World News.Week 19

🛒🇰🇬 Binance Signs Agreement with Kyrgyzstan! The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Investment Agency of Kyrgyzstan. The parties agreed on strategic cooperation in the field of digital assets and the implementation of crypto infrastructure. The first step will be the rollout of Binance Pay for everyday crypto payments, and Kyrgyz users will gain access to the Binance Academy educational platform.

🇺🇸 Bet365 in Talks to Sell Partially or Fully to U.S. Investors. The potential deal is valued at $ 12 billion, which could become one of the most significant events in the market!

⚡️🇦🇷 Kaizen Gaming (Betano) Becomes Main Sponsor of River Plate. Kaizen Gaming, the owner of the Betano brand, has become the main sponsor of the Argentine football club River Plate. The Betano logo will be featured on the team’s kit for the next two years — a major move for the brand in the sports world!

🥊8️⃣ Canelo Álvarez Becomes Ambassador for 1win! Ahead of his championship fight, the boxer signed a long-term partnership with the brand. “Proud to partner with 1win — a global brand made for champions,” Canelo stated on social media.

💳🇮🇪 Bank of Ireland Introduces Voluntary Gambling Card Block. Customers can now request to block gambling-related transactions. According to the bank, 90% of gambling transactions are made online, and 99% of them are through debit cards.

World News.Week 18

🖱 Deepfake Ad on Sky News

Journalists from UK’s Sky News fell victim to a deepfake advertisement where their faces were used to promote illegal online casinos in the App Store. This raises significant concerns about security and ethics in the digital space.

👍 Fortuna and UEFA 2025

Operator Fortuna has become the official partner of UEFA 2025 for youth teams. This partnership promises exciting events and initiatives in the world of sports!

🎲 Closure of Casino Cosmolot in Sweden

April 24, 2025, marked the last working day for Casino Cosmolot in Stockholm, the last land-based casino in Sweden. Operator Svenska Spel confirmed that from now on, the country’s gambling industry will only operate online. The Swedish Parliament passed a law banning land-based casinos starting January 1, 2026, leaving 240 employees without jobs. Trade unions are already offering assistance.

🎮 Stake Launches Game Developer Platform

Stake.com has introduced a new platform for game developers — Stake Engine. Companies can now access Stake’s global infrastructure and a player base of 20 million. In the past year, the platform’s game turnover reached $ 3.31 billion, and developers will receive 10% of the GGR from their games.

📈 Ads on Meta’s Threads

Meta begins showing ads to users in Threads’ feed. The platform, which has gathered around 300 million unique active users monthly, has been testing ads since January 2025. Advertisers will be able to launch placements on Threads via Ads Manager.

💼 Potential Sale of Bet365

Bet365, one of the most well-known sportsbooks, may change owners. The founders are considering a partial or full sale of the company, attracting American banks from Wall Street. In 2024, the operator’s turnover grew by 9%, reaching $ 4.94 billion, and the business is valued at approximately $ 12 billion.

World News.Week 17

🪙 Crypto Casino GGR Surpassed $ 80 Billion in 2024

• According to Yield Sec, global crypto gambling GGR grew fivefold from 2022 to 2024, reaching $ 81.4 billion.
• The average deposit at crypto casinos is about 10 times higher than at traditional fiat casinos, especially those operating under local licenses.
• Stake’s crypto casino GGR totaled $ 4.7 billion last year, with the company claiming it accounts for up to 4% of all Bitcoin network transactions.

🇮🇳 UPI Crashed Three Times Due to IPL Betting Surge

• The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system crashed three times due to the massive volume of transactions linked to illegal betting on the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• According to The Economic Times, illegal IPL bets in India amount to over $ 100 billion annually.

💰 Hacksaw Gaming Preparing for Stockholm IPO

Bloomberg reports that Hacksaw Gaming is planning an IPO on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, working with major banks like Citigroup, Jefferies, and Carnegie.

🛍 Aristocrat in Talks to Acquire Interblock

Gaming provider Aristocrat is in discussions to acquire electronic table games manufacturer Interblock, in a deal estimated at around $ 1 billion.

World News.Week 16

🔎 Arrest warrant issued in Gibraltar for former Mansion Group CEO Karel Manasco. Karel Manasco failed to appear at a contempt of court hearing on April 9. He is accused of embezzling € 2.5 million through fake payments to White Wizard Media, a company that allegedly provided no services, and transferring £127,000 to a suspicious consultancy. In 2024, the court froze £5 million of Manasco’s assets and ordered him to repay the stolen funds. The next hearing is scheduled for May 14.

💶 Dutch court orders Betsson to refund player. A court in the Netherlands has ruled that Betsson must repay all deposits made by a player since 2014, including interest. The total compensation amounts to € 530,000.

🛁 Indian cybercriminals launder $ 24K via fake winnings scheme. Hackers from India allegedly converted fictitious gambling winnings into USDT as part of a money laundering operation worth $ 24,000.

🤵🏼‍♂️ 15 former UK MPs accused of insider betting on elections. Fifteen former British parliamentarians are under investigation for allegedly placing bets on elections using confidential insider information.

World News.Week 15

🇸🇪 🎰 Sweden’s last land-based casino to close.

Cosmolot Casino in Stockholm will shut down in early 2026 due to the declining popularity of offline casinos. The decision was made by the Swedish Parliament, and branches in Gothenburg and Malmö were already closed in 2024. Operator Svenska Spel supported the move but warned of a potential rise in offshore gambling activity.

🎉 First jackpot on SOFTSWISS Sportsbook network — € 80,294.89!

On April 9, a player hit the first jackpot on the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook network, winning over € 80,000 — twice the initial amount. This marks a major milestone for the platform as it continues to expand its user offerings.

🇧🇷 Bragg Gaming invests in Brazilian studio RapidPlay.

Bragg Gaming Group has acquired a stake in Brazilian game development studio RapidPlay. The move strengthens Bragg’s position in the rapidly growing Latin American market and opens up opportunities for localized content.

📈 Analysts predict gambling sector resilience amid tariff turbulence.

Despite market instability caused by Trump administration tariff policies, experts remain cautiously optimistic about the gambling industry. They note the sector’s resilience and adaptability in the face of global economic challenges.

World News.Week 14

ℹ️ A new app launched in the UAE allows Muslims to place bets without committing a sin.

• ➡️The UAE has introduced the Hajem Sports app, which enables users to bet on sports without spending money, allowing locals to enjoy the thrill of betting without violating religious principles.
• ➡️Users receive free daily credits to place bets. Correct predictions earn points, helping them climb the leaderboard.
• ➡️The app’s creator commented: “We wanted to give Arab or Muslim users a chance to take part in the game without committing a sin. It’s all about the feeling — the thrill of winning without financial involvement.”

🌐 Former Wynn Resorts casino mogul may invest in American TikTok.

😬 VAR operator suspended in Bulgaria for using a betting site during a match.

During a live match between PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia, the VAR operator was seen accessing a betting site on his personal smartphone, a serious breach of protocol.

🇺🇸 Donald Trump could receive $ 115 million if Bally’s secures a casino license in New York.

Bally’s plans to open a casino on the site of a former golf club in the Bronx, previously operated by Trump’s company. In 2023, Bally’s bought the rights to operate the club for $ 60 million and agreed to pay an additional $ 115 million if the casino license is granted.

World News.Week 13

🌟 A new approach to tackling gambling addiction: co-founder Stewart Kenny proposes slowing down online slot spins to reduce the risk of addiction. He believes that betting on horse and greyhound racing is less harmful.

📹🤝 Fighting illegal content: Denmark’s gambling regulator has announced a collaboration with Twitch to combat illegal gambling content in the country. This is a significant step toward ensuring player safety.

📈 DraftKings enters the prediction market: The US gambling giant has registered a new brand, DraftKings Predict, with the National Futures Association (NFA). The company’s CEO sees the prediction market as a growth opportunity rather than a risk.

🃏 Asian brands continue their Premier League push: a relatively unknown Asian brand, has announced a partnership with Birmingham City FC.

World News.Week 12

💼 DraftKings Enters the Prediction Market. U.S. gambling giant DraftKings is launching a new division called DraftKings Predict, positioning itself as a competitor to Polymarket and Kalshi.

⚡️🇳🇿 N1 Partners Sign Contract with MMA Fighters from New Zealand. Brothers Justin and Junior Tafa have become brand ambassadors for N1Bet. The agreement is valid for six months, with financial terms undisclosed.

👎 Penn Entertainment and Flutter Entertainment Stocks Drop. Following Donald Trump’s remarks about a potential U.S. economic recession, the companies’ shares fell by 9.46% and 8.36%, respectively.

🤖🔍 IGSA Develops AI Guidelines for Gambling Regulators. The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) has announced the development of best practice systems to help gambling regulators better understand AI and its applications in the industry.

World News.Week 11

🔬 44% of Women Engage in Gambling — Study

The UK Gambling Commission has released a report on the role of women in gambling. According to the data, 44% of women have participated in gambling over the past four weeks.

• The most active group: women aged 35−74 (51%).
• 78% prefer lotteries.
• Main reasons for gambling: the desire to win (84%), entertainment (70%), and additional income (54%).
• Notably, women face gambling-related problems 1.8 times less often than men.

🔴 “Panic Button” in the Czech Republic: A Self-Control Tool for Gamblers

The Czech Republic has introduced a “panic button” to combat gambling addiction.

• Available on all slot machines and online games.
• Activation blocks access to gambling for 48 hours.
• Operators are required to offer players the option to add themselves to the restricted persons registry.

🇬🇧 Mastercard and Visa Cooperate with Illegal Operators

An investigation has revealed that Mastercard and Visa process payments on popular illegal gambling sites for UK residents.

• These sites recorded around 4 million visits in the last quarter.
• Britons spend approximately £2.7 billion annually on illegal gambling websites.
• The companies have pledged to address the issue following the publication of the investigation.

🖥❌ Indonesian Authorities Block 1.12 Million Gambling Resources in Six Months

Indonesian authorities continue their crackdown on illegal gambling, blocking over a million resources in the past six months.

🧠 FanDuel Develops AI for Betting

FanDuel has announced the development of artificial intelligence designed to help users make more informed betting decisions.

World News.Week 10

🥊 Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall becomes the ambassador of the Aviator crash game.

🏃🏽‍➡️ Entain faces a series of resignations amid the AUSTRAC investigation.

🤑 iGaming industry losses from ad fraud could exceed $ 100 billion, as up to 40% of traffic in iGaming ad campaigns is fraudulent.

👩‍⚖️ A woman stole £21K from her grandmother for online gambling. 30-year-old Charlotte Kidd spent the money meant for a nursing home on betting and shopping. The court sentenced her to 20 months of probation, 150 hours of unpaid work, and a £2.5K fine.

World News.Week 8

🇮🇳 ASCI and the gaming industry are teaming up to combat illegal advertising by offshore operators. The Advertising Standards Board of India (ASCI) has signed a memorandum with the FIFS, AIGF and EGF federations aimed at identifying and blocking offshore operators promoting their services without a license. As part of the agreement, a monitoring group was formed that will transmit information about violations to the authorities.

📈🎰 Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence predicts growth of the iGaming market by 8.48% per year. According to the report, the volume of the iGaming market will increase from $ 111.44 billion in 2025 to $ 167.349 billion by 2030.

• Europe will retain its leadership due to stable regulation and high player engagement.
• APAC will show the fastest growth due to mobile gambling and the young population.
• North America will strengthen its position, especially at the expense of the United States, where more and more states are legalizing online casinos.

👮‍♂️🇹🇭 Thailand has eliminated two of the largest online gambling networks. Thailand’s cyber police has revealed two large-scale online casino networks with a total annual turnover of more than $ 327 million.

• The first case is related to the website hydra888f.com — more than 18 thousand users and a transaction volume of $ 340 million per year. Nine people have received arrest warrants.
• The second operation led to the arrest of the PgSlot99 website administrator with a turnover of more than $ 14.8 million. The detainee confessed to money laundering through fake accounts.

🥩😏 Drake was suspected of a native Stake ad. Because of the video where he notices a drone next to a laptop on which the Stake website is open, Drake was suspected of native advertising.

World News.Week 7

⚡️The post of CEO of Entain is empty again: Gavin Isaacs, who held the position for only five months, resigned due to disagreements with the board of directors. As a result, the company’s shares fell by 10.35%.

🤑 The sports betting market will exceed $ 222.9 billion in seven years: According to SkyQuest Technology, the global sports betting market reached $ 101.7 billion last year. The projected average annual growth rate is 10.3%. By 2032, the market volume may reach $ 222.9 billion. The main growth drivers will be online betting and AI integration. Analysts see the greatest potential in Asia, although development is hampered by limited regulation.

🇬🇧 Is Zuckerberg cooperating with gambling companies? British journalists have found out that legal operators are secretly working with Meta and sharing their customers’ data without their consent. Instagram Facebook tracking tool Meta Pixel was found on 52 of the 150 sites tested, which leads to betting ads starting to haunt customers on Facebook and Instagram.

🇮🇳🔄 India is considering a new federal law on online gambling. Possible changes may significantly affect the gambling market and regulation in the country.