Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Brazil is targeting influencers and marketing agencies who promote unlicensed betting platforms with shared tax liability. Fintechs and banks that process payments for illegal betting operators can now be held jointly responsible for unpaid taxes. Funds seized from illegal operators will go toward public safety programs. The Federal Revenue Service will collect income tax and other levies from promoters and payment processors of illegal betting platforms. The measures aim to cut off both the financial and promotional lifelines of unlicensed offshore betting companies. Brazil’s government has launched a new crackdown on illegal betting operators, targeting the people and businesses…

TLDR Licensed operators in Eswatini want the government to define how long self-exclusion periods should last A validation workshop was held to review draft regulations under the Gaming Control Act of 2021 The Gaming Board will manage a central self-exclusion register and notify operators of requests Excluded players who gamble anyway face a fine of up to E2,000 or up to two years in prison The draft also introduces a fee schedule to speed up licensing and renewals Eswatini Gambling Operators Push for Clearer Self-Exclusion Rules Licensed gambling operators in Eswatini are calling on the government to set clear rules…

TLDR Australia banned online casino gambling under its 2001 Interactive Gambling Act Offshore casinos continue to attract Australian players despite the ban Crypto payments are a key draw, as they are fast and hard to reverse Over 54,000 Australians enrolled in the BetStop self-exclusion system by end of 2025 Regulators struggle to keep up as blocked sites quickly reappear under new domains Australia has spent over 20 years trying to keep online casino gambling out of its regulated market. It hasn’t worked. Under the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act, companies cannot offer online casino products like pokies, roulette, blackjack, or poker…

TLDR Georgia’s Parliament is reviewing a bill to create new gambling licenses for international operators only Georgian citizens would be blocked from using platforms run under the new licenses Foreign operators would pay a 5% tax on gross gaming revenue, compared to 20% for domestic-facing operators Licenses would last five years, cost GEL 100,000 annually, and cover online casino, slots, and sports betting The bill also limits operators to one domain per license, down from two Georgia is preparing a major change to its gambling laws. The government wants to attract foreign betting and casino companies while keeping its own…

TLDR Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service launched Operation Conto da Sorte on June 23, targeting illegal betting The scheme involved 37 companies and an estimated BRL50 billion ($9.7 billion) in financial movement 14 search and seizure warrants were executed across Pernambuco, Ceará, and São Paulo Up to BRL145 million in assets were frozen by court order The fraud originated from irregular company accreditation by a municipality in Rio Grande do Norte Brazil Raids Illegal Betting Network Moving $9.7 Billion Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service launched Operation Conto da Sorte on June 23, targeting a large illegal betting network across multiple states. The…

TLDR Dutch trade group VNLOK is suing Meta and filing an EU complaint over illegal gambling ads on Facebook and Instagram Research found 70,000 gambling ads per quarter targeted Dutch users, with over 95% promoting unlicensed operators Meta removed fewer than 5% of those ads, according to VNLOK The illegal Dutch gambling market is estimated at over €1 billion in annual wagers Meta faces similar lawsuits in California and scrutiny from regulators in the UK, Australia, Brazil, and Malaysia Dutch gambling trade group VNLOK has filed a lawsuit against Meta and submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission. The…

TLDR North Carolina lawmakers voted to raise the online sportsbook tax rate from 18% to 23% The state has collected over $299 million in tax revenue since sports betting launched in March 2024 Bettors placed more than $561 million in wagers in May 2026 alone — the ninth straight month above $500 million The Sports Betting Alliance warned the hike penalizes licensed operators who have already delivered major tax revenue North Carolina now sits above New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Ohio in tax rate, but well below New York’s 51% North Carolina has raised the tax rate on online sports betting…

TLDR Pzena Investment Management spent US$112.22 million on two share purchases in Galaxy Entertainment Group The first purchase on May 14 raised Pzena’s stake from 4.89% to 5.01%; the second on June 16 pushed it to 6.27% Galaxy Entertainment’s share price hit a calendar-year low of HKD29.82 on Monday Morgan Stanley said Macau gaming stocks are underperforming the Hang Seng Index in 2026 The bank cut its 2026 growth forecasts for Macau gross gaming revenue and EBITDA Pzena Buys Into Galaxy Entertainment While Macau Casino Stocks Slide US investment firm Pzena Investment Management has increased its stake in Galaxy Entertainment…

TLDR Illegal offshore operators are undercutting licensed betting companies in Peru by avoiding taxes and regulations Licensed operators pay a 12% sector tax on gross gaming profit plus a 1% tax on every bet placed A sports integrity bill passed by Congress was vetoed by the Executive branch and awaits further action Regulators are urged to focus on redirecting consumers to legal platforms, not just enforcement Peru may update its tourism law to formally register casinos and slot machine operators Peru’s regulated betting market is growing, but two big problems are holding it back: illegal gambling operators and sports integrity…

TLDR India banned Kalshi after its 2025 Online Gaming Act took effect May 1, 2026, classifying event-based trading as illegal gambling Kalshi updated its member agreement on June 17, barring users in India from trading India represented a large market — one cricket match alone generated over $27 million in trading volume Kalshi now lists 55 restricted jurisdictions, including Brazil, Spain, Indonesia, Argentina, and Portugal The core dispute is whether prediction markets are financial tools or gambling platforms Kalshi Blocked in India as Prediction Markets Face Global Crackdown Kalshi has added India to its restricted jurisdictions list after the country’s…