Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Ireland’s Gambling Regulatory Authority has launched a national risk assessment and 30-point action plan targeting money laundering in gambling Remote bookmakers and private members’ clubs are flagged as high-risk for money laundering Private members’ clubs will now require licenses for the first time Cryptocurrency is under fresh scrutiny, with new industry-wide standards planned for digital assets Closed-loop payment systems will be introduced, requiring withdrawals to go back to the original deposit account Ireland Moves to Close Gaps in Gambling Oversight Ireland is tightening its grip on the gambling industry with a new national risk assessment and a 30-point action…

TLDR Estonia cut 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 revenues in January and February required a budget top-up of €220,000 Finland’s planned regulated market could pull operators away from Estonia Estonia lowered its online gambling tax to bring in more foreign operators. But months after the reform passed, the results have been thin. The Riigikogu passed legislation late last year to cut the online gambling tax rate from 6% to 4% in…

TLDR CIDG agents arrested 13 people, including one fugitive, at a home in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa on June 15 The raid began as a routine arrest warrant execution for violations of the Access Devices Regulation Act and Cybercrime Prevention Act Police seized computers, laptops, phones, hard drives, and other electronic devices from the property PAGCOR confirmed the online gaming platforms being run from the home were unauthorized The operation also violated the government’s existing ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) Philippine police have arrested 13 people after discovering an illegal online gambling operation inside a private home in Muntinlupa…

TLDR Brazil’s Ministry of Finance released Ordinance No. 17.66, targeting illegal sports betting operators Financial institutions must block transactions with unauthorized operators within 24 hours of notice Failure to act makes payment providers jointly liable for taxes on illegal betting activity Over 50,000 illegal domains have been blocked since a 2024 deal with telecoms regulator ANATEL More than 650,000 self-exclusion requests have been made through a new centralized platform Brazil has introduced new rules to cut illegal sports betting operators off from the financial system. The Ministry of Finance released Ordinance No. 17.66 on June 17, 2026, setting out procedures…

TLDR Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are expanding rapidly across the US, including in states where gambling is illegal Public health advocates warn that addiction support resources are not keeping pace with the industry’s growth Kalshi and Polymarket claim they sell event derivatives, not gambling products, placing them under federal CFTC oversight Over a dozen lawsuits across multiple states are challenging that classification The Points Act, introduced in March, would create the first federal funding for gambling addiction treatment Prediction Markets Expand Into Every Corner of the Country Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have grown quickly across the…

TLDR Pragmatic Play has launched an exclusive slot called Mecca Big Bass Double Dab for Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo brand The game is based on Pragmatic Play’s popular Big Bass franchise with a neon-themed design The launch is part of an ongoing partnership between Pragmatic Play and Rank Group The slot was built specifically for Mecca Bingo’s player base Pragmatic Play delivers its games through a single API integration across multiple verticals Pragmatic Play has released a new exclusive slot game for Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo brand. The title, Mecca Big Bass Double Dab, is a custom version of the…

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…