iGaming Industry News

New figures from GamCare and debt advice provider PayPlan show that 1,954 people sought financial guidance through GamCare's Money Guidance Service in 2025, more than double the previous year, with total reported debt rising 153% to £7.2 million, and January 2026 recording the highest monthly referral total in the service's history.

Regulatory - Liam O'Brien - 18 Mar 2026

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed 20 criminal misdemeanour charges against prediction market platform Kalshi, alleging it operated an unlicensed gambling business and accepted bets on state elections in violation of Arizona law, marking the first criminal prosecution of a prediction market company by any US state.

Prediction Markets - Liam O'Brien - 17 Mar 2026

Meta has removed more than 159 million fraudulent ads and shut down 10.9 million scam-linked accounts in 2025, while a joint international operation with the Royal Thai Police, FBI, and US Department of Justice disabled 150,000 accounts tied to Southeast Asian scam centres and led to 21 arrests, as criminal networks increasingly use fake gambling platforms to lure victims.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 16 Mar 2026

Indiana Governor Mike Braun has signed House Bill 1052 into law, making Indiana the first state in 2026 and the seventh overall to prohibit dual-currency sweepstakes casino platforms, with civil penalties of up to $100,000 per violation taking effect from 1 July 2026.

Regulatory - Liam O'Brien - 13 Mar 2026

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued binding staff guidance and opened a formal advance rulemaking process on prediction markets, signalling a decisive shift under Chairman Mike Selig as event contracts surge from five per year in 2006 to roughly 1,600 certified contracts in 2025.

Prediction Markets - Liam O'Brien - 12 Mar 2026

Austrian prosecutors have filed criminal bribery charges against Novomatic founder Johann Graf and former Ainsworth CEO Harald Neumann, adding fresh regulatory scrutiny to a company already locked out of its AU$1-per-share takeover of Australian gaming supplier Ainsworth Game Technology after minority shareholders blocked the deal in February 2026.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 12 Mar 2026

Finland's state-owned operator Veikkaus has signalled ambitions to become a respected international gaming group by 2030, as its full-year 2025 results reveal declining domestic revenues and its B2B arm Fennica Gaming posts near-doubled turnover across 17 global markets all ahead of Finland's licensed market launch in July 2027.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 11 Mar 2026

The Kansspelautoriteit has handed Novatech a record €24.8m fine for operating Qbet.com and 55Bet.com illegally in the Netherlands, as the Dutch regulator signals it will pursue the entire ecosystem behind unlicensed gambling - including influencers, payment providers, and hosting companies.

Regulatory - Liam O'Brien - 10 Mar 2026

Dutch operators have urged lawmakers to revisit the Netherlands’ rising gambling tax, claiming the policy has reduced receipts by an estimated €43.5m in 2025 and is accelerating movement to unlicensed sites ahead of a parliamentary committee debate on 11 March.

Regulatory - Liam O'Brien - 9 Mar 2026

The milestone further strengthens the CRC’s position as one of the industry’s most trusted dispute resolution platforms, providing free and impartial assistance to players across the globe.

Press Release - Liam O'Brien - 9 Mar 2026

Freedom of Information documents suggest DCMS warned the UK Treasury that large gambling duty increases could miss revenue targets and boost illegal play through behavioural change, but Treasury pressed ahead as the Finance Bill enters a key parliamentary stage.

Regulatory - Liam O'Brien - 6 Mar 2026

Bally’s Intralot will transition its lotteries leadership on 16 March 2026 as Nikos Nikolakopoulos steps down as President of Lotteries, with chief operating officer Chrysostomos Sfatos set to assume the role while the outgoing executive remains on the board as a non-executive director.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 5 Mar 2026

Israeli police are investigating a large Polymarket wager that correctly predicted a United States strike on Iran on 28 February, amid concerns about possible insider knowledge and renewed scrutiny of how prediction platforms handle high risk geopolitical markets.

Prediction Markets - Liam O'Brien - 4 Mar 2026

The Netherlands Gambling Authority has reported a rise in cases of athletes betting on their own competitions during 2025, while overall match fixing alerts from licensed sportsbooks remained broadly stable and prompted renewed focus on integrity controls and reporting expectations.

Regulatory - Liam O'Brien - 4 Mar 2026

A Nevada federal judge has remanded disputes involving Kalshi and Polymarket back to state court, a shift that clears the way for Nevada regulators to pursue rapid orders that could restrict prediction market contracts offered to residents.

Prediction Markets - Liam O'Brien - 3 Mar 2026

Following hundreds of high-quality applications from companies and individuals across the entire industry spectrum, Casino Guru has narrowed the field to the strongest candidates in each category who demonstrated unfaltering compliance with the format’s requirements.

Press Release - Liam O'Brien - 3 Mar 2026

Leading iGaming content provider Spinomenal has struck gold with the launch of 3 Irish Treasures Hold & Hit, a charming new addition to its Hold & Hit portfolio.

Press Release - Liam O'Brien - 2 Mar 2026

Nationwide says gambling spend rose in January, with the top 10 per cent of gamblers averaging about £745 a month, as a busy 2026 sports calendar raises concern about higher betting activity and growing demand for support services.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 2 Mar 2026

The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has rated the gambling sector as a medium to high money laundering risk in its 2026 assessment, citing the scale of online gambling, complex B2B supply chains, and technology driven threats, while highlighting stronger AML CFT supervision and enforcement capability since 2020.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 27 Feb 2026

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.

Corporate - Liam O'Brien - 26 Feb 2026