Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Russia’s Federation Council has approved a bill cutting online casino blocking times to 48 hours Current process routes through the Federal Tax Service before Roskomnadzor can act, causing delays Operators often exploit the slow process by migrating traffic to mirror domains before a block takes effect The Ministry of Finance has separately proposed legalizing a limited number of online casinos with a 30% profit tax The Russian Orthodox Church has opposed legalization, citing social and demographic concerns Russia is close to giving its regulators a much faster tool to shut down illegal online casinos. A new bill, already approved…

TLDR Rep. Bryan Steil introduced the “Stop Lawmakers From Predicting Act” to ban members of Congress, their spouses, and dependents from trading on prediction markets Violators face fines of $2,000 or 10% of the transaction value, whichever is greater, plus forfeiture of any profits The bill has support from House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump The Senate already voted unanimously to ban its own members from prediction market betting A separate bipartisan bill would extend the ban to all government officials, including the president and vice president Congress Targets Prediction Market Betting With New Legislation A new bill…

TLDR Indonesia’s PPATK wants an extra $31.7M for its 2027 budget to fight online gambling and money laundering The increase would more than triple the agency’s current budget to $47.3M PPATK warned gambling transactions could spike during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Indonesia’s QRIS digital payment system has been linked to football betting transactions Despite a drop in turnover, Indonesia recorded 422.1 million gambling transactions in 2025 Indonesia’s financial intelligence agency, PPATK, has asked for an extra IDR516.4 billion — around $31.7 million — to fund its 2027 operations. The request would push the agency’s total budget to $47.3 million,…

TLDR Police in China have shut down multiple illegal gambling networks linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup across several provinces In Xi’an, 7 suspects were arrested after running an online betting platform with transactions exceeding 100,000 yuan ($14,770) A gang in Guangxi was dismantled for flooding social media with gambling ads since May 2026 In Liaoning, a suspect used illegal apps to take bets on match outcomes, with payments via WeChat China’s Ministry of Public Security warned citizens before the tournament that no online lottery or sports betting sites are legally authorized Chinese police have shut down several illegal…

TLDR Brazil’s Finance Minister Dario Durigan defended new taxes on sports betting operators, offshore investments, and exclusive investment funds Sports betting companies paid zero tax from 2018 to 2022 despite the industry being legal The Lula government proposed an 18% tax on betting operators; Congress approved 12% Annual tax revenue from licensed betting operators now stands at around BRL 9 billion Brazil created 5.1 million jobs in 2026, with inflation described as under control Brazil’s Finance Minister Dario Durigan appeared before the Finance and Taxation Committee of the Chamber of Deputies this week to defend a series of tax measures…

TLDR Ireland has launched a national risk assessment and 30-point action plan to tighten gambling oversight Remote bookmakers and private members’ clubs are flagged as high-risk for money laundering Cash use at land-based venues and the speed of digital transfers are listed as key vulnerabilities Cryptocurrency is under fresh scrutiny, with new industry-wide standards expected from the regulator Closed-loop payment systems will require customers to withdraw funds to the same account used for deposits Ireland’s gambling regulator is rolling out a sweeping new anti-money laundering plan that targets cash, crypto, and private clubs that have long operated outside formal oversight.…

TLDR Estonia cut its online gambling tax from 6% to 4% to attract foreign operators, but results have been slow Only 2 license applications have been submitted, both still being processed One operator withdrew its application entirely Tax revenue from the reform is still modest, with a €220,000 shortfall bridged by a budget transfer Finland’s upcoming regulated market could pull operators away from Estonia if conditions don’t improve Estonia lowered its online gambling tax rate to attract foreign casinos, but the early results have been underwhelming. Officials say the reform is taking longer to gain traction than expected. The tax…

TLDR CIDG arrested 13 people, including one fugitive, during a June 15 raid in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa The operation began with a warrant for violations of the Access Devices Regulation Act and Cybercrime Prevention Act Police seized computers, laptops, phones, hard drives, and other electronic devices PAGCOR confirmed the online gaming platforms were unauthorized and violated the POGO ban Investigation is ongoing, with more suspects potentially to be identified from seized equipment Philippine Police Arrest 13 in Muntinlupa Illegal Online Gambling Raid Philippine law enforcement arrested 13 people at a private home in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa on June 15, after…

TLDR Brazil’s Ministry of Finance released Ordinance No. 17.66, targeting financial institutions that process payments for illegal betting operators. Banks and payment providers must block transactions within 24 hours of receiving formal notice or face joint tax liability. The rules also apply to advertisers and promoters of unauthorized betting platforms. Over 50,000 illegal domains have been blocked since a 2024 agreement with Brazil’s telecoms regulator. A centralized self-exclusion platform launched in December 2025 has received over 650,000 requests. Brazil Moves to Cut Off Illegal Betting Operators from Financial System Brazil’s Ministry of Finance published Ordinance No. 17.66 on June 17,…

TLDR Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are expanding fast across the US, including in states where gambling is illegal Public health experts warn that addiction support resources are not keeping up with the growth of online betting Kalshi and Polymarket classify themselves as event derivatives sellers under federal CFTC oversight, not gambling operators California spends just $9m a year on problem gambling — far less than it spends on tobacco and alcohol harms The Points Act, introduced in Congress in March, would create the first federal funding for gambling addiction treatment Prediction markets are growing fast in the United States.…