Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Brazil’s legal betting tax revenue rose from BRL3.1 billion (Jan-May 2025) to BRL5.89 billion during the same period in 2026. ANJL President Plínio Lemos Jorge says the growth shows the regulated market is working. The 2026 World Cup was the first played under Brazil’s new betting rules, and officials expect it boosted June revenue. New federal advertising rules aim to protect bettors, but some cities are passing their own ad bans, which ANJL says creates legal confusion. Illegal betting sites still make up close to half of Brazil’s online betting market, despite a new monitoring lab built with Anatel.…

TLDR FIRST.bet has partnered with ONDISS to launch its sportsbook technology in Argentina The rollout works through City Center Online, a regulated .bet.ar operator The launch follows recent approval of online sports betting by the Santa Fe Lottery ONDISS says the deal improves settlement speed and real-time betting markets for operators Leaders from both companies say the partnership supports growth across Latin America’s regulated gaming market FIRST.bet has entered the Argentine market through a new partnership with ONDISS. The deal brings FIRST’s sportsbook technology to City Center Online, a regulated betting operator in the region. The announcement was made on…

TLDR NCAA Division III approved reduced penalties for first-time sports betting violations Reduced penalties only apply if the athlete completes a clinical evaluation or support program The rule does not cover match-fixing, betting on one’s own team, or sharing inside information The change follows a 2023 shift to graduated penalties in Division I A 2025 plan to let athletes bet on pro sports was later overturned by member schools The NCAA Division III Management Council approved a change to its student-athlete reinstatement guidelines this week. The amendment allows for reduced penalties in certain sports betting cases. The rule took effect…

TLDR Bulgaria’s Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova rejected calls for a wider gambling ad ban and higher taxes. She warned that raising taxes could push players toward the black market. Bulgaria’s current 20% gambling tax rate matches European standards, she said. The gray market already makes up about 40% of gambling activity in the country. The Finance Ministry is starting a full review of the Gambling Act. Bulgaria’s government has turned down proposals to tighten rules on gambling advertising and taxes. Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova made the announcement during a commission meeting on the 2026 budget. She said the…

TLDR The new Law on Games of Chance and Entertainment Games took effect on July 14, ending a system used since 2011. Online gambling is now fully controlled by a new state-owned joint-stock company. Private operators lost their licenses back in 2024, including Mozzart, NOVO VLT, 77 BITS, Vezuv, and 2Win.mk. Land-based casinos face new distance rules from schools and stricter technical compliance checks. Social media giveaways that use likes, shares, or tags now count as gambling and require a license. North Macedonia has replaced its online gambling system with a new law. The change ends private company participation in…

TLDR A Swedish study found 34% of women gamblers aged 18-26 reported a past mental health diagnosis Only 13% of male gamblers reported a similar diagnosis Across all female age groups, the figure was 29% Sweden’s online gambling revenue grew from SEK17.8 billion to SEK18.4 billion in 2026 Digital gambling now makes up 69% of Sweden’s entire gambling market A new study from Sweden has found that young women who gamble report much higher rates of mental health problems than men who gamble. The research came from Reflect Företagsutveckling AB, an independent institute. It used Norstat’s consumer panel to survey…

TLDR A viral post claims gambling influencer SteveWillDoIt lost $4.37 million on 10 World Cup bets totaling $4.71 million. He reportedly won only one of the 10 wagers, a bet on Argentina and England both scoring. The figures have not been independently confirmed through public betting records. Steve has long partnerships with online casino brands Stake and Roobet. The post has reignited criticism over transparency in gambling influencer sponsorship deals. A social media post claiming that gambling influencer SteveWillDoIt lost $4.37 million during the World Cup has spread quickly online. The post says he placed 10 bets worth a combined…

TLDR Liechtenstein casino revenue dropped 59% in 2025, falling to CHF57.3 million New Swiss self-exclusion rules blocked around 10,000 regular players from local casinos Casino tax income fell 63% to CHF20.3 million for the government Two casinos closed and only four venues remain open as of July 2026 Industry leaders call the current market conditions unsustainable Liechtenstein’s casino industry recorded its worst year on file in 2025. Gross gaming revenue across the country fell to CHF57.3 million, down from CHF140.8 million the year before. That is a drop of 59%. It erased CHF83.5 million in revenue in a single year.…

TLDR Gambling.com Group has changed its corporate name to Grandstand Limited. The company began trading under the new ticker symbol GRSD on July 23. The consumer website Gambling.com will keep running under its original name. Grandstand now owns brands including OddsJam, RotoWire, Casinos.com and WhichBingo. Shareholders do not need to take any action; the stock listing and CUSIP number stay the same. Gambling.com Group has changed its name. Starting July 23, the Nasdaq-listed company trades as Grandstand Limited under the ticker GRSD. The switch is not just a new logo. The company has spent years growing past its original business…

TLDR South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit is considering rules that would require casinos to record details on all patrons, even small bettors. The current reporting threshold is KRW10 million, but the new proposal could lower it to just KRW1,000. Kangwon Land, the only casino open to Korean citizens, warns the change could cut its gross gaming revenue by nearly 20%. The amendments still need approval from the National Assembly and had not been formally submitted as of the report. Local communities near Kangwon Land fear a drop in casino-funded development contributions and dividends. South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit is looking…