Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Bally’s reported Q1 2026 net revenue of $755.72 million, up 28.3% year-over-year, powered by the Intralot acquisition and digital expansion in the UK and Spain. The company posted a net loss of $161.91 million, more than triple the prior year’s loss, largely due to a $63.4 million debt extinguishment charge and $145.8 million in non-operating hits. Bally’s opened a new $1.1 billion credit facility and completed a $700 million sale-leaseback to push major debt maturities from 2028 to 2031. The $1.7 billion Chicago casino hit a construction milestone with its steel topping out, and Bally’s secured a gaming license…

TLDR North Carolina lawmakers are debating raising the state’s sports betting tax rate from 18% to between 20% and 30% to help plug budget gaps. The state has generated over $287 million in tax revenue since launching legal online sports betting in March 2024. Other states are also hiking taxes on sportsbooks, with Massachusetts pushing a bill to raise its rate from 20% to 51%. The Sports Betting Alliance is running campaigns warning that higher taxes will hurt bettors through worse odds and fewer promotions. Prediction markets like Kalshi are growing fast and operate outside state sportsbook tax structures, giving…

TLDR Spain has opened a public consultation on major changes to its Gambling Regulation Act, running until June 22, 2026 Proposed rules would restrict celebrities and influencers from appearing in gambling ads and promotions Regulators want to limit gambling operators from showing up in organic search results unless the search is directly related to betting Spain is also developing a mandatory algorithm to detect problem gambling early, expected to improve detection by ten percentage points Gambling ads in Spain will soon carry health-style warnings similar to tobacco packaging, including stats like a 75% chance of losing money Spain is taking…

TLDR Turkish authorities arrested 233 people across multiple provinces in coordinated raids targeting illegal sports gambling networks Investigators uncovered over TL 18 billion ($395 million) in illicit transactions linked to unlicensed betting operators A parallel operation in Mersin led to 50 arrests and seizure of luxury cars, apartments, and other assets The Adana investigation led to charges against bank executives, police officers, and lawyers for enabling money laundering Turkey’s financial crimes board froze TL 5.1 billion ($131 million) in accounts tied to illegal gambling operators Coordinated Raids Sweep Across Turkey Turkish law enforcement has launched one of the country’s largest…

TLDR Sporttrade is closing all US sports betting operations, with New Jersey users losing access May 25 and remaining states by June 26 The shutdown comes just three months after Sporttrade applied to the CFTC for approval as a designated contract market Customers in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia have until June 25 to withdraw funds before the platform goes offline Sporttrade had been operating in New Jersey since 2022, predating rival Kalshi’s sports contracts by over two years The company initially tried to work under state gaming regulators before pivoting to the CFTC, but neither path led to a…

TLDR A Wall Street Journal investigation found that over 60% of active UMA voters resolving Polymarket disputes could be linked to Polymarket accounts, raising conflict-of-interest concerns Nine connected Polymarket accounts allegedly made $2.4 million in profits with a 98% win rate betting on Iran-related military events A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier was federally charged for using classified information to place bets on prediction markets The New York Times identified more than 11,000 Polymarket accounts with suspicious betting patterns tied to military and political events Former SEC Chair Jay Clayton questioned whether prediction markets can maintain public confidence without stronger…

TLDR Senegal’s gambling sector generated over $71 million (CFA 40.9 billion) in the first quarter of 2026 Finance Minister Cheikh Diba announced the figures at the African Lotteries Association seminar in Dakar Double taxation on gambling operators was introduced in 2025 to boost government revenue Online gambling is driving much of the sector’s growth, with games increasingly moving to digital platforms Officials called for stronger oversight of cross-border online gaming and protections for younger users Senegal’s gambling industry pulled in more than $71 million during the first three months of 2026, according to the country’s finance minister. Cheikh Diba shared…

TLDR Unregulated online gambling now sits at $5.9 trillion in wagering value, making it the world’s third-largest economy behind only the US and China 78% of the online gaming market operates without a license, leaving just 22% regulated and compliant Gaming Compliance International calls unregulated online gambling the biggest cybercrime in the world A growing “unacknowledged” layer including social casinos, sweepstakes, skins trading, and TikTok contests is adding to consumer confusion GCI proposes a framework called MPEO — monitor, police, enforce, and optimize — to help regulators respond The Scale of Unregulated Online Gambling A new report from Gaming Compliance…

TLDR Polla Chilena de Beneficencia filed complaints with Chile’s advertising ethics body against agencies promoting unlicensed online betting platforms Campaigns for Coolbet, Betano, Jugabet, and Rojabet were specifically named in the complaints The operator raised concerns about gambling ads targeting young people and lacking responsible gambling messages Chile still has no finalized regulatory framework for online gambling, leaving advertising rules unclear Polla Chilena previously filed money laundering claims against payment processors tied to illegal gambling Chile’s Lottery Operator Takes On Unlicensed Gambling Ads Chile’s state lottery operator, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, has filed formal complaints against several advertising agencies and…

TLDR Brazil’s regulated betting industry brought in over R$1.15 billion in federal tax revenue between January and March 2026 February was the highest-earning month at R$443 million, with January at R$368 million and March at R$338 million Total federal revenue from the gaming sector reached R$4.17 billion for the quarter The Ministry of Health received R$12.8 million from betting revenue to fund responsible gambling programs Brazil’s traditional federal lotteries still lead social investment, with Caixa transferring over R$3.1 billion to public projects Brazil’s Betting Tax Revenue Tops R$1 Billion Brazil’s regulated betting market collected more than R$1.15 billion in federal…