Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR 37% of Brazilians plan to bet on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while 77% intend to consume the event in some form Match outcome bets are the most popular category at 51%, followed by goal totals at 26% Free-to-air TV remains the top viewing method at 73%, with streaming at 31% The expanded 48-team tournament runs June 11 to July 19 across the US, Canada, and Mexico Spain is an early betting favorite to win, with Kylian Mbappé favored for top scorer A new study shows that more than a third of Brazilians are planning to place bets on…

TLDR Gov. Hochul and the New York State Gaming Commission released draft rules on March 30 aimed at preventing underage online gambling The proposed measures would require biometric age verification and ban the use of AI to target gamblers New activity triggers would force operators to check on patrons showing signs of gambling harm Public comments are open until May 15, 2026, with input sought from schools, parents, and religious groups Industry stakeholders have given mixed reactions, with some warning the biometric requirements may be too aggressive New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s Gaming Commission have released draft…

TLDR PAGCOR delayed its new minimum guaranteed fee system for online gaming operators by two months, from April 1 to June 1, 2026 The regulator cited the current economic crisis in the Philippines as the reason for the deferment Gaming system administrators with electronic casino games will face a monthly minimum fee of PHP9 million (about $149,000) The second tranche of fees has also been pushed back from October 2026 to January 2027 There are currently 65 accredited gaming system administrators listed on PAGCOR’s regulatory website The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp has postponed the launch of its new minimum…

TLDR Brazil’s regulated betting market now has 83 licensed operators, 29.4 million active users, and R$ 37 billion in public revenue A new study warns tax rates on betting operators could rise from 32% to 42% by 2033 due to ongoing tax reform Industry leaders say changing tax rules mid-game could make operations unviable for companies that entered Brazil under a defined framework Higher taxes could push consumers toward illegal betting sites, costing the government potential revenue A proposed “sin tax” set for 2027 could add further costs, though critics say it misapplies lottery logic to a different business model…

TLDR Macau casinos generated $2.80 billion in gross gaming revenue in March 2026, up 15% year-over-year March revenue also rose 9.6% compared to February’s $2.56 billion Q1 2026 total reached MOP65.87 billion (~$8.1 billion), a 14.3% increase over Q1 2025 Citigroup reported stronger premium mass baccarat activity with higher player counts and bigger average wagers March posted the strongest year-over-year growth of any month in the quarter Macau’s casinos brought in MOP22.61 billion, roughly $2.80 billion, in gross gaming revenue during March 2026. The figures were released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. That number represents a 15% increase…

TLDR Nepal’s government ordered all online betting apps and websites to be blocked immediately The Nepal Telecommunications Authority has begun targeting at least 16 betting sites for closure The NTA was not given specific site names and must identify suspicious URLs on its own The crackdown is part of a 100-point governance reform plan with daily monitoring Land-based casinos along the India border were not included in the shutdown order Nepal has ordered the immediate shutdown of all online betting apps and websites across the country. The directive came from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology over the weekend.…

TLDR Betano grew its market share from 17.85% to 26.96% in Brazil’s first year of regulated gambling, now controlling over a quarter of the market Superbet made the biggest jump, climbing from 8th to 3rd place while more than doubling its audience share Esportes da Sorte fell from 2nd to 6th after its owner was arrested in a federal money laundering probe Of 38 unlicensed brands in the top 100 in January 2025, only 11 remained by February 2026 Three brands outside the top 100 broke into the top 20, showing the market is still open to new entrants Brazil’s…

TLDR The National Futures Association approved Kinetic Markets LLC, Kalshi’s partner, to act as a futures commission merchant on March 23. This approval paves the way for Kalshi to offer margin trading on its prediction market platform. Margin trading lets traders take positions without putting down full cash upfront, attracting institutional players. The CFTC still needs to approve Kalshi’s updated rulebooks before margin trading can officially launch. Brokers are already setting up accounts to help hedge funds trade on Kalshi ahead of the expected rollout. Kalshi has moved one step closer to offering margin trading on its prediction market platform.…

TLDR UK student gamblers are now losing an average of £50.33 per week, nearly double the £27.24 reported the previous year 65% of students gambled in the past year, down from 78% in 2022, but those still gambling are spending more 53% of student gamblers say their primary reason is “to make money,” up from 45% in 2024 37% of students surveyed reported investing in cryptocurrency, with men (51%) far outpacing women (25%) Gamstop registrations among 16-24 year olds jumped 40% in the second half of 2025 A new survey of 2,000 UK university students has found that those who…

TLDR Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has added prediction markets to the state’s interim study agenda ahead of the 2027 legislative session Patrick’s directive accuses prediction markets of exploiting federal law to bypass Texas gambling prohibitions The Senate State Affairs Committee will study the overlap between federally regulated derivatives and state gambling laws Texas remains one of the most gambling-restrictive states in the U.S. and has not legalized sports betting More than a dozen states and federal lawmakers have introduced legislation targeting prediction markets this year Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has put prediction markets in his crosshairs. In a…