Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR The CFTC issued a staff advisory on Sept. 22 warning that “mention” contracts may be presumed readily susceptible to manipulation. Mention markets settle on what a named person says, attends or does, such as specific words used in a speech. A former White House teleprompter operator was ordered to return $107,539 and pay a $65,000 penalty for trading on Trump speech contracts. Former Rep. George Santos paid about $35,000 after trading contracts tied to his own State of the Union attendance. Kalshi still lists some Trump speech markets, while a $5 billion Ether market on the platform has drawn…

TLDR Pennsylvania’s Oct. 14 deadline means unlicensed skill-game machines become illegal to operate. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled June 15 that the devices count as slot machines under state law. State Police say unplugging a machine is not enough; it must be physically removed. An estimated 70,000 machines operate across the state, more than regulated casino slots. Lawmakers from both parties have proposed six-month extensions, but none had been formally introduced as of mid-September. Pennsylvania businesses that keep skill-game machines are running out of time. Starting Oct. 14, any machine operating outside a licensed gambling location can be seized, and…

TLDR TikTok now requires prediction market ads to use “trading” language rather than “betting” language to qualify for approval. DraftKings, Novig and Polymarket have launched celebrity ad campaigns using trading terms like “trade” instead of “bet.” The American Gaming Association estimates prediction markets spent close to $200 million on marketing between January and July 2026. Legal experts say the trading versus betting language ties into a jurisdictional fight between state regulators and the CFTC. Researchers say the words used may shape how people view the risk of these transactions, even if the underlying activity looks similar to sports betting. TikTok…

TLDR An audit found Ethiopian betting operators owe Br27.5 billion in unpaid obligations. Operators handled close to Br199 billion in wagers between July 2022 and December 2025. Only Br3.6 billion of Br30 billion in assessed commissions was actually paid. Dash Betting owes the largest share at Br8.64 billion. The Ethiopian Lottery Service plans a unified digital platform to track operator obligations in real time. Ethiopia is moving to reform its sports betting and digital lottery industry. The decision follows a draft audit that found billions of birr in unpaid debts from licensed operators. The investigation was reported by Fana Broadcasting…

TLDR South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) and Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on gambling ad oversight The deal covers TV, radio, billboards, and digital platforms including social media and influencer marketing Regulators will share information, respond to advertising breaches jointly, and set up complaint referral systems The MoU also targets cross-border and illegal online gambling promotions aimed at younger audiences The ARB is preparing to launch an updated Gambling Code alongside this partnership South Africa’s two main gambling and advertising watchdogs have joined forces. The National Gambling Board and the Advertising Regulatory Board signed…

TLDR Malta introduced the AI Gaming Charter, a voluntary framework for AI use in gambling The guidelines were developed jointly by the Malta Gaming Authority and Malta Digital Innovation Authority The Charter is not a law, but a sector specific code of practice Rules require human oversight whenever AI tools influence gambling decisions A regulator study found many operators already use AI, but awareness of EU AI rules is lagging Malta has introduced a new set of AI guidelines for the gambling industry. The rules are the first of their kind in the European Union. The framework is called the…

TLDR Buenos Aires passed a law barring child support debtors from online gambling accounts. Operators licensed by LOTBA must check a debtor registry in real time before opening accounts. Existing accounts will also be checked and suspended if the holder owes child support. The registry currently lists about 13,500 people, including 8,000 city residents. Officials linked the law to existing bans on debtors attending stadiums and large events. Buenos Aires has passed a new law stopping people who owe child support from using online betting sites. The Buenos Aires Legislature approved the measure this week. It applies to anyone listed…

TLDR Philippine gross gambling revenue fell 20% to P88 billion ($1.4 billion) in the second quarter of 2026. The decline was driven by weak electronic gambling revenue, inflation, and geopolitical pressures. PAGCOR is considering separating its regulatory and commercial functions to reduce conflicts of interest. The regulator launched the PAGCOR Guarantee website to help the public verify licensed online gambling sites. More than 26,000 people have now joined PAGCOR’s self-exclusion program for problem gambling. The Philippine gambling industry reported a drop in revenue during the second quarter of 2026. Gross gambling revenue fell 20% to P88 billion, or about $1.4…

TLDR Myanmar’s government asked the public to help report online scams and illegal gambling operations. Officials say these crimes have grown into cross-border threats affecting national security and the economy. Security forces arrested 13 people near Naik Hkwan Village in northern Shan State on September 15. Equipment linked to the alleged scam and gambling operation was confiscated during the raid. Myanmar is working with neighboring countries to find criminal groups and return foreign nationals and trafficking victims. Myanmar’s State Government has asked the public for help in finding and stopping online scams and illegal online gambling. The appeal was made…

TLDR CEO Vlad Tenev says crypto event contracts are taking a growing share of Robinhood’s prediction markets He expects crypto contracts to outpace sports bets within a few years Event-contract revenue jumped more than tenfold year over year to $156 million in the second quarter of 2026 Contracts traded 4.7 billion times in August 2026, about 15 times the volume from a year earlier Robinhood took minority stakes in Crypto.com and its spinoff OG.com this month Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev says crypto contracts are becoming a bigger part of the company’s prediction markets business than sports betting. He made the…