News

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), in partnership with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), announced significant enhancements to its Responsible Gambling Framework (RGF) Certification Program aimed at expanding participation and clarifying best practices for player protection across lottery organisations. The updated programme introduces a new entry‑level certification and a redesigned submission system to simplify the process for organisations seeking formal recognition of their responsible gambling commitments. The changes are designed to strengthen alignment with evolving industry expectations for responsible play standards while improving accessibility and transparency within the certification process. Introducing a New Entry […]

An opinion issued by the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the Tipico case (Case C‑530/24) clarifies a pivotal question in cross‑border gambling disputes: sports betting operators that offer services in a national market without the required licence may be obliged to refund stakes collected from players under national civil law, even when they hold a licence in another EU Member State. The opinion, delivered on 19 March 2026, arises from a reference by the German Federal Court of Justice seeking guidance on how EU law interacts with national licensing requirements when an operator, […]

Philippine lawmakers have introduced legislation designed to strengthen the country’s anti‑money‑laundering (AML) framework, with expanded mandates targeting cybercrime, digital transactions and heightened oversight of online gaming operators. The proposal, endorsed in the House of Representatives and supported by the nation’s AML Council, seeks to update existing statutes to better align enforcement tools with the realities of digital finance and emerging wagering platforms. The bill reflects growing legislative recognition that money laundering risks have evolved alongside increased digital encryption, cross‑border payment systems, and online gambling activity, necessitating sharper legal tools to protect the integrity of the financial and gaming systems. Expanded […]

Senior Croatian lawmakers have publicly criticised the country’s 2025 gambling law, contending that the legislation falls short on player protection, advertising limits and enforcement mechanisms, particularly regarding underage exposure to betting promotion. Their remarks mark an intensifying debate over how Croatia balances consumer safeguards with industry regulation as its legal framework evolves. Speaking at a recent press event, legislators Božo Petrov and Marin Miletić highlighted what they see as practical shortcomings in the regulations, arguing that loopholes and lax enforcement have allowed gambling promotion to remain highly visible, even among minors. Lawmakers Highlight Weak Player Protection and Marketing Gaps Petrov […]

Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced a landmark partnership with Polymarket, a leading prediction market exchange, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to co‑develop a prediction market integrity framework. Under the agreement, Polymarket becomes MLB’s exclusive prediction market partner, and both organisations will collaborate with the CFTC to establish standards and safeguards designed to protect competition integrity and ensure responsible participation in MLB‑linked prediction markets. The initiative represents one of the most high-profile intersections of professional sports, prediction markets, and federal financial oversight, signalling confidence in prediction markets as legitimate engagement platforms, provided they are paired with robust […]

Spain’s gambling regulator, the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), has presented its new player safety programme for 2026–2030, a multi‑year framework designed to enhance responsible gambling controls, harm prevention and evidence‑based policy across the Spanish regulated market. The initiative was officially introduced at a meeting of the Advisory Council for Safe Gambling in Madrid, where stakeholders discussed priorities, evaluation methods and collaborative mechanisms to strengthen player protection. The programme marks a significant evolution in Spain’s regulatory approach to player safety, building on years of responsible gaming efforts and aligning with wider European trends toward more structured and strategic […]

The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) has issued fresh guidance clarifying that betting on elections and political events remains prohibited under provincial gaming policy. The regulator’s position comes amid increased public interest in betting markets linked to political outcomes and follows queries about whether such activity could be offered through licensed platforms in the province.  AGLC’s bulletin reinforces that political event wagering, including bets on election results, candidate outcomes or legislative decisions, is not permitted under the terms of Alberta’s gaming regulations. The guidance aims to provide clarity for operators, bettors and the broader public on the boundaries of […]

Sweden’s latest gambling channelisation report (Q4 2025) shows that the share of gambling conducted through licensed, regulated operators increased modestly, but unlicensed and black‑market gambling remains a significant part of the market. The quarterly findings from ATG (AB Trav och Galopp), commissioned as part of ongoing market oversight, reveal that while channelisation towards regulated services is growing, progress is slower and more uneven than policymakers and public health advocates would prefer. The channelisation metric, which measures how much gambling activity takes place on licensed platforms versus unlicensed alternatives, is a key indicator of regulatory effectiveness in Sweden’s market and a […]

Gibraltar’s Gambling Bill 2025, a long‑anticipated overhaul of the territory’s gambling regulatory framework, has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a substantive step toward modernising regulatory standards for licensed gaming businesses domiciled in the British Overseas Territory. The legislation will now proceed to subsequent stages, including the committee review and final readings, before being submitted for formal assent. Introduced by the Gibraltar government as part of a broader strategy to respond to external fiscal pressures and domestic industry needs, the bill is designed to replace the 2005 Gambling Act with a more adaptive, risk‑based regulatory regime. Overview of the […]

The 2026 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are on track to generate a record‑setting legal sports betting handle, with the American Gaming Association (AGA) projecting Americans will wager approximately $3.3 billion through licensed sportsbooks. The figure represents a roughly 54 % increase over the past three years, underscoring how deeply March Madness has become embedded in the legal sports wagering landscape. However, the 2026 tournaments are also provoking policy debates and integrity concerns, fueled by the rapid rise of prediction market advertising, questions over responsible play messaging, and the specter of historic betting scandals that continue to shape regulatory […]