General
The European Lotteries' 19th annual sector report shows regulated lotteries across 37 countries contributed more than €29.4 billion to public budgets, sports, culture, and health in 2024, the highest figure ever recorded. Online GGR climbed 19% to €6.2 billion, underscoring a structural shift that the sector's traditional retail backbone has not yet reversed.
A report commissioned by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimates that unlicensed online gambling operators generated $97.4 billion in US revenue in 2025, growing at nearly twice the pace of the regulated sector and raising pointed questions about whether legalisation is containing or expanding overall market harm.
Twelve of Missouri's 13 licensed casinos posted year-over-year gains in July, with slots and table games both growing, though the state has no online casino channel to amplify the trend the way neighbouring markets have.
Illinois casino revenue climbed to $192.7 million in July, its strongest year-over-year performance in recent months, with two Hollywood Casino properties delivering triple- and double-digit gains after completing moves from riverboat to land-based formats. Neighbouring Iowa tells a contrasting story, with aggregate revenue falling 6% as most of its 19 casinos shed ground.
New Jersey's online casino market accelerated in June 2026, with internet gaming win outpacing every prior comparable month on record, while sports wagering gross revenue suffered its sharpest year-on-year decline of 2026 as punter-friendly outcomes in the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup games ate into operator margins.
A clutch of sell-side notes published in late July and early August 2026 reveals four distinct storylines shaping investor sentiment across the global gaming sector: Churchill Downs pursuing a regional asset sale, MGM anchored by a $48.30 takeover offer, Sportradar absorbing a €9 million FX headwind, and Macau lagging its own recent recovery pace after a soft World Cup and a disruptive typhoon.
The American Gaming Association's full-year Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker confirms the U.S. regulated market has posted its strongest result on record, with iGaming's $10.74 billion haul and a $18.09 billion tax contribution redefining the scale of state-licensed gambling. The AGA used the announcement to sharpen its attack on prediction markets, estimating they have already diverted more than $500 million in potential sports betting tax revenue.
Leading operators implement machine learning to detect high-risk players in real-time, reducing affordability breaches by 40% while maintaining player retention. New compliance tools from DraftKings, FanDuel reshape operator margins.
NHS Wales will launch a specialist gambling treatment service and the Wales Gambling Helpline on 1 April 2026, bringing gambling harm support into mainstream healthcare with NHS led referral, treatment and aftercare funded through the statutory gambling levy.
The Malta Gaming Authority has published a thematic review of self exclusion practices after mystery shopping tests across 20 licensees found delays, cross brand weaknesses, and shortcomings in limit setting prompts and Reality Check controls, with remediation required and enforcement escalated where needed.
Nevada's casinos generated $1.35 billion in November, driven by strong local demand that offset a rare decline on the Las Vegas Strip and falling tourist numbers.
The Pasig City Regional Trial Court has found former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and several co-accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt of orchestrating a network