Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Brazilian President Lula said online betting platforms could be shut down if they fail to show a social benefit Lula made the comments in an interview on the As Cunhãs Podcast He said pushback would come from a “betting caucus” in Congress A new study found illegal operators control 38%-44% of Brazil’s betting market Lula gave no timeline or specific plan for any restrictions Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says online betting platforms in the country could be shut down. He said this would happen if the industry cannot show a wider social benefit. Lula made the…

TLDR Sporting Risk announced two new products on August 18, FlexBuilder and Same Game Pick ‘Em. FlexBuilder lets players win a payout even if not every leg of their bet hits. Same Game Pick ‘Em removes odds and pricing, offering a simple Yes or No format. FlexBuilder targets experienced bettors, while Same Game Pick ‘Em is aimed at newer and recreational players. Both products are now live within Sporting Risk’s existing Bet Builder Suite. Sporting Risk has added two new products to its Bet Builder Suite. The sports analytics company announced FlexBuilder and Same Game Pick ‘Em on August 18.…

TLDR Blokotech launched BlokoPredict, a white label prediction markets engine for operators, media brands and fintech platforms. The tool lets partners add prediction markets without building their own trading or compliance systems. It uses a live pricing model called an automated market maker, so trades do not need to wait for a matching counterparty. Markets can be imported from data feeds or added through custom webhooks, then checked in a moderation queue before going live. Operators get a dashboard that tracks trading volume, open positions, feed health and settlement status. Blokotech has released a new product called BlokoPredict. It is…

TLDR Bally’s second quarter revenue grew 20% to $792.2 million The company says it needs new financing to meet liquidity and debt requirements Bally’s included a going concern warning in its latest filing Cash on hand fell from $906.7 million to $487.8 million over six months Casino projects in Chicago, New York and Las Vegas are adding to financing pressure Bally’s Corporation reported revenue growth in the second quarter. At the same time, the company warned it may not meet its liquidity and debt requirements without new financing. Revenue for the three months ended June 30 came in at $792.2…

TLDR Ainsworth Game Technology will pay Aristocrat AU$8.5 million under a new patent agreement. The deal follows a 2025 Federal Court ruling on Aristocrat’s game feature patents. Aristocrat granted Ainsworth a license covering the Hold & Spin family of features. Ainsworth’s customers and distributors receive pass-through rights under the agreement. Aristocrat also licensed Ainsworth to use its responsible gaming patents royalty-free. Ainsworth Game Technology has agreed to pay Aristocrat AU$8.5 million as part of a new patent agreement. The deal covers the use of certain Aristocrat patents tied to electronic gaming machines. Ainsworth disclosed the agreement in a filing on…

TLDR CICC flagged 12 Facebook accounts and pages for promoting unregulated online gambling sites. The largest account, Never Grow Old 2.0, has 6 million followers. The advisory names 11 gambling websites tied to the accounts. This is the seventh and final batch in the CICC’s ongoing review of social media promotions. The agency cited possible violations of Philippine gambling and cybercrime laws. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center has named 12 Facebook pages and accounts. The agency says they promoted unregulated online gambling websites. Some of the accounts have millions of followers. That gives the reported promotions a wide reach…

TLDR UAE’s GCGRA signed a memorandum of understanding with ADGM’s FSRA The deal sets up a framework for information exchange, supervision and investigations Officials say it will bring more regulatory certainty to the UAE gaming sector The agreement does not announce any licensing decision or enforcement action Both regulators will keep their own mandates while working together on overlapping issues The UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market. The agreement was announced on August 16, 2026. It sets up a formal way for the…

TLDR Australian media found ads for unlicensed offshore casinos running on Facebook and Instagram Some ads appeared to impersonate real casino brands Crown Melbourne and Star Current Australian law makes it hard for regulators to force removal of these ads A new bill could give regulators power to block illegal gambling sites and payments from 2027 A separate dispute is playing out in the Netherlands under EU digital rules Meta is facing fresh scrutiny in Australia after a report found ads for unlicensed online casinos running on Facebook and Instagram. The report came from The Sydney Morning Herald on August…

TLDR Coljuegos launched emergency monitoring after an August 10 earthquake hit southwestern Colombia. The quake damaged gaming venues and knocked out power, internet, and telecom service in some areas. Operators may get more time to meet reporting and payment deadlines. Any relief will be temporary, not a permanent waiver of financial obligations. Gambling revenue in Colombia funds healthcare, so keeping the system running matters during the emergency. Colombia’s gambling regulator, Coljuegos, has started an emergency monitoring process after an earthquake struck the southwestern part of the country on August 10. The regulator wants to understand how the quake has affected…

TLDR Seaport Research Partners says selling City of Dreams Manila could help Melco reduce debt Melco’s Manila property beat expectations in the second quarter with property EBITDA up 9% Macau operations stayed under pressure with revenue down about 9% year-on-year Melco’s total debt fell to $7.1 billion from $7.9 billion Cyprus operations saw EBITDA jump 60% year-on-year despite disruption from the Middle East conflict Melco Resorts & Entertainment could reduce its debt by selling City of Dreams Manila, according to Seaport Research Partners. The brokerage made this assessment even though the Philippine resort posted better-than-expected results in the second quarter.…