Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Finnish iGaming platform provider Finnplay has partnered with new operator Happy Brands Finland. Happy Brands Finland has submitted its application for a Finnish gambling licence. The operator plans to launch betting and casino sites on Finnplay’s Titan platform. Finland’s regulated online gambling market is set to open in July 2027. Happy Brands Finland has also signed a marketing deal with a major Finnish real estate partner. Finnish iGaming platform provider Finnplay has signed a partnership with Happy Brands Finland. The new operator is getting ready to enter Finland’s regulated online gambling market. The deal was announced on October 7,…

TLDR Kalshi’s 15-minute gold markets recorded 542 million contracts in September, ahead of Ether’s 318 million. Gold generated about $5 million in estimated fees, nearly double Ether’s $2.6 million. Bitcoin stayed Kalshi’s top 15-minute market, with about $60.4 million in estimated September fees. 15-minute markets produced $20.4 million in fees in the seven days through Oct. 5, about 80% of non-sports fees. Kalshi said its commodity markets reached $400 million in trading volume within seven months. Kalshi’s 15-minute gold markets have passed comparable Ether contracts in trading activity, only weeks after the gold product launched in August. Gold markets recorded…

TLDR Malware hidden in poker software updates let a cheater view high-stakes players’ screens and hidden cards in real time. Jurojin Poker and IntuitiveTables were both compromised, with Jurojin’s tampered updates sent between June 2025 and January 2026. CoinPoker banned an account registered in Paul Gregg’s name, confiscated over $100,000, and repaid affected players. One player says he lost between $100,000 and $200,000 to the suspect account. ACR Poker has launched a “Screen Shield” to block screen-capture and screen-sharing programs. High-stakes online poker players were targeted by a malware attack that let a cheater secretly see their screens and hidden…

TLDR Jumpman Gaming won its appeal at the UK Upper Tribunal against a £13.2m Remote Gaming Duty bill from HMRC. The dispute was about money won from promotional free spins and later gambled again. The Upper Tribunal reversed two findings made by the First-tier Tribunal in September 2025. The court ruled that wagers from free spins won through an initial free spin should not face the duty. HMRC still has the right to appeal the decision. Jumpman Gaming has won a legal fight with the UK tax authority over a £13.2m tax bill. The Upper Tribunal ruled in the company’s…

TLDR Polymarket will challenge a Dutch ban and a €420,000 penalty in court in The Hague. The Dutch Gambling Authority (Ksa) ordered Polymarket to stop operating in February, saying it lacked a gambling licence. Polymarket says it is a financial product and should be overseen by the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets. The Ksa rejected Polymarket’s earlier appeal in June, ruling that blockchain and crypto payments do not change the activity’s legal nature. Polymarket is meeting regulators across Europe, including ESMA and the UK’s FCA, to seek approval as a financial services firm. Polymarket is taking the Dutch Gambling Authority…

TLDR UK gambling minister Vicky Foxcroft says a consultation on removing the “aim to permit” licensing rule will start “very shortly.” The review could replace gambling impact assessments that only became law at the end of April. Foxcroft has not given a firm timetable for the consultation. BACTA President Joseph Cullis said the industry welcomed the assessments as a middle ground. A separate consultation on a gambling sponsorship ban closed on 9 September, and its results have not been shared. The UK government plans to consult on removing the “aim to permit” licensing objective for gambling premises. Gambling minister Vicky…

TLDR A Stifel analyst says buyers still want regional casino assets despite rising borrowing costs. Ten-year Treasury yields recently hit 24-year highs, and the Fed may raise rates again this year. Fertitta Entertainment is on track to close its $17.6 billion purchase of Caesars Entertainment next year. Century Casinos is selling two Alberta venues, and Churchill Downs has nine regional casinos for sale. Large online gambling deals look unlikely for now, though small product deals may still happen. Interest in buying regional casinos remains strong even as borrowing costs climb, according to a Stifel analyst. The view comes after talks…

TLDR LeBron James will earn $15 million a year endorsing Polymarket, according to Front Office Sports. The deal pays nearly four times his expected $4 million salary from the Philadelphia 76ers this season. A source said James is an endorser, not an investor, in the prediction market. James will promote football rather than basketball, according to The Athletic. New York’s attorney general has sued Polymarket, calling it an illegal gambling operation. LeBron James has signed an endorsement deal with Polymarket worth $15 million a year, according to a report from Front Office Sports. Polymarket is a crypto-based prediction market where…

TLDR Turkey’s football federation provisionally suspended 448 current and former club officials over betting. Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan and Beşiktaş vice-president Hakan Daltaban are on the list. Officials from Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe were also named, touching all four of Turkey’s biggest clubs. Mohamed Salah and Trabzonspor’s players have no link to the case. Turkey’s referee chief was arrested two days earlier in a separate case. Turkey’s football federation has provisionally suspended 448 current and former club officials as part of a betting investigation. All of them have been referred to the federation’s disciplinary committee. The list includes Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul…

TLDR Polymarket users have traded more than $77,000 on whether major banks will fail before the end of 2026. Banks listed include HSBC, Lloyds, JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs. UK MP Bobby Dean warns the markets could amplify rumors and help trigger bank runs. Failure odds for HSBC and Lloyds remain in the low single digits on Polymarket. The FCA is discussing prediction markets with overseas regulators, and the Bank of England is monitoring. Prediction market Polymarket is letting users bet on whether some of the world’s largest banks will collapse before the end of…