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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Switzerland has added 271 new domains to its offshore gambling blacklist, taking the total to 2,944 as regulators intensify enforcement under the Federal Act on Money Games and extend blocking to affiliate sites that direct Swiss users to unlicensed operators.
Mexico is considering a new restriction on gambling advertising that would block betting and casino promotion during family viewing hours and before 10:30pm, as lawmakers cite concerns about youth exposure and misleading messaging ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Brazil’s securities regulator has authorised B3 to launch the country’s first regulated prediction market product for professional investors, positioning the initial yes or no contracts on the dollar, the Ibovespa, and bitcoin under capital markets oversight rather than the national betting framework.
France has activated the JONUM regime, a three-year trial that regulates games using monetisable digital objects such as blockchain-based items and non-fungible tokens, imposing gambling-style safeguards while prohibiting cash prizes and requiring declarations and transparency for regulatory monitoring.
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.
Indiana has moved closer to an outright prohibition on online sweepstakes casinos after the Senate passed an amended House Bill 1052 that would define sweepstakes games in state law and empower the Indiana Gaming Commission to issue civil penalties of up to $100,000, with the bill now returning to the House for final agreement.
