TLDR The CFTC filed a lawsuit against New York state officials, including AG Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul, over prediction market regulation The suit argues federal authority over event contracts should override state gaming laws New York had previously issued cease-and-desist orders to Kalshi and sued Coinbase and Gemini over sports and election contracts The CFTC also filed a brief in a Massachusetts court case involving Kalshi New York officials fired back, saying their gambling laws protect consumers and they will keep enforcing them The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is taking its fight over prediction markets to new fronts.…
Author: Maisie Morrison
TLDR Argentina’s National Communications Agency blocked 251 illegal gambling websites operating without licenses in Buenos Aires province The crackdown was led by cybercrime prosecutors in San Isidro after complaints from the regulated gambling industry Many sites had no fair play controls and users reported being unable to withdraw funds Investigators found minors could easily sign up and some were recruited as money-moving intermediaries Officials warn illegal operators adapt quickly and new sites can replace blocked ones almost immediately Argentina is cracking down on illegal online gambling after authorities blocked 251 unlicensed betting websites in Buenos Aires province this week. The…
TLDR A 30-day iGaming pilot processed over 237,000 Lightning Network transactions, moving around 88 BTC with payments settling in under two seconds About 80% of the traffic came from Cash App users, suggesting mainstream adoption beyond crypto-native audiences Lightning payments are final and irreversible, eliminating chargebacks and reducing the need for operators to hold idle funds Players consistently rank payout speed as a top concern, with many leaving platforms over slow withdrawals Stablecoins like Tether can now run on Lightning, offering instant payouts without Bitcoin price volatility A new report from Voltage has put numbers behind what some iGaming operators…
TLDR Zimbabwe lawmakers want to raise the levy on licensed bookmakers from 2% to 4% to fund public projects like clinics and schools. The proposal follows a parliamentary review of community projects funded by the Lotteries and Gaming Board in several districts. Zimbabwe already raised bookmaker tax from 3% to 20% and tax on bettors’ winnings from 10% to 25% in January 2026. The new bookmaker tax acts as a final tax, replacing Corporate Income Tax for betting companies and casinos. Zimbabwe’s betting industry generated about $120 million in 2023, with over 300,000 active online bettors by 2024. Zimbabwe’s Parliament…
TLDR SportyBet Nigeria blocked customer accounts in 2024 and accused users of manipulating its system to secure large payouts Affected customers claimed SportyBet owed them over N900 million in winnings and denied any wrongdoing SportyBet took customers to court seeking N50 million in damages and an order to stop them from posting about the dispute online The court dismissed the case entirely, ruling SportyBet failed to prove its claims The original N900 million winnings dispute between SportyBet and its customers remains unsettled SportyBet Nigeria has lost its court case against a group of customers whose accounts were blocked in 2024.…
TLDR Hacksaw Gaming posted Q1 2026 revenue of €57.6 million, up 28% year-over-year, with profit hitting €45.5 million The company released 27 new game titles and signed 79 commercial deals in the quarter Hacksaw secured an Online Gaming Service Provider license in Connecticut as part of its US expansion Nine partner studios are now active on its OpenRGS platform, with the total game portfolio reaching 320 titles Hacksaw Ventures continues investing in early-stage companies like Kitsune Studios and Jinx Gaming Hacksaw Gaming kicked off 2026 with a strong first quarter, reporting revenue of €57.6 million. That figure represents a 28%…
TLDR Brazil collected R$3.397 billion in sports betting tax in Q1 2026, a 123.7% increase from Q1 2025. The growth is largely driven by the regulatory framework that took effect on January 1, 2025, including a 12% tax on Gross Gaming Revenue. Monthly figures show a declining trend: January brought in R$1.49 billion, February R$1.04 billion, and March R$859 million. New fiscal policies approved in late 2025 raised tax rates on betting operators and cut tax benefits by 10%. Complementary Law 224/2025 will gradually increase the betting tax rate from 12% to 15% by 2028. Brazil’s sports betting industry generated…
TLDR BetHog closed a $10 million Series A round, bringing its total funding to $16 million, to build out AI-powered live casino dealers. The company launched Sentient Studios, a B2B platform that lets casino operators add AI dealers with no upfront costs through a revenue-share model. BetHog’s AI blackjack dealer, Sunny, launched in October 2025 and is now available in 12 languages, with baccarat and roulette coming later this year. The company says its AI dealer is 10x more popular than traditional live dealers, with better player retention and satisfaction. AI dealers still face regulatory hurdles and player trust concerns,…
TLDR The Philippine Civil Service Commission has banned all government workers from any form of gambling, whether physical or online, at any time or place The policy covers casinos, online gambling, e-sabong, e-bingo, and even mere presence in gambling venues Penalties range from reprimand for a first offense to suspension and then termination for repeat violations Anonymous reporting of violations is allowed through existing CSC complaint channels The resolution applies to all government employees including local government units, state universities, and government-owned corporations The Philippine Civil Service Commission has issued a sweeping new policy that bans all government employees from…
TLDR All five of Argentina’s biggest football clubs now have betting brands as front-of-shirt sponsors 9 out of 30 teams in Liga Profesional (30%) have betting operators as their main sponsor Betsson’s deal with Boca Juniors is worth roughly $7.5 million per year and runs until 2028 Betting was legalized in Argentina in 2021, and the industry has grown quickly since then Companies like Betsson say they are focused on promoting responsible gambling and fighting illegal platforms Argentina’s online betting industry has moved fast since its legalization in 2021. In just a few years, betting companies have become some of…