Regulatory news. Week №50

🇧🇪 Starting from January 1, 2025, Belgium will tighten control over iGaming sponsorship. Belgian sports clubs will not be able to place the logos of betting companies on their T-shirts, and gambling advertising at sports venues will be completely banned.

🇧🇷 The Brazilian Senate postponed the vote on the bill on the regulation of the gambling industry again due to protests. A new vote will be held next year.

🇰🇭 Gambling advertising has been banned in Cambodia. The new rule covers websites, social networks and any publications that encourage gambling or show gambling scenes both online and offline.

🇻🇳 Starting December 25, Vietnam has introduced a ban on casino-style games and card games. In addition, virtual items, units and prize points can no longer be exchanged for real money, and any exchanges between players are prohibited. Offshore operators were also required to open local representative offices, gamblers will need a Vietnamese phone number to register, restrictions have appeared for minors: players under the age of 18 were allowed to play no more than 60 minutes per session and a maximum of three hours a day. Any violations will result in administrative fines and content blocking.

🇫🇷 The French Parliament has expressed a vote of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier. The vote was supported by 331 deputies, which forces the Cabinet to resign. This decision jeopardizes the plans to legalize the online casino segment, which Barnier promoted as part of the 2025 budget. It was proposed to introduce a 55.6% tax on online gambling, one of the highest in Europe, in order to reduce the budget deficit. After the resignation of the government, the revision of the budget has been postponed indefinitely until Macron forms a new cabinet.

Regulatory news. Week №49

🇬🇧 In the UK, gambling operators will pay an additional fee of £100 million in 2025. Currently, there is a system in place under which operators are required to pay only a symbolic £1 per year for research, prevention and treatment of ludomania, all other deductions are voluntary.

🇬🇧 New restrictions on online slot betting will also be introduced in the UK. From 2025, the maximum bet for players over the age of 25 will be £5 per spin, and for players from 18 to 24 years old — £2.

🇺🇸 In December, the US authorities will consider a bill to legalize iGaming in all states. According to the current version of the document, the tax for the sector will be 15-25%.

🇦🇷 Advertising of bookmakers has been banned in Argentina. The new law restricts the promotion of bookmakers on television, radio, social networks and streaming platforms, as well as bookmakers can no longer sponsor sports teams. The only exceptions for advertising will be licensed halls, lottery agencies and betting shops. However, such an announcement should be accompanied by a warning about the dangers of gambling.

🇿🇼 Starting January 1, 2025, Zimbabwe will introduce a 10% tax on winnings from sports betting.

🇳🇴 In Norway, crypto firms and gambling operators will be checked for violations of ethical standards.

🇵🇾 Paraguay has decided to abolish the state monopoly on gambling. If the Senate and the president support the initiative, private gambling operators will be able to apply for licensing.

Regulatory news. Week №48

🇫🇷 France will raise taxes on gambling from 55% to 60% of GGR from 2025. This measure applies to the online and offline sectors and is part of the government’s ambitious plan to reduce the national debt and attract €500 million to the budget, of which €50 million is planned to be received from the gambling industry.

🇦🇺 The Australian authorities refused to change the rules of gambling advertising this year. Officials cannot name the reason for this decision, despite a year and a half of work on legislation.

🇬🇧 The UK government has presented a plan to introduce a new mandatory tax on research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm, as well as confirmed new betting limits in online slots.

🇷🇸 In Serbia, they offer to fully stock up on online gambling advertising.

🇳🇬 The genuine Nigerian Court overturned the 2005 settlement agreement. The right to regulate the sphere has returned to 36 Nigerian states.

Regulatory news. Week №47

🇧🇪 Belgium has introduced a new procedure for blocking illegal online casinos.

🇱🇹 Gambling advertising will be banned in Lithuania from July 2025. Exceptions will apply to sports competitions and events, as well as sports sponsorship and broadcasting of sports competitions, for which a transitional period will be valid until January 1, 2028. A new minimum age for gambling will also come into force — 21 years old.

🇳🇬 In Nigeria, gambling operators were required to create separate wallets for customer winnings. In addition, new fees for obtaining gambling licenses are being introduced in the country. The cost of a casino operator’s license will be about $58 thousand, and a bookmaker’s license will be $44 thousand.

🇳🇿 New Zealand authorities plan to tighten regulation of the gambling market. As part of the regulation, it is planned to limit the number of iGaming licenses to 15, introduce mandatory age verification systems, and ban gambling advertising aimed at children. Violators face fines of up to $3 million.

🇹🇭 Thailand is preparing a bill to legalize casinos in 2025 to attract foreign investment. Annual gambling revenue is expected to reach $9.1 billion, making the country the third largest market in the world.

🇵🇾 The Government of Paraguay has introduced a new gambling bill with the transition from a gambling monopoly to a system with licensees.

🇦🇷 The Argentine Congress will consider a proposal to completely ban gambling advertising. The inter-party proposal received the signatures of 90 deputies of the lower house.

Regulatory news. Week №46

🇵🇭 The President of the Philippines signed a decree, effectively prohibiting all offshore gambling operations in the country.

🇹🇷 The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) will fine Turkish football clubs that advertise illegal bookmakers. The first violation of the club entails a fine of $58 thousand, the second — $146.2 thousand, and the third — a fine of $292.5 thousand, as well as the removal of three points in the standings. The innovation will affect the clubs of the Turkish Super League, but in the future, perhaps, the Federation will extend the requirements to all professional leagues in the country.

🇵🇪 On November 16, a large-scale verification campaign for gambling operators will begin in Peru. The main measures that await them are the blocking of unlicensed sites, fines of $ 1 million, lifetime exclusion of managers and partners of unlicensed operators from the legal sector.

🇮🇩 Indonesia has stepped up its fight against online casinos. Local officials have announced that they will monitor all possible methods of accessing illegal gambling, including VPNs.

Regulatory news. Week №45

🇫🇮 Finnish officials have submitted to the European Commission the final version of the draft law on the regulation of the gambling industry. Among the innovations: the country is abandoning the state monopoly of betting on horse racing and affiliate marketing will be completely banned. The deadline for the launch of the regulated market is January 1, 2026.

🇬🇧 The UK government did not raise the gambling tax this year.

🇮🇩 Indonesia has announced the introduction of new strategies to combat iGaming: The heads of ministries will raise public awareness of the risks of gambling, strengthen control over influencers, and restrict access to gaming platforms. Harsh penalties will also be imposed for participating in online gambling and seven interdepartmental working groups will be created, one of which will deal with gambling problems.

🇲🇦 Morocco proposes to introduce a tax on winnings in online casinos. The document is currently under consideration by Parliament. If it is adopted, the innovations will start working in 2025.

Regulatory news. Week №44

🇲🇴 A law against illegal gambling has come into force in Macau. The law criminalizes the organization and promotion of illegal iGaming, which is now punishable by a prison term of 1 to 8 years.

🇲🇹 Malta is slowing down the adoption of new Italian legislation. The European Commission has extended the “waiting period” for approval of new Italian gambling regulations following a report by the Maltese regulator (MGA). According to Malta, Italian legislation is too strict on the B2B sector: it requires separate certification, in fact, duplicating the burden for companies. Now the Italian Ministry of Finance will have to revise its project taking into account the Maltese claims. The amended document can be submitted as early as November 18.

🇧🇷 Brazil has submitted a bill to completely ban online casinos and betting shops by the end of this year. President Lula da Silva promised to review the document before the expected launch date of the regulated market on January 1, 2025.

🇺🇸 The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to strengthen measures to collect taxes on gambling winnings.

🇳🇬 The Government of Nigeria has introduced a new bill providing for the introduction of a 5% tax on telecommunications, gaming and betting services.

Regulatory news. Week №43

🇮🇪 Ireland has adopted a large-scale law on the regulation of the gambling industry, which has been developed for 17 years. According to forecasts, the new rules will come into force at the end of the year. What’s new:

👉 The gambling regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), will be launched, which will monitor licensing and regulation in the gambling industry;

👉 A special fund for the treatment of ludomania will be created due to the deductions of operators;

👉 Gambling ads will be banned from being shown between 5.30 am – 9.00 pm, in addition, they will be completely removed from social networks;

👉 Advertisements will be sent out only after receiving the consent of the gamblers;

👉 For allowing children to gamble, the operator faces up to 8 years in prison;

👉 They will prohibit the use of any form of encouragement for players, including bonus bets, VIP service, and an interest-free loan.

🇮🇹 Italy will introduce mandatory age verification for access to online gambling and adult content through the SPID digital identification system.

🇪🇨 A ban on gambling advertising has been lifted in Ecuador.

🇧🇷 All football clubs and leagues in Brazil have been instructed to terminate their current relations with operators who have not received a license from the Secretariat for Prizes and Bets (SPA).

Regulatory news. Week №42

🇮🇹 Italian regulator AGCOM is introducing mandatory age verification for access to online gambling and adult content through the SPID digital identification system. These measures will be part of an upcoming reform of the iGaming market, which also includes the issuance of new licenses priced at € 7 million for 9 years. The new rules are expected to come into effect by the end of the year, pending approval by the European Commission.

🇫🇷 France raises gambling taxes: for online betting — from 10.6% to 15% GGR, for lotteries — from 8.4% to 9.2% GGR, and for online poker — from 0.2% to 1% GGR.

🇬🇧 In the UK, the gambling sector could face additional tax hikes ranging from £900 million to £3 billion. The proposal was made by the Labour Party and two influential local think tanks. The current tax for online casinos is 21%, with suggestions to raise it to 50% of GGR.

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires follows suit. A group of opposition deputies, led by Juan Manuel Valdés, has proposed to double the tax on online gambling in the Argentine capital from 6% to 12%.

Regulatory news. Week №41

🇸🇪 The Swedish regulator has approved a ban on the use of credit cards in gambling💳. A similar measure was recently proposed in Argentina, where the Buenos Aires City Legislature is considering prohibiting the use of credit cards for online gambling.

🇧🇪 New amendments to gambling legislation have been introduced by the Belgian regulator. From now on, representatives will meet annually with licensed operators ☕️ to discuss player protection measures. Another significant change is the increase in the minimum age for players from 18 to 21 years.

🇪🇸 The Spanish gambling regulator DGOJ has begun work on creating a centralized national data registry for the gambling sector. This system will streamline control over license holders and facilitate monitoring of the industry. Among other requirements, operators will need to create risk profiles for players under 25. The registry is set to launch in early 2025.

Regulatory news. Week №40

🇳🇱 As of October 1st, gambling deposits for Dutch players cannot exceed €700 per month. For players aged 18 to 25, the limit is set at €300 per month. Additionally, every 30 minutes, players will receive pop-up reminders informing them of their total playtime. The system will automatically log them out if they reach their pre-set gambling limit.

🇧🇷 As of September 30th, Google will allow gambling ads in Brazil. Only operators who have applied for licenses from the country’s Ministry of Finance will be allowed to advertise through Google’s products.

🇮🇩 Indonesian Authorities Mandate Google and TikTok to Combat Online Gambling. The government has demanded that 18,000 electronic service providers, including Google, Meta, TikTok, and X (Twitter), sign a pact to fight against online gambling. Failure to comply with the pact’s requirements will result in the providers losing their registration.

🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association Bans Betting on National League Matches. GFA President Kurt Okraku has warned all bookmakers in the country not to offer bets on Premier League matches, with the new season set to start on September 6. Officials explained that this move is necessary to tackle match-fixing, which has become increasingly common in Ghanaian football in recent years.

Regulatory news. Week №39

🇱🇻 The Latvian government has approved several amendments aimed at tightening gambling regulations, including raising the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21.

🇩🇪 In Germany, the first local online licenses have been issued. The licenses were granted to operators Tipico, BluBet, Cashpoint, and Skill on Net. Local legalization of online slots and poker is possible under an agreement with the federal regulator, GGL.

🇳🇿 The New Zealand government has begun public consultations, marking one of the initial stages in permanently allowing online lottery organizations.