s gone incredibly well. We think that’s what’s translated into what we [believe] is a clear number three in the market at this point.”

This investment in marketing will continue, according to Flood.

“We’ll definitely keep a portion of our investment efforts in this space, because of how effective we’ve found it to be,” Flood concludes.

“We do think it’s part of our superpower of connecting with the local customers and how well we’ve executed in those spaces. For the foreseeable future, we’ll continue to pursue that.”

Isgren’s report has proposed scrapping the Gambling Act’s current “directional criterion” for online gambling and replacing it with a new rule that prohibits illegal sites from providing access for Swedish players, regardless of whether operators are actively targeting the market.

What are Isgren’s key proposals?

Under the current regime, online gambling falls under Swedish law only if it is considered to be “directed” at Sweden. This standard has allowed many unlicensed companies to avoid oversight by structuring their services in ways that avoid obvious Swedish markers, such as language, currency or local marketing. The proposed shift to a “participant criterion” would instead apply the law whenever Swedish residents are able to access and play.

Additional recommendations would broaden the prohibition on promoting illegal gambling in Sweden. Beyond advertising, this would extend to payment processors, financial services and other support providers that support unlicensed operations.

A presumption rule would apply, so that if a provider processes payments to or from an unlicensed operator, it must assume Swedish participation unless there is clear evidence to the contrary.

The memorandum also proposes adjustments to criminal provisions, meaning unlicensed gambling and the promotion of unlicensed services would be made illegal and subject to criminal charges.

Collectively, the measures aim to strengthen Sweden’s channelisation target – ensuring at least 90% of gambling takes place with licensed operators, in order to protect consumers and safeguard tax revenues.

Earlier this month, Sweden’s Gambling Authority estimated that channelisation is currently 85%, down from 86% during the prior year.

Minister welcomes proposals

Finance Markets Minister Niklas Wykman announced the Gambling Act review in February 2025, with a view to enforcing tougher policies against illegal operators.

Industry stakeholders have long debated the shortcomings of the current framework. The online gambling trade association BOS has repeatedly warned that unlicensed operators exploit the directional test to reach Swedish consumers, often offering services in English and using euro currency.

Minister Wykman welcomed Isgren’s submission, calling it “a crucial step in creating a safer and fairer gambling market”. In a press statement, he said the government would now prepare the proposals within the Regeringskansliet (Government Offices) before a formal referral round and parliamentary debate. If approved, the reforms would come into force on 1 January 2027.

Isgren’s proposals were welcomed by Svenska Spel president and chief executive Anna Johnson, who repeated  a call for DNS blocking of illegal sites.

“The investigator’s proposals are long-awaited and welcome,” Johnson said. “This is about improved protection for consumers, but also about safeguarding trust in the entire Swedish gambling market.

“It is absolutely necessary to continue with more measures to combat illegal gambling. DNS blocking of illegal gambling sites is a natural next step to take. It would further strengthen the Swedish licensing market as well as the protection of Swedish consumers.”

BOS demands new gambling inquiry

BOS – a longtime critic of the Gambling Act – welcomed the proposal that would force unlicensed companies to take active measures to exclude Swedish gamblers.

Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt said: “This is an important contribution to the possibility of strengthening the Swedish gambling licence market, which is now proposed to criminalise almost all unlicensed gambling in Sweden. I foresee the government shortly submitting a bill to the Riksdag in accordance with the investigation’s proposal.

“Good job Mr Investigator and with the hope of equally good job from the government and the Riksdag to now proceed with legislation on the matter. Unlicensed gambling in Sweden must be smoked out.”

In early September, the group called for a new broad gambling inquiry, with the task of proposing measures that strengthen channelisation in the Swedish gambling market. Among the proposals that should be considered, BOS mentioned a less rigid regulation of loyalty bonuses, which are currently completely prohibited.

Hoffstedt said at the time: “The appointment of a broad inquiry tasked with preventing leakage to the unlicensed gambling market would undoubtedly be this government’s most important measure to protect and strengthen the legal regulated gambling market, before Sweden goes to the polls in September next year.”

The Champions League gets underway on Tuesday, with the tournament the second most bet-on in Germany following the Bundesliga.

According to a DSWV press release on Monday, the volume of betting has “skyrocketed” around the start of the Champions League, with players needing to be particularly vigilant to ensure they bet with licensed operators.

The DSWV claims there are at least 382 illegal German-language websites offering sports betting, compared to just 34 legal betting sites.

DSWV President Mathias Dahms says this 11:1 ratio “puts players at risk”, warning of the impacts from illegal betting.

“In the legal sports betting market, players benefit from guaranteed player protection, reliable payouts and tax revenue for the common good,” Dahms said.

“Illegal providers in the black market, on the other hand, do not adhere to any rules, offer no security and have a higher risk of gambling addiction.”

The DSWV stressed players are also at risk of criminal proceedings, with a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment or a fine applicable to those found participating in illegal sports betting.

Advertising crucial for identifying licensed operators

In the view of Dahms and the DSWV, advertising is crucial to make it easier for sports bettors to differentiate between licensed and unlicensed operators.

Dahms noted the importance to licensed companies of being visibile during Champions League matches, particularly on advertising hoardings around stadiums and through TV ads.

In the Champions League and the Bundesliga, only licensed operators are allowed to advertise in the arena and on TV.

The DSWV also highlighted the white list of licensed operators, which is available on the website of the regulator, Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL).

Additionally, legal providers display a clearly visible GGL logo on their sites, while only licensed operators offer comprehensive player protection measures.

Dahms concluded: “It is in the common interest of regulators, providers and players to strengthen the legal market and push back the black market.

“This is the only way to ensure player protection, integrity and tax revenues.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Fahmi said “the majority of content taken down on Facebook consists of online gambling ads and gambling-related posts”. But Facebook has consistently failed to block the use of credit cards used to pay for such ads, he added.

“If a gambling ad is paid for using a credit card and Facebook knows this content is illegal in Malaysia, they should block the account,” Fahmi said. “But Facebook has refused to do so.”

Fahmi suggested the meeting will be of a “constructive” nature. “We are opting for dialogue rather than punitive measures. We do not intend to ban or shut down Facebook. Many people benefit from these platforms socially and economically. But we cannot allow criminals to misuse them for profit or to commit online crimes.”

Easy access, digital natives drive iGaming

About 65% of Malaysians are Muslim, belonging to a religion that prohibits gambling. According to the US-based National Institute for Biotechnology Information, Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent are more likely to gamble and spend more on gambling.

Legal options include lotteries, bets on horse racing and betting at the country’s sole licensed casino, Resorts World Genting in Kuala Lumpur. Even so, there seems to be a preference for illegal gaming, which operates without government regulation or oversight. For instance, in 2018 illegal lotteries generated about 60% more revenue than the six legal operators combined, NIBI reports.

And so it goes with iGaming. Online gambling, while illegal, is highly accessible, and offshore providers are happy to process transactions in ringgits, the Malaysian currency. According to Complete Sports, Malaysian iGaming is surging “at an unprecedented rate” thanks to “smartphone penetration, fast internet and a young population of sports enthusiasts”. Malaysians are avid sports fans and love betting on badminton as well as the English Premier League.

Meta not responsible for compliance

In July, Meta proclaimed it would tighten its rules around online gambling ads on Facebook and Instagram. Its online gambling policy says advertisers “authorised for a single jurisdiction and gambling type” may target “any jurisdiction where they are licensed or lawfully permitted, with the exception of unsupported markets” including Malaysia.

However, Meta adds that it “is not responsible for how authorised ad accounts comply with local gambling laws and regulations”. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Commercial Gambling Management Commission is working independently to crack down on online gambling ads and promotions.

According to the Malay Mail, the fight to curb illegal iGaming is part of a larger government effort to promote online safety. “We have the ability to make the internet safer, especially for children and families,” Fahmi said.

Malaysia’s Safe Internet Campaign, established in January, has visited more than 2,600 schools nationwide so far this year. It has set a target of reaching 10,000 schools by 2026.

Arrest over horse race fixing in UK

A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with allegations of fixing horse races in the UK.

The unidentified man is alleged to have committed offences under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005. This section concerns cheating at gambling or assisting someone else with cheating.

The arrest was part of a joint investigation by Greater Manchester Police and the Gambling Commission. This launched following reports of suspicious betting activity linked to horse races earlier this year.

The commission said it would not be commenting further on the case at this time.

Bragg seeks to allay fears over cyber incident

Bragg Gaming Group has played down a recent cyber incident, saying the issue has been resolved.

Bragg revealed the cybersecurity incident on 16 August. It said that it took appropriate steps to mitigate any potential impact of the breach, working with independent experts.

Bragg said there is no indication that any personal information was affected, nor was there any impact on its ability to operate. It also sought to reassure customers about the security of its game titles.

“The company has experienced no negative impact on its revenue or profitability and does not expect that the cost of responding to the incident will have a material financial impact on the company,” Bragg added.

Playbook Fusion enters Netherlands with Bingoal

Playbook Fusion has made its debut in the Dutch market through a partnership with Bingoal.

The deal will see Bingoal become the first operator in the Netherlands to launch Playbook Football. This real-money virtual football management betting game allows users to build teams, place bets, receive in-game rewards and climb divisions.

Bingoal customers can access the game across both the operator’s casino and sportsbook zones.

“This is a unique concept that offers gamification and persistence our bettors are seeking,” Bingoal Casino Product Manager Dany Salmon said. “We are confident that it will resonate well with our player base across Sports and Casino verticals.”

Games Global opens first live dealer studio in Brazil

Another new market entry comes from Brazil, where Games Global partnered with Spin Gaming to establish the country’s first live dealer studio.

Powered by OnAir, Spin Gaming will deliver live game streaming and technical support to its partners.

The agreement also marks the creation of the first Brazilian academy specialising in training live casino dealers. This, the two companies said, will help generate hundreds of jobs for people in Brazil.

“This landmark deal with Spin Gaming not only highlights Games Global’s unwavering commitment to delivering tailored solutions to local markets but also highlights our drive to support iGaming infrastructure in emerging jurisdictions,” said Ricardo Regner, director of LatAm at Games Global.

Paf lands Finnish Ski Association deal

Paf has signed a long-term partnership agreement with the Finnish Ski Association.

The deal runs through 2030, with Paf serving as the official main partner of the Finnish Ski Association. This will become effective when the new Finnish licensing system enters into force, provided Paf secures a licence.

The agreement covers the national A-teams in cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping. It also includes the under-23 and under-20 national teams in cross-country skiing.

In addition, Paf will be an official partner of the FIS World Cup events in Ruka and Lahti, as well as the Finnish Cup in cross-country skiing.

“We are truly excited about this new main partnership with the Finnish Ski Association,” Paf Manager Thomas Näsman said. “Our shared values provide an excellent foundation for building a long-lasting and successful collaboration.”

Speaking alongside Reeves at Intralot’s Capital Markets Day in London Monday, current Intralot CEO Nikolaos Nikolakopoulos said the combined group had ambitions to launch one or two B2C products in a new market every year, once the merger completes.  

Intralot to launch B2C in new market every year

In at least one case, Nikolakopoulos said the group would operate a joint venture with a local media company to leverage its brand and reach within the market. Nikolakopoulos did not say which market or media brand the operator would partner with, but he said the strength of the group’s brand “would make a difference”.  

On Bally’s presence in the UK, Reeves said Bally’s was the number two brand for iGaming in the market, with a 14% share of the total market. Today the operator also maintains a small presence in Spain, although the UK remains 94% of its total revenue split.  

“We’re very UK dominant. [But] this combination [with Intralot] allows us to spread out our revenue. It’s good and bad being UK dominant, you know? You might say you’re too concentrated. [But] regulation means that you end up with a stable, reliable business,” he told analysts and investors.  

“We have six million players in our database and one million monthly unique players. That means that we actually have a relatively low spend per player, but that makes it sustainable forever.”  

UK online stake limits improved Bally’s retention efforts

Retention, Reeves said, was a particular strength for Bally’s, thanks to the operator’s efforts to adapt to increased regulation in the UK.  

Bally’s adapted its offering to provide players more chances to win on online slots but at lower multiples, like at 10x of their stake. Implemented as a response to online slots stake limits enforced in April, he said enabling players to win more often had improved the overall customer experience.  

“We’ve seen that boost customer attention. And hence boost revenue, because players don’t have as many bad experiences,” Reeves said.  

“Igaming growth was driven by return to play optimisation strategies. We actually adjusted what we paid back to players more because of regulation. 

“We’re always thinking about what is the right environment for customers to engage with. Also, normal organic market growth has occurred, boosting our revenue, and our active user base has increased. It makes sense given we’re retaining customers better.”  

Combined Intralot Bally’s group eyes €200 billion global TAM

Nikolakopoulos told the audience he expected the group to see a “significant upside [from] the monetisation of player data and the retention of players”.  

In its FY2024 results, Bally’s International Interactive reported €709 million in run-rate revenue, alongside a 40% adjusted EBITDA margin. Reeves also said the Bally’s business had maintained a consistent CAGR of 10% since 2019. 

As a combined group, Intralot expects the UK and Spain’s iGaming market to have a cumulative TAM of €14 billion by 2029.  

Globally, it forecasts a TAM of €200 billion by 2029 across iGaming, online sports betting and its existing lottery services.

Intralot Bally’s merger to complete by end of year 

Intralot announced its €2.7bn acquisition of the Bally’s International interactive business in July, noting the deal would likely close by Q4 of this year.  

The aim of the combination is to create a global iGaming and lottery leader with €1.1 billion in annual revenues. The new combined group will be listed on the Athens Stock Exchange and operate B2C and B2B lottery operations in a vast number of markets globally.  

The group will also benefit from an agreement in place with Bally’s International which will see it gain a share of the business’ profits, once it becomes profitable. 

“We’re maintaining exposure to the US without taking on the downside risk, which is significantly valuable,” Reeves said during the presentation. The group expects to launch its own iGaming product in the US, utilising Intralot’s relationships and expertise as a B2B lottery provider in the market.  

Its bullish B2C expansion plan also includes the potential for M&A, in acquiring local brands.  

“Although it’s not a primary focus to go after M&A, we think that there could be some selective acquisitions because of the fragmentation that you see across the European B2B and B2C gaming space,” Reeves added.  

Rush Street Interactive names Tyagi as CTO

Rush Street Interactive has announced the appointment of Shubham Tyagi as its new chief technology officer.

Tyagi joins the company having worked in the technology sector for more than two decades. He was most recently CTO for Warner Bros Discovery Sports.

He joins the senior leadership team at RSI, reporting directly to CEO Richard Schwartz. RSI said the appointment represents its commitment to securing top-tier senior leadership.

“Shubham stood out not only for his experience and expertise, but also for his ability to build trust, drive alignment and scale platforms that serve millions of customers around the world,” Schwartz said.

Sanders exits as COO of MGM Resorts

Another senior management change will see Corey Sanders depart as chief operating officer at MGM Resorts International.

Sanders has worked at MGM for more than 30 years but will step down at the end of 2025. He will remain, however, as an advisor to President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle until December 2026.

During his time at MGM, Sanders served in a series of roles. In addition to COO, he was chief financial officer and treasurer, as well as COO for MGM’s core brands.

“It’s impossible to overstate what Corey has meant to this company over the last 30-plus years,” Hornbuckle said. “He has been a constant presence, providing foundational leadership for all the key moments that have defined our history.”

New iGaming consultancy targets ‘cost-effective’ licences

A new iGaming consultancy has launched to meet demand for “cost-effective” gambling licences.

The new venture, iGaming Licensing, is from the team behind regulatory service provider Global Gaming Solutions. It will focus on helping clients secure “affordable” licences in regions such as Anjouan, Nevis and Tobique.

Brothers Mark and Tom O’Neill will lead the company, supported by partners James Lees and Rachel Booth. Among them, the quartet boasts several decades of experience in iGaming regulation.

“With a compliance-first ethos, a carefully designed recommendations platform and a reputation for excellence, the group is positioning itself as the go-to partner for businesses seeking trusted licensing solutions in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape,” Mark O’Neill said.

Gaming Corps integrates full portfolio with Light & Wonder

Gaming Corps has entered into a global distribution agreement for its iGaming content with Light & Wonder.

The deal will see Gaming Corps’ full games portfolio made available via Light & Wonder’s content marketplace ecosystem. This covers slots, crash, mine, table and plinko titles.

Light & Wonder’s content marketplace hosts more than 6,700 titles and handles over five billion game rounds each month.

“This deal with Light & Wonder is a significant moment for us,” Gaming Corps CEO Juha Kauppinen said. “Their content marketplace is one of the leading distribution networks in the industry. This agreement puts our content in front of new audiences in key regulated markets.”

Bwin scores Spanish partnership with NFL

Bwin has announced an official regional partnership with the National Football League in Spain.

Under the multi-year deal, Bwin will serve as the NFL’s official sports betting partner in the country.

The agreement comes ahead of the NFL hosting its first official game in Spain. The game in Madrid on 16 November will see the Washington Commanders face the Miami Dolphins at Bernabéu Stadium.

“We’re delighted to have Bwin on board as a new partner in the market, helping to create unique and exciting experiences for our growing fan base in Spain,” said Brett Gosper, head of Europe and APAC at the NFL.

He believes a permanent committee is required for the government to oversee the transfer of sports betting tax revenue to the appropriate sports entities, especially with the social and economic problems that can be caused by gambling.

Rocco made the proposal on Wednesday at a hearing between the ministries of sport and finance, as well as the chamber of deputies’ subcommittee on sports betting regulation.

At the hearing, representatives and organisations in the sports sector called for greater transparency in the collection and distribution of sports funds.

Rocco highlighted the Brazil government’s failure to collect tax revenue from sports betting in the lead up to the launch of the regulated market on 1 January this year.

“The allocation of resources is a major concern for the ministry of sports,” Rocco told the hearing.

“Betting companies owe a social debt to Brazilian sports, as they have used sports to enter people’s lives and homes. Therefore, this compensation must be appropriate so that we can address the problems arising from betting as a whole.”

What tax revenue does the sports sector currently receive?

At present, 36% of betting tax revenues are allocated to the sports sector, with the ministry of sports receiving the largest share. The distribution breakdown is as follows:

Antônio Hora, president of the Brazilian School Sports Confederation, raised concerns over the accuracy of the resources being allocated.

“We private entities are able to receive the resources, but we have no guarantee that those amounts are correct, due to the lack of transparency mentioned here,” Hora explained.

The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets has looked to address such concerns, launching a public consultation back in June, with the objective of making the allocation of fixed-odds betting revenue “more effective and efficient”.

Football sector’s reliance on betting

Rocco also noted the reliance of football in Brazil on the betting sector, with 18 of the 20 top-flight football clubs having a betting partner this season.

Last month, Betano announced a deal with Flamengo to become the club’s master sponsor. The agreement, the biggest in Brazilian football history, is worth a reported BRL250 million ($45.9 million) a year.

In May, the Brazil sports commission greenlighted a proposal to restrict gambling ads, with the Senate’s subsequent approval meaning it’s now up to the Chamber of Deputies to review the bill.

Advertising during live sporting broadcasts would be banned, as well as the use of athletes in ads, except for those whose career had ended at least five years previously.

With such a reliance on the gambling sector, Rocco believes the debate on betting advertising in football must be a responsible one, to ensure the sport is not harmed.

“Initially, due to a lack of oversight and control, betting houses took all the investment in Brazilian football,” Rocco added.

“Today, football is entirely dependent on betting house resources, which have inflated at least fivefold.”

In April, Swedish operator ATG announced it had formed a 50/50 JV with local Finnish racing association Suomen Hippos, with the new Hippos ATG to be powered by ATG’s in-house gaming platform.

On Thursday, the JV announced it would operate in Finland with the ATG brand, operating its site as ATG.fi and utilising the ATG gaming app for mobile phones, as well as featuring ATG’s existing style and design.

The move is described as a “cost-effective solution”, leveraging ATG’s existing communication assets, messaging and design.

Mikael Bäcke, CEO of the Hippos ATG JV, believes the use of such a well-known legacy brand in ATG will provide a strong platform in terms of brand awareness.

“ATG is a strong, trusted, quality brand in Sweden and already familiar to many Finnish gamblers,” Bäcke said. “That is something we want to build on as we enter the new Finnish gambling market in 2027.”

The launch of ATG Talent

Bäcke also explained up to 60% of the JV’s surplus will go directly back to supporting the horse racing sector in Finland.

Alongside its financial support for the racing sector in Finland, Hippos ATG launched a development programme aimed at individuals expected to have a bright future in the sport.

ATG Talent participants will meet a number of experts who will provide “knowledge, inspiration and support” in areas such as team-building, leadership and sports psychology.

The participants will be selected in collaboration with Suomen Hippos during the final quarter of 2025, with the first round of the development programme to be carried out over 2026.

Monopolies’ marginalisation of horse racing

Finland is preparing to open its gambling market by 2027, bringing an end to Veikkaus’ monopoly.

Until now, the state-owned operator has held exclusive rights to iGaming and online sports betting in the market but, from 2027, private operators, including Hippos ATG, will be able to compete in a liberalised market.

In August, Bäcke told iGB that Hippos ATG expects to compete as a leading brand for horse racing betting in the newly liberalised market.

He said the JV would aim to recapture the “marginalised” horse racing betting vertical in Finland.

“Today there’s a vacuum in Finnish market and it’s a great opportunity for both ATG and Suomen Hippos,” Bäcke said.

“The [JV] is based on both parties providing the most valuable assets they have to make this company competitive. That means the strong anchoring in the local market that Suomen Hippos has and the very close relationship they have with the 200,000 horse racing customers,” he added.

Hippos ATG will go live on day one of the licensed online market in Finland.

The ATG Finland JV board of directors is made up of ATG CEO Hans Lord Skarplöth and members of both ATG and the Suomen Hippos association.

The unnamed influencers could be fined €30,000 ($34,953) for breaking the rules. However, both fines are conditional and will only apply if the individuals continue to breach regulations on gambling advertising.

The National Police Board said both cases related to affiliate gambling content posted by the influencers. This, the board added, was seen to “directly or indirectly market gambling” in Finland, in violation of the Lotteries Act.

Marketing took place outside Finland

Both influencers promoted several grey market brands operating in Finland to viewers outside the market. The content appeared across several platforms including Twitch and Kick’s streaming services.

“The board considers that through their actions related to commercial co-operation, the influencers have increased the visibility of gambling, gambling websites and companies serving as intermediaries for gambling,” the board said.

The influencers have been ordered to remove this content and immediately stop posting further content that promotes gambling. Should they fail to comply, they could be hit with the financial penalties.

Finland has strict rules on gambling advertising. At present, state-owned Veikkaus holds a monopoly on both land-based and online gambling in the country and is therefore the only operator permitted to market its services.

However, Veikkaus still faces restrictions on the type of marketing content it can publish. These include not promoting high-risk games such as slots externally, with no third-party advertising allowed.

Third influencer fined €30,000 for similar breach

Meanwhile, another influencer has been ordered by the National Police Board to pay a conditional fine for failing to forgo from promoting gambling.

The influencer, who again was not named, was initially warned about their behaviour and issued a conditional fine. However, they continued to publish prohibited content on social media and the board handed them a €30,000 fine. The influencer did not appeal the decision within the allotted 30-day period.

This case also related to unlicensed gambling operators. Again, marketing occurred outside the country and appeared on several platforms.

“It seems to be a common misconception that the marketing of gambling in Finland from outside Finland would be allowed,” senior adviser Tomi Sallinen said. “However, this is not the case. Only Veikkaus is allowed to market gambling in mainland Finland.”

All change in Finland

While the Veikkaus monopoly remains the case at present, Finland’s market is set for major change in the coming years. The sector is preparing to transition to a liberalised market by 2027, with Veikkaus’ monopoly set to come to an end.

Operators can apply for licences from early 2026 and suppliers for software provider licences from early 2027. This staggered approach will conclude in 2028, after which operators will only be able to offer games from locally licensed software providers.

Paddy Power aims to utilise the one-year agreement to leverage the NFL within its sport betting portfolio.

The Irish bookmaker also becomes the official NFL free-to-play game partner in the UK and Ireland, launching its new game Paddy Power NFL Showdown.

Paddy Power NFL Showdown will give customers the opportunity to predict match results through a number of quick-fire questions, with weekly jackpots on offer. Players will also enter a season-long leaderboard to win even more exclusive prizes.

The deal was announced on Wednesday, with the NFL season set to get underway Thursday when the reigning champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, host the Dallas Cowboys.

The agreement will also include promotional activity for Paddy Power across NFL digital channels, as well as access to footage rights.

Additionally, there will be Paddy Power activations at all UK and Ireland games, with three contests to be played in London this season and another at Croke Park in Dublin.

With the NFL’s popularity rapidly increasing in the UK and Ireland, Paddy Power’s managing director of marketing, Michelle Spillane, feels this is the right time for such a deal.

“NFL as a sport is reaching new heights across the UK&I and, with the first ever game taking place in Ireland at the end of the month, there felt like no better time to come on board,” Spillane said.

“We can’t wait to enhance the fan experience around the Dublin and London games with events, activations and the usual Paddy mischief.”

Paddy Power fanzone for first NFL game in Ireland

The game at Croke Park between the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers on 28 September will mark the first NFL regular season game ever held in Ireland.

For those unable to get tickets for the game, Paddy Power will sponsor a fanzone at The Camden, a sports bar in Dublin, between 26 and 28 September.

Henry Hodgson, the NFL’s UK and Ireland general manager, said: “We are delighted to partner with Paddy Power as the NFL’s official sports betting partner in the UK and Ireland.

“Their innovative approach to fan engagement and their passion for sports entertainment aligns with our goals as we continue to grow the game across the region.”

The paid-for advert for the Blackjack 21: Blackjackist game appeared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on 2 April. It stated “No annoying notifications. No purchases. Just. Good. Old. Blackjack”.

However, an academic researcher in game regulation raised a complaint with the ASA over the ad. As they understood the game contained in-game purchases, including random-item purchasing, they challenged whether the ad was misleading.

In response, KamaGames said the “no purchases” reference meant players could enjoy the full game experience without making a purchase. It stated that as players receive in-game chips through gameplay and daily gifts, purchases were optional and not essential.

KamaGames also said that the game did not feature loot boxes or random-item purchasing mechanisms. CAP guidance requires games of this nature to make clear the presence of such purchases “if material to consumer decisions”. As KamaGames said the game did not fall into this category, it was unnecessary to take such steps.

The developer added that it had withdrawn the advert following the complaint.

ASA upholds complaint against KamaGames advert

Ruling on the case, the ASA ultimately sided with the complainant. It said the advert’s claim that “no purchases” were required to play was not wholly true.

“We considered the presentation of the claim, which appeared together with the claims ‘No annoying notifications’ and ‘Just. Good. Old. Blackjack’, reinforced the impression the game did not contain any in-app purchases and was purely focused on gameplay,” the ASA said.

The ASA did acknowledge the process of using virtual currency in the game and that it was not necessary for players to purchase this in order to play. It also noted a Google Play Store page stating that the game contained in-game purchases, including random items.

However, the ASA referred back to the “no purchases” claim. It said this gave the impression the game did not include any purchases whatsoever, regardless of whether they were needed to play the game.

“Because the ad did not make clear that the game contained in-game purchases, including random-item purchases, we concluded that the ad was misleading,” the ASA said.

As such, the advert was found in breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 3.1, which refers to “misleading advertising”. The ASA said the advert should not appear again in its current form. It also said that KamaGames must not mislead customers of in-game purchases in the future.

ASA closes non-UK ‘loophole’ in CAP Code

The ruling comes after the ASA announced a change to the CAP Code, closing a “loophole” for operators headquartered outside the UK.

Previously, operators with a non-UK registered address were not covered by certain rules in the CAP code. However, from 1 September this year, operators subject to licensing conditions that require compliance with the CAP Code face the same rules as businesses located in the UK.

All UK-licensed operators must ensure communications on websites, apps and cross-border platforms meet the relevant criteria, regardless of where they are registered. Rules will also apply to content on websites with a “.uk” top-level domain and paid-for marketing communications from or by marketers targeting players in the UK.

Flutter Entertainment, Bet365 and Entain are among the major licensed companies that are registered in jurisdictions outside of the UK.

The study, which was compiled by Social Finance and Sherbert Research, was released by GambleAware on Tuesday. Research was recorded from two surveys.

One recorded data from 634 youngsters across a number of schools based in the South West, South East and West Midlands. The second survey recorded results from 2,100 11-17 year olds. GambleAware said this report “was nationally representative of this demographic across GB”.

A quarter of the children included in the second survey said they had been tempted to spend money on gambling after viewing such advertising, while 36% of boys aged between 16 and 17 recalled they had already gambled after observing a celebrity either promoting or taking part in gambling.

Over half of the second survey’s respondents said they felt they had no control over the amount of gambling content they viewed online, while 78% of children agreed “nobody under the age of 18 should be exposed to content and advertising about gambling”.

Meanwhile the initial research found 87% of children and young people surveyed had been exposed to gambling content online, with 16% viewing gambling advertising from content creators on platforms such as Twitch, TikTok and YouTube.

Majority of children want celebrity gambling ads banned

Around 67% of respondents to the larger survey agreed famous individuals, celebrities and influencers should be banned from promoting gambling.

Some 16% had observed content creators sharing links and sign-up codes for gambling, while 14% reported seeing creators sharing tips on how to gamble.

GambleAware believes the government should look to further restrict gambling advertising and online content in the short term, while wider regulations are put in place.

“Digital technology has transformed how children and young people consume content, with mobile phone ownership widespread and many spending hours daily on social media,” GambleAware CEO Zoe Osmond added.

“Social media platforms and influencers now play a pivotal role in shaping attitudes and behaviours and this research shows that some are playing a part in encouraging young people to gamble.”

GambleAware appoints transition CEO to oversee closure

In response to the survey’s findings, GambleAware called upon regulators, the government and the Advertising Standards Authority to take urgent action and “catch up with the digital age”.

“It is unacceptable that children’s environments continue to be flooded with age-restricted content,” Osmond said.

“Consistent exposure to influencer-driven gambling content contributes to the normalisation of gambling among school-aged children and we know that early exposure to gambling at a younger age can lead young people to have a higher risk of experiencing gambling harm later in life.”

Osmond is in her final month as GambleAware CEO, with the charity last week announcing the appointment of Anna Hargrave from 30 September as transition CEO to oversee its closure.

In July, GambleAware confirmed it will wind down operations and transfer its responsibilities to the British government by March 2026. The move comes after the introduction of a new statutory levy earlier this year.

From that point, all services previously overseen by the charity will be taken on by the government and newly appointed commissioners in England, Scotland and Wales, reflecting the UK’s renewed strategy for addressing gambling harm.

The CAP Code, the shortened name for the Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing, covers activities in the UK. It is enforced by the Committee of Advertising Practice and regulated by the ASA.

From 1 September this year, operators subject to licensing conditions that require compliance with the CAP Code will face the same rules as businesses located in the UK.

This means all UK-licensed operators must ensure communications on websites, apps and cross-border platforms meet the relevant criteria, regardless of where they are registered. Rules also apply to content on websites with a “.uk” top-level domain and paid-for marketing communications from or by marketers targeting players in the UK.

Previously, operators with a non-UK registered address were not covered by certain regulations in the CAP code. This primarily related to non-paid-for marketing communications targeted at UK consumers, including on social media.

Flutter Entertainment, Bet365 and Entain are among the major licensed companies that are registered in jurisdictions outside of the UK. Many UK-facing operators have their businesses registered in either Gibraltar or Malta.

ASA pledges to protect consumers

Announcing the amendment on Monday, the ASA said this change will provide greater protection to players in the UK and will improve “regulatory consistency” within the market.

“In practice, this extension brings into scope social media marketing posts from licensed gambling operators targeting UK consumers, regardless of where the operator is based,” the ASA said.

“The change ensures that such ads are subject to the same rules and standards as those from UK-registered operators, supporting consumer protection and regulatory consistency.

The ASA said the Gambling Commission’s licensing conditions required compliance with the CAP Code.

While new rules are already in place, the CAP has invited comments and feedback on the impact of the remit extension. This will run for a period of three months, until 1 December, ahead of a formal review of the change.

The change will only apply to those within the gambling sector. It does not consider the amendment will extend the code to other categories of advertisers without a UK-registered address.

‘Overdue’ change in advertising rules

Dr Raffaello Rossi, senior lecturer in marketing at University of Bristol, welcomed the change in a post on his LinkedIn. Rossi lobbied for the change, as well as others in gambling advertising rules. He said it is an “important, though long overdue” step to improve consumer protection.

“We highlighted this massive loophole – that gambling brands could simply move their registered office abroad and thereby completely bypass UK social media advertising regulations – in several letters and meetings with the ASA over the past two years,” he said.

“This is an important – though long overdue – step for consumer protection and regulatory consistency.”

Since the Brazil online market regulated on 1 January, many industry stakeholders have shared concerns over the prevalence of the illegal market.

Just this week, Genius Sports’ head of integrity for Latin America, Tiago Barbosa, told a government committee that 70%-80% of bets placed in Brazil are illegal.

Birkin believes the size of the illegal market in Brazil is “hugely overblown”, with H2 estimating it’s more likely to be around 30% of the total market.

He warns that overstating the size of Brazil’s illegal gambling market could mislead policymakers into viewing the sector as overly harmful, which may result in stricter regulations on the legal industry.

In his view, operators are looking to deflect from their own shortfalls.

“I think actually, the narrative is being led by a number of operators who are underperforming and it makes it easier to say that the illegal market is bigger rather than they’re just not competing as well in the legal market,” Birkin tells iGB.

Birkin explains the first concerns of the illegal market share standing at 60%-70% were raised in January, when licensed companies were still struggling with onboarding players due to the new KYC restrictions.

According to H2 estimates, the Brazilian market’s January revenue was BRL2.2 billion. By April, the market almost doubled, generating BRL4 billion in monthly revenue.

However, with some still perpetuating the narrative of illegal operators accounting for 60%-70% of the market, Birkin says this doesn’t make sense.

“People are still talking about 60%-70% being illegal,” Birkin declares. “You’ve doubled the size of the legal market, so the illegal market has therefore doubled since January as well?

“It’s just not true or possible. And that would put the total market size at $20 billion, which again is just not true.”

The threat of new restrictions in Brazil

Less than eight months have passed since regulation started, yet already the sector is facing additional regulatory pressure.

A preliminary tax rise on operators’ GGR from 12% to 18% is awaiting a Congressional vote on whether it will be made permanent. Meanwhile new ad restrictions such as watersheds are also seemingly on the way.

While some in the industry have fought those new measures by arguing they will only serve to boost the illegal market, Birkin believes that this point is falling on deaf ears with the government.

“In Brazil, the government doesn’t really care about the legal or illegal market or the split, they just see gambling as a huge social problem,” Birkin explains. “They just sit and go, ‘People are spending too much, we need to crack down on it’.

“Someone told me when the data came out the legal market had hit BRL3 billion in a month, there was a lot of people saying in the news, ‘Wow, that’s a big number that’s just got out of control’.

“It then goes to BRL4 billion in April, and then at that point you say 60% of the market’s illegal. Guess what? You’re saying that’s a BRL10 billion market size in April.

“Now you think the right narrative to protect you and not have them clamp down on your advertising and what people can play is to claim that it’s BRL10 billion? That is just stupid, especially when there is zero evidence.”

Cautionary tale in the Netherlands 

Birkin argues the exaggeration of the illegal gambling market in Brazil could backfire, misleading policymakers into thinking the overall sector is far larger than it is and therefore more harmful to the Brazilian population.

This ultimately could lead to more, rather than fewer, restrictions being imposed on the regulated industry.

Birkin observed a similar situation in the Netherlands, where heavy advertising after the legal online market launched in October 2021 quickly grew the market, but also concerns over gambling harms.

In response to those rising fears, the Netherlands has taken a hardline stance, curbing advertising and introducing higher taxes and deposit limits for players.

H2 now estimates illegal operators account for around 50% of the Dutch market.

“The same thing happened in the Netherlands,” Birkin adds. “There’s a new market, everyone just advertised too much, the market grew, people thought it was too much advertising and they shut it down and put spend limits in. And yeah, the market’s screwed.  

“I think the same thing is going to happen in Brazil, and it’s not as if this story hasn’t happened over and over again elsewhere.”  

Birkin: Brazil licensed industry must take responsibility

Birkin concludes by claiming if the new regulatory measures are implemented in Brazil, licensed operators will be partly at fault.

The top-heavy nature of the Brazil market means if you take the top 19 brands out of the equation, H2 estimates the remaining sites hold an average market share of approximately 0.1% each.

“I think people need to stop blaming the illegal market when it’s because they’re not performing themselves in the legal market,” Birkin says. “They’re not seeing the revenues that they were wanting.

“As an industry, if you get behind this falsehood talk of the illegal market is bigger than the legal market, then it’s just going to lead to more restrictions on the legal market.

“And actually, I think the industry, they won’t like it, but they will have to take some responsibility for that.”

Earlier this month, Flamengo, widely recognised as the biggest football team in Brazil, announced it was terminating its master sponsorship from Pixbet, amid rumours of late payments.

The alleged circumstances around the termination of the sponsorship, which had been touted as the largest in Brazilian football history at around BRL470 million ($87.1 million) over four years, fuelled rumours of financial uncertainty at Pixbet.

It also marked the continuation of a somewhat tumultuous 2025 for Pixbet. The company saw its licence to operate in the newly regulated online Brazilian market suspended and reinstated on multiple occasions because of technical failures.

Has Pixbet overextended?

Market leader Betano has since taken over as Flamengo’s main sponsor in a deal superseding that of Pixbet. Reports suggest the new agreement is worth BRL250 million a year.

According to H2 Gambling Capital Managing Director Ed Birkin, Pixbet holds a market share of 2% in Brazil with NGR of BRL316 million for the six months to 30 June 2025.

With Pixbet’s Flamengo sponsorship working out at BRL62.5 million over six months, Birkin estimates 20% of the company’s NGR was being spent on the Flamengo deal alone.

In comparison, Betano, the “clear market leader” according to Birkin, generated NGR of BRL3.5 billion in Brazil in H1. Although its sponsorship cost is rumoured to be double Pixbet’s at BRL125 million every six months, that equates to just 3.5% of Betano’s NGR.

With Birkin estimating Betano’s pre-tax and post-bonus NGR at BRL19.5 million a day in Brazil, it would take it just 13 days to cover a full year of the Flamengo sponsorship. For Pixbet, it would take 72 days of Brazil operations, even with its Flamengo sponsorship costing half the amount.

In Birkin’s view, that huge disparity demonstrates financial overextension on Pixbet’s part.

“If one part of your marketing budget is 20% of your net gaming revenue, suddenly it doesn’t become a viable business to be spending that much on marketing, unless you’re happy to run at a loss for a certain period of time,” Birkin said.

International brands dominating in Brazil

H2’s current podium positions are all filled by international entrants to the Brazilian market, with Betano followed by Bet365 and Superbet in second and third, respectively.

Prior to the launch of the regulated market, many hypothesised that local operators would dominate on their enhanced knowledge of Brazilian markets and culture.

But Birkin thinks this was overblown, as evidenced by international brands of Betano, Bet365, Superbet and Sportingbet boasting a combined market share exceeding 50%. These brands brought in local talent to chart a path to growth, albeit with the resources of international giants to support their plans.

“The general view I heard when going to Brazil is that you need to understand international operators can’t just come in and do well, and it’s going to be local brands that win out,” Birkin said.

“The fact is, that’s only true if international operators don’t have a local presence.”

Are smaller Brazil operators in trouble?

Back in June, Ficom Leisure founder and M&A expert Christian Tirabassi predicted a top-heavy market in Brazil. He told iGB that 10-12 brands would dominate, with smaller operators hampered by high financial barriers both to entering and remaining in the market.

Despite holding just a 2% market share, Pixbet is the regulated Brazilian gaming market’s 11th-biggest operator, according to H2. Of the 173 licensed brands Birkin and H2 are tracking, remove the top 19 and the remaining 154 hold on average a market share of around 0.1%.

With a raft of operators making less money than Pixbet, Birkin suggests smaller operators could run into similar trouble, especially with tax rises and new ad restrictions seemingly on the way.

Birkin compares the Brazilian market to the US, where a flurry of operators entering the market has since dwindled, with the likes of Betway, Evoke and Unibet exiting in 2024 due to the dominance of bigger companies.

“If the 11th-biggest operator can run into trouble, then so can the 10th and the ninth and the eighth, and so can the 99th, 100th, 110th, 120th,” Birkin said.

Pixbet’s Flamengo gamble doesn’t pay off

Pixbet took a gamble with its Flamengo sponsorship that hasn’t paid off, according to Birkin.

Flamengo launched a new betting brand last year called Flabet, which was managed by Pixbet and featured the club’s branding.

With Flabet holding an average market share of just 0.15%, Birkin agrees the specific targeting towards Flamengo fans disregarded the rest of the brand’s potential target market.

He makes the point that while Brazilian football is incredibly popular in its home country, it doesn’t boast the same worldwide popularity as the English Premier League and other European football competitions.

Despite Pixbet’s troubles, Birkin believes there is still a place for smaller operators in the Brazilian market, provided they maintain a sensible financial approach.

“Bear in mind: Pixbet are the 11th-biggest operator, but you have someone who’s down at 20th who’s maybe less than half the size,” Birkin said. “But if they’ve got better cost control, then it’s a better run business.

“You can run a smaller business than Pixbet, but you just have to have cost control. You can’t be spending BRL125 million a year sponsoring Flamengo. You’re not making that sum of money.”

F1 teams taking part in the Grand Prix will not be permitted to display any form of gambling branding for companies not licensed in the Netherlands. Advertisement of online gambling will also not be permitted.

Several F1 teams have partnerships with gambling operators and businesses in place. These include cars and drivers’ racing suits carrying branding during Grand Prix events.

“It is expressly prohibited to display advertising or other visible materials from gambling providers without a Dutch licence,” KSA said in an update to operators on Thursday.

“Such materials from unlicensed providers are considered to promote illegal gambling. This violates applicable legislation.

“The KSA urges all involved parties to be vigilant and to contact us if they have any doubts about the permissibility of specific materials.”

More broadly, the Netherlands operates strict rules for gambling sponsorship. Operators that do not hold a licence in the country are not permitted to advertise anywhere. And there is also an outright ban on promoting online gambling, whether the operator is licensed or not.

Which F1 teams have gambling sponsorship deals?

The warning follows similar guidance issued ahead of the 2024 edition of the Dutch Grand Prix. However, this focused more on the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

The team has a naming rights partnership with online casino Stake, which operates a crypto casino offering. However, last year, the team had to run without Stake’s name, and branding was removed from cars and race suits. This followed a similar strategy in other countries where gambling advertising faces limitations including the US and China.

Red Bull Racing has a partnership in place with PokerStars, through which branding features on cars, driver suits and helmets.

McLaren has a similar deal with Allwyn, which also has a wider deal in place with F1. The racing series organiser also has a betting data deal with supplier ALT Sports Data.

In February, Super Group began working with the Williams F1 team. Branding for its online sports betting and gaming business Betway and casino brand Jackpot City appears on cars.

In addition, Kenya-facing betting operator SportPesa previously held the naming rights for the Racing Point F1 Team. The deal covered the 2019 season, although the team no longer races in F1.

The 2025 Dutch Grand Prix will take place at Circuit Zandvoort in North Holland from 29-31 August.

For a long time, the influencer space was reserved for other industries, such as fashion, makeup or fitness. However, the online world has become saturated with content creators marketing gambling brands in the last couple of years, and that is here to stay.

The emergence of a generation native to social media as a commercial force, the opening of the North American markets and the increased focus on streamers have all played their part in this, but where does this new marketing era leave traditional gambling affiliate sites?  

Changes in consumer habits 

One of the biggest factor driving the change is how people consume information. We live in an age of instant gratification and quick results, where attention spans are shrinking and snappy, visual content is king. The rise of content platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts perfectly embodies this and it will only continue to evolve, with more and more platforms adopting similar strategies.  

Long-form written content, traditionally the backbone of SEO and affiliate success, has taken a backseat. This type of content is now reserved for only the most dedicated iGaming enthusiasts –the ones who are actively involved and passionate about online play and want a deeper analysis of games. 

This presents traditional affiliate sites with an existential crisis. Those who are committed to only producing traditional, long-form written content will find themselves in an increasingly difficult battle for the attention of a shrinking audience. Unfortunately, many of these companies don’t have the abilities or resources to pivot towards video content or a complete change in strategy, so what is the solution?  

This is where the creator economy steps in. The rise of micro-influencers and content creators has changed the game, and it now offers affiliates a bridge to tap into a wider audience, through collaboration, without compromising their written content,

A trusted source 

Hit the rewind button a few years and this would never have felt like a viable option. Micro-influencers and content creators were still viewed with scepticism by broader audiences, affiliates and brands. Today, however, consumers have a lot more faith in the recommendations of content creators. Many argue that they trust these more than traditional advertisements.  

Unlike traditional advertisements, content creators and gambling influencers tend to offer a much more honest appraisal of products, and this authenticity goes a long way with the buying public.

This goes even further in the gambling industry, where some customers have an inherent distrust of products or brands they are not familiar with. Content creators are viewed as peers offering genuine insights, not just a money-driven ad campaign that sounds too good to be true.  

Content creators also possess a power that many affiliates do not: they can shape player interest and drive attention to different types of games. Streamers, for example, have driven players more towards crash games in recent years in a way that affiliate sites could not, and this ability makes partnerships even more attractive for traditional affiliates.  

This relationship between audiences and creators also tends to ensure that audiences are not recommended poor products. Gambling influencers spend a long time creating and nurturing their communities.

Trust is an essential part of this; by advocating for poor products, they risk sabotaging that. Authenticity is key in the content creator world, which can only be good for product endorsements and affiliates.  

Was the rise of gambling influencers inevitable?

The partnering of affiliate marketing and content creators was inevitable. These gambling influencers have the ability to tap into huge audiences and hold massive appeal. Affiliates can incentivise them with good conversion rates and give them the freedom to be honest about the products they are reviewing, which adds an extra level of authenticity.  

Of course, throwing money at any old influencer or content creator is not going to suffice. As we have seen with written content over the years, you need to find creators who are passionate about the industry and willing to get creative with the content.  

The latter point is essential. Customers’ demands are changing so rapidly that you need to have a conveyor belt of content ideas ready to go. Gambling influencers and streamers, for example, have been extremely popular over the last few years, with live streams and edited short clips from those streams being an effective way of reaching an audience.  

Likewise, we are now seeing an increase in popularity for live event streaming and short-form content. This is perhaps more relevant in sports betting, where content creators attend live events and share their wins and losses in real time.  

In both instances, these highlight the kind of interactive, engaging experiences people want right now, and a long-form casino review does not provide that to a wider audience.  

Learning to co-exist with gambling influencers

However, let’s not underplay the power of traditional affiliate sites here. There will always be an appetite for rich, in-depth content that offers insightful thoughts on products, even if it is smaller than it once was. Comprehensive game reviews and guides will always have a place in the iGaming industry, and the affiliates who survive will be the ones who carve themselves a niche as experts on their topics.  

There are also plenty of excellent ways of making long-form content more engaging. In recent years, the use of informative charts, graphs and visuals has become increasingly common in the space, and many now release video reviews alongside their written ones.  

Affiliates and content creators must also consider responsible gambling messaging. In the last couple of years, we have seen several instances where a content creator has inadvertently advertised an unlicensed product in a key market or where an affiliate has had their hands burned by dealing with streamers who promote irresponsible gambling habits.  

Working through the growing pains

The industry will need to work through these growing pains. Like all new developments, these things will take time, but we can expect to see a few bumps in the road as this new relationship forms and industry regulators attempt to understand it.  

Notably some regulators are clamping down on influencer marketing in the sector as many openly promote illegal sites, either knowingly or unknowingly. Brazil approved new regulations to ban influencers from promoting gambling in May.

Ultimately, nothing brings out the doomsayers quite like the winds of change. Critics have been ringing the death bell for SEO for years, while you only have to take a quick scroll down your LinkedIn feed to find someone saying that AI will take all content jobs in the next two years.

Now it is the turn of traditional written content. The reality for affiliates, as it is in many other spaces, is that those willing to adapt and work with these new forces will be the ones who survive.  

The future of affiliate marketing does not lie in totally abandoning long-form content or burying your head in the sand about the changes that are coming. Instead, it lies in a clever, strategic blend of the old and the new.

Traditional affiliate sites should welcome a more diverse content strategy that embraces short-form videos, engaging visuals, and content creators and micro-influencers. However, they should also stick to their roots and leverage their established trust and credibility to keep their traditional audiences happy and continue to wave the flag for in-depth, informative content.  

Arizona targets unlicensed website

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has issued cease-and-desist orders to four unlicensed and unregulated gambling operators.

The operators are accused of offering access to illegal online platforms, including sweepstakes casino-style models and event wagering sportsbook betting options.

Fliff Online Gambling and Thrillzz Mobile Gambling have been flagged for event wagering. The ADG also identified BettySweeps Casino and Pulsz Casino as offering sweepstakes options to players.

“Unlicensed operators operating outside the law and without regulatory safeguards pose serious risks to consumer protection and financial security across the state, undermining the integrity of Arizona’s regulated gaming industry,” the ADG said.

Kambi pens betting deal with Oneida Indian Nation

Kambi Group has signed a long-term sports betting partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation.

Kambi will provide its retail sportsbook solution to Turning Stone Enterprises’ three locations in upstate New York. The solution will replace the current offering from a third-party sports betting supplier.

Turning Stone Enterprises is the parent organisation for all business operations of the Oneida Indian Nation. Its venues include Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino & Sportsbook and Point Place Casino.

Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, said: “Oneida has a proven track record of offering best-in-class gaming experiences and we look forward to working with them to ensure they have an unparalleled sportsbook offering for years to come.”

RubyPlay partners second Ondiss brand in Argentina

In South America, RubyPlay has expanded its presence in Argentina by partnering with Ondiss-powered Casino Club.

RubyPlay content is now available to Casino Club users. Titles include Volcano Rising SE, Zeus Rush Fever Deluxe and Elephant Stampede.

The deal follows the launch of RubyPlay with Ondiss-powered Casino Magic last year.

Eyal Loz, chief product officer at RubyPlay, said: “This launch with Casino Club reflects our deep commitment to Argentina’s vibrant iGaming market.”

Parimatch nets Manchester United deal

Parimatch has entered a new partnership with English Premier League football club Manchester United.

According to Insider Sport, Parimatch branding will feature on LED perimeter boards at every home match. This began with the match against Arsenal on Sunday.

Parimatch will also work with United on a series of fan-focused regional campaigns. These will include VIP matchday tickets and interactive fan competitions.

Betway Scores announces first global ambassador

Betway Group-owned Betway Scores has named Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano as its first global ambassador.

Romano will offer updates, behind-the-scenes insights and commentary via the Betway Scores app. A Betway Scores spokesperson said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Fabrizio as our first global ambassador. His reputation for accurate information from the football world is second to none. He’ll bring tremendous value to our users.”

Betway Scores offers fans access to live scores, results, fixtures and other sports content.

The AGU announced on Wednesday that it had sent an extrajudicial notice to Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

The notice called for Meta to remove ads for gambling sites lacking the required authorisation from the Brazil regulator, the Ministry of Finance’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, to operate in the federal online market.

The notice was sent after a search of Meta’s ad library that identified “hundreds” of results for active ads from profiles without authorisation to advertise gambling.

The AGU seeks removal of the illegal gambling ads within 48 hours of the notice being issued, while also instructing Meta to refrain from promoting unlicensed gambling sites in the future.

The notification to Meta reads:

“This is, therefore, a clearly illegal activity (given that these profiles are not authorised by the Ministry of Finance), which may also be linked to tax evasion, money laundering, crimes against consumer relations, fraud and other illegal practices, constituting their advertising as an equally illegal activity.”

Digital platforms liable for illegal gambling ads

In the document, the AGU notes the recent Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling on Article 19 of the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet.

The STF ruling on 26 June found Article 19 to be partially unconstitutional, meaning digital platforms are now presumed to be liable for illegal ads, unless they can prove they acted diligently and within a reasonable time to make the content unavailable.

In the AGU’s notice to Meta, it stated the company’s recent updates to its ad policies that made it mandatory to apply for permission to promote online gambling on its sites still include flaws that must be corrected.

Some ad relief for licensed operators?

This move from the AGU will likely be welcomed by licensed operators in Brazil, who are under fire themselves for their advertising.

In May, the regulated sector was stunned when the Brazil Senate approved a raft of proposed ad restrictions, including a ban on betting ads during live broadcasts of sporting events, as well as a blanket ban on print advertising.

The use of celebrities, such as athletes, artists and influencers, would be prohibited, while advertising on TV, streaming and social media sites and the internet would only be allowed between the hours of 7.30pm and midnight.

Radio ads, meanwhile, would only be permitted between 9am and 11am, and between 5pm and 7.30pm.

It will now fall upon the Chamber of Deputies to vote on whether to implement the measures.

Many in the licensed sector reacted furiously to the proposals, warning they risked further confusing bettors over which sites are legal and illegal, with black market operators set to profit.

The deal had been set to expire in December, although there was the potential for renewal until 2027. The Pixbet brand has been displayed on the team’s shirt since 2022.

The master sponsorship, worth approximately BRL470 million ($87.1 million), was touted as the largest club sponsorship in Brazilian football history.

However, Flamengo announced on Wednesday that it had terminated its agreement with the online operator, following reports of late payments from Pixbet.

After Pixbet became master sponsor of the club in January last year, the club announced plans to establish a Flabet brand that the operator would manage.

However, the Flabet brand will now close, with Flamengo rumoured to be in negotiations with other betting companies to take over the master sponsorship.

In a Wednesday note on its website, the club said: “Clube de Regatas do Flamengo announces that today, after four years of successful partnership, it has mutually and amicably terminated its sponsorship agreement with Pixbet.

“The club thanks you for the partnership and wishes Pixbet success.”

On X, Pixbet said: “Throughout this period, we shared moments that went beyond the pitch, strengthening not only the Pixbet brand and Flamengo, but also uniting hearts and amplifying emotions among millions of fans.

“The bonds built over these four years remain alive and strong. And, as with any great story worth respecting, we believe our paths may cross again soon. Thank you, Flamengo.”

What’s going on with Pixbet?

The two companies cutting ties could indicate Pixbet is experiencing financial difficulties. The operator’s entry into Brazil’s regulated online market has been marred by challenges.

In April, Pixbet’s licence was temporarily suspended by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) over failure to present certain technical certificates.

Pixbet’s licence was quickly reinstated thanks to a federal court decision, although the company claimed the “illegal and disproportionate” licence suspension had caused “reputational and economic damages”, especially in relation to its Flamengo sponsorship.

But Pixbet would again find itself in hot water with the regulator in late May, when the SPA suspended its licence once more. This suspension was for failing to complete security assessments for its betting system.

As was the case in April, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction to reinstate Pixbet’s licence, with the quick decision made to ensure Flamengo didn’t breach regulations by playing with an unlicensed betting brand on team shirts the following weekend.

Flamengo seeking new master sponsor

According to a BNL Data report published Wednesday, both Superbet and Betano, as well as another unnamed operator, have reportedly submitted proposals worth over BRL200 million a season to take over the master sponsorship of Flamengo.

Superbet already sponsors São Paulo and Fluminense, while Betano sponsors the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top-flight league in Brazil.

Las Vegas ‘too expensive’ for tourists

The US gambling haven of Las Vegas is becoming “too expensive” for tourists, according to a new poll.

Some 87.9% of over 15,000 respondents said the Nevada city is not affordable for tourists. In contrast, just 6.6% said it was not too expensive, while 5.5% were undecided.

Conducted by Las Vegas Locally, the poll, published on X, also drew comments suggesting the problem is deeper than simple affordability for tourists. Several comments said locals can also no longer afford to visit the famous Strip.

Concerns raised included minimum bets of $25 on tables, the price of food and drinks and rising hotel room costs.

Betano scores extension with Sporting CP

Betano has signed an extension to its partnership with Portuguese football club Sporting CP.

The new deal runs for four years, through to the end of the 2028-29 season. Betano, a brand of Kaizen Gaming, will remain the club’s premium sponsor and work with Sporting on various activations and initiatives.

The agreement covers Sporting’s A and B teams. Betano branding will continue to appear on the front of Sporting playing jerseys.

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Sporting Clube de Portugal,” Kaizen Chief Commercial Officer Julio Iglesias said. “Over the years, we have built a solid relationship based on trust and shared ambition.”

Gaming Corps doubles monthly production with expanded agreement

Gaming Corps is to double its monthly game output under an expanded deal with an unnamed operator.

The widened remote game server (RGS) agreement is effective immediately. Gaming Corps said the partnership is with a “a major global iGaming group” and will deliver two new titles per month.

Swedish-based Gaming Corps added that the partnership forms part of its broader strategic partnership with major shareholder Denwena Limited. This, it added, has led to increased production demands for original content.

Gaming Corps CEO Juha Kauppinen said: “Our close collaboration with Denwena gives us the opportunity to write completely new chapters in our journey.”

CT Interactive eyes Argentina with Ondiss deal

CT Interactive has announced a strategic partnership with Argentine online casino platform provider Ondiss.

CT Interactive’s titles have been integrated into the Ondiss platform. This will expand the company’s reach within the regulated iGaming market in Argentina.

The deal builds on an existing retail relationship with Ondiss, covering the Casino & Hotel Casino Magic in Neuquén.

“Partnering with Ondiss marks a pivotal step in our Latin America strategy,” CT Interactive Chief Operating Officer Martin Ivanov said. “This collaboration allows us to strengthen our footprint in one of the most promising markets in the region.”

Incentive Games enters UK with Jumpman Gaming

Incentive Games is to launch real-money content in the UK through a link-up with Jumpman Gaming.

The deal will see content from the provider’s Incentive Studios division added to Jumpman-owned platforms. Jumpman operates a number of online casino and bingo sites.

The announcement comes after Incentive Games secured a licence from Britain’s Gambling Commission in March this year.

Ahmed Baker, chief commercial officer at Incentive Games, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Jumpman Gaming as our first UK operator, marking a major step forward in Incentive Games’ real-money expansion. Their reach and unique white-label model give us access to a wide network of brands, making this a powerful launchpad.”

Speaking to iGB this week, Hurst insists the public and national media’s perception of gambling is one of her “biggest bugbears”. She believes it is providing a voice to anti-gambling lobbyists, who will never change their minds.

“I do think that there is still a slight misconception about the industry among the broader public, which is something that the BGC is working really hard to alter,” Hurst says.

In her view, one of the BGC’s key objectives is to to inform the general public of the real state of the gambling sector, using evidence to counter the negative media discourse.

“There’s a number of ways we can do,” Hurst adds.

“Having the evidence base to counter some of the myths, misconceptions and quite frankly lies that you read in the media sometimes is really important and an important role for the BGC to play.

“But also, listening to the customers and asking their views about what it is they think about whatever myth is being peddled at that particular moment in time. So I think there is a huge role for the BGC to play, and we’re working really hard at that.”

Sector should be doing more to improve its reputation, says Hurst

But she believes the sector should be doing more to alter the public’s negative perception of gambling in the UK.

She highlights huge advancements in player protection and responsible gambling, particularly following the Gambling Act review and subsequent white paper.

“We have made significant progress, but there’s more we can do,” Hurst says. “It’s frustrating because I know how proactive and responsible the industry is.

“But as we all know, kind of good news doesn’t really sell most of the time. And so it’s trying to weave that good news story into our day-to-day comms, which is really important, which we’ve been doing and will continue to do to highlight the positive elements that the industry is doing and has done already.”

How will mandatory levy funding be spent?

Hurst believes the BGC has become a unified voice for the licensed UK gambling sector, a role the body will continue to serve by communicating with external stakeholders such as the government and the Gambling Commission.

Hurst expresses concerns over the new mandatory levy, introduced this year after being recommended in the 2023 white paper.

Specifically, she holds reservations over whether funding could be used to support anti-gambling research and education, which would be harmful for those facing gambling harms, she says.

“I think continuing to lead the way in education and awareness, where we can outside of the mandatory levy, will be really important, but a lot of it now is being taken out of our hands with the new system, so just need to be conscious and careful that that’s being delivered.”

Tax harmonisation proposals another concern

Another area of concern for Hurst, the BGC and the wider UK industry is the government’s recent announcement of plans to restructure the current online gambling tax system.

Currently, the UK has three separate tax rates for online betting. Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) taxes operators at 21% of profits, General Betting Duty (GBD) at 15% of profit and Pool Betting Duty (PBD) at 15% of net stake receipts.

The government’s new proposal will consolidate the three rates into one. Stakeholders are concerned the rate will be increased to 21% across all verticals.

A recent YouGov survey suggested nearly two-thirds of bettors surveyed would turn to unlicensed operators if the gambling tax is increased.

Hurst echoes those concerns. She says fighting those proposals will be the BGC’s biggest challenge over the next few months.

“We have been very vocal about saying [the single tax rate] would be hugely self-defeating, as it wouldn’t achieve the government’s aims of trying to raise more money, which I think is the bottom line,” Hurst continues. “It will be hugely detrimental for the customer offer, and also growing the black market.

“And [the tax change would] hugely reduce the amount of support for really important British sports, namely horse racing, but others, like rugby league, darts and snooker.”

Hurst took over as BGC CEO in September last year, joining the organisation after six and a half years as Entain’s group director of corporate affairs.

During her first year leading the BGC, the sector has faced significant change and uncertainty on the implementation of white paper reforms largely happening all at once.

The UK industry has been further hampered by media scrutiny, particularly on topics such as advertising and tax.

Meanwhile pokies giant Mount Pritchard District and Community Club also faces civil action from AUSTRAC over anti-money laundering failures.

An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found Betfair had sent 148 emails and text messages between March and December 2024 to players who had either not consented to, or had withdrawn consent to receive messages.

The ACMA highlighted the incident in a statement on 30 July.

The investigation also found Betfair sent six text messages and emails without an option for customers to unsubscribe from them.

All messages during the period were sent to Betfair VIP customers, offering inducements including account deposits and free event tickets.

Ruling on the case, ACMA ordered Betfair to pay the AU$871,000 financial penalty. The operator also entered a two-year court-enforceable undertaking.

This requires it to invest in an independent review of its marketing messages and implement improvements. It must also undertake staff training, quarterly internal audits and report to ACMA regularly.

ACMA’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach to spam breaches

Authority member Samantha Yorke hit out at Betfair over the case. She said spam laws have been in place for 20 years and it is “unacceptable” not to respect customer rights.

“VIP programmes are generally designed to attract and retain customers with high betting activity, however this doesn’t mean VIP customers are well off or can afford losses,” Yorke said.

“Sending promotional gambling messages to these customers without consent or with no option to opt-out is incredibly irresponsible in addition to being non-compliant.”

This marks the second occasion ACMA has taken action against a gambling operator over a VIP-related spam issue. In June, ACMA ordered Tabcorp to pay $4 million for sending over 5,700 marketing messages to VIP customers.

Tabcorp sent 2,598 messages to users between 1 February and 1 May 2024, without an option to unsubscribe. A further 3,148 messages, across SMS and WhatsApp, did not contain “adequate sender information” during the same period.

In addition, 11 SMS messages were sent without consent between 15 February and 29 April last year.

AUSTRAC takes action against Mounties

In other news, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has launched Federal Court civil penalty proceedings against Mount Pritchard District and Community Club (Mounties).

The case relates to “alleged serious and systemic non-compliance” with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws.

Mounties is one of the largest and most profitable club groups in New South Wales. It owns 10 venues, eight of which operate approximately 1,400 poker machines.

AUSTRAC regulates AML and CTF in Australia. It said Mounties contravened the AML/CTF Act by providing gaming services to customers in circumstances when it did not have an AML/CTF programme in line with national law.

Mounties, based in Sydney, was ruled to not have an adequate risk assessment in place. It also did not carry out appropriate staff training, nor did it have suitable, risk-based systems and controls across transaction monitoring and enhanced customer due diligence.

Other failures included not being subject to an independent review and failing to monitor certain customers with a view to identifying, mitigating and managing money laundering risks. In addition, Mounties was accused of failing to appropriately maintain its AML/CTF programme.

The Federal Court of Australia will now determine whether Mounties contravened the Act and, if so, what action it faces. 

AUSTRAC: Mounties has responsibility to manage risks

With such a large network, AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said the business has a responsibility to manage risks.

“This is a big company with an even bigger responsibility to ensure its clubs are managing the risks that criminals can run dirty money through its gaming machines,” Thomas said on the actions from AUSTRAC.

“Our 2024 Money Laundering in Australia National Risk Assessment identified pubs and clubs as a medium risk sector. But when those businesses are exposed to cash, especially in circumstances where known money laundering risks are not being managed, the risk increases.

“A business operating at this scale, in a cash intensive sector, is exposed to a high degree of risk.”

PTSB launches in-app gambling blocker

Irish retail bank PTSB has announced the introduction of a voluntary gambling blocking facility for its mobile app.

The new feature allows PTSB customers to block debit and credit card transactions classified as gambling through their PTSB app. The block will cover sports betting websites, online casinos, poker sites and lottery websites.

Should users choose to remove the block, a 48-hour impulse delay period will apply before gambling transactions can resume.

PTSB joins Bank of Ireland, AIB, EBS and Revolut in offering their customers a gambling blocking facility.

Stake links up with Team Vitality

Betting and gaming operator Stake has entered a multi-year partnership with global esports club Team Vitality.

Under the deal, Stake becomes the official international partner of Team Vitality’s CS2 team. The operator will receive branding placement on players’ shirts during esports events.

The two organisations will also collaborate on exclusive content and various activations. This includes at the upcoming IEM Cologne event, which runs from 1-3 August.

Stake also has commercial partnerships in place with teams and athletes across professional football, MMA and Formula 1.

SIS reveals new-look competitive gaming leadership team

Sports Information Services (SIS) has announced a new competitive gaming leadership team.

Peter Camden has been named head of competitive gaming product, with Stephen Maguire becoming head of competitive gaming operations. Meanwhile, Aaron St Pierre is now head of sports trading.

Among them, Camden, Maguire and St Pierre have worked for SIS for just under 10 years.

Andy Purkiss, chief operating officer at SIS, said: “Peter, Stephen and Aaron have been critical in driving competitive gaming’s extensive offering to our large network of international operators.”

EveryMatrix hits NA milestone with CasinoEngine

EveryMatrix has launched its CasinoEngine platform technology in North America for the first time with Pinnacle.

Pinnacle will now make use of the platform in Ontario, Canada. This builds on an existing collaboration for the operator’s global casino offering.

BonusEngine, the cross-vertical bonusing tool, will be integrated in the second phase of launch. This will offer Pinnacle Ontario various bonus types and the Bonus Guardian AI-powered bonus abuse solution.

Stian Enger Petersen, CEO, casino at EveryMatrix, said: “This launch marks a key milestone for EveryMatrix as we bring our market-leading CasinoEngine platform to Canada for the first time.”

Realistic Games grows UK presence with new partners

Realistic Games has expanded its footprint in the UK by entering new partnerships with LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet.

Players of both brands will have access to more than 20 games. These include the Book of Charms, Chicken Or The Egg and Hit the Top titles.

Realistic Games already provides its content to operators including William Hill, Flutter and Entain

Marcela Nadin, account manager at Realistic, said: “With our existing gaming portfolio and upcoming releases, we are confident that we will offer a diverse selection of fun and exciting titles to each brand.”

An ACMA-led investigation found Victoria-licensed ReadyBet sent 273 texts and push notifications from its mobile app to self-excluded individuals. Communications were sent between 23 August 2023 and 21 December 2023.

All licensed operators in Australia are required to comply with rules related to the BetStop national self-exclusion register. BetStop launched in August 2023, around the time the identified issues began at ReadyBet.

Regulations state that Australian licensees may not market their services to those registered with BetStop. As ReadyBet breached these rules, ACMA proceeded with remedial direction for the operator.

Breaches included 250 contraventions of subsection 61LA(2) of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. This relates to sending electronic messages to registered individuals. ACMA also found 23 contraventions of subsection 61LA(4), which refers to “reckless” action by an operator by contacting excluded players.

In addition, ACMA flagged 2,342 contraventions of subsection 61JP(5). This is in reference to failing to promote the BetStop service to customers.

What will ReadyBet have to do?

Setting out the remedial direction for ReadyBet, ACMA said the operator must take a series of steps.

First, it is required to commission an independent review of marketing systems, including its use of third-party suppliers. Any recommended changes should be implemented within six months of receiving the auditor’s report.

ReadyBet must also engage a provider to deliver training to staff to avoid messages being sent to self-excluded individuals. This must take place within 120 days of the remedial direction notice.

ACMA also ordered ReadyBet to self-report any potential or alleged non-compliance with the highlighted sections of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 for 12 months. In addition, it must comply with record-keeping requests from ACMA for a 12-month period.

Should ReadyBet not fulfil these directions, ACMA could seek civil penalties.

ACMA clamping down on self-exclusion failures

ReadyBet is the latest operator to feel the wrath of ACMA for violating regulations on self-exclusion.

In June, ACMA flagged Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet and Topbet for also breaching regulations on gambling self-exclusion. Ultrabet was told to review its compliance systems while VicBet and Topbet were issued formal warnings. Buddybet had already exited Australia and therefore faced no further action.

The quadruple ruling came after ACMA in May also penalised Unibet over self-exclusion failures. Unibet was ordered to pay AU$1 million (US$661,207) for more than 100,000 contraventions of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

ACMA said Unibet failed to close 954 user accounts in a timely manner after they registered with BetStop.

Controversy around influencer marketing for gambling activities plagued the launch of the licensed betting sector in Brazil this year, becoming one of the key focuses of the parliamentary inquiry commission (CPI) set up to investigate the impacts of betting on the population.

In June, police chief of Alagoas state Lucimério Barros Campos claimed influencer advertising was misleading and scamming gamblers. Additionally, the CPI’s rapporteur Soraya Thronicke sought to indict notable influencers such as Virgínia Fonseca and Deolane Bezerra in her final report.

However, the CPI came to an inauspicious conclusion, becoming the first CPI in a decade to have its report rejected. Fonseca and Bezerra narrowly avoided indictments on charges such as fraud and illegal gambling.

Also among the failed recommendations was a ban on the controversial Asian-themed slot Fortune Tiger, which has been linked to harmful influencer marketing schemes.

In relation to the scandal and wider calls for stricter marketing measures for gambling, the senate has subsequently looked to further restrict advertising, including a ban on the use of influencers.

But while the pressure on influencer advertising has been substantial, BetMGM’s Ludmer is concerned that further restrictions on licensed operators’ use of influencers could push players into the black market.

“Imposing excessive restrictions on influencers who work with legal operators may inadvertently empower precisely the very market we aim to suppress: the illegal sector, which operates without accountability, disregards player welfare and undermines the integrity and reputation of the industry as a whole,” Ludmer states.

Operators must be responsible with influencer ads

However, Ludmer stresses the importance of operators taking accountability when using influencers. He believes these partnerships can serve as a useful tool for the licensed market to distinguish itself against illegal operators.

Ludmer points to a recent study by the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming that found 78% of Brazilians have difficulties differentiating between legal and illegal sites.

“The use of influencers in the betting industry requires a high level of responsibility and attention on the part of operators, especially when we consider the reach and impact that a single post or campaign can have on diverse audiences,” Ludmer continues.

“These individuals play a key role in spreading a vital message: betting is not a financial investment, but a form of entertainment that must be enjoyed with responsibility and awareness.

“We believe that, with clear guidelines and effective oversight, this channel can serve as a powerful tool showcasing the sector’s commitment to transparency and responsible gambling.”

The licensed betting sector has come under huge pressure of late. Alongside the new ad restrictions, the industry is currently facing a gambling tax increase to 18% of GGR.

Illegal market the central concern for operators in Brazil

Ludmer’s warning is another reminder of the ongoing battle licensed operators are fighting with unfair competition from the black market.

Currently, H2 Gambling Capital managing director Ed Birkin estimates around 30% of the betting market in Brazil is offshore.

Ludmer stresses that if the Brazil regulated market is to succeed and achieve its clearly massive potential, channelisation into legal offerings must be a primary objective.

“For the regulatory environment to be healthy and sustainable, it is essential that the majority of bettors are in the legal market, which only happens when there is a balance between taxation, the attractiveness of the offer and effective mechanisms to combat illegality,” Ludmer adds.

“The important thing is that the regulatory model must be structured in such a way as to continually encourage consumers to migrate to the regulated environment, guaranteeing fair competition, prevention of money laundering and player protection.”

On 20 July, the DPRJ announced it had filed a Public Civil Action (ACP) seeking damages of BRL300 million ($53.9 million) from operators, claiming their advertising had omitted essential information about the risks associated with betting.

The Consumer Defence Centre, a specialised department within the DPRJ dedicated to representing consumers, called for measures to be urgently implemented to protect bettors and ensure greater transparency from betting companies.

The ANJL has hit back, however, asserting the claims made in the ACP are unfounded. It warns the action could in fact harm bettors by making it harder to distinguish between licensed and illegal operators.

The ANJL highlighted the creation of a working group, established by the National Advertising Self-Regulation Council (Conar) in 2023, which aimed to clarify ethical standards for betting advertising in Brazil.

“All necessary measures for responsible and transparent gambling advertising are already adopted by regulated betting houses,” ANJL President Plínio Lemos Jorge said.

“Therefore, the Public Defender’s Office’s claim in the lawsuit makes no sense, as its arguments only apply to the illegal market. Therefore, the ANJL will act to provide the necessary clarifications in the proceedings.”

The DPRJ’s lawsuit

The defendants in the lawsuit include some of the largest licensed operators in Brazil, including Betano, Bet365 and Esportes da Sorte.

The BRL300 million figure represents 1% of the estimated BRL30 billion in monthly betting transactions in Brazil, according to Central Bank data. The money is set to go towards prevention and treatment of betting addictions.

One of the DPRJ’s requests is a ban on the exclusive use of the phrase “Play responsibly” in betting advertising, with the belief this is insufficient and too vague.

Instead, the DPRJ is calling for companies to be clearer in their warnings of the potential harms associated with gambling.

Public Defender General Paulo Vinícus Cozzolino Abrahão said: “Many people view gambling as a kind of investment, with the idea that there will be a return, which is a completely misguided notion, the result of a lack of financial education and misleading advertising.

“Gambling is a game of chance, not luck. We need to raise this awareness. It’s the same movement that occurred with cigarettes in the 1990s, and today there is a collective awareness that smoking is not beneficial to health. The issue needs to be addressed with the utmost speed and seriousness.”

The ANJL takes exception to claims operators aren’t advertising responsibly, dismissing the lawsuit’s argument that the “responsible gaming” warning is just a “decorative expression” and objecting to the assertion that companies are trying to frame betting as a reliable source of income.

Betting ads a hot topic in Brazil

Betting advertising continues to be a hugely controversial issue in Brazil.

Such is the concern that, in May, the Senate approved a number of new restrictions on betting ads in Brazil.

These include a ban on betting ads during live broadcasts of sporting events, as well as prohibiting use of celebrities such as athletes, artists and influencers.

Additionally, adverts on open and subscription television, social media, streaming and the internet would only be allowed between the hours of 7.30pm and midnight.

Meanwhile, radio ads would only be permitted in the morning between 9am and 11am and in the evening between 5pm and 7.30pm. Print media ads would be banned entirely.

It will now fall upon the Chamber of Deputies to review the bill, although the industry warns further ad restrictions would only serve to empower the black market.

Udo Seckelmann, head of gambling & crypto at local law firm Bichara e Motta Advogados, warned the push for fresh ad restrictions “lacks evidence-based support”.

“The motivations, although well-meaning, must be weighed against real-world outcomes – and the evidence suggests that informed, responsible regulation is more effective than prohibition,” Seckelmann told iGB. 

A complaint was made to the ASA regarding an ad by the operator that had been placed on esports statistics website The-VFL.com, short for Virtual Football League, a competition linked to console game EAFC.

The offence

The ad contained the Hollywoodbets logo, with text stating “UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS”, and featured a “SIGN HERE” button. Viewers of the ad could also see an image of people dressed in sports clothing, including a footballer, a tennis player, a golfer, an American football player and a jockey riding a horse.

The complainant was aged 16 and was logged into their account when they saw the ad. They had registered their date of birth with The-VFL.com.

The defence

The ad was placed on The-VFL.com by Hollywoodbets’ affiliate partner Clever Advertising. Clever Advertising said players use the website to play organised competitive matches, modelled after real football leagues. This makes the website closely aligned with a traditional sports platform where viewers would expect to see gambling ads.

Another defence put forward was that VFL’s gameplay format required team coordination, scheduling and commitment. Hollywoodbets and Clever Advertising argued this is more typical of older and more mature players.

CAP Code breached

The ASA upheld the complaint, however, on the grounds that the UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) dictates marketing communications must not be directed at those under the age of 18.

The ASA said: “Because the ad was served to a user of the website who was known to be under 18 by their registered login details, we considered that the ad was directed at those below the age of 18 through the selection of the media in which it appeared and therefore breached the Code.”

Hollywoodbets cannot use the ad again without using specific targeting to minimise the likelihood of under-18s being exposed to it. 

Alexander Pechtold exits as chair of Nederlandse Loterij

Nederlandse Loterij has announced the planned departure of Chairman Alexander Pechtold after more than four years in the role.

Pechtold was recently reappointed to a second four-year term as chairman. However, after he was appointed mayor of the municipality of Delft, Pechtold decided he will step down from the lottery.

He will remain in the role until 1 January 2026. Nederlandse Loterij will now commence a search for a suitable successor.

“I leave behind an organisation that is ready for the future, with a clear positioning, an ambitious strategy, and enthusiastic and driven employees,” Pechtold said.

EveryMatrix extends US presence with Boyd

EveryMatrix has expanded its presence in the US by launching content in partnership with Boyd Interactive in New Jersey.

Boyd Interactive brands Resorts and Mohegan will have access to EveryMatrix’s library of exclusive titles from its in-house studios. Titles from Fantasma Games and Armadillo Studios will be made available via integration with SlotMatrix.

The SlotMatrix game aggregation platform features more than 37,000 games from over 350 studios.

EveryMatrix entered the US in February this year by partnering with betPARX, also in New Jersey. It has also rolled out several games in North America this year such as Glorious Diamonds.

Kambi names Lenoble as Latin America sales head

Kambi Group has appointed Mateo Lenoble as head of sales in Latin America.

An experienced professional, Lenoble joins Kambi after 10 years at Sportradar. He had roles there as director of sales and most recently vice president of account management.

Kambi said the new hire reinforces its commitment to expanding its footprint across Latin America. The provider offers a range of sports betting products and services in the region.

“The region is full of opportunity,” Lenoble said. “Kambi’s reputation for product excellence, flexibility and regulatory expertise positions us perfectly for success.”

Eddy takes chief revenue role at Yolo Group

Another new appointment is Stephanie Eddy, who has joined Yolo Group as chief revenue officer.

Eddy will oversee commercial performance across key regions and strategic channels within the Yolo Entertainment division.

She joins Yolo after more than 11 years with Betway. Eddy was most recently commercial development director after serving in various other positions during her time with the business.

“Steph is a proven leader with the commercial instincts and strategic vision that align perfectly with our ambitions,” Yolo Group CEO Matthew D’Emanuele said. “We are thrilled to welcome her to our leadership team.”

Stake.com scores partnership with football star Evra

Stake.com has signed former professional footballer Patrice Evra as a new global ambassador.

Evra will work with Stake.com on sports promotions and offer betting tips to customers. He will also take part in various VIP experiences run by the operator.

Capped 81 times by France, Evra played for several major clubs during his career. He is best known for his time with English Premier League side Manchester United, for whom he played between 2006 and 2014.

“With five Premier League titles, three League Cups and the 2008 UEFA Champions League wins under his belt, we’re beyond excited to have this champion as part of the Stake family,” Stake.com said.

PAGCOR CEO Alejandro Tengco and ASC Chairwoman Golda Roldan signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday formalising the collaboration.

Philippines gambling ads now on ‘must-screen’ list

The agreement adds gambling commercials to ASC’s “must-screen” classification. The category also includes ads for alcohol, some OTC medications, food supplements and other products.

“Almost a year ago, we began initial talks about this initiative,” said Tengco at a ceremony at PAGCOR headquarters. “Today, we are gathered here to formally sign this agreement so that we can immediately execute everything we committed to in this memorandum of understanding.”

Under the MOU, all branded or corporate gambling ads — for TV, radio, online and outdoor — must be vetted and approved by the ASC before going public. According to the Philippine News Agency, the additional scrutiny will help “curb misleading content and protect vulnerable groups from potential harm”.

“We stand with PAGCOR in our shared goal of protecting the Filipino people,” Roldan said. “Especially in sectors like gambling where communication requires greater sensitivity and care.”

Ads also pulled from public transportation

On 7 July, PAGCOR ordered the removal of all gambling billboards and posters on public transportation including buses, taxis and trains.

“Regulating excessive and pervasive gambling advertisements is a critical step in protecting vulnerable sectors of society, especially youth,” Tengco said. PAGCOR will only approve advertisements or campaigns that promote “institutional or responsible gaming”, he added.

“We have given all our licensees and stakeholders until August 15 to completely remove all gambling-related ads.”

The first ad showed a cartoon Easter bunny superhero holding a silver egg and a basket of eggs. Play’n Go’s Easter-themed slot ad appeared beside the email inboxes of two children.

A second ad beside an email inbox showed a cartoon robot DJ with a purple screen face and white pixels. The ad was run to promote Play’n Go’s Spinnin’ Records into the Beat slot game.

The final ad promoted Play’n Go’s Moon Princess series of slot games and featured three anime-style cartoon princesses. The ad was seen beside a child’s inbox.

Two complainants challenged whether the ads, which all included Play’n Go’s logo, featured content likely to appeal to people under the legal gambling age of 18 in the UK.

Case for the defence

While Play’n Go believed the images were popular with adults, it did concede they could be appealing to children.

Play’n Go said the advertising was run through a programmatic advertising platform called Adroll.

It stated that during the bidding process for advertising space, the ads were identified as related to gambling to ensure they only served websites that had opted to include gambling ads.

Guilty verdict

The ASA ruled that although Play’n Go’s website didn’t allow direct gambling, the ads still violated the UK’s advertising code.

“We considered that the targeting measures used by Adroll, which relied on self-declaration of age of users entering the Play’n Go website and retargeting based on that data, as well as prospecting targeting using browsing behaviours, were not sufficiently robust to ensure under-18s were entirely excluded from the audience,” the ASA said.

The ASA instructed Play’n Go not to run the ads again in their current form.

iGB has reached out to Play’n Go for comment.  

In June, the ANJL accused ABRAS of misleading the public in a video published on the supermarket association’s social media, titled “History of Bets”.

In the video, ABRAS claims regulated betting is linked to worsening food insecurity in Brazil, stating every Brazilian real spent on betting leads to “one less dish on the table”.

The ANJL hit back with a lawsuit calling on ABRAS to explain where the information included in the video originated. The body said it went beyond “criticism of specific agents, and affected the sector as a whole”.

However, the ANJL lawsuit in Brazil has now been dropped, after a meeting with retail entities last Thursday in São Paulo, where the parties discussed how to foster an understanding of the regulated betting sector in Brazil.

“We demonstrated to ABRAS and the Institute for Retail Development (IDV), which also attended the meeting, that everyone’s focus should be on illegal gambling,” ANJL President Plínio Lemos Jorge said.

“Operators that are not authorised to operate in Brazil have no concern for the integrity of bets or the protection of bettors.”

Dialogue between ANJL and retail sector to continue

The meeting marked the opening of a dialogue between the betting and retail sectors, with Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) Executive Director Fernando Vieira also present. The IBJR is a second trade body covering the online gambling sector.

According to the ANJL, the goal for future discussions is to jointly advance issues of shared interest, particularly surrounding the financial health of Brazilian consumers, utilising what was learned at last week’s meeting.

“We have taken this understanding and will deepen those discussions in future meetings,” Lemos Jorge added.

Notably, however, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on the controversial topic of betting advertising in Brazil.

In May, the Senate approved a number of new ad restrictions, including bans on marketing during live sporting events and the use of celebrities, as well as watersheds.

The retail sector is keen for betting advertising to be restricted, while the gambling industry warns further restrictions will only boost the black market.

In the meeting, IBJR President Vieira highlighted that around 80% of bettors cannot currently distinguish a licensed operator from an illegal one, with advertising offering a solution to this problem.

ANJL and IBJR join forces

Last week, the ANJL officially formalised its cooperation agreement with the IBJR amid the threat of new ad restrictions and an increase in the tax rate.

This move, carried out in coordination with the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, unites the country’s two largest gambling trade associations.

Both organisations are aligned in their primary objective of protecting the sustainability of Brazil’s regulated betting market.

Vieira said: “The consolidation of this partnership is a concrete response to the challenges that threaten the regulated environment in Brazil.”

SBM Holding Group, Sun Block Media Labs 2.0 and JEF Holdings have all been flagged by the regulator. Each company is a part-owner of the Casinoscout.nl, an online casino comparison website.

Previously, Casinoscout.nl only promoted licensed websites in the Netherlands. However, since ownership changed to the three parties in January 2025, the KSA discovered it was also advertising illegal operators.

Among the illegal operators being promoted on the website was Talksaspins.com. The KSA previously took action against LCS Limited, the company behind Talksaspins.com, for illegal activities in the Netherlands.

The regulator also flagged how illegal sites were being shown as approved brands alongside operators that actually hold a Dutch licence. This, KSA said, would have caused confusion among visitors as to which sites were legal and approved.

Regulator discovers further illegal online casino promotion

KSA approached each of the three owners to warn it would impose penalties if they did not cease promoting illegal websites. However, none of the companies responded.

As such, it contacted the Foundation for Internet Domain Registration in the Netherlands to request Casinoscout.nl be taken down. While temporarily offline, the three owners put in place an IP block to prevent Dutch visitors.

However, once back up, adverts for illegal content reappeared on the site. As a result, the Casinoscout.nl site has now been taken offline permanently.

During its investigation, KSA also discovered another site that was promoting illegal online casinos. Casinoscout.nl linked directly to besteonlinecasinonederland.com which is also owned by the three companies in question.

As KSA deemed this a continued violation of regulations, it proceeded to issue the penalty payment order. This will apply to each of the three owners if they continue to promote illegal websites.

The penalty payments will be set at €75,000 per week for each company, up to a maximum of €225,000.

A primary concern for operators and legal experts is the proliferation of the black market as players seek out frictionless products that don’t require deposit limits or affordability checks, as the legal sector does.

But these measures are only expected to continue, as the government prepares an update to the gambling laws, which it says will seek to better protect players than the previous version. In February, State Secretary for Legal Protection Teun Struycken said a new gambling bill was expected by the end of the year.

This, he suggested, could include measures like increasing the age limit for higher-risk products like online slots.

Market experts expect the jurisdiction may hit a turning point and lawmakers will pull back on the restrictive approach, once they realise increasing measures are damaging legal offerings.

Could lawmakers U-turn on strict measures?

“If and when the black market really starts to take over, I think the government may then start to look at relaxing certain laws. The problem with politicians though is always the same. They start rescue action when the victim has already drowned,” Justin Franssen, co-founder and head of law firm Franssen Tolboom, told iGB at iGB Live in London in July.

July figures from regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) reported a 93% channelisation rate in the Netherlands. But in terms of total number of bets, research from H2 Gambling Capital showed the market is split 50-50 between legal and illegal operators, based on a total market size of €2.10 billion.

This figure paints a bleak picture of both the current situation in the Netherlands and its immediate future. And by 2030, H2 has forecast that regulated online operators will make up €1.21 billion of gross revenue, giving the legal sector just a 45% market share.

Regulatory changes like player deposit limits and increased tax contributions for operators have also led to high-profile exits from the market by LiveScore Bet and Flutter-owned Tombola last year.

At the time LiveScore said the market was “no longer viable commercially” for the business.

Earlier this month, a ban on gambling sponsorship for sports clubs and competitions was also implemented. This was the last stage of a two-year strategy for additional marketing restrictions, following the ban of untargeted gambling advertising via most media channels in 2023 and the prohibition of programming and event sponsorship in 2024.

There could also potentially be a ban on online slots incoming, but this has not yet come to fruition despite being voted on in Parliament in 2024.

Rise of the black market

The black market issue is increasingly concerning for Dutch stakeholders, as it appears to be growing faster than in some other European markets.

Peter Rampertaap, coordinator operational supervision for the KSA, has warned that player education on which products are legal versus illegal is needed.

Speaking during an iGB Live panel session, he said: “Not every player knows the difference between a legal operator and an illegal operator. Our research particularly showed that young people struggle to tell the difference. When the illegal operator doesn’t have to pay tax, you can see why it’s a profitable business.”

The KSA said earlier this month that deposit limits had resulted in average monthly losses among players falling 31%. However there has been a rise in consumers searching for the top 100 illegal gambling websites in the Netherlands, further supporting claims that the black market is thriving.

How did we get here?

The opening of the market was impaired by a long and stretched out political process. The Remote Gaming Act was first proposed in 2014, then adopted by the Dutch Lower House in 2016, but the market launched five years later.

Government restrictions are seen partially as the result of a heavy quantity of marketing from operators upon the market’s opening. It began with 10 legal online licensees, but this has since expanded to 27 licensees, with 22 current active websites.

Speaking at iGB Live, Mike de Graaff of BetComply, used the Netherlands as an example of how regulated markets can get things wrong.

“People should be treating the market as an opportunity and not as a cash grab,” he warned.

“In the Netherlands, there was finally a regulated market with a pretty clear playing field. But then the market participants come in, aggressively compete for market share and they complain when more rules are made, saying that the black market is thriving.”

Franssen agrees: “When the market opened, operators didn’t hold back. The bombardment of advertising led to public opinion turning against operators and [caused] a tremendous backlash politically. This is all the result of an industry which doesn’t learn from mistakes made in other jurisdictions.

“Before the market was regulated, [prominent operators] were broadly tolerated by the public. Gambling was not as negatively perceived as it is now. I think the public perception of gambling is now very similar to alcohol and tobacco,” he adds.

A missed opportunity for Netherlands legal gambling

Two of the market’s original licensees are owned by the state; land-based casino Holland Casino and state lottery Nederlandse Loterij.

There is an argument the government could have utilised its position as an investor in these brands to ensure stricter self-regulation which could have prevented further restrictions.

“[The state-owned operators] were number one and two in terms of marketing spend. They should have been the guiding lights [for other operators] but they weren’t,” comments Franssen.

“The great irony is those two brands were government-owned and the government then created their own political backlash. They had more direct influence on themselves than anything [the private operators] could do.”

Political uncertainty makes for unclear future

So where can the Dutch gambling market go from here? Political instability in the Netherlands is not helping the situation. On 3 June, the Dutch government collapsed when Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, withdrew from a four-party coalition, leading to a snap election set for 29 October.

“The political situation certainly makes a difference,” Franssen admits. “Teun Struycken is very anti-gambling. His party, the New Social Contract Party, previously announced plans to abolish online gambling in their manifesto.”

After the election, the Netherlands legal gambling industry may find that politicians seek to relax restrictions to improve the market’s long-term position.

“We need to create regulated markets that enable licensed operators to be creative and innovative. By having super restrictive markets that you cannot really flourish in, it makes it very difficult for operators to bring any innovation to the market,” De Graaf advised during his panel session.

Betfair confirms New Zealand exit

Flutter Entertainment-owned Betfair has announced it will cease operations in New Zealand later this month.

Betfair will continue to accept bets up until 23 July. After that date, players in the country will no longer be able to access Betfair, according to The Straight.

The withdrawal comes ahead of significant change within the New Zealand online gambling market. In July 2024, the government set out plans to regulate iGaming in the country, with changes now imminent.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the upcoming change and poorer user experience,” Betfair said in statement. “Unfortunately, Betfair has to make the upcoming change to comply with the legislative amendment.”

Last month, the government introduced the Online Casino Gambling Bill into the House of Representatives. This included plans for 15 licences in the newly regulated market. It is unclear whether Betfair will apply for a licence.

Funding issues forces GamCare to end young people initiative

In the UK, GamCare has confirmed it will halt its young people-focused harm prevention programmes due to funding issues.

GamCare has delivered programmes to over 250,000 children and young people, parents and professionals across the UK since launching the initiative five years ago.

However, from October this year, GamCare said it will cease the programmes, blaming lack of sustainable funding. The charity will continue to run its Youth Advisory Board to ensure young people’s voices still inform its work.

“GamCare remains committed to reducing gambling harm and none of our other services are affected by this change,” it said.

Luckbet welcomes Paulin as new marketing chief

Brazil-facing Luckbet has appointed Vitor Paulin as its new chief marketing growth officer.

Paulin brings with him experience in various industries and a range of management roles. This includes working across branding, digital marketing, data-driven strategies, CRM and user experience optimisation.

He joins the operator from Open Mind Brazil. Paulin has also worked for Grupo Aposta Ganha, Serasa Experian, DDM Company and Excola Conquer.

“Leading Luckbet’s marketing is a unique opportunity to consolidate the brand in a sector undergoing transformation,” Paulin said. “Our goal is to build a brand presence that combines light and fun entertainment with a fluid and personalised user experience, reinforcing our commitment to responsible gaming.”

Evolution enters Rhode Island with Bally’s

In the US, Evolution has secured access to the Rhode Island market through a partnership with Bally’s.

Under the deal, Bally Casino’s iGaming offering in the state will now feature content from Evolution. This includes games from NetEnt, Red Tiger and Big Time Gaming.

Also linked to this deal, Evolution will introduce exclusive Bally’s-branded live dealer blackjack tables in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“We’re thrilled to deepen our collaboration with Bally’s by delivering world-class gaming experiences and extend our reach into Rhode Island, a first for Evolution,” said Jacob Claesson, CEO Evolution North America.

Betano scores Bayern Munich deal

Sports betting provider Betano has entered into a new partnership with German Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich.

The agreement will see Betano becoming an official partner of FC Bayern for a number of years.

Betano is owned and operated by Kaizen Gaming. The brand is active in Germany, as well as Portugal, Brazil, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Ontario in Canada.

“Germany has always been one of the most important markets for us, the second where Betano ever launched,” Kaizen Chief Commercial Officer Julio Iglesias said. “Now, we are announcing our biggest partnership in the country.”

Following a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, Evolution will be the exclusive licensing partner for online casino games based on Hasbro properties. New titles will launch from January 2026 onwards with live online games such as Game Night, Monopoly Filthy Rich and Monopoly Roulette.

The global deal covers online content from all Evolution brands, including Evolution, Ezugi, NetEnt, Red Tiger and Big Time Gaming.

Claire Hunter Gregson, Hasbro’s director of gaming relationships, said: “At Hasbro, we’re all about play – whether it’s classic board games or casino experiences.

“After a thorough RFP process, we’ve chosen Evolution as our exclusive partner for online live casino and online slots for Hasbro Games titles.

“We trust them to bring our brands to life in fresh, exciting ways for our adult fans and look forward to our partnership.”

Todd Haushalter, Evolution’s chief product officer, said: “The team and I are incredibly excited to bring the Hasbro Games brands to all our various brands.

“I think Monopoly is the world’s best casino game brand and we can do so many great things with it, and, of course, with many other Hasbro Games brands.”

Evolution exiting black and grey markets

In December 2024, Evolution’s UK licence was placed under review by the Gambling Commission, after it discovered its games were being provided to unlicensed operators in the country. 

At the time, Martin Carlesund, chief executive of Evolution, said: “Evolution embraces the objectives of the review by the Commission. We are committed to support the licensed UK market as well as preventing unlicensed traffic. We are now taking forceful action using all technical tools available to us to ensure that our games only are available in the UK through Commission-licensed operators.”

As a result of the investigation, Evolution said in its Q1 earnings report in April that it had taken steps to ensure its regulatory requirements across Europe were being met by the business.  

However, as a result of this pivot and Evolution likely exiting a number of black or grey markets, Carlesund said profitability had taken a hit during the quarter.  

Profit for the period was down 5.4% to €254.7 million ($289.7 million), from a group net revenue of €521 million, up 3.9% year-on-year.

More than 200 new shops will open across the UK, alongside significant technology upgrades to the BoyleSports sportsbook.

The Ireland-headquartered bookmaker will invest the nine-figure sum in its UK business over the next three years. A BoyleSports spokesperson said the business is currently finalising the pipeline of new store locations in the UK.

BoyleSports said the relaunch comes after two years of planning since the arrival of chief executive Vlad Kaltenieks. Ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, the business has made a series of senior appointments, including the addition of Troy Cox as chief commercial officer.

Kaltenieks said: “This relaunch marks a major milestone for BoyleSports as we bring over four decades of betting expertise to a new era in the UK. The UK is one of the most exciting, well-regulated, and competitive betting landscapes in the world and we believe we offer something genuinely different to customers.

“As a family-owned, independent business, we’ve built a loyal customer base in Ireland by focusing on trust, service and a seamless omnichannel experience – and now we’re rolling that approach out even more widely across the UK.

“We’ve listened to what our customers have told us they want and with £100+ million committed to team, innovation, retail expansion and product development, we’re investing in the future of betting and staking our claim as a major player in the UK market.”

BoyleSports acts on customer feedback

BoyleSports said the investment will target areas based on feedback from its current customer base, including upgraded technology to bolster its digital offering.

The 200 new UK stores will create over 1,000 new roles, building on its existing presence on the UK high street. The company says this reinforces its commitment to local communities and long-term growth in the market. The business currently runs 70 shops in the UK, with 290 in the Republic of Ireland.

As it replaces Betway as West Ham’s front-of-shirt sponsor, CCO Cox said: “West Ham is one of the most iconic clubs in the Premier League and our partnership marks a powerful alignment between two proud, ambitious brands. We both have deep historic roots and a commitment to our communities to succeed at the highest level, making them a natural partner for us.” 

As part of the relaunch, BoyleSports is also unveiling a new brand identity that signals its ambition for the UK market.

A group spokesperson said: “The refreshed look includes a modernised logo, streamlined typography and a new colour palette designed to stand out across both digital and retail environments. It reflects a sharper focus on intuitive tech and user experience and a more rewarding customer promise built around personalised offers, expert insight and great service across every touchpoint.”

This week: World Pool bets on Royal Ascot were up 10%, controversy continues to dog South Africa’s lottery licence award and Romania has changed its advertising rules.

World Pool up at Royal Ascot

World Pool bet types for Royal Ascot 2025 were up 10% from 2024, rising to HK$1.57 billion ($200 million) for the five days.

Including a record-high on Wednesday of HK$330.7m, the most bet on the second day of the meeting since the inaugural World Pool meeting at Royal Ascot in 2019, turnover was up year-on-year every day.

Turnover at the 2022 meeting remains the highest at HK$1.61 billion, approximately 2% higher than this year’s level. In 2025, punters from across the globe were able to access commingled pools on the event for the seventh consecutive season.

Sam Nati, head of commingling at the HKJC, said: “In terms of quality, quantity and competitiveness, the fields were fantastic all week. There was also some good international representation, both in the horses running and the jockeys taking part, so it was a good mix of key factors for both local and overseas punters.”

Tycoon defends SA lottery link

South African tycoon Moses Tembe has dismissed accusations that a consortium he headed was awarded the country’s next National Lottery licence contract due to political influence.

Concerns have been raised about Sizekhaya Holdings’ links to South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile. Bellamont Gaming, a company owned by Tembe and Mashatile’s wife’s sister, Khumo Bogatsu, has shares in Sizekhaya.

However, Tembe told Times Live that Bellamont has a minimal share of Sizekhaya stock.

Tembe added: “We have indicated previously that Sizekhaya [Holdings] won the right to operate the fourth national lottery licence because of the strength of our bid, the deep knowledge of gaming that we bring to the table, our pledge to propel the lottery to new heights by generating more money for the government, for good causes and for players.”

Romania bans celebs from gambling ads

Romania’s National Audiovisual Council (CNA) has banned celebrities from appearing in gambling promotions.

CNA members unanimously approved the ban during a public session on Thursday.

They amended the Audiovisual Regulatory Code to prohibit celebrity appearances in gambling ads on TV, radio and online platforms.

Romanian outlet PaginaDeMedia published the updated wording of the regulation. The new rule states: “It is prohibited to broadcast gambling ads featuring public, cultural, scientific, or sports personalities.”

Gambling ads previously featured celebrities such as footballers Florin Răducioiu and Ilie Dumitrescu and singers Antonia and Alex Velea.

Kaizen to sponsor CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina 2025

Kaizen Gaming has been named as official sponsor of the CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina 2025.

Hosted in Ecuador in July and August, the tournament will bring together South America’s 10 women’s football teams.

The sponsorship of CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina 2025 is part of Betano and CONMEBOL’s broader partnership, which started with the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 and extends through 2028.

Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL, said: “Having Betano’s support encourages us to continue raising the level of the tournament and to provide more opportunities for our athletes to shine on the field and keep leaving their mark both on and off the pitch.”

F1 and Allwyn launch community award

Formula 1 and lottery operator Allwyn have announced the launch of the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award.

The programme will spotlight community-focused initiatives across the world of Formula 1 to showcase their positive impact on society. As well as global recognition, winning initiatives will each receive a €100,000 donation from Allwyn to further transform communities around the world.

Winners must demonstrate a meaningful contribution to society away from the racetrack, which could include advancements in education, culture, well-being or sustainability. For each race, the local promoter will identify Formula 1-linked community initiatives run by teams, partners and media that have had an impact in their country.

Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive of Formula 1, said: “We will give the local initiatives that go the extra mile for making their communities and make the world a better place the recognition and global platform they deserve.”

In its annual report, the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) gambling regulator said GGR grew by 5% year-over-year to €14.4 billion. That figure is up 5% on 2023, outpacing the 2% year-over-year growth in the prior period.

Tax and levy revenues from gambling amounted to approximately €7 billion. In 2023, tax revenue from gambling was approximately €6.6 billion.

GGL targets illegal gambling market – but figures still don’t add up

In the illegal market during 2024, the GGL said it registered 858 German-language gambling websites operated illegally by 212 operators. This was slightly up on the 205 identified in 2023.

The GGL estimates that the illegal German language websites it recorded represent a market volume of between €500 million and €600 million. In 2023, the figure was estimated to be between €400 million and €600 million.

Illegal market volume is estimated to be approximately 3% to 4% of the entire legal market (terrestrial and online) and approximately 25% of the legal market for dangerous online gambling, such as virtual slot machines or sports betting.

Just how big is the illegal German gambling market?

That figure prompted major pushback from the industry, which argued it massively underestimated the scale of Germany’s offshore market. The latest figures have prompted even more debate on the matter.

At best, less than half of all gambling activity is channelled into the legal market, according to a University of Leipzig study.

But according to H2 Gambling Capital figures, the GGL still doesn’t capture the full scale of Germany’s illegal market and the Leipzig study may also be underestimating its size.

In 2024, H2 estimated just 40% of revenue was generated onshore. For 2025, it expects 36% of online gambling in Germany to be generated via legal sites.

Enforcement action ramps up in the German gambling market

In 2024, the GGL initiated 231 prohibition proceedings and over 1,700 websites were reviewed. In 2023, more than 1,800 websites were reviewed and prohibition proceedings were initiated in 133 cases.

Approximately 450 illegal gambling sites were no longer accessible from Germany in 2024 due to prohibition orders. Another 657 were no longer accessible due to geo-blocking based on the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The GGL also highlighted the positive impact of adjustments to Google’s advertising guidelines, which the regulator helped to shape. Since September 2024, only authorised providers in Germany have been allowed to advertise via Google Ads. This “significantly reduced the visibility of illegal offers”, the GGL said.

“Our measures are having an impact,” said Ronald Benter, chief executive of GGL. “Nevertheless, combating illegal offerings remains challenging and requires perseverance and close cooperation with national and international partners.”

Tipico executive queries GGL figures

At the time these new Google changes were introduced, industry figures wondered whether they would have a major impact.

And while the GGL hailed the impact of the Google changes on the illegal market, the industry remains unconvinced. In a LinkedIn post, Christian Heins, director of iGaming at Tipico, outlined his concerns about the accuracy of the GGL figures and its claims.

Heins believes that the online casino black market alone could easily be worth up to €2 billion. That figure is three times the total illegal market estimated by the GGL.

Heins based his figure on what he identifies as disparities between tax revenue and revenue. His estimate was also influenced by online traffic data, which suggests 50% more traffic for the black market than the legal market on average.

Heins also pointed to the impact of the Google changes, noting that December’s figures merely returned to July levels and remained stable through January. The Tipico executive said the figures only started dropping after this due to systematic reporting of black market operators and increased pressure on Google.

GGL to expand advertising monitoring

Last year, the GGL processed 230 permit and amendment applications and supervised 141 providers. In comparison, the GGL approved 39 applications for basic licenses to organise and broker cross-border gambling in 2023.

Looking ahead, the GGL said it expects further court rulings on its measures, thus providing even greater legal certainty in its approach. It plans to expand advertising monitoring, while the development of the use of safe servers is intended to improve oversight of the legal gambling market and enable more precise monitoring.

The GGL said a particular focus is on cooperation with national and international authorities to effectively curb the illegal gambling market. This will, it said, target not only the providers themselves, but also technical service providers, advertising partners and other supporting actors.

Benter added: “Our stated goal is to make the business model of illegal providers unattractive through a comprehensive package of measures. Combating illegal offerings remains a long-term process that requires strategic action, decisive action, and close interagency cooperation.”

Sportsbet self-reported the breach to the state commission, admitting it sent the text messages to 30 self-excluded players and 24 customers taking a break from gambling, on 2 October 2024.

The operator said it quickly identified the issue and put in place measures to prevent similar faults in the future. It added one player who was messaged flagged the issue to Sportsbet but did not pursue a formal complaint.  

Ruling on the case, the Commission referenced both the Racing and Wagering Act of 2024 (RWA) and Northern Territory Code of Practice for Responsible Service of Online Gambling 2019.

Code section 4.6 requires licensees to have in place measures to ensure marketing materials are not set to self-excluded consumers. Meanwhile, section 5.6 states licensees must not directly market to players after they close their account. In addition, section 8.9 requires operators to stop sending marketing to anyone who opts out within 24 hours.

As for the RWA, this states that licensees in the Northern Territory must fully comply with the state’s code. Those that breach rules could face a maximum penalty of 2,500 ‘penalty units’, depending on the offence.

The maximum penalty for this breach is 1,000 penalty units. However, Sportsbet’s penalty was set at 500 units, which equates to AU$92,500.

This is payable within 28 days of the notice, which was dated 19 June but was only made public on 25 June. “The penalty is intended to reflect the seriousness of the violation, while also acknowledging the licensee’s efforts to address the issue responsibly,” the Commission said.

Where did Sportsbet go wrong?

Analysing the case, the Commission said Sportsbet had been using a third-party communications platform to send SMS messages.

On the day the messages were sent, Sportsbet was using this platform to train staff on SMS campaigns. However, two new employees accessed and edited the same live campaign at the same time, with one failing to apply the correct filters for distribution.

This led to messages with a survey participation link being sent to an intended group of 747 people, plus a broader group of customers who were not eligible. Within this latter group were the self-excluded players and those taking a gambling break.

But Sportsbet said if the unintended recipients attempted to access the content, they would not have been able to. It added that its marketing operations team quickly identified the error and halted the send-out, preventing a further 48,891 messages from reaching unintended recipients.

The operator said it has updated its procedures to prevent training in live campaigns and added segmentation controls to templates. It is also working with its platform partner to reduce the risk of further errors.

Northern Territory opts for reduced penalty

Ruling on the case, the Commission said that Sportsbet breached the Code of Practice by sending messages to excluded players. As such, this also place the operator in breach of the RWA.

The Commission acknowledged this was not intentional and that improvements have been made. As such, it settled in a reduced financial penalty for Sportsbet.

The maximum penalty for this breach is 1,000 penalty units. However, Sportsbet’s penalty was set at 500 units.

The restrictions also impacted marketing and bonusing spend and the research suggested the ban on welcome bonuses could have been one of the main reasons for the drop in activity among new players.

The data used was collected from company reports and aggregated by Spanish regulator, the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ).

Findings suggested these regulatory measures led to a permanent decrease in gambling behaviour, in particular, new accounts and total GGR. When the Spanish Royal Decree came into force, it imposed a ban on gambling sponsorship deals and heavily restricted TV and radio ads, placing a watershed between 5am and 1am. The use of celebrities and influencers  was also prohibited, as was gambling advertising on video sharing platforms such as YouTube.  

Measures were implemented between November 2020 and August 2021, with the sponsorship ban taking effect from the end of the 2020-21 Spanish football season.

The research paper shows new account sign-ups dropped across three consecutive years after 2020, with the most significant decrease  in 2022, when the 1.37 million sign-ups was down 35% from 2.61 million in 2021. The number had increased year-on-year consecutively from 2015 to 2020.

The Royal Decree is projected to have reduced the number of new accounts directly by 263,000 in Q2 2021 alone. The impact of Covid-19 was incorporated into all models.

U-turn last year

Several of the Royal Decree measures were annulled by Spain’s Supreme Court in April 2024, partially upholding an appeal made by the Spanish Digital Gaming Association. The overturned measures included Article 13, which meant operators could go back to marketing new account holders..

Article 15, prohibiting the appearance of celebrities in advertising, was annulled, alongside the ban on gambling adverts on video sharing platforms which was also overturned.

Falling short of projections

Despite the reduction in sign-ups, overall player deposits increased in all three years after the Royal Decree was introduced, rising from €2.19 billion in 2020 to €3.18 billion in 2023. Deposit limits were set as part of the Royal Decree, capping deposits at €600 per day, €1,500 per week and €3,000 per month.

Total amount bet also went up, from €20.75 billion in 2020 to €26.5 billion in 2023. However, the Royal Decree could have contributed to a small drop in total amount bet in 2022, which was down to €25.25 billion from the €25.33 billion in 2021. 

However, despite the slight increase, the Harm Reduction Journal claimed these numbers fell short of projections as a result of the Royal Decree. Deposits were not immediately impacted in Q2 2021, but began to fall steadily in the two years after the ban came in.

Restrictions hit marketing and bonusing spend

The measures were reflected in advertising spend between 2021 and 2023, as spend reduced from €193.7 million  in 2020 to €191.7m in 2021, the total dropped 39% to €116.5 million in 2022. This increased further to €122.8 million in 2023.

Bonusing spend also dropped significantly in the period, from €189.5 million in 2020 to €165.9 million in 2023. Sponsorship spend fell considerably from €25.76 million in 2020 to €2.67 million in 2022, before rising slightly to €3.59 million in 2023.

True to form, the conversation quickly diverges, to take in the current state of the Spanish market where GGR continues to go up in spite of advertising spend declining.

Right to the Source is available on Apple Podcasts

That of course leads onto Italy, and some arguments around the Premier League’s front-of-shirt sponsorship ban. If this all sounds like Robin trying to find gaps in Ed’s data knowledge, that’s exactly what it is. 

So don’t miss Ed’s session on the Brazilian market, where he’ll be joined by Eduardo Ludmer of BetMGM Brazil and Super Affiliados’ Pedro Lucas at 3.40pm on 2 July.

Of course to get in, you’ll have to register – but we’ve got you covered, make sure your name’s on the door for iGB L!VE here: https://tinyurl.com/44py9reb

ACMA, which regulates online and land-based gambling in Australia, has reported a rise in influencers promoting illegal online casinos via their social media. This includes on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

This activity is in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which prohibits the promotion of illegal gambling services. As such, those found to have broken the rules could face hefty penalties.

Only sports wagering and certain lotteries are legal online in Australia through licensed sites and operators. All forms of online casino, as well as in-play sports betting, remain illegal in the country.

“Influencers must understand the promotion of illegal gambling services in Australia is illegal and substantial penalties apply,” ACMA said. “If you’re an influencer and profit from promoting illegal games and wagering services to Australians, you are breaking the law.”

Maximum penalty of $2.5 million for influencers

For individual influencers, ACMA said breaching the law could result in civil penalties of up to $59,400. This could relate to actions such as live streaming an illegal service or offering promotional giveaways via an influencer’s channel.

However, those who facilitate access to illegal online gambling, such as providing hyperlinks to websites, face a maximum penalty of $2.5 million.

“The risks of using illegal gambling services are high,” ACMA said. “These services don’t provide the consumer protections Australians expect, so players can be scammed out of their money.

“Young Australians who are active online can be more vulnerable. You may be putting people that follow you at real risk of harm. ACMA is monitoring what influencers are promoting very closely.”

ACMA clamps down on rule-breakers

The regulator has issued a series of penalties and warnings in recent months to operators that have breached regulations.

Earlier in June, Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet and Topbet were all rapped for breaking rules on gambling self-exclusion. Breaches included VicBet and Topbet sending marketing material to a self-excluded person.

In May, ACMA also penalised Unibet over self-exclusion failures. Unibet was ordered to pay $1 million for more than 100,000 contraventions by Unibet of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. ACMA said Unibet failed to close 954 user accounts in a timely manner after they self-excluded.

ITIA hands provisional suspensions to Dominican players

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has given provisional suspensions to two players from the Dominican Republic over corruption allegations.

Jossting Cruz and Jasel Beltre have been suspended since 30 May this year. They will remain inactive pending the consideration of charges under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).

The ITIA said the double suspension is in line with section F.3.b.i.4 of the TACP. This states that there is a “likelihood” the named individual has committed a “major offence”.

Cruz, 19, reached a career-high ITF singles ranking of 2,318 in May 2025, while Beltre, 24, is unranked. Neither player has elected to appeal their provisional suspension.

ICRG welcomes Soll as new president

Elsewhere, the International Centre for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) has appointed Michael Soll as its new president.

Soll will commence his new role on 7 July and replace Arthur Paikowsky, who has led the ICRG since October 2021.

Soll has served on the ICRG board since 2022 and has almost nearly 30 years of gaming industry experience. Most recently, he was president of research and advisory firm The Innovation Group (TIG).

Prior to his time with TIG, he held planning and development roles at Hard Rock International and Caesars Entertainment.

TaDa Gaming lands UK licence

In other news, slots and casino games provider TaDa Gaming has secured a licence from Great Britain’s Gambling Commission.

The approval enables TaDa to work with licensed operators in the British market. This will cover new content such as Fortune Coins, Jackpot Joker and Legacy of Egypt, which will launch at iGB L!VE 2025 in July.

TaDa will also adapt its games for regional audiences. This follows similar, regional releases in other markets including the US and Brazil.

“The UK is a core focus for us,” TaDa Director of Business Development Ray Lee said. “We are excited to connect with new partners ready to benefit from our diverse, glocalised content and powerful engagement solutions.”

SIS pens extension with Greyhound Racing Ireland

Meanwhile, Sports Information Services (SIS) has extended its partnership with Greyhound Racing Ireland.

The three-year deal will see SIS broadcast over 500 races per month from 10 of the country’s leading tracks. Additional venues will also be announced in due course.

The agreement covers major Irish racing events such as the Irish Derby, Kirby Memorial and Winter Racing Festival. In total, operators will be provided with over 24,000 live greyhound races every year.

“Greyhound racing from Ireland has in recent years established itself as a core part of the greyhound coverage for retail and online operators, both in the UK and international markets, and our coverage showcases the very best the nation has to offer,” SIS EMEA Managing Director Paul Witten said.

Bet365 scores Chicago Sky partnership

Finally this week, Bet365 has entered into a partnership with WNBA team the Chicago Sky.

The multi-year deal will see Bet365 become the official sports betting partner of the Chicago Sky.

Bet365 will benefit from a branding presence on behind the basket on the north end of the court, along with the centre pole pad on both home and visiting team baskets. The operator will also receive logo inclusion on in-arena, social media, broadcast and digital promotional marketing products and materials.

Chicago Sky’s Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, Alex Teodosi, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Bet365 to align with a growing sports trend that brings new visibility to the WNBA and the Chicago Sky.”

It’s also going to mean a much better experience for the player, especially for more casual customers who often don’t understand what wagering requirements are or how they work. All they know is the casino doesn’t let them withdraw their bonus winnings and this makes them distrust the brand.  

But while there are plenty of upsides to the decision, there will absolutely be some drawbacks, too. The value of bonuses will likely diminish further and it’s not unreasonable to expect some smaller brands to seriously question the viability of the UK market. 

Below, I’ll dig into the pros and cons of capping wagering requirements in more detail. But first, let’s just remind ourselves of the requirements the Gambling Commission will impose and when those requirements will come into force.  

A quick look at the new rules  

The Gambling Commission’s new rules on wagering requirements are part of a wider package of changes to bonusing that will come into force in December this year. This includes banning operators from offering “potentially harmful” bonuses where customers must carry out two or more types of gambling, such as betting and playing slots.  

In short, it’s preventing multi-vertical operators from running promotions that cross-sell players between their online sportsbook and their online casino. This is what the regulator had to say about why it took the decision to ban cross-sell bonuses: “Evidence shows consumers are more at risk of harm when they gamble on multiple products rather than a single product. There is also the risk that mixed product promotions confuse consumers because of complex terms and conditions. 

“The ban is aimed at reducing harm and boosting fairness and openness.”  

The second part of the update refers to wagering requirements and limiting the maximum wagering requirement to 10x. In its update, the regulator used an example of an online casino bonus with a 50x wagering requirement – if the player won £10 with the bonus, they’d need to wager £500 back through the casino before they could withdraw the £10 bonus winnings as cash.  

The Gambling Commission said such high wagering requirements “could confuse consumers and lead them to gamble for longer, and faster, than they are used to”. Capping the wagering requirement to 10x, the regulator says, “decreases the likelihood of harm, reduces complexity and improves transparency while maintaining consumer choice”. And I agree on all those points. I also think there are plenty of upsides for online casino operators, too. So, what are they?  

Capped wagering requirements – the pros  

The cap means that all licensed online casinos in the UK will become low wagering casinos and, at Comparasino, we are already seeing a lot of demand for this type of site. Typically, low wagering casinos are those with requirements of 30x or lower, but from December, that threshold will be reduced to 10x or lower.  

This presents a tremendous acquisition opportunity for operators, especially those who take this one step further and become no wagering casinos. Operators have struggled to differentiate through bonusing – most now offer a standard 100% deposit match and free spins – so the cap opens up the option to do away with wagering requirements entirely to really stand out.  

This approach has been pioneered by PlayOJO, and with huge success. The upsides go beyond acquisition and into the realm of retention. This is an industry where customer churn remains high, with players often becoming frustrated with the experience they receive at online casino sites.  

While a lot of this comes during the onboarding stage, with many steps to complete and no end of information and documents to provide, once they have signed up and deposited, the experience they receive continues to fall short of expectations.  

This includes things like slow payouts and poor customer support, but wagering requirements are one of the strongest contributing factors in their dissatisfaction. And this is why at Comparasino, we are seeing so many players searching for low and no wagering casinos.  

Now that operators are mandated to impose low wagering requirements, I strongly believe they will see retention rates improve, especially if they can smooth out other friction points during the sign-up process and improve withdrawal speed.  

If they do, this will help to foster greater trust between the player and the online casino brand, which again will improve acquisition and retention.  

Players still lack trust in the online casinos they sign up to and play at, and this is why so many use online casino comparison sites such as Comparasino to find reputable brands to engage with. Capping wagering requirements, in my opinion, will do a lot to overcome these trust issues. 

Capped wagering requirements – the cons  

Of course, where there are upsides, there will always be downsides and there are some drawbacks to consider here.  

My biggest concern is that operators will further water down the value of the bonuses they offer to players to the extent that they have next to no value. Even now, we have some brands listed on Comparasino where the value of the bonus is under £5.  

This is OK if the casino offers a really compelling experience across other areas – streamlined sign up, good choice of payments, great selection of games, rapid payouts, gold-star customer support, etc – as all the bonus needs to do is convince the player to give the casino a go.  

But if it doesn’t, players will continue to churn and possibly even turn to unlicensed sites for bigger bonuses. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it here again – I’m not convinced most casual players really understand what it means for a casino to be licensed, so they will favour an unlicensed brand with a more generous bonus offer should they come across one.  

Another potential issue is that some operators, especially smaller brands, will see this as leading to another tightening of their margins, which will force them to question the viability of the market.  

We are only just seeing a wave of new brands launch in the UK after uncertainty around the white paper led to a bit of an exodus, so it would be a shame to be back in that situation again. For a market to be strong and to thrive, consumers need choice. I don’t think that will ultimately come to pass, but we can’t be naive to the possibility, either.  

Does this set a new standard for bonus T&Cs?  

Pros and cons covered, it’s worth asking the question whether the Gambling Commission’s capping of wagering requirements sets the standard for other regulators to follow. While it’s too early to tell if the move will be a success, we can certainly compare the upsides to the downsides and, for me, the former trumps the latter.  

You only need to look at brands like PlayOJO to see how lowering wagering requirements or, in its case, doing away with them entirely, can give you a competitive edge while delivering an experience that not only meets but exceeds player expectations. Transparency and fairness matter to players, and what better way of demonstrating that than by offering bonuses that are exactly what they say they are.  

Bio

Martyn Hannah is the co-founder and managing director of online casino comparison site, Comparasino. He has spent more than 10 years in the industry, latterly as a marketing consultant for operators and suppliers. This experience allowed him to launch Comparasino. 

Brazil’s online market launched on 1 January with 14 full licensees, and subsequent approvals from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) led to around 80 operators operating in the legal market today.

However, although these operators have already met the high barriers for entry, including the BRL30 million ($5.5 million) licence fee, some believe the hefty costs for continued compliance could lead to smaller operators being forced out of the market.

Add to this a potential increase to gambling tax from 12% to 18% of GGR and more advertising restrictions and the market will likely mirror more mature European markets where a handful of the larger players dominate market share.

“The companies that were strong [performers in Brazil] before the regulation are realistically keeping that leadership position,” Tirabassi tells iGB.

“The only one that is a different strategy is the joint venture between MGM and Grupo Globo, which is [new to the market], but the rest are brands that are in continuity, including Betnacional acquired by Flutter.

“The majority of the market will be divided into 10 to 12 operators, which could be 30 brands. The [operators] below a certain threshold of GGR will really struggle [to compete].”

H2 Gambling Capital estimates Brazil’s online betting industry could reach BRL31 billion ($5.5 billion) in GGR in 2025, growing to BRL64 billion in 2030. This is not considering the potential impact of a tax increase.

Regional operators could survive

Despite his belief that larger operators will dominate, Tirabassi suggests smaller competitors could maintain a reasonable market share if they are able to find a niche.

“This could be a regional niche,” Tirabassi continues. “Not to be a national operator, but maybe an operator that has a decent market share in a specific region for whatever reason.

“But the numbers would be much smaller than the ones that go for national market share, like Bet365, Flutter, EstrelaBet, the kind of guys that will make over BRL200-300 million GGR per year.”

Customer acquisition under pressure from new ad measures

With smaller operators expected to struggle due to the cost of doing business in Brazil, recent developments could further turn the screw on such companies.

New ad restrictions banning the use of influencers and athletes and introducing watersheds were approved by the Senate in May. The increased tax rate, which represents a 50% hike from the current rate, will no doubt put even more pressure on operators struggling to compete.

Tirabassi expects over $2.5 billion to be spent on marketing in Brazil over the next 18 months as operators scramble to compete in the new market. Larger operators are expected to make up the bulk of that expenditure as they look to get ahead of incoming ad restrictions.

“We expected there would be some restrictions,” Tirabassi adds. “Before that happens, companies are going to flood the market.

“They will try to get the biggest market share they can. And if and when those restrictions come in, they will [already] have a sizable market share that potentially, they will keep.”

Potential obstacles to M&A activity in Brazil

Tirabassi expects Brazil to become the hottest M&A market in LatAm’s gaming history, which could offer a profitable exit for smaller operators, or enable them to operate within a larger corporation.

Tirabassi advises these independent operators to ensure they have all the necessary corporate requirements in place to facilitate a potential sale. In his experience a lack of corporate structure could lead to problems for operators.

“What we’ve seen is if you have a very large business with a [tiny] corporate structure which is not in line with the size of the business, that’s where [operators] will have to catch up,” says Tirabassi.

“Although they’ve been keeping to the legal requirements and compliance needed [for] the licence, they need to have a CFO and a proper corporate adviser reviewing their numbers, to be ready for due diligence and so on,” he concludes.

An ACMA-led investigation found Tabcorp sent 2,598 SMS and WhatsApp messages to users between 1 February and 1 May 2024. This, the regulator said, was done without an option for customers to unsubscribe.

A further 3,148 messages, across SMS and WhatsApp, did not contain “adequate sender information” during the same period. In addition, ACMA said 11 SMS messages were sent without consent between 15 February and 29 April last year.

Australia’s Spam Act 2003 requires all businesses to have consent before sending marketing messages. The act also states these messages must contain a working unsubscribe option and information about the sender.

As Tabcorp fell short of these requirements, ACMA ruled it was in breach of national law. As such, the regulator deemed it necessary to issue a financial penalty. It marks the first time that ACMA has investigated and found spam breaches in a gambling VIP programme.

ACMA slams “unacceptable” behaviour by Tabcorp

ACMA member Samantha Yorke hit out at Tabcorp over the matter. She said the breaches were “deeply concerning” as they involved non-compliance by a large and established gambling operator.

“The gambling industry needs to understand that spam laws apply to all direct marketing – whether it’s generic campaigns or personalised messages,” Yorke said.

“VIPs should not be confused with gambling ‘high-rollers’. These types of programmes can involve customers who are not well off and are experiencing significant losses. It is utterly unacceptable that TAB did not have adequate spam compliance systems in place.

“When people make choices to unsubscribe from a service they must be able to do so easily and their decisions must be respected by companies.”

In addition to the penalty, Tabcorp has entered a three-year, court-enforceable undertaking. This includes an independent review of its direct marketing systems, making improvements, running quarterly audits of its VIP direct marketing, training staff and reporting to ACMA regularly.

“ACMA will be watching closely to ensure TAB meets its commitments and complies with the spam laws in future,” Yorke added.

Another breach by Tabcorp

Tabcorp has faced several penalties for rule breaches in Australia in the past 12 months. This includes a record $4.6 million fine for a series of failures in the state of Victoria.

Failures include sending direct marketing material to users who had opted out of receiving such material. State regulator the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission also flagged issues such as inadequate employee training and failing to support a user showing indicators of potential gambling harm.

More recently, it was fined $262,920 in November 2024 for breaking rules on in-play betting. Tabcorp was found to have taken 854 in-play bets across 69 tennis matches between April and October 2023. Australia does not currently allow consumers to place in-play wagers.

Tabcorp blamed a technical bug in its systems for the breaches, adding that it voided all bets. This meant consumers did not suffer losses and the operator did not profit from the errors. However, ACMA proceeded with the penalty having previously warned Tabcorp over in-play betting.

Tabcorp has not commented on the latest penalty.

Illegal horse betting arrests in Singapore and Malaysia

Police in Singapore and Malaysia have arrested 16 people in a joint investigation into a criminal syndicate that carried out illegal horse betting.

Officers from the Singapore Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Special Operations Command conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations across Singapore. Some 14 men and one woman were arrested as a result.

Another man was arrested in Malaysia during a raid by the Royal Malaysia Police’s CID. A further 41 people across both countries are also being investigated in connection with the case.

The raids also led police to seize cash, bank accounts and electronic devices such as mobile phones and gambling-related items.

According to The Straits Times, the wider investigation remains ongoing.

Michigan regulator targets five illegal gambling websites

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has issued cease-and-desist letters to a further five gambling websites.

The MGCB said BoVegas Casino, BUSR, Cherry Gold Casino, Lucky Legends and Wager Attack Casino are operating without a licence in a breach of state law.

All five websites offer some form of online casino gaming, while BUSR Wager Attack Casino also runs sports betting.

“We will not tolerate unlicensed gambling operations that exploit Michigan residents,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said. “Our top priority is to protect the public by enforcing the law and shutting down these illegal platforms.”

Maverick partners with Delasport for Ontario launch

In Canada, Maverick Games has partnered with Delasport to launch its sports vertical in Ontario.

Built on Delasport’s technology, Maverick will offer a range of sports betting options to players. It is the second brand to launch with Delasport’s technology in the province.

The launch follows the announcement of SuperPot, a new sports betting jackpot product that will soon be rolled out in Ontario.

“Our sports vertical is a major step forward for us,” Maverick CEO Matt Rathbun said. “Launching it with Delasport has been the right move from day one.”

BetMakers pens Total Performance Data deal

Meanwhile, BetMakers Technology Group has entered a partnership with Total Performance Data (TPD).

Under the deal, BetMakers will distribute TPD’s real-time odds across its network of clients. The service includes in-running coverage of premier UK and US racetracks, as well as Victorian metropolitan racing in Australia.

TPD’s data will be available via BetMakers’ Core API and managed trading services.

“Adding more quality racing product such as this partnership with TPD to the BetMakers network is a win for the industry and our global customer base,” said Joey Carroll, director of business development and partnerships at BetMakers.

Betano scores Club World Cup partnership

And finally this week, Kaizen Gaming’s Betano has struck a partnership with the ongoing Fifa Club World Cup.

Betano become an official partner of the competition for South America. The tournament is taking place in the US from 14 June to 13 July.

Some 32 teams from around the world are featured in this summer’s event. These include Paris Saint-Germain of France, England’s Manchester City and Chelsea and Inter Miami of the US.

“It is a privilege to work closely with Fifa for a tournament that brings together millions of fans from all around the world as they get to watch the best club teams and players football has to offer,” Kaizen Gaming co-founder and CEO George Daskalakis said.

The ad, first seen on TV in December 2024, focused on the Ladbucks initiative, which provides customers with a chance to win free spins, free bets and other rewards via free-to-play games on Ladbrokes.

Two complaints were submitted to the ASA, questioning whether the term Ladbucks would appeal to younger people, considering its likeness to video game currencies targeted at a young audience.

Ladbrokes denies Robux currency link

In its initial response, Ladbrokes rejected the claim. It said Ladbucks were tokens, depicted as coins in the advert, and they could not be purchased. The operator stated the tokens have no monetary value and expire if not used.

The term Ladbucks is a play on the operator’s name and is meant to be recognisable to its players, rather than it being linked to the term “lad”.

However the operator acknowledged the use of the term “bucks” in video game currencies, particularly V-Bucks used in Fortnite, and Robucks in Roblox.

However, as both require parental permission to purchase, and users must be over 18 to buy themselves, they cannot be linked to Ladbucks, Ladbrokes insisted.

Imagery used in Ladbucks campaigns include poker chips, which can’t be linked to video game currencies, the operator added.

But ASA said the Ladbucks token’s design was round, shiny around the edges with an initial in its centre, which is similar to some video game currencies.

Ladbrokes added that Clearcast, an organisation that pre-approves adverts for UK television, had cleared the advert. It too denied links between Ladbucks and in-game currencies in video games. Channel 4 also believed the advert to be in line with regulations.

ASA sides with complainants

Analysing the case, the ASA made reference to both the BCAP and CAP Code. These state gambling ads must not appeal to under-18s.

The ASA rejected the bookmaker’s defence of the term Ladbucks. It said through its name and in conjunction with how the coin was depicted in the ads, it was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s. This was due to its similarities to in-game currencies in titles such as Fortnite.

While the Ladbrokes name was not of appeal to children, ASA said lad and buck together was of concern. It said in the context of the ad, the word lad would appeal to some under-18s.

Compliance consultant Kirsty Caldwell took to LinkedIn to question the ASA’s ruling. “In my view Ladbrokes provided a decent defence which included comments that both Clearcast and Channel 4 were comfortable that the ad complied with CAP and BCAP codes,” she said.

“Also, while the use of tokens may be synonymous with video gaming, I’m pretty sure it has deep seated roots in remote gambling too.”

Concerns over exclusivity on Ladbrokes

In addition, the ASA took issue with how players could spend Ladbucks. Being limited to use on the Ladbrokes platform only, the regulator said this was likely to be reminiscent of the way in-game currencies were used.

“Therefore, we considered that was likely to further enhance its appeal to children through its resemblance to tokens used in gaming, with which they would likely be familiar,” the ASA said.

With this, the ASA concluded the name Ladbucks, when considered alongside the imagery and the application of the coin in the ads, was depicted in a manner similar to features in video games popular with children. As such, the adverts breached regulations.

“The ads must not appear again in their current form,” the ASA said. “We told Ladbrokes not to include content in ads that was reflective of youth culture, or which had strong appeal to those under 18 years of age.”

One question we set out to consider when building this analysis was whether lots of new gamblers are being created. To explore this, we looked at how active players have been within an almost two-year period. We track all the way back to 1 January 2023, when our data starts.  

How sticky are new players?

Figure 1 breaks down the percentage of players who placed bets in Q4 2024 but have been active since Q1 2023. We found that only 6.19% of active gamblers in the last quarter of 2024 were new players that quarter – i.e. people making their first gambling transaction in at least two years — whereas 58.8% were “long-term actives” who had played on more than one occasion within the two-year period. 

“New” here is anyone who has not gambled since at least 1 Jan 2023; they are either long-term lapsed or have never before played. 

It’s clear from the data that there is a general trend whereby players drop off as time goes on, although the trend is not linear. The percentage of those placing their first bet in Q4 2024 is much lower than in Q1 2023.  

We also looked at trends in market entry. To do this, we defined “new” players more narrowly as people who made their first transaction across at least the three consecutive prior quarters. For example, someone is “new” for this purpose if they deposited in Q4 2024, but not in any previous quarter in 2024. This range is narrower than the previous table (which covers a longer look-back period). 

For both these analyses, the sample set is consumers for whom we have a full two years of banking data.

Notes:  

1. This is higher than the previous table for the same quarter because it is looking back only three quarters.  

The trend is generally to a lower percentage of customers being new (i.e. not having played in at least 12 months) between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, down from 14.57% to 10.7%. We also know that reactivation of players who had not played for at least 12 months would reduce these numbers even further 

How long do players stay active for? 

Operators know how long players remain active on their own sites – but not what happens when they move their activity elsewhere. How likely it is that they have stopped gambling altogether? 

To measure long-term retention, we took all the people who gambled in Q1 2023 and looked at the date of their last gambling transaction up to 31 December 2024. We don’t know when these people started gambling, of course, but we can measure churn by seeing when they appear to have stopped. 
 
We found that 63% of Q1 2023 gamblers were still active with at least one licensed site some two years later, in Q4 2024.  

In other words, a 37% cumulative churn rate after two years means that only approximately 1.5% of long-term active gamblers either stop gambling each month (the overall churn rate) or move outside the licensed market (where we are unable to count them but they keep gambling). 

Short term retention of new entrants 

What about the apparently “new” gamblers (i.e. those making their first transaction in the period)? Do they stick around at the same rate as those longer-established players? 

We look at some short-term retention in our data. First, we take all the people who appear to start gambling in Q4 2023 (i.e. not making any deposits between 1 January 2023 and 1 October 2023), then we track forward to seeing what percentage of them are still active in each subsequent quarter. They are still in the market if they make a transaction in this or any later quarter. 

What this tells us is that around 30% of new entrants appear to stop playing after the first quarter in which they start gambling and 65% appear to have stopped after a year. 

Around one in three new players into the market each quarter will go on to become regular gamblers, with most stopping before the end of the first year or being very infrequent, once a year, punters. 

A number of CRM specialists supported the trends shown within the data, noting that it is certainly more difficult retaining new customers, as they have a much higher drop-off rate. This could be partly put down to bonus abusers, who sign up to new brands to utilise welcome bonuses before moving on to the next offer. 

This means that the population of gamblers is relatively stable and the key battleground between operators is for share of wallet. 

Share of wallet 

Share of wallet means the percentage of a person’s total gambling spend which an individual operator captures. We looked at gambling in the last quarter of 2024 to see how much they each spend and how many operators they spend it with. 

Spend here is net deposits (deposits minus withdrawals at individual operators). It does not take into account funds left in wagering accounts. This graph shows why share of wallet is the key battleground for operators. 

(* Average number of operators for 5+: 7.54) 

There is a clear relationship between the number of operators a player is active with in a quarter and the spend per operator. The more operators, the higher the spend per operator.  

This implies that players open accounts when they want to play more; they don’t play more with their existing operators. Another striking finding is that nearly 60% of players have four active accounts in the same quarter, whereas only one in five are single-operator loyalists. 

DoT’s previous analysis considered the behaviours and experiences of female players versus males in the UK. The research found on average male gamblers in the UK had a much higher monthly salary than females

Bio: Charles is the founder and CEO of safer gambling platform, Department of Trust. A career entrepreneur, in 1998 he founded digital currency Beenz.com and Probability plc in 2003, which pioneered real-money mobile gaming and was sold to IGT in 2014. He stayed to lead IGT’s mobile solutions and roll out of US sports betting before leaving to start DoT in 2021.  

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FanDuel bans bettor over Olympics star heckle

Flutter-owned FanDuel has banned a bettor for heckling US Olympic star Gabby Thomas at a recent track event.

In a post on X, Thomas said a man followed her around the track as she took photographs with fans. She also said he shouted personal insults during the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia.

The man in question posted a video of himself online saying his actions “made my parlay win”. The user, who is known as mr100kday and describes himself as “The Track and Field Bully”, also posted a screenshot of a $1,000 parlay bet on FanDuel.

In response, FanDuel said it has blocked the user’s account.

“Threatening or harassing athletes is unacceptable and has no place in sports,” a FanDuel spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “This customer is no longer able to wager with FanDuel.”

Push Gaming enters US with BetMGM

Online casino games developer Push Gaming has launched in the US through a partnership with BetMGM.

Push Gaming said its titles are now live with BetMGM in Michigan. The initial rollout includes content such as Big Bamboo and 10 Flaming Bisons.

The deal will also see Push Gaming develop new online games for BetMGM. This builds on an existing deal between the two parties, covering operations in Ontario, Canada.

“We’re incredibly excited to be live in the US,” Push Gaming Chief Operating Officer Andy Bentley said. “Michigan is the perfect place to start. It’s a hugely important and vibrant market, and we’re proud to launch exclusively with BetMGM.”

Celestar launches with MGA licence

In Europe, online slots developer Celestar has announced its launch with a B2B licence from the Malta Gaming Authority.

Headquartered in Malta, Celestar is seeking partnerships with operators, aggregators and platforms. It will focus on markets in Europe but also further afield.

Celestar will operate under the leadership of several industry veterans with over 20 years of experience. This includes CEO Vassilis Trochalidis.

“Our goal is to craft slots that are not just games but experiences, titles that players will return to time and again,” Trochalidis said. “We are committed to bringing fresh ideas to the market, with engaging features and themes that resonate across borders.”

Bragg hands top content role to Milford

Bragg Gaming Group has appointed Scott Milford as executive vice president of group content.

In his new role, Milford will lead strategy, development and delivery across Bragg’s in-house studios. He will also guide relationships with partner developers through the Powered by Bragg programme.

Milford has worked in gaming for over 25 years. His career has included stints at Aristocrat Leisure Limited, Konami Group and Aruze Gaming.

“Bragg’s relentless focus on innovation and excellence is unlike anything I’ve seen,” Milford said. “This is a company that doesn’t just follow trends, it sets them. I’m excited to help elevate Bragg’s world-class teams and partners to new heights.”

Veikkaus scores Finnish FA extension

Veikkaus has extended its long-term partnership with the Finnish Football Association until 2030.

The deal covers both Finland’s national teams and club competitions in the country. Veikkaus will serve as a main partner and betting partner for the duration of the partnership.

The operator has worked with the Finnish FA for more than 85 years.

“The agreement is very important and meaningful to us,” Veikkaus CEO Olli Sarekoski said. “Veikkaus and domestic football have a long, shared history, and that continues. Finnish football is on the rise, and together with the Finnish FA, we can offer Finns great emotions and experiences.”

In a deal announced today, Polymarket said it will serve as the social media platform’s official prediction market partner.  

“We are pleased to partner with Polymarket and look forward to bringing their our data and technology to Polymarket users through a range of creative product integrations,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said.

Polymarket and X plan to launch an integrated product that provides “data-driven” insights to the cryptocurrency-focused prediction betting platform. Polymarket predictions will utilise the social media platform’s data to create live insights and incorporate real-time annotations on prediction market offerings.

“Combining Polymarket’s accurate, unbiased and real-time prediction market probabilities with Grok’s analysis and X’s real-time insights will enable us to provide contextualised, data-driven insights to millions of Polymarket users around the world instantaneously,” Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan said.

Polymarket not legal in the US

The platform is not technically legal in the US and is not registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Based in New York, Polymarket settled with the CFTC in January 2022 and agreed to block US users from accessing the site.

Instead, the exchange has pivoted its focus internationally and with great success. Over the course of the November US elections, Polymarket took in billions of dollars in trading volume, including one high-profile trade in which an unknown “whale” bettor from France won $85 million on Trump’s victory. As with other prediction markets, Polymarket has since begun to offer sports contracts as well.

Unlike other, CFTC-registered exchanges, Polymarket primarily utilises cryptocurrency for trades, which detractors say invites a host of KYC and AML concerns. The range of contracts on the site has also been heavily criticised. Grim examples include bets on certain elements of the California wildfires in January and the timing of the death of Pope Francis in the spring.

Trump and Musk fallout

The prediction market Kalshi had announced that it was partnering with Elon Musk’s artificial-intelligence firm xAI on 20 May. However, that announcement was then rolled back that same day with no other details.

The news of the latest X prediction market partnership comes just days after Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump engaged in a public dispute on social media over a Republican Party spending bill that recently passed through the House.

The Trump family, in particular Donald Trump Jr, has previously backed Kalshi. Trump Jr was appointed as a strategic advisor to Kalshi in January.

He wrote on X 13 January: “On Election night at Mar-a-Lago, while biased outlets called the race a coin toss, my family and close friends used the prediction market @Kalshi to know we won hours ahead of the fake news media.

“I immediately knew I had to contribute to their mission. Today, I am proud to announce that I am joining Kalshi as a strategic advisor.”

The public spat between President Trump and Elon Musk grew to increased heights yesterday, with both calling each other out on their own personal social media platforms Truth Social and X.

Musk stated that Trump only won the presidency because of his financial backing, while Trump threatened to cut all government subsidies and contracts that flow to companies owned by Musk.

Musk continued the spat by insinuating on X that Trump had a deeper connection with Jeffrey Epstein by posting, “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.”

Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.

Have a nice day, DJT!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025

Speaking at the Gaming in Holland Conference 2025 on Thursday, Renske Fikkers, head of the KSA’s regulatory department, said the authority wanted to move away from the perception it is an “unreachable, rigid regulator” focused on infringements and fines.

Discussing its “regulator 2.0” approach, Fikkers said it would be moving towards an open and flexible organisational structure that aims to solve the sector’s most prominent issues.

“We understand that imposed measures sometimes require adaptability and that post-implementation there are obstacles or ambiguities that we could not have anticipated beforehand,” Fikkers said.

“Being able to have an open conversation about that helps us further strengthen our regulation. We also have more frequent direct contact with operators in that context. When we come across things we have questions about or are dissatisfied with, we engage immediately.”

KSA warns of most extensive advertising ban

However, Fikkers’ speech also came with a warning to operators that reins protecting players could be tightened, including considering a total ban on gambling advertising. Fikkers asserted that advertisement breaches must be curtailed.

“I still see far too often that advertising rules are not properly followed. [The] subsequent outrage over this makes a total ban on advertising an increasingly realistic option, which is still undesirable as far as the KSA is concerned,” she added.

In May, the regulator issued a warning against gambling sponsorship in sport, ahead of an incoming ban on these deals as of July.

Looking at the next licensing round due to take place in 2026, Fikkers said the KSA would be taking previous history into account, good and bad.

“Our colleagues are already talking to industry associations and others about the potential challenges you may face in these licence applications. I want to stress that this is a process we want to work through with you, to make it as smooth as possible on both sides,” she said.

Calls for tech and bank cooperation

Also speaking at the gaming in Holland conference this week, Dutch trade body VNLOK called for greater support from tech firms and banks in the fight against illegal gambling.

VNLOK chief Björn Fuchs told the conference: “Closing those digital doors isn’t just a matter of new legislation or additional enforcement. It’s also essential that banks, Google and Facebook start taking their responsibility and completely stop facilitating the black market.

“These technically advanced, highly developed companies must surely have enough knowledge and resources to effectively block illegal gambling websites, which target Dutch consumers.”

This sentiment was mirrored by Arjan Blok, CEO of the state-owned Dutch lottery operator Nederlandse Loterij. Blok urged the banking sector and major technology platforms to use their powers and act against illegal sites.

“We need to join forces – the supervisor, providers, banks, tech platforms, payment services and hosting companies. Together we have the same interest: combating illegal gambling sites,” Blok stated.

More power to regulator and court enforcement

Blok also called for greater powers to be given to the KSA to tackle black market operators.

These would include powers to blacklist illegal gambling sites, block online advertisements, remove illegal casinos from app stores and ban payment services to illegal parties.

The Dutch Lottery also wants the authority to have the ability to take action against hosting services that facilitate illegal gambling sites.

Blok pointed to its own efforts and a civil lawsuit it has taken against Costa Rica-based Lalabet, in which is its attempting to ban the operator from the market.

“We want this site to go dark. Permanently. And we don’t want this provider to simply continue under a different name or with a different website,” Blok said.

Lalabet was previously operated in the Netherlands by Casbit, which the Dutch regulator hit with warnings and penalty fines past April.

Blok noted Nederlandse Loterij is already working on a court summons aimed at another illegal operator in the market.  

A single complainant said they saw adverts for LiveScore Bet within the LiveScore app. The latter mobile app features scores and fixtures across various sports, with a primary focus on football.

The first ad, viewed on an Android device, featured text that displayed live football scores. The page also featured the LiveScore Bet logo next to an on/off toggle. When the toggle was clicked, betting odds were displayed under each game. When these odds were clicked, users were taken to the LiveScore Bet app.

A second advert, seen on an IOS device, featured a page which displayed football team lineups and included a banner showing betting odds available on LiveScore Bet. Again, when clicked, this took users to the LiveScore Bet app.

The complainant understood the ads to have appeared in the under-18 version of the app. As such, they contacted the ASA to challenge whether they had been appropriately targeted.

LiveScore Bet rejects breach claims

In its initial response, LiveScore Bet sought to clarify that while it operates under the same umbrella group as LiveScore, they are separate and distinct products.

The brands chose to work together as they believed LiveScore’s audience demographic was predominantly adults. It was also stated that LiveScore implemented an age-gating tool that was a voluntary safeguard used to prevent adult content from being shown to under-18s. This would ensure odds and gambling content were only shown to users declared as over 18.

Upon investigating the first ad, LiveScore Bet carried out testing on the under-18 LiveScore Android app. However, it was unable to replicate instances of gambling content being shown. It was also unable to identify any technical issues that would have meant content was featured.

With the second advert, LiveScore Bet said a technical problem in a historic version of the app resulted in gambling content being displayed to users who had selected “under-18”. However, while odds were displayed, they did not link through to any further gambling content. It added that the current version of the app is now working correctly.

ASA upholds advert complaint

Despite these arguments, the ASA elected to uphold the complaint. Setting out its reasoning, it made reference to the CAP Code. This states marketing communications for gambling must not be directed at those aged younger than 18 years.

The ASA acknowledged the two different versions of the LiveScore app and measures taken to prevent users under 18 from viewing gambling content. It also noted Livescore Bet’s view that the majority of LiveScore app users were adults.

Running the rule over each advert, ASA took issue with Livescore Bet’s defence of the first ad and how it had not been able to replicate the ad appearing within the under-18 app. The ASA said it had seen the ad in the app and, therefore, was not appropriately targeted.

As for the second advert, the ASA acknowledged LiveScore Bet’s view that the ad had been displayed due to a technical problem. However, as the app was specifically designed for under-18s, it was also not appropriately targeted and therefore breach advertising rules.

Concluding its evaluation, the ASA said the ads must not appear in the under-18 version of the LiveScore app again. It also advised LiveScore Bet to ensure any future adverts were appropriately targeted.

LiveScore Bet disappointed at ASA ruling

Following the official ruling, LiveScore Bet has published another response, saying that it is “disappointed” with the decision.

LiveScore Bet maintained that despite “multiple waves of testing”, the first advert was never verified. It also reiterated the second ad appeared due to an “unknown bug”. The operator said this was confined to a single app release and impacted only a small number of users.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and LiveScore Bet is committed to responsible advertising practices,” LiveScore Bet said. “Given its audience demographics, the selection of LiveScore as a media partner is within the ASA’s threshold for publishers of gambling adverts and any exposure to gambling-related content was entirely unintentional.

“LiveScore Bet has nothing to gain from under-18s seeing our adverts, given that such an audience cannot use our products.”

LiveScore Bet committed to responsible advertising

The operator also noted the ASA’s description of the under-18 version of the app and its age-gating screen for UK users. It said this safeguarding measure has been running since November 2020 and it has not received any other complaints.

“Unlike many other sports media sites and news services, which display both live odds and gambling advertisements around their content to an audience including under-18s at all times, LiveScore’s implementation of an age-gating screen is an industry-leading, voluntary safeguard, which encourages under-18 users to remove adult-focused content from their LiveScore experience,” LiveScore Bet said.

It added that if LiveScore did not have age-gating in place, the complaint could not have been upheld.

“The age-gating safeguard goes beyond regulatory requirements and reflects LiveScore Bet’s and LiveScore’s commitment to responsible advertising,” the operator said.

“We’re disappointed by this ruling following a technical bug in this safeguarding, when the safeguarding itself brings about a net positive benefit to the experience for LiveScore’s general user base and is designed to align with the ASA’s principles on responsible advertising.

“Safeguards are used in good faith and, on rare occasions, malfunctions of those safeguards do not equate to disregarding the rules that make those safeguards required, which would understandably be a breach of the CAP Code.”

Although the bill’s rapporteur, Senator Carlos Portinho, eliminated a blanket ban on gambling ads from the proposal, the approved bill does include a ban on betting ads during live sporting broadcasts. The use of celebrities, influencers and athletes in any marketing material will also be prohibited, with the ban only applying to current players or those whose career ended less than five years ago. 

With both the Sports Commission and Senate having now approved the amended bill, it is headed to the Chamber of Deputies for review. 

The new law will likely not take effect until 2026, says Udo Seckelmann, head of gambling & crypto at local law firm Bichara e Motta Advogados. Seckelmann says he is relieved the “disproportionate” blanket ban has been eliminated, although he warns the push for further restrictions “lacks evidence-based support”.

“The motivations, although well-meaning, must be weighed against real-world outcomes – and the evidence suggests that informed, responsible regulation is more effective than prohibition,” Seckelmann explains. 

Current Brazil gambling ad regulations are sufficient

The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) published Normative Ordinance No 1,231 in July last year, laying out how licensed operators could advertise their products. The regulations included restrictions on operators presenting betting as “socially attractive” or using ads to target children or adolescents. 

Additionally, all advertising from licensed operators was mandated to display an “18+” symbol and be guided by social responsibility and the promotion of responsible gambling. 

Lawyer Luiz Felipe Maia, founding partner of Maia Yoshiyasu Advogados, believes current restrictions on advertising are adequate, especially with Brazil having only just regulated its iGaming sector. 

“I think the current regulation is sufficient in protecting people, and they are coherent with this stage of the market, because Brazil has just become regulated,” Felipe Maia tells iGB.“When you have a new regulated market, it’s important to allow the regulated operators to advertise and to become known to the public, so that you can drive the public to those regulated operators. I think it’s [important] that we don’t have that many restrictions, such as in other regulated but more mature markets.” 

Fellipe Fraga, chief business officer at licensed operator EstrelaBet, agrees the current regulations are sufficient. “I believe it’s enough,” Fraga says. “Most important is to have conscience. The politicians and other regulators understand that the market is okay [as it is] and all the world is doing [online betting], so we can also advertise.” 

On the other hand, Betsul CEO Fernando Garita is keen for the advertising regulations to be more clearly defined. Garita is calling for clarity and consistency from the SPA: “A better balance is needed – one that enables responsible messaging without stifling legitimate commercial activity.” 

Enforcement is the priority 

While the licensed sector is generally content with current ad restrictions, many stakeholders are urging stricter enforcement be applied, especially when it comes to influencer advertising, which last year became a sector, and national media topic du jour.  

The game “Fortune Tiger” faced huge controversy last year. Influencers were investigated and in some cases arrested, after marketing the game to their followers and promoting attractive financial rewards. Many players ended up losing large sums of money playing the game on fraudulent sites. 

Since the scandal, the SPA has taken steps to further restrict influencer advertising. Internet personality Virgínia Fonseca appeared in front of the parliamentary inquiry commission for betting in May to be questioned over advertising gambling to her huge online following. 

Felipe Maia believes the SPA should crack down on those infringing upon current regulations. “I think if we start to have these cases where digital influencers will be held liable, have to pay fines and maybe be arrested for working with illegal operators or not complying with advertising rules, we will start to see different behaviours,” he insists. 

Overregulation risks empowering the black market 

The Brazilian gambling sector is by no means the only market experiencing pressure over its gambling advertising. Looking elsewhere at more mature markets, it’s understandable there are fears over the consequences of further restrictions. 

Germany, where nearly half of all players bet with the black market, has a ban on TV and online advertising between 9pm and 6am, as well as restrictions on showing sports clips in ads and partnering with sports personalities. 

Italy, which has a blanket ban on gambling advertising, is experiencing serious black-market issues, while Brazil’s neighbour Argentina has also taken steps to introduce a ban on online betting advertising. 

With licensed operators in Brazil already concerned by the presence of the black market, the industry fears more stringent regulations on advertising would only strengthen illegal companies, as seen in other nations. 

“Experience from countries like Italy shows that excessive restrictions and high taxes can backfire,” Garita explains. “Blanket bans would significantly reduce the visibility of regulated operators, while illegal ones would continue to thrive through uncontrolled channels like Telegram. 

“If you have a market becoming regulated with too many restrictions for advertising, basically you’re hurting channelisation and you are aiding the black market,” Felipe Maia adds. 

Gambling ads helps identify legal operators 

In fact, advertising is actually a hugely important tool for operators to demonstrate they have a licence and channel bettors into legal offerings, particularly in the early stages of a licensed market’s development, when competition among brands is fierce and player loyalty has not yet been established.  

With licensed operators’ advertising required to have an “18+” symbol, as well as information on the associated risks of addiction and pathological gambling disorders, Garita says the role of advertising in distinguishing legal from unlicensed operators is “a crucial one”. 

Garita says: “Advertising is one of the few public-facing tools we have to demonstrate that we operate legally.  

“It allows us to build trust, promote safety, educate users and show that we work within a regulated framework. Eliminating that visibility blurs the lines between legal and illegal operations – posing a major risk to consumers.” 

And even with advertising providing that distinction, markets like Sweden have found a high percentage of players still cannot distinguish legal operators from black market brands.  

What’s behind the negative public perception of gambling?  

Significant pressure was put on Brazil’s gambling sector in 2024, during a crucial period of establishing regulation. A Supreme Federal Court hearing in November was initiated after a leading trade union accused the new betting laws of being unconstitutional, amid fears that betting leads to high addiction levels and family debt. 

But four months into licensed betting, the public opinion towards betting seems to be improving, and in April a government-funded survey by DataSenado reported 60% of the population is now in favour of legalising land-based gambling. Part of the industry’s frustration lies in the belief that politicians are responding to public pressures, rather than data and global sector experiences that prove why ad restrictions could have unwanted consequences. 

But some politicians, particularly the rapporteur of the new advertising restrictions bill, have adopted a negative rhetoric around gambling, insisting it is harming public health and finances.  

Political echo chamber

Felipe Maia believes there isn’t actually a negative public perception of gambling in Brazil and asserts politicians are simply repeating the concerns of specific groups. “Basically, they’re responding to their echo chambers,” he says.  

“If they’re religious, they are responding to the groups they represent. If they’re more conservative, they are saying [these things] because this echoes well to their public. What you have is an opportunistic approach by some politicians to use this for propaganda purposes.” 

The situation is complicated further by Brazil’s long history of gambling prohibition, with the sector essentially made illegal in 1946. This has resulted in a lack of political understanding.  

“We’re trying to make them understand and, of course, in Brazil, with 80 years with cultural prohibition of gambling, they don’t really know yet what our industry does, what you can provide for the country,” says Fraga. “It’s a process for us to teach them, to explain to them [how our industry works] and to avoid those views, because many of these [bills] are talking about misconceptions.” 

What’s the solution? 

Ultimately, an effective response to Bill 2,985/2023 from Brazil’s betting sector could be handicapped by fragmented representation of the industry. 

According to Felipe Maia, there are five trade associations that represent betting companies, causing a lack of coordination and likely a weakening of the industry’s response to any perceived overregulation. 

“I had this complaint from a congressman. What they say is it’s very hard to deal with this industry, because they get different inputs from different associations and then they don’t know who to trust,” Felipe Maia declares. 

Collaboration is the way forward in Garita’s view. He agrees there is fragmentation in industry representation and that complicates the formation of an effective response. 

“Lobbying efforts and collective action by responsible operators and associations will be crucial,” Garita adds. “We need unity and coordination to defend common interests.” 

During the Sports Commission hearing to approve Bill 2,985/2023 in 28 May, Senator Portinho said the changes were necessary due to the sector’s inability to police its own advertising activities.   

Felipe Maia urges operators to self-regulate where possible, to prove they are good actors. “I think self-regulation shows social responsibility, maturity. And it allows you to come up with solutions that work for the industry before someone comes with an idea that will not work,” he says. 

Critical juncture coming up 

As Seckelmann explains, an assertive but constructive approach to advertising regulations could help mitigate the negative opinion held by politicians. “It is essential to emphasise that advertising, when done responsibly, plays a key role in channeling users toward licensed, safe operators and away from illegal sites,” he reiterates. 

As it stands, those seeking to restrict gambling look to be edging the battle, especially with the industry’s current inability to form a collective, data-driven response that effectively warns against the perils of overregulation on advertising witnessed in other markets. 

The industry’s point is clear: Overly restrictive measures on ads at this point in Brazil’s regulated online journey could prove disastrous and drive players out of the licensed sector. 

As the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate’s final stage, prepares to evaluate Bill 2,985/2023, Brazil’s betting sector must act quickly to make its case against the perceptions that threaten to damage the legal market’s progress.

Malta regulator cancels operator licence

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has cancelled approval for an operator after ruling that it breached its licence conditions.

Oddsfly has been issued a formal cancellation notice due to more than €100,000 ($114,347) in unpaid fees. The MGA also noted several other breaches, which led to the operator being suspended in 2018.

The operator, which counts Casino24 and Tipxpress among its brands, has not been active since the suspension. Its licence has now been cancelled.

In other news, the MGA has also suspended Dimascon for various compliance breaches. It did not clarify what the suspension was before, but it does mark the second time in less than a year that Dimascon has been suspended in Malta.

KSA chairman appointed to GREF board

Elsewhere in Europe, Kansspelautoriteit Chairman Michel Groothuizen has been appointed to the Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF) board.

Groothuizen will serve on the GREF board until 2027. GREF is a partnership in which gambling regulators across Europe share knowledge, experiences and best practices.

Groothuizen said that his personal mission is to work with other regulators to achieve shared standards for gambling supervision

“An example of this is the clear standard that gambling under the age of 18 is an absolute no go,” Groothuizen said.

BetMGM scores first major women’s sports deal

BetMGM has become the exclusive online casino and sportsbook partner of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

The agreement, which runs to the 2027 season, marks BetMGM’s first major partnership with a women’s professional sports franchise.

The operator will benefit from prominent signage at the Aces’ Michelob ULTRA Arena home. BetMGM will also receive sponsorship across the Aces’ social media platforms, courtside access to pre-game shootarounds and luxury VIP seating.

BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said, “As we enter this era of tremendous growth in women’s sports, BetMGM could not have two better organisations to partner with than the WNBA and the Aces. Not only do the Aces play in our backyard at Mandalay Bay, but they share our commitment to giving back to the community.”

NuxGame rolls out new API solutions

B2B provider of iGaming solutions NuxGame has announced the launch of new API solutions Casino API and Sports Betting API.

Casino API allows users to integrate over 14,500 games from more than 120 providers. It also offers player engagement tools and flexible payment integration, as well as analytics and support.

Sports Betting API delivers over 210,000 monthly events across more than 125+ sports and 3,000 betting markets. The solution also handles risk management, odds moves, client segmentation and reporting.

“Our API solutions are tailored to provide operators with the tools they need to succeed – whether focused on casino games or sports betting,” said Yanina Kaplya, chief marketing officer at NuxGame.

LiveScore launches four-day working week trial in UK

LiveScore Group has launched a four-day working week trial for its staff in London.

The trial commenced on 19 May, with employees working at the office from Monday to Thursday. Some Fridays will remain working days to support key sports and business events.

LiveScore said the trial will run for 12 months, with a formal review of its impact planned in October.

“LiveScore Group was built on innovation,” LiveScore CEO Sam Sadi said. “Not just in how we serve sports fans, but in how we grow and evolve as a business. As pioneers in convergence, we understand the power of creating ecosystems that work better together and that includes how we work as a team. This trial is a natural step in our journey.”

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) identified offshore betting as the top violator in its 2024–25 Annual Complaints Report.

The ASCI investigated 9,599 complaints and reviewed 7,199 advertisements over the year. It required modifications in 98% of the ads reviewed.

Offshore betting made up 43% of the ads needing changes, nearly double second-placed realty at 24.9%. Personal care (5.7%), healthcare (5.2%) and food and beverage (4.7%) completed the top five.

In the report, the ASCI said complaints about betting more than doubled compared to last year. This increase followed the launch of a special monitoring unit with three online gaming federations in January 2025.

ASCI flagged all betting ads for violating Chapter 3 of its Code, which prohibits illegal product promotions like gambling.

ASCI reported that over 3,000 offshore betting ads appeared during the year. Of these, 318 came from social media influencers. Influencer violations accounted for 14% of total ads processed.

India’s special monitoring unit aids compliance

The ASCI credited its special monitoring unit for improving ad surveillance in its latest report. It launched the unit with the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, All India Gaming Federation and E-Gaming Federation.

“The special monitoring unit identified many illegal betting platforms being promoted through disguised ads on community and fan pages, including brand tickers and influencer bios,” ASCI said.

“318 influencers were identified, promoting offshore gambling ads on social media. Many community pages also showcased individuals claiming exaggerated gains from placing minimal bets, with embedded links to the betting platforms, often generating high viewer engagement.

“Additionally, several digital posts impersonating actors, news anchors and other well-known personalities, showcasing how they profited from these platforms, were flagged for urgent attention to government regulators.”

More India consumers making betting ad complaints

The ASCI said it identified 89% of processed ads through its own monitoring.

It received the remaining 11% as complaints from the public. The public flagged 659 ads for review – an 83.5% rise from the previous year.

Digital platforms continued to lead complaints, making up 94.4% of all ads processed.
Meta accounted for 79% of those complaints, followed by other websites at 12%.

The ASCI said it actively tracked social media tags to catch consumer-flagged violations.

Manisha Kapoor, ASCI’s chief executive, said: “This year has been one of meaningful collaborations, as we expanded our efforts to address critical areas like offshore betting/gambling and real estate violations, which are high-impact violations. These initiatives reflect a renewed commitment by ASCI to keep the advertising landscape accountable and responsible.”

Earlier this year, a report on the Indian gambling market found that illegal operators are “thriving” and sites belonging to just four platforms received 1.6 billion visits in three months. The Gambling and Betting Market in India report, published by policy think-tank Digital India Foundation, recommended stricter regulation on illegal sites in India.

On Wednesday, the Brazil Sports Commission greenlighted a proposal that would add a number of new betting ad restrictions in Brazil.

The next step was for the Communication and Digital Law Committee (CCDD) to take the final vote. However, the CCDD is not yet in place, and therefore Bill 2,985/2023 was forwarded to the Senate Plenary as a matter of urgency. The Brazil Senate then voted in favour of the bill.

Senator Carlos Portinho amended the bill, removing the initially intended blanket ban on betting advertising. The changes allow for limited sponsorship by sports teams and stadiums, as well as some media advertisement time slots.

Udo Seckelmann, head of gambling & crypto at Brazilian law firm Bichara e Motta Advogados, told iGB the amendments to the bill were important to mitigate the backlash from the betting sector in Brazil.

“The initial proposal for a complete ban on gambling advertising was not only disproportionate but also disconnected from the regulatory reality established by Law No 14.790/2023,” Seckelmann said.

“A blanket ban would have jeopardised the development of the legal market, driven bettors toward unregulated platforms and significantly harmed stakeholders such as sports entities, media outlets and marketing agencies.”

Brazil betting bill backlash

The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) responded by saying it was deeply concerned about Bill 2,985/2023, warning its “severe restrictions” would open the field for the illegal market.

The IBJR said legal advertisements inform the public and help citizens to identify regulated platforms that are providing a safer gaming environment to their black market alternatives.

“The proposal weakens communication between legalised betting companies and bettors, compromising the sustainability of a regulated sector committed to responsible gaming,” the IBJR said in a statement on social media.

Football clubs in Brazil have also hit out at the advertisement restrictions.

In a joint statement shared with Games Magazine Brazil by a number of top clubs, teams have voiced their opposition to the restrictions, warning of economic peril.

The clubs have called the bill a “prohibition disguised as a limitation”, explaining the Brazil sports sector stands to lose roughly BRL1.6 billion ($281 million) as a result.

“The prohibition of brand exposure from operators on static properties signage in sporting venues, as included in the substitute’s wording, removes crucial revenue streams from clubs. The financial losses will be significant even for major clubs,” the clubs stated.

The teams also added the new rules could be detrimental to the survival of smaller clubs.

Additionally, clubs have warned that teams could face not just financial collapse but a legal fallout. This is due to the ban on static signage at stadiums. The statement noted many teams have already signed lengthy contracts with operators, which would now need to be renegotiated or terminated.

Limiting communication

Seckelmann stated that if the bill was enacted as the version approved by the commission, it would impose further limitations on how betting operators communicate with the public.

This would impact media deals and brand awareness that are essential to create a competitive but regulated market.

“International experience shows that such restrictions often fail to deliver the intended public health outcomes,” Seckelmann said.

“A clear example is Italy, where the Decreto Dignità of 2018 imposed a blanket ban on gambling advertising. Despite the measure, studies and government data revealed no significant reduction in problem gambling rates. Instead, the ban harmed regulated operators while illegal betting activities continued to thrive.”

Changes to the bill before Brazil Senate

Under Portinho’s amended bill, betting adverts during live broadcasts of sports events would be prohibited.

The use of artists, influencers or athletes would also be restricted in advertising. One exception is athletes where five years has passed since the end of their career.

Betting advertisements will only be allowed on open and subscription media sites between the hours of 7.30pm and midnight. Similarly, radio adverts are restricted to between 9am and 11am and between 5pm and 7.30pm.

A notable exception to the ban on advertising of bets in stadiums and sports venues in the text of the bill is that it allows for betting operators that are official sponsors of a stadium or sports team to advertise. This is limited to one per team when it comes to kits.   

Senator Portinho said the gambling advertisement restrictions were necessary due to the betting sector’s inability to self-regulate.

“One year after this law was passed, our society is sick, it is completely addicted to betting,” Portinho said. “Football clubs are addicted to betting. Communication companies are addicted to betting, to advertising, to the money they receive from betting.

“And with this pandemic, it is up to us to impose discipline.”

Bill 2,985/2023 received a favourable opinion from Senator Carlos Portinho, who made amendments to the text to remove a total ban on betting advertising.

The Communication and Digital Law Committee (CCDD) would have the final vote on the bill, but as the CCDD hasn’t yet been installed, the bill is expected to be sent directly to the Senate Plenary. If approved there, it will be forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies.

What would be banned in Brazil?

Under Portinho’s substitute bill, betting ads during live broadcasts of sporting events would be banned in Brazil, as well as the use of celebrities such as athletes, artists and influencers.

As an exception, former athletes who ended their careers at least five years prior could be used in advertising.

Advertising on open and subscription television, streaming, social media and the internet would be allowed between the hours of 7.30pm and midnight but banned at all other times.

For radio, betting operators would only be able to advertise between 9am and 11am and between 5pm and 7.30pm.

Additionally, advertising in printed media would be banned, as would static or electronic advertising of fixed-odds betting in stadiums and sports venues, apart from when the operator is the official sponsor of the event or holds the official naming rights of the stadium, as well as when operators are the sponsor of the kits the teams are playing in, although this is limited to one advertiser per team.

Marketing must also display warnings discouraging gambling. They would use the phrase: “Gambling causes addiction and harm to you and your family.”

However, operators would be allowed to advertise on social media platforms or elsewhere on the internet for authenticated users demonstrably over 18 years old. Users must be able to easily disable their receipt of betting advertising or communications.

Operators could also display their brands in announcements promoting the broadcast of sporting events between 9pm and 6am, but only if they don’t contain an invitation, incentive or promise of winnings from betting.

Why have the restrictions on betting ads been approved?

In Portinho’s view, the restrictions are necessary due to the betting sector’s perceived inability to self-regulate its advertising since the regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), introduced Normative Ordinance No 1,231 on advertising in July 2024.

“One year after this law was passed, our society is sick, it is completely addicted to betting,” Portinho said. “Football clubs are addicted to betting. Communication companies are addicted to betting, to advertising, to the money they receive from betting.

“And with this pandemic, it is up to us to impose discipline.”

Portinho referenced a letter signed by several football clubs, in which they shared their fears over further restrictions on betting advertising.

Portinho believes, however, that the Brazilian population is in favour of the new measures. He described football clubs as “accomplices in an epidemic that is destroying families”.

The senator stated he was in favour of the original bill’s intention to completely ban advertising, but he made amendments to avoid legal uncertainty, with the online sector authorised and regulated by previous laws.

The author of the initial bill, Senator Styvenson Valentim, agreed the amendments were fair, saying: “Your vote was balanced. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it achieved its purpose in some points. It creates a balance for us to see how it will behave from now on.

“Maybe we’re giving the market a chance to adapt and a warning to the population that has already seen that this is harmful.”

In December 2018, outgoing President Michel Temer signed legislation paving the way for sports betting regulations in Brazil.

However, critics of Bolsonaro claim little progress was made under his administration, with some now attributing current challenges – such as fears over rising addiction levels and family debt – to the lack of action made during that period.

Thronicke agrees, believing the grey status of the market in Brazil during that time gave way to a proliferation of betting sites, without sufficient control.

“From 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2022, who was the president? Jair Messias Bolsonaro,” Thronicke told the CPI. “And it was at that time that Brazil took first place in the world ranking for the number of bets, the number of bettors. So they let it run wild.

“I have heard from former ministers and people at the top of the former government saying that, yes, they tried, they brought this issue to the agenda. And it was part of the former government’s plan to regulate betting. And why didn’t they regulate it? Nobody answers that. Nobody regulated it.”

Thronicke believes current budget cuts can be attributed to the Bolsonaro government’s failure to regulate gambling and generate the resulting state contributions.

“The estimate is a loss in revenue of BRL15 billion per year,” Thronicke added. “Imagine BRL15 billion in 2019, 2020 and 2021 onwards!

“We are now facing budget cuts, threats of budget cuts in basic issues: health, education. So, we cannot ignore the omission of the former government.”

Calls for betting CPI to be extended

Last week, it was reported the betting CPI would be coming to an end after Senate President Davi Alcolumbre decided the committee had already had enough time to compile a report.

In quotes shared with local news site O Antagonista, Senator Jorge Kajuru explained Alcolumbre had labelled the CPI a “circus”, frustrated by its lack of progress.

With the CPI set to end on 14 June, on Tuesday Senator Izalci Lucas again called for its work to be extended, after two owners of betting platforms failed to appear having been summoned to testify.

One of those, an influencer known as “Jon Vlogs”, told the CPI his absence was due to being out of the country, with Thronicke retorting: “We know very well how rich these people are. They may come from abroad, because there are flights every day to Brazil. In my opinion, it is ill will, an excuse.”

Izalci Lucas feels it is imperative the CPI is extended so those summoned are heard, saying: “I hope there is common sense here and that we can approve the request to postpone this CPI, because we still need to hear from some people in order to conclude the report.

“If the objective, in fact, is to investigate and improve the legislation, we will need a little more time.”

The CPI ‘circus‘

The CPI, established in November last year, came under fire in December when Brazilian magazine Veja made allegations of extortion within the committee.

The criticism has intensified further in recent weeks, after Senator Cleitinho Azevedo requested a picture with influencer Virgínia Fonseca while she gave testimony to the CPI, centring on her promotion of betting sites on social media.

Thronicke hit out at Fonseca in the aftermath, criticising her attitude and stating she does not believe the answers she gave during her testimony.

Additionally, Thronicke has called for Senator Ciro Nogueira to be replaced as an alternate member of the betting CPI. That came after reports that he had travelled on the private jet of a betting businessman who previously appeared in front of the commission, which Thronicke contended was a conflict of interest.

Ad proposals set to be voted upon

The Brazilian Sports Committee was prepared to vote Wednesday on proposals to further restrict advertising.

The passing of one of the bills would mean advertising during the broadcast of live sporting events would only be allowed five minutes before and five minutes after the broadcast of matches.

Sports clubs fear such restrictions could slash the revenue they’re able to generate from betting advertising.

Last week, Senator Eduardo Girão reiterated his desire to see betting completely banned, believing the football sector’s dependence on gambling sponsorships is proving harmful to the sport.

Last November, the CPI on betting was established with the objective of investigating the “growing influence of online virtual gambling games on [Brazilian families’ financial spending]”.

The CPI has since probed some of the key issues of the gambling sector in Brazil, including illegal betting, influencer advertising and retrospective grey market taxes prior to the legal offering launching on 1 January.

The CPI was initially set to end on 30 April, although the deadline was extended to 14 June.

That deadline isn’t expected to be extended further, however, with Senator Jorge Kajuru revealing Alcolumbre is frustrated with the lack of progress made by the CPI.

In quotes shared by local news site O Antagonista, Kajuru said: “President Davi slammed his hand on the table.

“That was the only time he got angry and said ‘I do not accept the extension, that’s it, it’s over and I will claim that you did not work, that you did not hold more sessions and did not call the people you should have called and you want to continue with this situation, which is sometimes even a circus.’”

Has the betting CPI been a success?

The betting CPI has covered a number of the key issues, and its report at the conclusion of its work could yet play a key role in quelling some of the concerns surrounding the gambling sector.

But the CPI also hasn’t been without its controversy, with Brazilian magazine Veja making allegations of extortion within the committee in December. This prompted the CPI’s rapporteur Senator Soraya Thronicke to lash out at the “gossip”, which she believed was an attempt to distract from the CPI’s work.

Senator Cleitinho Azevedo also caused a stir last week, when he asked for a photo with influencer Virgínia Fonseca while she gave testimony to the CPI about promoting betting sites on social media.

Thronicke subsequently criticised Cleitinho for his actions, while claiming she didn’t believe the answers Fonseca gave in her CPI appearance, also hitting out at the influencer’s attitude.

From 1 July, all forms of gambling sponsorship in sport will be prohibited in the Netherlands. This includes shirt sponsorship as well as promotional deals with competitions, teams and individual athletes.

The regulations will apply across all sports, as set out when KSA introduced new advertising rules in July 2023.

Initially, a ban was placed on gambling adverts across television, radio and print, as well as adverts in public places and in buildings accessible to the public. This was extended to programme and event sponsorship in July last year.

Banning sports sponsorship had always been part of the new regulations but its introduction was intentionally delayed by KSA. This was to allow existing deals to reach their conclusion and allow sports properties to prepare for the rule change. However, teams and athletes have not been able to enter new agreements since July 2023.

KSA pledges extra vigilance over sports sponsorship

KSA has continued to monitor the market in the lead-up to the rule change this July. This included requesting details from online casinos about any sponsorship or advertising deals they had in place.

With the ban less than six weeks away, KSA has told operators it will be extra vigilant for violations of new sponsorship rules. It warned that it would take “immediate enforcement action” against any operators that breach regulations.

However, KSA added that it continues to talk with industry associations about the impact of the ban and will assist with any queries about the rule change.

“In other countries with a similar ban, we see that gambling providers try to circumvent the ban in creative ways,” KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen said. “As far as I’m concerned, that is not the case in the Netherlands.

“This law was drawn up to protect young adults and other vulnerable groups. You do that by preventing them from being exposed to gambling advertising, regardless of who the advertising comes from.

“We at KSA will be very vigilant about that.”

Dutch gambling restrictions ratchet up

The ban on sponsorship comes amid a wave of measures implemented by Dutch politicians, designed to improve player protection standards.

Since the market opened in 2021, licensees have endured a series of changes including the ban on untargeted advertising, online deposit limits and tax hikes. From 1 January this year the levy for operators increased to 34.2% of GGR, and increases to 37.8% next year.

This prompted Flutter to pull Tombola from the market, while LiveScore Bet announced plans to exit in November last year ahead of the tax increase. Former monopoly Holland Casino also warned of cuts in its wake.

With further measures such as a slot ban looming, the measures haven’t yet had the desired impact. A review of the Netherlands Online Gambling Act published in November 2024 dismissed player protection efforts as ineffective.

Additional monitoring for Swedish licensees

Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen is to apply additional, temporary supervision to several of its licensees.

The review will take place throughout the spring and will focus on how licensees comply with the requirements for information that must be available on their websites. Results of this, the regulator said, will be made public.

Among the operators that will feature in the review are 888 Sweden, Betfair International, Mr Green, Interwetten and Skill On Net. Premier Gaming, Lotto Direct, Polar and ComeOn Sweden are also being reviewed.

Spelinspektionen will also include racing monopoly AB Trav och Galopp in the review.

Entain confirms double board appointment

Entain has announced Michael Goldberg and Edmond Mesrobian as independent non-executive directors on its board,

Goldberg is a veteran investor having previously worked at Elliott Management and Corvex Management. He will become a member of the Capital Allocation Committee.

Mesrobian is an experienced senior executive, holding roles with major firms such as Tesco and Expedia. Joining Entain, he will also serve on the Sustainability & Compliance Committee.

“I am confident the appointments will add significant value to the board, complementing our existing dynamics and further enhancing the board’s ability to deliver growth and the execution of our strategy,” Entain interim chair Pierre Bouchut said.

Red Rake enters New Jersey

Red Rake Gaming has expanded into New Jersey in partnership with the Hard Rock Bet platform and Aristocrat Interactive.

Red Rake’s games are now available to players in the Garden State through Hard Rock. The developer counts Sugar Burst, Guardians of Luxor 3 and new title Vegas All In among its games.

The launch comes shortly after Red Rake secured regulatory approval in New Jersey.

“We are very excited about the addition of our games on Hard Rock Bet and the opportunity to further expand our presence in the US,” Red Rake Gaming Malta managing director Nick Barr said.

Stakelogic grows Dutch presence with Starcasino NL

Stakelogic has strengthened its position in the Netherlands through a new deal with Starcasino NL.

Stakelogic has completed a direct integration with Starcasino NL, bringing its full slot and live casino portfolio to Dutch players.

Content includes slot titles such as Wild Canyon, Cozy Candy ClusterBreaker and Garden Gladiators, as well as live dealer blackjack and roulette and game shows.

“The Netherlands is a key market for us,” Stakelogic head of sales Neil Tanti said. “We are delighted to partner with an operator of Starcasino NL’s calibre to offer Dutch players the full Stakelogic experience.”

Veikkaus partners with Finnish football legend

And finally this week, Veikkaus has entered a partnership with Finnish football legend Sami Hyypiä.

Hyypiä, who represented Finland 105 times, has signed a multi-year deal to serve as a brand ambassador for Veikkaus. He will work with the operator on a range of customer-facing activities.

The former defender, who also worked with Veikkaus during his playing career, is best known for his 10-year spell with Liverpool in the English Premier League.

“It’s a pleasure to return to Veikkaus after a break of many years,” Hyypiä said, according to STTInfo. “I’m happy to be collaborating with a domestic operator that has promoted Finnish sports in many ways throughout its history.”

Girão blamed betting in Brazil, which launched its regulated online sector on 1 January, for increases in addiction and family debt.

With the vote to legalise land-based betting rumoured to be on the horizon, Girão has called for the entire sector to be banned, having authored a bill towards the end of 2024 that aimed to repeal the betting laws.

The bill in question is still waiting for a rapporteur to be appointed.

“We need to stop this humanitarian tragedy that is betting,” Girão said. “Only a few win: tycoons. And those who lose are millions. For me, it has to end. I have a bill to end it, to ban sports betting again.

“The damage has already been done, the signs are there. And there are still people with zero responsibility towards the Brazilian population, with zero social commitment, who are thinking of putting casinos and bingo halls to a vote in this House in the coming weeks.”

Girão has long been an opponent of gambling in Brazil, but he failed in his bid earlier this year to become the Senate president, losing out to betting advocate Davi Alcolumbre.

Influence of betting on Brazilian football

Alongside his bill to ban sports betting, Girão is also the author of PL 3,405/2023, which would prohibit use of celebrities in advertising to bet on sporting events.

That bill, alongside PL 2,985/2023, which would restrict the times during which betting ads can be broadcast, are set to be voted on this Wednesday.

If the bills are approved by the Sports Commission on Wednesday, they will be forwarded for analysis by the Communication and Digital Law Commission, which will have the final decision on whether to pass them as laws.

Girão claims the football industry’s dependence on betting sponsorships is harmful to the sport. He has called for a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) to be set up to investigate wrongdoing by the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF).

Senator Soraya Thronicke, head of the CPI on betting, previously said the group was “having enormous difficulty – enormous – in investigating large betting companies that sponsor games in Brazil; the CBF, for example.”

ACMA identified over 800 messages from PointsBet that breached spam laws in Australia. It also said the operator flouted laws related to the BetStop national self-exclusion register (NSER).

Setting out the case, ACMA said between September and November 2023, PointsBet sent out 705 emails with a direct link to its betting products without including an unsubscribe function. The regulator said PointsBet “mischaracterised” these emails as non-commercial despite promoting their services, thus making them subject to spam rules.

ACMA also identified seven marketing emails that were sent without recipient consent, as well as 90 commercial texts without sender contact information.

PointsBet falls foul of self-exclusion rules

ACMA also flagged issues related to PointsBet contacting consumers who had self-excluded from gambling. An NSER investigation found PointsBet sent 508 marketing messages to self-excluded individuals in August and September 2023.

NSER laws in Australia prohibit licensed wagering service providers from sending marketing materials to those registered with NSER. By contacting these people, PointsBet was ruled to have breached regulations.

ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin hit out at PointsBet over the failures. She said there are no excuses for gambling companies that fail to understand their legal obligations to consumers.

“It is deeply concerning that these failures have impacted PointsBet’s customers, some of whom had taken proactive steps to exclude themselves from online wagering,” O’Loughlin said.

“People signing up to the NSER are taking positive steps to remove online gambling from their lives. Their decision must not be compromised by companies like PointsBet.

“Wagering providers must also appropriately identify where messages promote or advertise their services and ensure that those messages comply with the rules, including the obligation to promote the NSER.”

Committed to improvements

Summing up the case, ACMA acknowledged no excluded customers were able to place bets with PointsBet during the period investigated. This is because their registration with NSER prevents them from gambling with any licensed provider in Australia.

ACMA also said it accepted court-enforceable undertakings from PointsBet committing it to reviews into its compliance with spam and NSER laws. The operator will also carry out all recommended improvements and provide regular training to staff to avoid further breaches.

“This action should serve as a warning to all wagering providers that they must meet their legal obligations or face the consequences,” O’Loughlin said. “We will closely monitor PointsBet’s compliance with its undertakings and with the spam and NSER laws.”

AGCO penalises Great Canadian Entertainment

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has fined Great Canadian Entertainment CA$151,00 (US$108,396) for age verification failures.

The operator is said to have failed to prevent minors from accessing gambling on multiple occasions at three Toronto-area casinos.

AGCO found four separate incidents in which minors gained access to the casino floors and participated in gambling. Two cases occurred at the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto and one each at Casino Ajax and Pickering Casino Resort.

“We are committed to ensuring casinos meet Ontario’s high standards of harm reduction and responsible gambling,” AGCO said. “This enforcement action underscores the AGCO’s dedication to protecting youth and other vulnerable individuals.”

Great Canadian Entertainment has the right to appeal the decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal.

Dutch regulator issues warning to Betca

Also facing regulatory wrath is Betca, which has been issued a warning by Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) in the Netherlands.

KSA said Betca featured a gambling-related advert within its mobile game, Tiny Tower. This was an advert for gambling website Circus.nl.

Dutch law prohibits gambling ads from appearing in non-gambling online games or websites with games. As such, KSA contacted Betca about the breach.

Betca said the advert was accidentally shown as a result of a human error. The operator said it immediately rectified the issue by removing the ad, adding that it was aimed at people who had previously visited Circus.nl and who indicated they were over 24.

KSA opted against further sanctions at this time but said it would continue to monitor Betca.

Bank of Ireland rolls out voluntary gambling blocks

Elsewhere, Bank of Ireland has launched voluntary blocks on debit cards for customers who want to stop spending on gambling.

The feature can be put in place following a customer request. It stops card payments to gambling operators, with intent to block use of online casinos, slot machines and lottery websites.

Customers can request a block on both personal and business debit cards. Bank of Ireland said blocking will also be extended to credit cards in the coming months.

Announcing the tool, Bank of Ireland said 90% of gambling transactions took place online in Q1. It added that 99% of these were funded using debit cards.

Norman to remain as ATG chair

Meanwhile, Sweden’s AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) has announced that Peter Norman is to remain as its chairman.

Norman was reelected at a general meeting last week. He has served as chair since mid-2023.

“I am proud and grateful to continue to lead ATG’s board,” Norman said. “This is a unique year, as for the first time the board is entirely appointed by our owners.”

During the same meeting, three new members were elected to the board: Katarina Bonde, Mårten Forste and Marie Thelander Dellhag. This means that for the first time, the Swedish state does not hold a majority on the board.

Paf links up with Formula 1 legend Kimi Raikkonen

And finally this week, Finnish operator Paf has entered into a new partnership with Formula 1 legend Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen, also from Finland, will work with Paf across a range of initiatives. This includes the operator’s charitable initiatives.

However, the deal remains subject to Paf securing a licence in the new-look Finnish market. Authorities aim to implement a new online licensing system at the beginning of 2027.

“We’re proud to welcome Kimi to the Paf team,” Paf Manager Thomas Näsman said. “He’s a true Finnish icon and we value his honesty and no-nonsense approach, qualities that align perfectly with our brand.”

Raikkonen won the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship in 2007.

The marketing agency launches with a 15-person strong team of industry experts. It has offices in London and Lithuania and is focused on data-driven lead generation and end-to-end sales.

It soft launched in 2024 and has been working behind the scenes and now counts more than 10 clients on its roster.

Brown has worked in B2B marketing for 15 years, leading campaigns for brands including Amelco, BetGames, Push Gaming, Evoplay and Relax Gaming.

Garneviciene has spent over 15 years as a C-suite executive in the B2B sector and has experience in scaling businesses. She held the role of COO for BetGames for almost 12 years and two years prior as CEO of Betfamilia in Malta.

“Having been in marketing since the early 2010s and being instrumental in building the success of Square in the Air, I saw a clear opportunity to address a significant gap in the market alongside a fantastic friend and former client, Aiste Garneviciene,” Brown said of the launch.

“The B2B gambling industry is ripe for a more sophisticated, data-led approach to marketing that goes beyond traditional services. We’re here to deliver exactly what every other B2B marketing agency already does outside of our industry – using data-driven strategies to create demand, leads and sales,” Brown added.

PRace starts

PRace projected €1 million in revenue for its first year.

“As one of the founding team members of BetGames in 2012, I know firsthand what it takes to truly build and scale a brand,” PRace co-founder Aiste Garneviciene said.

“From establishing credibility and educating the market, to driving qualified leads and sales. Each stage demands a different strategy and PRace is the first agency that can deliver that. We’re bringing a fresh perspective, deep industry expertise and a proven methodology that’s already serviced 10 top-tier clients,” Garneviciene said.

But times are changing and the deals that have been in place for years have come under fire in recent months.  

Critics have long warned that there is too much gambling advertising within the sport, which presents a risk to children watching and engaging with football. In an effort to quieten these claims, Premier League teams agreed on a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsorships in April 2023.  

This will inevitably force teams and operators to pivot away from the traditional sponsorship model and adopt new and innovative brand exposure opportunities during matches. The move comes into force from the end of the 2025-26 Premier League season, in May next year.  

What will the new era of football gambling sponsorships look like?  

Alan Alger, industry sponsorship and PR specialist, expects teams will (and likely already have) inflated the price of their shirt sponsorships ahead of the ban, as gambling companies scramble to maintain that visibility for a final season.  

“The savvy clubs that know this are obviously putting their prices up for next season, knowing that this is their last opportunity. And you would also expect the clubs in the Championship, which are eyeing a return to the Premier League, will all be looking at the chance to have one big payday back in the league,” he tells iGB. 

Alger played a pivotal role in securing and managing Betway’s 2015 principal sponsorship agreement with West Ham United. Reflecting on the 10-year-old partnership, he says it was a “very good deal for Betway”, whose brand appeared on the team’s shirts from the middle of the season, after the team’s former partner went bust.  

“If you’re going to introduce yourself to a new market, one of the best ways is via the most-watched sport,” he says. 

LEDs and sleeve sponsorships still available to gambling operators

But this legacy model is primed for change. Those close to the deals expect the sector will adapt and gambling branding will be just as present in the sport, both via LED advertising boards around the pitch and through novel activations with players and their teams. 

“You might see companies that have a largely global reach start to use player appearances for adverts in countries that don’t have as tight a legislation as we do in the UK,” Alger suggests.  

Currently, the UK prohibits players under the age of 25 from appearing in gambling marketing as this could appeal to an underage audience.  

“I think there will still be immense value in a betting partnership with a football club,” says one legal source active in the gambling sponsorships space.  

“The sleeve is still available, the LEDs are still available and, outside of the UK, using players to promote your brand is still available. It really depends on the structure of the deal, but if it’s a global deal then I think there’s as much value in that. 

“The interesting thing will be how the price of these deals is affected by exclusivity, because with a front-of-shirt deal, you’re paying big money for that, it’s very visible and there’s a lot of exclusivity that you normally get with that.” 

Could gambling sponsorships become more regional?

Some also expect operators and teams may slightly move the goalposts on the kinds of partnerships they form. Outside of front-of-shirt deals, many operators sign on as global betting partners for leading football teams. But in the future, this could become much more region specific, with teams adopting Asian or African betting partners, for example.  

The legal source believes this could open up new exclusivity opportunities for operators. “They might think about doing regional deals, as opposed to a global partner, that provides exclusivity to do multiple LED minutes from different regions,” they add. 

“But it’s very complicated around where you can and can’t serve the advertising. And obviously they’ve got broadcast feeds going out all around the world, so it’s quite an operation for them.” 

Partnering with leagues and rights holders to maximise brand exposure 

Operators have also begun to partner with tournament holders to maximise brand activations and expand their global reach.  

Bet365 announced a landmark betting partnership with the UEFA Champions League in August last year, covering the men’s Champions League, from the 2024-25 season until the 2026-27 campaign. 

As part of the deal, Bet365 maintains exclusivity over stadium branding during Champions League matches. “That was a good move by Bet365, but they’ve got the money to do it,” says Alger.  

“If you can partner up with tournaments and rights holders, as in leagues and cup tournaments, you’ve got a much better chance of having [your brand] spread across lots of different teams,” he tells iGB.  

But the legal source notes global deals, like those with leagues, are riskier from a due diligence perspective. Leagues may have a lower appetite for risk than teams as they are bound by regulation and public perception. 

“[They will] need to do a really thorough analysis of exactly what their rights are and whether there is any potential for either party to commit an offence [under the terms of the deal],” the lawyer adds.

Are white label sponsorships under threat?  

Both the UK government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Gambling Commission have said white label football sponsorships are under investigation. The model enables non-UK licensed operators to forge sponsorship deals with teams, as long as a white label version of their product, operated by a locally licensed company, is active in the market and meets all gambling regulations.  

“I think everyone thought that was quite a sensible rule, because you have got a brand in the UK that is licensed and you do have a touch point for the club, the fans and everyone else to see,” Alger says of the white label model.  

However, in December, gambling minister Baroness Twycross told an audience at the GambleAware annual conference the government was investigating the white label sponsorship model. This followed news that Curacao-licensed BC Game was largely operating illegally and had been declared bankrupt by a local court for failing to pay out player winnings.  

Nothing has been announced by the DCMS since this mention of the investigation last year.  

BC Game was swiftly stripped of its UK white label licence and its sponsorship deal with Leicester City was thrown into question.  

At the time the football club said the operator was appealing the case, and it had no issues with liquidity.  

Stake remains on Everton’s shirts for now

Then, in February, Stake was stripped of its UK white label licence, amid a Gambling Commission investigation into social media advertising from the operator. Despite no longer operating in the UK market, Stake remains Premier League team Everton’s shirt sponsor, at the time of writing.  

The Everton/Stake deal signed in June 2022 raised eyebrows considering Stake’s cryptocurrency gambling activities globally, although gambling with crypto is not prohibited in the UK. 

The Gambling Commission said it would contact Everton, as well as two other clubs with unlicensed betting sponsors, to warn them of the risks of promoting illegal sites. 

Despite these warnings, the legal source does not foresee a significant change in the white label model in the short term.  

“The change can come from legislation. And currently, the legislation is quite clear that you must have a licence, if you’re doing certain things as a gambling operator in Great Britain. A change in the law is not going to happen easily,” they suggest.  

The other option for changing the model is if either the football or gambling industry champions a change in the system.  

“[But] the only real incentive for [the teams], as they’re turning down money that these people are prepared to pay, is to raise the standard of the sport and make sure there isn’t money coming in from [bad actors].” 

House of Lords approves Football Governance Bill  

Historically, there has not been much regulation around the sport itself in the UK, but last year a bill was established in Parliament to build a regulatory framework that can govern football.  

The Football Governance Bill was initially introduced via the House of Lords in October, with the aim of establishing an independent football regulator to oversee the sport and handle issues such as club licensing.  

Law firm Pinsent Masons said the independent football regulator would oversee the licensing of football clubs in the top five flights in men’s football.  

In a blog post, dated 27 March, the firm said the entity would “ensure the fair distribution of revenue from football broadcasting deals and protect the interests of fans and communities”. 

In the final stages of House of Lords discussions, an amendment to enforce a ban on gambling sponsorships and advertising within the sport was suggested. But this was swiftly vetoed, by a clear majority of 339 to 74. 

The clause was put forward by Liberal Democrat politician Lord Addington in March’s round of amendments. 

“Duty to prevent advertising and sponsorship related to gambling in English football. English football must not promote or engage in advertising or sponsorship related to gambling,” the proposed clause said. 

Lower tier teams would suffer most from gambling sponsorship ban 

But members argued lower tier and non-league teams would suffer financially from the loss of gambling deals.  

Member Baroness Fox of Buckley asked: “Why would we cut off a perfectly legitimate source of funding in the form of lucrative sponsorship, which is what these amendments would do?”  

She also said a ban on gambling sponsorship would create a politically charged regulator, which was not the bill’s intention.

Both Alger and the lawyer are skeptical about whether a full ban will ever come into force.

“We’ve seen bans on branding from other sectors like alcohol and tobacco in sports,” the lawyer says. “But again, it’s usually the sports themselves that say, ‘This no longer feels like the right thing to do.’ There are different views on the health issues associated with gambling.”  

The bill has, at the time of writing, reached the committee stage at the House of Commons.  

For now, it looks like gambling sponsorships are safe from total prohibition. While the model is evolving, and new versions of legacy deals are coming to the forefront, the sector’s bond with English football is too deep-rooted to be totally scrapped.  

This sought to uncover malicious activity from online influencers in regards to illegal betting.

The police chief told the panel that illegal betting sites are using online influencers to drive bets made via the online payment service Pix. Players are able to use channels operated by the influencers to place bets on the black market.

As influencers are not considered financial institutions, it is impossible for the gambling regulator and other federal entities to freeze their assets and block the transactions.

“After people complained about losses after having played, we realised that these fintechs, the payment intermediaries, are these payment methods that are created clandestinely, through people who have no connection with the legal entity created,” Lucimério told the CPI.

The investigation identified BRL15 million (£2 million/€2.3 million/$2.6 million) had been wagered via illegal bets in Alagoas since the start of Brazil’s legal betting sector on 1 January.

How are influencers advertising illegal gambling?

Lucimério told the CPI that influencers had been hired by illegal betting companies and were then using false accounts to mislead gamblers into thinking they had won significant sums of money from betting with black market sites.

But in reality influencers are instead profiting from the actual bettors that are playing with the brands they are marketing.

“In order to play, the gambler needs to download an app,” Lucimério said. “That app is provided the famous demo account for influencers.

“The [influencer] would post the link for people to click and bet, but they also received another [fake] link where they could log in and record the screen showing how they made the big win. It was all a scam.”

More powers needed to combat influencers

Lucimério believes further legislation is needed to prevent such activities, which exploit bettors by promising prizes that aren’t possible to win.

Last month, federal deputy Kim Kataguiri introduced a bill which aims to criminalise the advertisement of black market betting, with a maximum penalty of eight years in prison for marketing that targets children and vulnerable people.

“If there is no proper regulation of this type of activity, we are talking about predatory activity here, which poses a very significant risk to the health of Brazilians,” Lucimério added.

“It ends up taking money out of the individual’s home, stopping it from circulating the local economy and going straight to the betting shops. If they are clandestine, the money doesn’t even stay in Brazil.”

Lucimério explained how the investigation initially looked into fraudulent activity, but later observed money laundering.

Senator Damares Alves, of the CPI, praised the police force’s work in combatting such crimes, saying: “Congratulations to the police officers who had the courage to face this billion-dollar, disgusting, disgusting market.”

According to KSA, the site has been running online gambling in the Netherlands illegally as Gamusoft does not hold a local gambling licence. An investigation found Dutch players could create an account, deposit funds and take part in gambling. KSA added no technical measures have been taken to prevent participation from the Netherlands.

As such, KSA ordered Gamusoft to immediately cease operations in the country. If it does not comply, Gamusoft will face a penalty payment of €280,000 (£240,671/$322,840) a week, up to a maximum of €840,000.

“With a penalty payment order, illegal offers are often quickly put a stop to,” the regulator said. “Providers may be fined for the period during which the illegal offer was available.”

711 blasted over advertising breach

Meanwhile, locally-licensed games of chance operator 711 has been warned over an incident that the regulator said was in breach of advertising rules.

A parent reported seeing an advertising banner from 711 on a website linked to homework assignments from primary schools in the Netherlands. Operators are prohibited from publishing adverts that are aimed at vulnerable groups, including minors.

Detailing the case, KSA said the 711 advertising campaign was published by an external partner. The party in question placed advertising banners on various websites, including sites partly aimed at minors.

711 informed KSA it had already discovered the issue after an internal investigation and had taken measures to prevent recurrence. However, 711 did not report the case to KSA, which it is obliged to do so under its licence requirements.

Ruling on the case, KSA elected to issue a warning, due to 711’s action over the breach. However, it flagged the failure to notify it of the issue, reiterating that all licensees must inform the regulator of such cases even if internal investigations are already underway.

“This form of advertising is considered by KSA to be very harmful and therefore a serious violation,” KSA said. “Taking action against such advertisements and taking extra care to protect minors and young adults will be a priority for KSA in 2025.”

That consultation closed on 27 March with around 200 contributions received and the SPA has now published its updated regulatory agenda in the form of Normative Ordinance No 817.

Article 2 of the ordinance revealed the focal points of the new agenda, which include the promotion of responsible gambling and addiction prevention, as well as the fostering of a balanced, transparent regulatory environment.

At the end of each quarter, as of 30 June, the SPA will release drafts of new regulations and encourage cross-industry participation in the process.

What has the SPA included in its regulatory agenda?

Item one on the SPA’s 2025-26 regulatory agenda is the development and implementation of a national platform for players to self-exclude from gambling activities, to boost the sector’s promotion of responsible gambling and the prevention of addiction. The SPA described this as the “most important” item on the agenda.

The SPA said it expected to publish minutes relating to that initiative in Q2, as well as improvements to the rights model for allocating resources from betting companies to sporting entities, such as athletes and clubs, in relation to sponsorships and advertising deals.

Additionally, the SPA hopes to clarify the parameters for creating a distinctive seal for licensed betting operators to use, so bettors can identify licensed products from unlicensed.

In line with its plans to promote responsible gambling, the regulator will improve its guidelines for supporting vulnerable bettors and their families with the aim of mitigating the consequences of problem gambling.

The third quarter of 2025 will see the SPA modernise its advertising regulations, which have come under fire of late, with multiple bills to further restrict advertising currently going through assessment in the senate.

Within its agenda, the SPA also said it plans to review regulations on Exclusive Instant Lottery. It will additionally look at consolidating the betting ecosystem in Brazil by regulating the economic exchanges between operators and providers, which it believes could combat the pressing issue of the black market.

To round off the first year of the regulated market, in Q4 2025 the SPA will establish a national betting system to bring state laws more in line with federal regulations. To support this, the SPA last month invited state politicians to a meeting at the ministry of finance’s headquarters to discuss ways of better aligning state regulations.

Looking ahead to 2026

The SPA is looking to further enhance its regulatory framework once the first year anniversary of legal gambling in Brazil passes. It said it expects to consolidate and improve its inspection procedures in Q1 2026 to ensure operators are supervised sufficiently.

The licensing process has faced some issues so far in Brazil and the SPA is looking to resolve those problems by reviewing and improving the authorisation procedure, utilising the lessons learned from the first cycle of licence authorisations.

A partial reason for delays in the initial licensing process was delayed certifications, especially as only six technical certification entities are currently recognised by the SPA.

The SPA will review procedures for certifying operators and suppliers in Q2 2026 with the aim of rectifying its previous delays.

Finally, the SPA will review its regime for sanctioning fixed-odds betting operators that violate its regulations in Q4 next year.

Just last week, the regulator suspended the licences of four operators that failed to deliver the necessary documentation.

Pixbet has since been reinstated and received a full licence from the regulator, although the other three companies will remain suspended until the certifications are completed.

Broad’s post asked his followers for tips ahead of the new Premier League football season. It was also accompanied by a picture of him playing cricket, as well as the hashtag “Ad”.

The complaint challenged whether the advert included someone who was likely of strong appeal to under-18s. It said this would place Fitzdares in breach of the CAP Code.

Fitzdares denies advert breached regulations

In response, Fitzdares said it conducted a “thorough” risk assessment of Broad against CAP guidance on gambling and lotteries advertising. The operator said it was “satisfied to a high degree” he was not of strong appeal to under-18s.

Detailing its position, Fitzdares set out how Broad retired in 2023 and now mainly appears as a pundit. It said detailed pundit-based cricket discussions are not of strong appeal to children.

Fitzdares also maintained Broad has only appeared “sparingly” in other media, including on talk shows and documentaries.

As for his social media presence, Fitzdares referenced data that shows approximately 7,500 of Broad’s followers across all accounts are registered as under 18 and in the UK. Most of these, it added, were on Instagram, while only 76 of his 1.3 million X followers are under 18 and located in the UK.

Fitzdares added that a large number of his followers on both platforms are in India. This, it said, is due to cricket’s popularity in the country.

ASA sides with Fitzdares

Assessing the case, ASA referred to the CAP Code’s policies on gambling products. The code states these must not be of strong appeal to children or young persons. This includes not featuring people who will likely have young people following them.

According to the code, cricketers can be seen as “high risk” or “low risk” in their appeal to under-18s. This depends on their current role within the sport.

The ASA acknowledged Broad had a successful and high-profile playing career, describing him as one of the “most prominent and well-known people” in cricket. However, since retiring in 2023, his role has been limited to commentating and analysing matches. As such, he is of less appeal to under-18s than current England cricket star players.

As for media appearances, the ASA said Broad does not have a strong presence in the UK. It noted that programmes he appeared on were focused specifically on cricket and not targeted at younger people.

Low appeal on social media

In terms of social media, the ASA took into account the data provided by Fitzdares and his low number of followers under the age of 18. It also noted Broad’s Facebook and YouTube pages have been inactive for several years, and he does not have a TikTok or a Snapchat account.

“Given his low absolute numbers of under-18 UK social media followers, in combination with his limited media profile and because he had retired from playing cricket, we considered Stuart Broad was not likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s,” the ASA said.

The ASA added there was nothing in the way Broad was presented in the ad that would have strongly attracted the attention of under-18s or likely rendered him of strong appeal.

As such, the complaint was rejected and Fitzdares cleared of any wrongdoing.

Sports betting odds, data and content provider Beter has secured its first approval in the US.

Vendor registration from the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement enables Beter to work with licensed operators in the state. This includes delivering its real-time data and live streams.

The first approved product is its flagship Setka Cup table tennis tournaments. This is already live in New Jersey from Bet365.

Beter arranges over 11,000 Setka Cup matches per month, offering more than 30 betting markets per event. In total, it organises over 46,000 fast-betting events monthly across esports and sports disciplines.

“This is a milestone moment for the Beter team,” CEO Gal Ehrlich said. “We see tremendous potential for our fast-betting products and solutions in New Jersey and across the US.”

Gojic joins STS as chief sportsbook officer

In Europe, Entain-owned STS has named Ivan Gojic as its new chief sportsbook officer.

Confirmed on his LinkedIn page, Gojic is working in his new position in Zagreb in Croatia. He previously worked in sports-focused roles at Superbet and Ladbrokes Coral.

Gojic was most recently head of trading product at Superbet, where he worked for seven years. He also spent time in senior trading roles with the operator.

Prior to this, Gojic worked at Ladbrokes Coral for almost six years, in roles including senior sports trader and product manager.

ULIS scores integrity partnership with LFP

Elsewhere in Europe, the United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS) has partnered with the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).

ULIS, the integrity body for state lotteries, will work with the LFP to protect sports integrity in French football. This covers both the top-tier Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 competitions.

Initiatives will include information sharing to combat manipulation threats and carrying out pre-season integrity assessments of clubs and other stakeholders.

“This partnership reinforces the collective efforts of ULIS and the LFP to ensure that Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 remain synonymous with fair play and ethical excellence,” ULIS president Gilles Maillet said. “It represents an extra instrument to protect the integrity of French football.”

ToonieBet partners with NHL’s Senators

Canada’s Ottawa Senators NHL franchise has partnered with ToonieBet.

The deal sees ToonieBet become the team’s official online casino partner. ToonieBet launched in 2024 as part of Soft2Bet.

Elements of the agreement include in-arena and broadcast branding, signage placement and direct fan engagement.

“We are thrilled to welcome ToonieBet as an official partner,” Senators vice president of corporate partnerships Martin Ballard said. “Cooperating with a brand that shares our commitment to providing fans with an exceptional and trusted experience is incredibly exciting.”

Strip casino pays out $15 million in negligence lawsuit

And finally, a California woman has been awarded a $15 million (£11.4 million/€13.2 million) judgment in a negligence lawsuit against MGM Resorts International.

The case, which dates back to April 2023, relates to Las Vegas Strip casino The Cosmopolitan. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Deborah Fenton slipped and fell “due to an unsafe and dangerous condition on the property, specifically water and glass”. This took place during a visit to the resort’s Chandelier Bar in September 2021.

Clark County District Court ruled in favour of Fenton and approved several payouts. First, she was awarded $261,751 for past medical expenses, then $976,614 for her future medical expenses.

A further $1.4 million was issued for “past physical pain, mental pain, suffering, anguish, disability and lost enjoyment of life”. Finally, Fenton was awarded $12.3 million for future pain and suffering.

The single-count negligence lawsuit did not specify the extent of her injuries.

The report found up to five million clicks across social media each month were directed to black market sites via affiliate links posted by streamers and influencers.

These influencers are also giving advice on how to approach black market sites by using VPNs and avoiding tracking.

The report found 90% of responding content creators said they used the online crypto betting platform BC Game, a platform no longer licensed in the UK via a white label agreement. It exited Curaçao in December when a local court declared it bankrupt after failing to pay players funds they were owed.

One creator surveyed in the report, who actively promoted the site in their stream, was found to be telling viewers: “As always guys, if you want to play on BC Game and support me as a gambling content creator, and if you want your quick spins, your auto plays, your bonus buys, no ID checks, no verification and full player protection, then make sure you sign up via gamblersden.com, or use the link down below.”

High numbers of underage users on the black market

A significant number of underage users may also be caught up in illegal online gambling, the report suggested.

Deal Me Out has estimated that as many as 420,000 underage school children may be using black market gambling sites, with a particular inclination towards loot boxes and in-game currencies in video games. The report noted that younger gamblers were also more likely to favour crypto gambling sites, which are not legal in the UK.

One young person interviewed said they had started gambling at 14 years old.

“It was social for me. My friends and I would come home from school, jump on Discord and watch each other gamble. We’d also be gambling with our gaming friends from the US, South America and Asia. There is something quite appealing, sitting next to your friends on a virtual table,” said an interviewee identified as MT.

The proliferation of underage gambling has been widely reported. An Irish report by the Institute of Public Health in 2023 found that roughly one in four 16-year-olds had gambled for money. Of those surveyed who gambled, 10% reported that they had done so excessively.

Frustrations with Gambling Commission regulations

The UK’s gambling industry is undergoing a regulatory reform, following the review of the Gambling Act and subsequent white paper in April 2023.

Reforms include mandatory deposit limits for first-time depositors and spin stake limits on slots of £5 for those 25 and older and £2 for adults aged between 18 and 24.

Deal Me Out reported that consumers have expressed concerns about giving more personal information to operators, as well as frustration with the loss of content such as bonuses and turbo spins.

As a result, some gamblers are choosing to use global black market sites to avoid friction and regulation.

The organisation has warned that using “disruptive methods alone against black market operators does not effectively address the problem”.

It noted that cease-and-desist letters to criminals and offshore payment providers can create games of “whack-a-mole” as mirror sites often appear whenever a site is blocked or called to be taken down.

Public awareness of what sites and verticals are illegal is lacking, as the report found that “people that gamble and those that don’t are equally unable to tell what is regulated and what is not”.

Influencers and content creators need black market games

Online content creators and influencers have admitted they are increasingly moving to play on illegal products.

“Regulation has forced our hand; if we don’t use crypto casinos we just can’t compete,” a YouTube content creator said within the report.

“Our viewers want to watch bonus buys, turbo spins, high rolling content, something we just can’t do in the UK anymore. I understand why the Gambling Commission has put these rules in place, we should do everything we can do protect people from addiction, but creating a poor consumer experience will only lead to the black market [increasing].”

A TikTok creator added: “Just look at content creators in Germany, France, Belgium – they’re all using crypto casinos. Americans, Canadians, Australians too. Show me a streamer that’s using UK regulated websites to create content and I’ll show you a fool.”

Deal Me Out calls for action against black market

Deal Me Out has recommended that the government and regulator take action on a number of risks to the public.

It has called for an “urgent review” of crypto gambling to prevent global blockchain operators from connecting with UK citizens, in particular underage gamers.

A preventative information campaign should also be undertaken to educate the public about the black market, fake games, payment refusals and the criminal activity associated with both.

Deal Me Out said it was “increasingly concerned” that people with gambling addictions will be “disproportionately” thrust towards the black market by further regulations.

The charity said it is not arguing against slot limits and affordability checks but is urging policy makers to consider the impact of regulation.

According to a similar report published by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), gamblers in the UK stake roughly £2.7 billion ($3.4 billion/3.1 billion) with black market operators annually.

Of those who played on both legal and illegal platforms, the BGC found that 12% of the money was spent with illegal operators, totalling £2bn a year. Those that exclusively used illegal sites spent £695m annually.

PL 2,985/2023, authored by senator Styvenson Valentim, would introduce a ban on gambling ads across all channels and mediums by amending Article 33 of Law No 13,756/2018, which regulated online betting in Brazil.

Meanwhile, the less restrictive PL 3,405/2023 would ban advertising involving athletes and celebrities, as well as prevent sports teams and influencers from advertising gambling brands.

In Wednesday’s meeting senator Carlos Portinho, the rapporteur of PL 2,985/2023, claimed current regulations on ads in Brazil were reaping “little results” in halting “predatory advertising”.

“We waited a year for [gambling] to be regulated and effectively enforced,” Portinho said. “When I hear that the government has a restrictive ordinance [on advertising], I wonder what they are doing.

“The situation is getting worse. Advertising is massive and is directed at people who are often not even the target audience, like children.”

Current regulations for gambling ads in Brazil

The SPA rolled out its gambling regulations last year, publishing Normative Ordinance No 1,231 in July to set out the rules on ads in Brazil.

The gambling ad rules, most of which came into force when the legal market launched on 1 January, insist all marketing should be guided by social responsibility and the promotion of responsible gambling.

Operators are not allowed to present betting as “socially attractive” and influencers and celebrities are banned from suggesting gambling can lead to personal, social or financial success.

Additionally, sponsorships must clearly identify the operators as the sponsor and refrain from appealing to children.

However, on 6 December last year, the SPA immediately introduced a number of ad restrictions first intended to come into effect once the legal market had launched.

These included a prohibition on advertising aimed at children or adolescents, as well as on platforms where minors make up the majority of the audience.

In addition, all advertisements are required to display an “18+” symbol or include a message informing players games are “prohibited for people under 18”.

During the CEsp hearing, SPA representative Daniele Correa Cardoso said the online sector could be difficult to monitor.

“When we receive a complaint, we carry out an analysis and the team proceeds to open an inspection process to remove the content [that breaches the regulations],” Correa Cardoso said of the process to remove content that does not meet regulations.

“The challenge is precisely the speed at which this happens, considering that we are talking about a digital environment.”

Are the current regulations sufficient enough?

Thiago Henrique Cunha Basílio, who works as a public defender in Rio de Janeiro state, believes current rules are not sufficient in protecting vulnerable players.

“We don’t think it’s enough to have a message saying ‘play responsibly’, as if that were washing our hands and transferring [responsibility] to the individual gambler on whether or not to bet,” he said. Some members of the public are more vulnerable than others, he added.

Although SuperBet Brazil CEO Alexandre Fonseca agreed the risks associated with advertising needed to be highlighted further, he said the illegal market is where the regulator should be focusing its efforts.

“We have 20,000 illegal websites operating in Brazil today, which is where gambling addicts end up finding shelter, where minors end up finding fertile ground to get involved in gambling,” Fonseca said during the commission’s session.

“I think that today we have a much more serious problem, which is the fight against illegal betting.”

Additionally, the National Association of Games and Lotteries’ (ANJL) legal director Pietro Cardia Lorenzoni warned further restrictions (such as those suggested in PL 2,985/2023 and PL 3,405/2023), could further drive players towards the illegal market, using Italy as an example where a blanket advertising ban has led to negative consequences.

“Brazilian consumers still don’t know what is legal and what is illegal,” Cardia said. “Advertising is a way of informing consumers about the legal market.

“[In Italy] the impacts of the ban were negative. Consumers were redirected to the illegal market. This means no consumer protection, no protection for children and adolescents and no funding for public policies.”

The advertisement in question features the athletes in uniform playing on a machine inside the arcade. In addition, the promotion included a congratulatory message for the team on winning a tournament.

KSA began enforcing a ban on the use of role models in advertising in June 2022. Regulations define a role model as a person who has achieved fame, such as a model, influencer or football player.

As the individuals featured in the advert were professional athletes, KSA deemed them to be role models. As such, Circus Gran Casino was ruled to have breached the ban.

KSA warns other operators over role model use

Responding to the charge, Circus Gran Casino said the rules on the use of role models was not “sufficiently” clear. It said it was uncertain which forms of gambling are covered by the rules.

However, KSA said as gaming arcades offer risky games of chance, the ban applies in full. As such, Circus Gran Casino was in breach of regulations.

“It is important that all gaming arcades are aware of this,” KSA says. “The gaming arcade cooperated during the conversation and immediately removed the statements in question following the conversation.

“We will check whether the statements continue to comply with the role model ban in the future.”

Circus Gran Casino is not the first operator to fall foul of the rule. In January, KSA revealed it issued warnings to a group of operators for breaching gambling advertising rules, including targeting young people.

In total, four warnings were sent for not abiding by the ban. Several operators advertised betting on Formula 1 motor racing events, with some ads referencing Dutch F1 driver Max Verstappen.

The operators did not use an image of Verstappen but made certain hints regarding the driver for the purpose of the adverts. This included puns and certain visual elements.

The new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the British Gambling Commission.

The deal establishes a framework for cooperation and sets out principles of collaboration between the two regulators. These shared aims, the organisations say, will enable closer working relationships and support their respective duties and functions.

GRAI CEO Anne Marie Caulfield and Gambling Commission interim CEO Andrew Rhodes signed off on the new collaboration last week.

“This MoU is an important step in formalising the working relationship between the two regulators,” Caulfield said. “Ireland and the UK share many of the same operators and gambling practices, so putting this agreement in place will enhance our ability to share information and discharge our respective regulatory responsibilities effectively.

“Open dialogue and close cooperation between both jurisdictions is paramount. I greatly look forward to continuing this close cooperation for the years to come.”

Stats Perform welcomes Kaplan as new marketing chief

Stats Perform has announced the appointment of Charles Kaplan as its new chief marketing officer.

Confirmed last week, Kaplan will take on his new role from 21 April. He will oversee the company’s marketing capabilities, Opta data insights and editorial services, and Opta Content Agency.

Kaplan brings nearly 25 years of marketing, product management and revenue growth expertise to Stats Perform. He was most recently chief product and marketing officer at Wynshop.

Kaplan also held leadership roles at Mi9 Retail, MicroStrategy, Lexmark Enterprise Software and Brainware.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Stats Perform team at such a critical time in the company’s history,” Kaplan said.

Playnetic moves into Canada with Ontario licence  

B2B igaming content provider has secured a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

The approval enables Playnetic to provide its library of games to licensees in the Ontario region. It has already begun talks with approved operators in the province.

This is the first approval for Playnetic in the wider Canadian market. The supplier aims to make it a “starting point” for expansion into other provinces in the country.

Hard Rock races ahead with Earnhardt Jr

Meanwhile, Hard Rock International and Hard Rock Bet have announced NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr as a brand ambassador.

The new partnership will feature brand integrations across several areas of the Hard Rock business. These include with Hard Rock Bet players and a branded free-to-play game on Hard Rock Neverland Casino and Jackpot Planet.

On the wagering side of the deal, customers can follow Earnhardt with his sports betting picks. They can also win face-to-face meetings with the NASCAR Hall-of-Famer.

“Hard Rock is such a historic and iconic brand,” said Earnhardt. “They have something for everyone – music, food, drinks, casino games and sports betting. I’m excited to partner with them and the opportunities we have to do some really fun things together.”

Midnite lands World Snooker Championship deal

Finally this week, UK-facing online betting and casino brand Midnite has partnered with the World Snooker Championship.

The deal sees Midnite become the official UK betting and casino partner of the contest. This year, the World Snooker Championship runs from 19 April to 5 May in Sheffield, England.

Midnite will run a series of activations throughout the competition. This includes giving away three pairs of Century Club tickets for the final session.

The Midnite sportsbook was launched in 2018 by Nick Wright and Daniel Qu. The duo previously created daily fantasy sports platform Dribble in partnership with Sky Bet.

It first signed an online sportsbook partnership with Kambi in 2022 – a deal it extended last October as it prepared to transition from a DFS operator to a full-fledged sports betting site.

It is a strategy that has been hugely successful in the US for the two market leaders, FanDuel and DraftKings. Both evolved from DFS-focused operations to sports betting and igaming to the tune of a combined $10.6 billion (£8.2 billion/€9.6 billion) in FY2024 revenue.

The pair have impressively utilised the huge customer base they gained from their DFS days and  transitioned them into sports betting with the companies.

But Augusto says while Rei do Pitaco has followed much of the DraftKings and FanDuel playbook, it is not a case of simply “copy and pasting” the DFS-to-sports betting model in Brazil.

“We looked a lot at FanDuel and DraftKings,” Augusto tells iGB. “Other companies tried to build what FanDuel and DraftKings did in Brazil, but they failed.

“So we understood the behaviour of the fantasy fans and we decided to build a product from scratch and based on Brazilians.”

Augusto warns the advantage isn’t quite as large for Rei do Pitaco as it was FanDuel and DraftKings, with the two US companies having transitioned to a newly legal market after PASPA restrictions were struck down in 2018. Brazil had a grey market between 2018 and its 1 January launch.

“The advantage for DraftKings and FanDuel in the US was huge,” Augusto continues. “For us, not that much. But still, we acquired a lot of customers, a huge user base that gives us a really great advantage in the regulated market.”

Product and localisation the key

The differentiator of localisation is one that Rei do Pitaco  is leaning into, fitting into its data-driven approach led from the front by Augusto.

Augusto’s “product, product, product” strategy is one he hopes will end in Rei do Pitaco being seen as a second screen for bettors watching sports in Brazil, helping the company to achieve its targets.

“If we really are the best product in the market, I think market share is just a matter of time,” Augusto explains. “And that’s where we focus.”

Rei do Pitaco’s DFS origins means it already has a steer on Brazilian sports bettors’ preferences and, although igaming is still an option, it is sports that will ultimately drive its growth going forward.

“For us, the main thing is sports betting,” Augusto says. “It’s the product that we put the most effort into. It’s the product we allocate the most resources to.

“The sports betting side, it’s a product that’s a lot more complex to build. And that’s what we like, right? We like complex things to build.”

Outsmart, not outspend the mantra

Rei do Pitaco is entering the sports betting market as a local hero company alongside international giants, including the likes of Betsson and MGM.

Rei do Pitaco is a way away yet from competing financially with those whales, although its understanding of that fact is where one of the company’s mantras is derived.

“One thing we always say internally is we’re going to outsmart competitors, not outspend them,” Augusto says. “You have the likes of MGM joining Brazil and spending millions of dollars. We’re humble enough to say we’re never going to outspend those guys.”

Rei do Pitaco’s chief legal officer, Rafael Marchetti Marcondes, concurs with Augusto and believes that thanks to a data-focused approach to marketing, the company can still achieve impressive growth despite its current limitation on resources..

“This is quite a mantra for us,” Marchetti Marcondes adds. “Because we don’t have the same budget like big international companies, so we have to think outside the box to identify opportunities that nobody has identified.

“Every penny that we spend is monitored. We analyse the payback. Everything is on metrics, it’s on data and this is a way that we work and we do believe that maybe, even with less financial resources, we can expand our business.”

No fear over back taxes

The measured approach extends to Rei do Pitaco’s decision not to operate in the grey market prior to regulation.

That means it experienced a smooth licensing process, as well as avoided the concerns of other companies that could yet have to pay retrospective taxes for their activities during the grey market.

“We were the third company to apply, but I believe we were the first company to complete all the documents,” Augusto says. “So for us, we prepared ourselves for this moment.”

On avoiding back taxes, Augusto replies: “That’s something we are not worried about at all, because we’ve been paying taxes in Brazil since we founded the company in 2019.

“For other companies, yes, it’s a major thing. But for us, we’re fine.”

Building for the future

Marchetti Marcondes reveals the early signs for Rei do Pitaco are positive, with the initial figures matching the company’s expectations.

“The numbers are escalating quite well, especially when we compare with the fantasy market,” Marchetti Marcondes declares. “We are now serving in a much bigger market. So I think that for us, the expectations and the numbers are quite good.”

While Rei do Pitaco has taken inspiration from the success of FanDuel and DraftKings, the company believes its tailored approach to the Brazilian market will further enhance its capabilities, despite the strength of its competitors.

Its strong user base from its DFS days, Augusto’s commitment to product and the company’s mantra of outsmarting – not outspending – look set to position Rei do Pitaco as a formidable entrant to the Brazil betting market.

A total of five adverts were published by Ryman Racing sub-brand PuntHub across Facebook and Instagram.

The New South Wales Betting and Racing Act 1998 states gambling adverts must adhere to strict requirements designed to protect players from inappropriate content and potential gambling harm.

However, the court ruled the ads in question failed to meet standards of decency, dignity and good taste. As such, it convicted and fined Colossalbet – representing the first time an operator has faced such charges in the state.

New South Wales regulator calls penalty ‘serious’

Liquor & Gaming New South Wales’ acting executive director of regulatory operations, Bernadette Beard, welcomed the decision. She said it should serve as a warning to other operators as to the consequences for breaking the rules.

“This is the first time a wagering operator in New South Wales has been prosecuted and convicted for publishing ads which offend standards of decency, dignity and good taste,” Beard said.

“We actively monitor gambling advertising across all platforms and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary.

“This is a serious penalty. I would urge betting providers take note and ensure the standards in the Act are being met in their advertising.”

Public transport ban for gambling advertising

The ruling comes after the New South Wales government in January announced plans to further restrict gambling advertising in the state.

All forms of gambling advertising will be banned on public transport. This covers casino, lottery and online betting adverts on trains, metro, buses, light rail and at train stations and ferry terminals.

The ban will apply to all assets owned and controlled by Transport, which operates a large portfolio of advertising assets. This includes 798 advertising boards at Sydney train stations, 49 road-facing digital billboards, adverts on up to 3,711 urban buses, 76 trams and across the Tangara train fleet.

The government will now work with advertising contract holders to implement the changes over the next 12 months.

First, authorities in New Zealand have launched a crackdown on social media influencers promoting offshore online gambling websites.

According to RNZ, the department of internal affairs (DIA) has issued its first takedown notices of influencers promoting illegal operators. Those that fail to comply could face hefty fines, the DIA warned.

The New Zealand Gambling Act makes it illegal to publish an advertisement for an offshore, unlicensed gambling operator.

“We’ve been investigating this,” director of gambling regulatory services Vicki Scott said. “We will be taking actions in relation to those influencers who are very publicly and clearly breaking the law.”

Malta regulator issues illegal gambling website warning

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is also strengthening its activity to tackle illegal gambling operators.

In a statement issued last week, the MGA flagged several illegal websites operating in the country. It says each site is falsely claiming to have a licence from the regulator.

All the sites in question operate under the God brand.

“The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA,” the regulator said. 

“The activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated. They do not provide the necessary safeguards delineated by virtue of the framework, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers.”

PropSwap pens sportsbook deal with Bally Bet

Elsewhere, PropSwap has entered into a multi-property sportsbook partnership with Bally Bet in Mississippi.

Under the agreement, Bally Bet is now serving as PropSwap’s preferred sportsbook in the state. The deal officially came into effect on 27 March.

PropSwap and two Bally Bet sportsbooks in Mississippi – at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi and Bally’s Vicksburg – will now work together on a series of joint initiatives. These will focus on drawing new customers to the two venues.

Customers will be encouraged to place wagers with the idea they can lock in profit early via listing tickets for sale, as their tickets improve in value.

“We are forever changing how people wager on sports,” PropSwap CEO and founder Luke Pergande said. “Your bets no longer need to win to get paid. They simply need to improve. This concept changes everything for a gambler and we’re excited that Bally Bet shares that vision with us.”

Yggdrasil expands UK presence with Bally’s

Also agreeing to a new partnership with Bally’s is Yggdrasil, which has extended its UK footprint by linking up with the gaming group.

The deal will see Yggdrasil’s full slot offering go live with Bally’s in the UK. The Bally’s UK stable features several major brands including Virgin Games, Jackpotjoy and Bally Casino.

Content available to players across these brands will include the Vikings series, 7×7 Zeus and Big Bucks Bison 10k Ways.

“Bally’s has a major presence across the UK,” Yggdrasil chief commercial officer Jose Simon said. “We are delighted to roll out our comprehensive slot offering to its players.”

Ladbrokes signs new deal with Chester Racecourse

Ladbrokes has extended its long-running association with Chester Racecourse in the UK by signing a new partnership.

Ladbrokes will serve as the official fixed-betting partner for the Boodles May Festival, which takes place 7-9 May. It will also be title sponsor of Ladbrokes Chester Cup Day on 9 May.

The operator will sponsor a race on each day of the Boodles May Festival, as well as another race in the Chester Plate.

Ladbrokes has a longstanding history with the Chester Cup, having first sponsored the race in 1995. This year’s event marks the 30th anniversary of its association with the event.

“Horse racing is part of Ladbrokes’ DNA,” says Simon Clare, PR director for Ladbrokes. “Our objective is to strengthen our support for, and promotion of, the sport through this exciting partnership with Chester Racecourse.”

On Tuesday, Thronicke called upon the congress to establish new laws to restrict the population’s access to online betting sites.

She also criticised the long delay between the initial passing of legislation in 2018 and the final approval in December 2023. Many blamed the proliferation of illegal sites during that period for ongoing concerns over betting addiction in Brazil.

“We need to make it increasingly difficult [to access online betting sites],” Thronicke said at the hearing. “We are here to make amends. We need to legislate to minimise the risks and damages of this activity.

“Now we are here learning and changing tires while the car is still moving, because it is a new world for all of us.”

Former gambling addict calls for ad restrictions in CPI

At Tuesday’s hearing, businessman and former betting addict André Rolim discussed his own challenges with gambling addiction, calling for introduction of stricter rules on advertising and limits on playing time.

However, Rolim insisted none of these restrictions would have quelled his gambling during his addiction. He ultimately overcame these issues after visiting a rehabilitation clinic.

“I don’t think there would be any policy that could [have] stopped me,” Rolim said. “When an addict is active, he does whatever he has to do [to bet]. He cheats, he finds his way.

“It’s kind of an illusion to think that we’re going to restrict someone who has access to money from being able to stop gambling.”

A number of measures have been introduced of late with the objective of restricting advertising in Brazil.

One such bill is PL 3563/2024, which was introduced last year and aims to prohibit fixed-odds sports betting advertising throughout Brazil. It would also ban sports sponsorships.

The bill’s rapporteur, Senator Damares Alves, reiterated her desire for advertising to be banned in Tuesday’s CPI meeting.

“When we are treating an alcoholic, we do not let him near alcohol,” Alves explained. “How can we treat a gambling addict if we are offering him the product every second?

“It is impossible to live in this nation without being bombarded by betting.”

Addicts particularly vulnerable to online gambling in Brazil

The long-running grey market in Brazil ahead of full regulation has led many to claim that at some points, the country had the most gambling sites in the world, making access much easier than in other markets.

Rolim shared his concerns over that ease of access, comparing it to the currently illegal land-based gambling, while also explaining how even accessing online betting has been more difficult in the past.

“You have to travel [to conduct land-based betting], you have to set a schedule, you have to tell your wife that you’re leaving the house. There are a series of barriers,” Rolim declared. “[With online betting] I tell my wife that I’m going to the balcony to watch a movie, but I’m playing.

“In the past, it was much harder to be an [online] bettor. I had to have an international card, I had to have a series of limits that didn’t let me bet 24 hours a day.”

Companies operating on a federal licence in Brazil have to adhere to strict KYC requirements, including mandatory facial recognition technology for ID verification. Bettors must also register using a viable bank account established with a payments institution approved by the Central Bank of Brazil.

Jennings and McKola were shown taking part in a challenge set by PokerStars Casino. This was based on who could win more wagering £100 (€120/$129) across 10 spins on a slot game.

The video showed McKola winning large amounts on several spins, including separate wins of £185 and £100. Jennings asked for tips on how to win big, with McKola saying “heat your finger up”, with Jennings then shown blowing on his fingers before pressing the “spin” button and winning more money.

McKola ended his 10 spins with £622 in credit and Jennings £240, with McKola saying, “Yeah, I’m just a lucky guy.” The ad concluded with Jennings facing the camera, saying “Can you believe that? I invested £100 and five minutes later, £240 because of my skill at slots.”

Shortly after the advert went live, a single complainant contacted the ASA. They challenged whether the ad portrayed, condoned or encouraged gambling that was socially irresponsible or could lead to financial harm.

PokerStars admits to breaking rules

Responding to the complaint, PokerStars acknowledged that the advert did not comply with the CAP Code. It said the ad was published in error and was removed from Instagram upon receiving the complaint.

PokerStars also said it provided mandatory advertising compliance training to staff involved in UK ad campaigns.

It added it is committed to ensuring all ads comply with relevant legislation, regulations and any applicable industry codes of practice.

ASA: Advert could lead to harm

In its own assessment, the ASA upheld the complaint, ruling that it did breach the CAP Code. In particular, it highlighted rules 16.1, 16.3 and 16.3.1 in Edition 12 of the CAP Code, all of which related to gambling advertising.

Setting out its decision, the ASA referenced the portrayal of McKola consistently winning large sums of money in a short period of time. It said this created a “false sense of guaranteed success”. It also acknowledged how Jennings, despite losing the challenges, was also shown making money.

The ASA also flagged how Jennings blowing on his finger and pushing the button to win more gave the impression that luck or simple actions could lead to significant rewards.

In addition, it took offence to Jennings’ claim that playing slots was an investment. This, together with the portrayal of easy and repetitive wins, gave the impression the decision to gamble had been taken lightly and would therefore likely encourage some consumers to play repetitively.

As such, it ruled the advert portrayed, condoned and encouraged gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible and could lead to harm. Therefore, PokerStars breached the CAP Code by featuring the advert on its Instagram page.

Adverts must not promote irresponsible gambling

ASA informed PokerStars the advert must not appear again in this form. It also warned the operator over its future conduct, saying ads must not portray, condone or encourage behaviour that is socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm.

“Their ads should not trivialise gambling, encourage frequent and repetitive participation, or describe gambling as an investment,” the ASA said.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has pledged he will tighten the nation’s laws on gambling in order to alleviate growing concerns over gambling addiction in Croatia.

The presentation cites data from the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation, which suggests 72.9% of high school students have gambled at least once, with 12.9% meeting the criteria for high-risk gambling problems.

The planned changes focus heavily on tackling “aggressive” advertising, which the government believes is currently fuelling problem gambling in Croatia.

Government proposals include a ban on advertising between 6am and 11pm on the internet, radio and other channels and prohibiting use of famous people to market gambling. Ads must not be displayed to those under the legal gambling age of 18.

Other changes would include the introduction of a self-exclusion scheme and the prohibition of self-service betting terminals (SSBTs) in public venues, such as restaurants and cafes.

However, the tax system for operators will be tweaked to the system below:

Licence fees will also be heavily increased for both online and land-based casinos, as well as brick-and-mortar betting shops;

Why is Croatia reforming its gambling laws?

Speaking to iGB, Marko Tomic, partner at local law firm Siketić & Tomić, explains these reforms will mark the first changes to the Croatian gambling laws in over a decade.

The proposals come as Croatian gambling is in good health, as ex-managing director of MaxBet Lazar Miucin points to Entain’s 2022 acquisition of local operator SuperSport as an example of international giants taking interest in the market.

So why are the regulatory changes happening now? Tomic explains the reasoning is twofold.

The first is to protect minors from underage betting, with Tomic revealing political pressure has been growing, pushing for stronger regulation of the gambling sector.

The second reason, in Tomic’s view, is a desire to protect legal companies in Croatia from the black market.

“The second leg is of course the illegal operators and restricting them as much as possible in the market,” Tomic explains.

“[While], of course, protecting the tax revenues and the revenues of the regulated operators who are paying quite high fees for their licences here. This I think is the main focus.”

How could operators be impacted?

Both Tomic and Miucin predict the changes will come into force prior to the targeted 1 January 2026 date.

But while the true consequences for operators remain to be seen, Miucin anticipates the reforms could lead to consolidation as smaller operators look for a way to remain in the market.

“I’m expecting some M&A to happen because small companies, maybe they will not see any advantage of working alone,” Miucin continues. “There are one or two companies that are small for the market and are going to be extremely influenced by the law changes.”

However, Tomic disagrees, arguing the alterations to aspects such as tax rates aren’t enough to have operators reconsidering their presence in Croatia.

“I don’t think it would change anything, because operators here have invested a lot of money and resources,” Tomic says. “They are employing a lot of people, so of course it’s going to be a burden on them.

“I think the industry in Croatia is employing 7,500 people currently, so it is a significant number, but I don’t think it will impact them [to exit the market], since the market itself is growing each year.”

Protection from the black market

As Tomic explains, one of the government’s primary motivations for changes is the shared desire with operators to clamp down on the black market.

This is an objective for which an effective remedy has not yet been found in Croatia, with IP blocking failing to properly restrict illegal operators, despite efforts from the ministry of finance.

The government is switching its focus to financial companies, Tomic notes.

“The focus is going to be on the payment service providers. The tax authority will aim to basically prohibit any type of suspicious transaction, especially to these illegal providers in Croatia.

“Since the IP blockade was introduced, now currently there are over 900 websites that are blocked by the government order. But I think the main tool they are introducing is the control over the payments.”

While operators are facing licence fee increases of up to 50%, Miucin feels licensed companies will be more inclined to adhere to regulations and stay on the legal side of the Croatian gambling sector, under the new framework.

“It’s bad for everyone, but it’s OK if the rules are the same for everyone,” Miucin explains. “Let’s close down all the black markets.

“That’s the thing with regulation. ‘You want to charge me 20% extra tax? Not a problem. Let’s work together to block [black market operators]. Then I’m going to pay you 20% tax’.”

Could Croatian gambling law updates stunt growth?

The increased fees and restrictions on advertising will no doubt lead to increased expectations from operators concerning the regulator’s blocking of the black market.

The Croatian gambling sector has enjoyed solid growth in recent years, but the new law represents a significant milestone, which could mark a new era of enhanced protection for players, according to the government.

Croatia is prepared to join a number of European countries in tightening gambling laws, as the Netherlands also faces increased tax rates and the UK grapples with heightened protection measures.

But many stakeholders have argued in the past that tax hikes and tightened restrictions on advertising and player protection are causing black markets to thrive, as players seek out products with less friction and fewer requirements.

Incoming Sun International CEO Bengtsson announced his departure as chairperson at the affiliate and gambling marketing business Raketech on 20 March. He is due to start at Sun International from 1 July.

Previously, Bengtsson had a four-year stint as the group CEO at William Hill between September 2019 and September 2022. He first joined William Hill as its chief digital officer in 2018.

During his William Hill tenure, Bengtsson oversaw a deal in which Caesars agreed to pay £2.9 billion (€3.35 billion /$4.04 billion) to take ownership of the group’s US business. William Hill’s European assets, valued at €2.3 billion, would later be sold to Evoke’s 888 Holdings.

Sun International is not itself opposed to a potential acquisition, as it confirmed it was previously in talks with a suitor in 2023.

Prior to Bengtsson joining William Hill, he was the CEO of the Sweden-based Betsson Group for five years, ending 2017.

Bengtsson currently holds the chair of the Hostelworld Group and City Gaming, while also providing advisory services to the consultancy firm Valluga Edge.

“Sun International is an iconic leisure group with a proud heritage, and a unique growth opportunity to become a leading omnichannel player in the rapidly evolving global gaming landscape,” Bengtsson said in a released statement.

Sun International CEO Leeming retires

The outgoing Leeming first joined Sun International in 1999 as group finance manager, later assuming the role of CFO in 2013. He has led the company since 2017.

While in leadership roles, Leeming oversaw the company through its entry into the online market and traversal of the pandemic.

Leeming will step down from 1 July, or potentially earlier should Bengtsson receive his work permit. Leeming will remain with the group until the end of the year in an advisory position.

Sun International chairperson Sam Sithole said: “Anthony has left an indelible mark on Sun International, and I would like to thank him for his significant contribution and dedication to the business over the last 26 years, and especially for his exemplary stewardship of the group since 2017.”

At present, Veikkaus holds a monopoly on online gambling, across lottery and online sports betting and casino games. Should the bill pass in its current form, this setup would stop by the end of 2026. Veikkaus will, however, keep exclusivity for lottery and scratchcards, as well as retail gaming machines and casino games.

Previous guidelines have said operators could apply for licences from 1 January 2026, when the new regulations officially come into effect. This would be with the view of the new-look market opening one year at the start of 2027. But some stakeholders have suggested the launch could happen earlier, thanks to the bill progressing to parliament quite quickly.

The government maintains that the reform would help reduce gambling harm in Finland. It said by allowing more approved operators to enter a wider market, this would reduce the number of consumers accessing illegal sites that do not offer the same protection measures as licensed providers.

“The aim of the bill has been to find a regulatory solution in which the regulation combating gambling harms would be balanced with the fact that gambling companies want to apply for a licence and that online gambling would be directed to a regulated gaming offering,” minister of the interior Mari Rantanen said, upon introducing the bill to parliament.

Could the reform bill be passed by June?

The bill will now be forwarded to subcommittees in parliament for further reviews. While this is likely to see some modifications, these are not expected to slow progress by much.

In January, Mika Kuismanen, CEO of Rahapeliala Ry, said he believed the law could be approved by the end of June. This would mean a fairly quick turnaround in parliament.

However, local gaming lawyer Antti Koivula believes it will more likely be towards the autumn when parliament takes a vote on the bill.

“Minor modifications are expected before the parliament votes on its approval, likely in autumn 2025,” Koivula said on LinkedIn. “With broad political consensus on the need for reform, the vote is expected to be a formality.

“This marks a significant milestone for Finland’s igaming industry. The proposed legislation aims to dismantle the longstanding gambling monopoly and open the market for competition – bringing Finland in line with broader European market practices.”

What else will change in Finland?

As for other measures set out in the bill, these include allowing commercial operators to begin taking bets on horse racing. Previously, this was only permitted through Veikkaus as part of its monopoly arrangement.

The legal age of gambling would remain at 18, while all players would need to provide some form of identification to play. Consumers would also be able to self-exclude from all legal operators under a new scheme.

On the subject of gambling harms, operators would be required to monitor players for any concerning behaviour. In addition, licensees would need to put in place measures to prevent abuses and crimes related to gambling activities.

A new Licensing and Supervision Authority, which has also been proposed to parliament, would oversee the regulated market.

In terms of marketing, this would be allowed subject to restrictions set out in the bill. These include not targeting minors or otherwise vulnerable people with advertising, nor featuring minors in any marketing materials.

KSA said its study focused on advertising in the “broadest sense”. This meant the regulator looked at traditional forms of advertising, as well as other forms of promotion within the publications.

During its research, KSA found newspapers and magazines were mentioning websites not registered with Cruks, the national self-exclusion scheme in the Netherlands, in written articles. Publications were also featuring recommendations and logos of illegal providers alongside these pieces.

This led the regulator’s research team to reach out to certain publications. In total, 42 editorial offices were contacted throughout the study and KSA staff warned them about the dangers of these articles.

The research team also successfully requested all publications that had featured the articles to remove any direct links to unlicensed providers and any affiliate sites promoting their websites. In addition, KSA wrote to all newspapers and magazines to advise on how to prevent violations in the future.

Regulator highlights dangers of illegal gambling sites avoiding Cruks

In its statement about the research, KSA spoke about the dangers of gambling on sites not part of Cruks.

All licensed sites in the Netherlands are required to integrate with Cruks. This allows players to opt out of gambling for set periods of time and prevent themselves from spending more money.

However, websites that do not hold a Dutch licence are not bound by such rules. Therefore, KSA said promoting these operators in newspapers and magazines can increase the risk of harm to vulnerable players seeking a way back into gambling.

“Registration with Cruks allows players to take a break if they feel that they no longer have their gambling behaviour under control,” KSA said. “However, this research proves players are sometimes tempted to gamble illegally and even to play without Cruks without realising it.

“Active promotion aimed at this vulnerable target group is therefore very harmful. Illegal providers do not have a licence and do not protect players against problematic gambling or gambling addiction.”

Regulatory reform for Dutch gambling

The research comes at a time of gambling regulatory reform in the Netherlands. This week, local industry stakeholders presented the Dutch parliament with their recommendations for the pending gambling act reform.

Among those in attendance was KSA, which proposed a new model for advertising gambling products based on their risk profile. This would see higher-risk products face stricter rules in terms of advertising.

The regulator also raised concerns over Cruks, saying it works “poorly” in its current form. It has instead proposed a longer mandatory exclusion period for players involuntarily added to the list.

Areas of discussion raised by operators included criticism of the increased gambling tax rate and urging the government to take firmer action against illegal operators.

Raketech said its nomination committee has already commenced its search for a new board member. This individual may also become the group’s new non-executive chairman, with a further update to be provided in due course.

Neither Raketech nor Bengtsson has revealed where he will take on his new CEO role.

“The company appreciates this is an opportunity for Ulrik,” Raketech said. “We thank him for his contribution and dedication to the Raketech board since joining in May 2021.”

Bengtsson: CEO role the ‘right professional move’

In addition to chairing the Raketech board, Bengtsson is chair of Hostelworld Group and City Gaming. He also works with advisory firm Valluga Edge.

Highly experienced in the gambling sector, Bengtsson was group CEO at William Hill between September 2019 and September 2022. Prior to this, he had a spell as the operator’s chief digital officer.

Earlier in his career, Bengtsson was group CEO of Betsson for over five years. He also spent time in two CEO positions within the Modern Times Group. In addition, he worked in sales roles with Telenor, CtrlPrint and IBM.

Most recently, Bengtsson worked across several senior positions at Virgin Media O2 between April 2023 and May 2024.

“Stepping back into a full-time CEO role feels like the right professional move for me and the opportunity I have been presented with is compelling,” Bengtsson said. “I am confident that the entire Raketech board and executive team remain dedicated to strengthening the balance sheet and shaping an exciting strategy that I expect will be unveiled to investors in the coming months.”

Teun Struycken, minister for legal protection in the Netherlands, revealed in December that the government was working on new policy, with hopes of having a new gambling bill in place by the end of 2025.

In their submission, the industry trade bodies VNLOK and NOGA set out several key points for the government to consider before signing off on new laws. Much of these focus on protecting players from harm and on tackling unlicensed activity.

Advertising must remain for legal operators

Among the recommendations was a request for the government to reject any plans for a complete ban on gambling advertising. Struycken has already said advertising rules will be put in place to “severely limit” the appeal of online gambling.

The Netherlands already has a ban in place for most forms of advertising, with this effective since mid-2023. However, research from KSA has found that since this was introduced, there has been a decline – between 50% and 75% – in the number of monthly visits to legal sites,

As such, VNLOK and NOGA are urging “sufficient” advertising opportunities for licensees to help players to distinguish between legal and illegal operators.

“Players must know where they can find legal offers to prevent further growth of illegality,” VNLOK and NOGA said. “Legal providers must be able to advertise in a targeted and responsible manner.”

Also on the subject of advertising, VNLOK and NOGA are urging the government to expand regulations to cover social media. The organisation is keen for the KSA to have increased power to take action against sites that illegally target players on social media platforms.

In addition, the bodies want to make it possible for licensees to access the Cruks self-exclusion scheme to ensure players who have registered do not receive any gambling advertising.

Calls for more effective use of Cruks

Also in relation to Cruks, the organisations made several recommendations to improve the current setup. While they recognise Cruks has proven successful since its introduction when the legal market opened in 2021, they believe there is room for improvement.

VNLOK and NOGA said new policy should set out the need for operators to provide aftercare to players who return to gambling after a Cruks exclusion. This will ensure more responsible play in the long term.

Operators should also be offering more assistance for users to sign up to Cruks, according to VNLOK and NOGA, to help them access help. This includes highlighting to players how Cruks only halts access to legal sites and that other blocking methods are required to extend this to sites without a licence.

Stopping the illegal supply of gambling

Leading on from this, VNLOK and NOGA set out additional steps to help tackle illegal operators active in the Netherlands. Again, these include increasing the powers available to the regulator.

“KSA must take tougher action against parties that promote illegal supply, such as banks, advertising platforms and suppliers of gambling games and live casinos,” VNLOK and NOGA said. “The current powers of KSA must be expanded to make the approach to illegality more effective.”

On this, the organisations are calling for the government to set up a new task force focused on illegal gambling. This will include drawing up an action plan on how to best tackle the current situation.

Second, they are urging a rethink of the planned increase in gambling tax. Confirmed last September, this is set to be introduced on a phased basis, despite warnings from several sectors as to how such a move could impact the legal market.

In addition, both VNLOK and NOGA are calling for more research into the proposal to raise the minimum betting age to 21. The proposal, set out by Struycken, would apply to “risky” games such as online slots.

The organisations are keen for the government to investigate the expected effectiveness and possible undesirable side effects of this measure. This should also include the experiences of minors, a group the bodies say has been unfairly ignored in recent years.

VNLOK chairwoman Helma Lodders will present the organisations’ recommendations at the roundtable tomorrow.

Valentim’s justification for the ban on gambling ads relates to the belief that companies are disregarding restrictions on marketing, particularly towards younger people.

“This proposal is justified in view of the sudden change in the profile of bettors, which is now mostly made up of young people, who have at their disposal, 24 hours a day, with just one click, the possibility of placing bets without any barrier to impulsive behaviour,” Valentim said.

The CEsp will analyse the bill in a meeting starting at 10.30 local time on Wednesday. The proposal will then be sent to the Communication and Digital Law Commission (CCDD), which will decide whether to progress with the bill.

Brazil has already taken steps to restrict advertising.

On 6 December the regulator, the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets, immediately implemented a number of advertising measures initially intended to come in from the legal market launch date of 1 January 2025.

These included a ban on advertising that has children or adolescents as a target audience, as well as via channels where minors make up the majority of their audience.

Additionally, all ads were mandated to include an ’18+’ symbol or a message reading “prohibited for people under 18”.

Bill supported by Portinho

Senator Carlos Portinho, who previously unsuccessfully tried to exclude igaming from the current betting laws, has thrown his support behind Valentim’s proposal. In December he said the “bill deserved to prosper”.

Portinho also made a number of amendments, including the introduction of a ban on betting ads on the radio between the hours of 10pm and 6am, as well as a blanket ban on marketing in printed or electronic media in Brazil.

Additionally, Portinho amended the bill to ban the use of athletes or other public figures in such advertising, as well as prohibiting the use of text messages or mobile notifications to promote gambling.

“The rampant advertising in this sector leads the audience to believe that, with a stroke of luck, they will achieve financial independence, when reality has shown the even more pronounced impoverishment of the most economically vulnerable segments of the population,” Portinho stated.

According to ACMA, a virtual banner promoting a gambling operator that appeared during Foxtel’s live coverage did not include an “adequate” responsible gambling message.

Section 3.12 of Australia’s Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice requires gambling ads in live sports broadcasts to carry this messaging. This applies to the promotion of odds or ads referencing gambling in any way.

Quick response from Foxtel

Detailing the response from Foxtel, ACMA said the broadcaster cooperated after being contacted over the issue. Foxtel quickly added a responsible gambling tagline to the advert.

Additionally, Foxtel agreed to further staff training on regulatory requirements around gambling advertisements. It will report back to ACMA on the steps it is taking to ensure the gambling ads it broadcasts have sufficient responsible gambling messages.

“Messages must emphasise the potential harms and risks of gambling if it is not undertaken responsibly,” Authority member Carolyn Lidgerwood said. “An 18+ logo on its own is not an adequate responsible gambling message.”

ACMA clamping down on broadcasters

Foxtel is the second major Australian broadcaster to feel the wrath of ACMA in a matter of weeks.

Last month, ACMA also warned Network 10 after it was found to have breached regulations on gambling advertising. Network 10 aired four gambling ads at prohibited times during the first practice round of a Formula One Grand Prix stream.

Gambling adverts cannot feature in broadcasts of sporting events between 5am and 8.30pm, as per the Code. This includes the five minutes before and after the event.

Network 10 said adverts were shown as a result of human error and it has taken steps to avoid similar issues in the future.

The broadcaster’s 10 Play streaming service was also reprimanded last August for breaching online gambling advertising rules during two live-streamed sports events.