Author: Maisie Morrison

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…

TLDR Betano has been announced as an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Europe and South America through a deal between FIFA and Kaizen Gaming. This is the third partnership between Betano and FIFA, following the 2022 World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The 2026 World Cup will be held across Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 to July 19, featuring 48 teams for the first time. Betano plans to offer responsible gaming features during the tournament, including financial limits and playing time management tools. Kaizen Gaming, Betano’s parent company,…

TLDR Unregulated online gambling reached $5.9 trillion in global wagering value in 2025, behind only the US and China in economic scale 78% of gross gaming revenue now flows to unregulated operators, making it the largest form of cybercrime worldwide A new “unacknowledged gambling” category has emerged, covering social casinos, sweepstakes, skins trading, and TikTok contests Unregulated gambling ads appeared on more than 80% of illegal sports streams in the US and UK during 2024 and 2025 Countries including Australia and Ukraine are rolling out new measures to combat the growing black market The global unregulated gambling market has grown…

TLDR Former Abilene Christian basketball player Airion Simmons received a permanent NCAA ban for conspiring with outside bettors to fix a March 2024 game against Tarleton State Simmons admitted to accepting $3,500 to deliberately underperform, collecting cash from a contact in Dallas The scheme was exposed in 2025 when a former teammate disclosed the plan after transferring to a Division II school Federal prosecutors indicted Simmons and two bettors in January 2026 on charges including bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy Simmons joins a growing list of NCAA athletes permanently banned for betting violations, with Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby currently…

TLDR South Africa’s online betting market recorded 380 million visits in Q1 2026, averaging 126 million visits per month Betway led with 94 million visits, followed by YesPlay at 53 million and Hollywoodbets at 46 million The top three operators accounted for roughly 50% of all online betting traffic in the country Betway’s monthly visits more than doubled from 21.9 million in January 2024 to 46 million by December 2025 Regulators have introduced new compliance checks and verification systems in response to the rapid growth South Africa’s online betting industry recorded 380 million visits during the first quarter of 2026.…