Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR UK online gambling Gross Gambling Yield rose 7% to £1.55bn in Q1 2026, per the UK Gambling Commission Slots led the way with £773m in GGY, up 12% year-on-year, with spins reaching 25.1 billion Monthly active accounts dipped slightly to 13.4 million, down 1% from last year Sessions over one hour dropped 12%, while total sessions jumped 18% to 202 million Q1 2026 marks the fourth quarter under new online slots stake limits of £5 for adults and £2 for 18-to-24-year-olds The UK Gambling Commission has published its latest quarterly data, showing online gambling continued to expand in early…

TLDR Bangladesh is drafting a new law to replace the outdated Gambling Act of 1867 Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the draft is in its final stage and will go before parliament next session The new law targets online gambling, digital betting, and cyber-based betting activities Officials say online gambling poses a serious challenge to youth, the economy, and national security The announcement was made at a meeting with the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum in Dhaka Bangladesh Plans to Overhaul Century-Old Gambling Legislation Bangladesh is preparing to scrap its 159-year-old gambling law and replace it with modern legislation designed to…

TLDR Brazil launched the “Novo Desenrola” debt relief program on May 9, 2026, targeting debt tied to online betting New rules ban credit operations linked to placing bets, closing loopholes in the Pix payment system As of May 15, major banks Bradesco and Banco do Brasil still allowed credit-based betting transactions Brazilian household debt reached 80.4%, the highest level since tracking began in 2010 Enforcement faces challenges because betting operators say they cannot tell if incoming Pix payments are credit-based The Brazilian government has rolled out a new debt relief program that takes direct aim at the link between online…

TLDR The Netherlands’ gambling regulator KSA has sent warning letters to licensed operators ahead of the 2026 World Cup, reminding them that advertising restrictions remain fully in force. Certain football betting markets, including wagers on first corner kicks and player bookings, remain banned in the country. The KSA is increasing scrutiny of gambling promotion on social media, including “share your bet” features. Dutch operators are already facing steep tax increases, with gambling levies rising to 37.8% in 2026, and industry revenues dropped 18.5% after the first hike. The regulator recently issued a record €25 million penalty to illegal operator Novatech…

TLDR Enschede identified nearly 12,000 cases of extreme financial distress among residents, with over 1,000 families facing eviction or electricity cutoffs Local officials want to raise the online gambling age from 18 to 24 to protect young adults from digital betting platforms Despite a ban on gambling ads targeting under-24s, over 11% of Meta gambling ads still reached users aged 18-23 Regulators warn that stricter age limits could push young gamblers toward unregulated black-market sites with no consumer protections The debate has stalled in parliament while municipal budgets continue to absorb the financial fallout of youth gambling debt The Dutch…

TLDR Super Group launched its ZAR Supercoin stablecoin in a beta rollout for Betway South Africa clients in mid-April, aiming to cut high processing fees across the continent. The stablecoin is pegged 1-1 to the South African rand, listed on the Luno exchange, built on the Solana blockchain, and backed by reserves held at ABSA Group with a 134.54% reserve coverage ratio. Super Group reported $2.2 billion in revenue for the year, with Africa driving a 27% jump in gross gaming revenue and South Africa accounting for 30%–39% of total group revenue. Illegal offshore gambling platforms make up about 62%…

TLDR Spain’s DGOJ is offering €950,620 in competitive grants to fund research on gambling harm, prevention and risks Universities, health institutions and non-profits can apply for projects running through June 2027 Research must cover one of six themes including early detection of problem gambling, links between video games and gambling, and gender impacts The DGOJ also opened a public consultation on banning influencers and celebrities from gambling ads New online gambling accounts in Spain dropped 55% between 2020 and 2023 following earlier ad restrictions Spain’s gambling regulator has committed nearly €1 million to study the harms caused by gambling. The…

TLDR The European Parliament’s Budget Committee will discuss a proposed 1% levy on gambling operators across all 27 EU member states on May 27 The levy could generate between €2 billion and €4 billion per year, potentially reaching €28 billion over a seven-year budget cycle Industry groups warn the tax would push customers toward illegal gambling sites, which they say already make up 71% of Europe’s betting market The EU is searching for new revenue streams ahead of its 2028–2034 budget framework, expected to approach €2 trillion The proposal is still in early stages and faces resistance from both gambling…

TLDR Irish Finance Minister Simon Harris called prediction markets a “wild, wild west” and ordered a probe into suspicious betting on Polymarket tied to a Dublin by-election India warned users are bypassing domestic bans to access Polymarket and Kalshi using VPNs, and said platforms could face legal action A New York Times investigation found over 11,000 Polymarket accounts with suspicious betting patterns linked to possible insider trading An Israeli Air Force officer was charged with using classified military information to profit on Polymarket bets France opened an investigation into possible tampering with airport temperature sensors connected to Polymarket betting contracts…

TLDR Republican senators grilled prediction market advocate Patrick McHenry at a Senate subcommittee hearing on sports integrity Sen. Ted Cruz compared prediction markets to sports betting, questioning their regulatory justification The American Gaming Association piled on, calling out prediction markets for infringing on the gambling industry Senators and witnesses agreed that prop bets and micro bets pose the biggest threat to sports integrity Bipartisan pressure is mounting on Capitol Hill against prediction markets despite the Trump administration’s pro-market stance The Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday that was supposed to focus on sports integrity but quickly turned into…