Author: Maisie Morrison

TLDR Bangladesh’s parliament passed the Gambling Prevention Bill on July 1, 2026. The law replaces the 1867 Public Gambling Act and targets online and digital gambling. Online gambling offenses carry up to 5 years in prison and fines up to Tk 1 crore. Online betting participation carries penalties up to 7 years in prison and Tk 5 crore fines. Parliament also passed a cyber law amendment removing gambling punishment from the Cyber Security Act. Bangladesh’s parliament passed a new gambling law on July 1. The law is called the Gambling Prevention Bill. It replaces an old law from 1867. That…

TLDR Brazil’s Ministry of Finance issued Ordinance SPa/MF No. 1,818 to regulate commercial lotteries and prize promotions. The rule targets companies running draws or contests without prior government approval. Violators face fines equal to 100% of the total value of prizes offered. Companies can lose their authorization or be banned from similar activities for three years. A new Commitment Agreement option lets companies settle disputes without a full legal process. Brazil has introduced a new regulation aimed at controlling commercial lotteries and prize promotions across the country. The Ministry of Finance published the rule through the Secretariat of Prizes and…

TLDR North Carolina’s budget plan would let bettors deduct gambling losses on state taxes for the first time. The deduction would apply retroactively to Jan. 1, 2025. The sportsbook tax rate would rise from 18% to 23% under the plan. Sportsbooks would need to issue a W-2G form when a customer’s annual winnings reach $2,000 with one operator. UNC Chapel Hill and NC State could each become eligible for up to $5.8 million a year in betting tax funds. North Carolina lawmakers are considering a change to how the state taxes sports betting. The plan could give bettors a tax…

TLDR Online casinos passed lotteries to become Denmark’s largest gambling segment in 2025, making up 38% of the market. Total Danish gambling revenue reached DKK11.5 billion ($1.75 billion), a 1% drop from 2024. Online casino revenue grew 12.1% year-on-year to DKK4.31 billion, more than doubling since 2012. Sports betting and lottery revenue both fell, dropping 11.5% and 6.2% respectively. The gambling helpline StopSpillet logged a record 727 calls in 2025, with online casino linked to most problem gambling cases. Online casinos have become the largest part of Denmark’s gambling market for the first time. This is according to a new…

TLDR A Michigan judge issued a temporary restraining order against Kalshi on Monday. The order stops Kalshi from offering sports event contracts in the state. Kalshi faces a $120,000 daily fine if it fails to meet geolocation rules. Michigan is the third state to block Kalshi’s sports markets, after Nevada and Massachusetts. Kalshi says it will fight the order but will start adding restrictions. A Michigan judge ordered Kalshi to stop offering sports event contracts in the state on Monday. The order came from Ingham Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie E. Aquilina. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel requested the restraining order.…

TLDR Croatia will send over €214 million from gambling revenue to social programs next year, roughly double the previous €130 million cycle. About €144 million comes from 2026 gambling activity, with nearly €70 million carried over from unused 2025 funds. New rules include a 50% hike in license fees and a tiered tax on winnings ranging from 10% to 30%. Health officials estimate 40,000 Croatian adults struggle with severe gambling disorders, with teens flagged as a vulnerable group. The new funding framework is now in a public consultation phase before final rules are set. Croatia plans to direct more than…

TLDR Senators John Curtis and Adam Schiff asked the CFTC to review Polymarket’s marketing practices. The National Association of Consumer Advocates filed a lawsuit against Polymarket, CEO Shayne Coplan, and CMO Matthew Modabber. The lawsuit claims influencer payments were sent through Modabber’s personal PayPal account. Investigators say at least $500,000 went to online creators, including activist Riley Gaines. Polymarket has not addressed the allegations directly and says it is reviewing its practices. Polymarket is under new pressure from lawmakers and consumer groups. The prediction market platform is accused of using hidden influencer deals to attract users in the United States.…

TLDR Petfre Limited, the operator behind Betfred.com, must pay £900,000 after a Gambling Commission investigation. The probe found failings in how the company monitored customers at risk of gambling harm. The review covered activity between October 2023 and June 2024. One customer lost nearly £18,000 in a single day after being flagged but not stopped. Petfre has a history of penalties, including £240,000 last year and £2.87 million in 2022. Petfre Limited, the company behind Betfred.com, has been ordered to pay £900,000 after a Gambling Commission investigation. The regulator found failings in how the company protected customers from gambling harm.…

TLDR Mozambique’s telecom regulator INCM published new SMS marketing rules on June 2, 2026. Businesses, including betting operators, must now get clear consent before sending promotional texts. Mobile operators must offer a free way for subscribers to block all promotional messages. Companies have 60 days to submit implementation plans and 180 days to make blocking fully functional. Rule breakers risk penalties like service suspension or limited access to telecom resources. Mozambique has introduced new regulations covering promotional text messages. Betting operators are among the businesses most affected by the change. The National Communications Institute of Mozambique, known as INCM, published…

TLDR AGCO fined Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000 for unauthorized gaming software. The breach involved bill validator software running on 40 machines. Unapproved software was found at four casino sites between February and March 2025. AGCO says the failure weakened safeguards against fraud and money laundering. Great Canadian Entertainment has 15 days to appeal the penalty. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has fined Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000. The penalty follows the discovery of unauthorized gaming software at four of the company’s casino sites. Investigators found the issue involved bill validator software. This software had either been revoked or never…