8 Things Online Bettors Need to Be Prepared for in 2026

We are two weeks away from 2026, and it’s safe to say 2025 has been an interesting year for online bettors. The industry experienced numerous changes in regulation, several betting scandals, the emergence of new markets, and more. We at Nostrabet.com have been sharing information about everything throughout the year, but now it is time to see some of the things we believe online bettors need to be prepared for in 2026. We can’t predict the future, but after being in the industry for so long, there are a few key moments we’d like to share.

#1 Tighter Regulation and Licensing Across Major Betting Markets

We can’t argue with the fact that online betting has become a lot more regulated in 2025.

• Several years ago, most operators could work in a specific jurisdiction, even with an offshore license, and everything was fine.
• Today, governments are shifting away from it and offering a strict licensing regime. The purpose of these licenses is to regulate access and combat illegal operators. For example, online gaming revenue in Europe reached around 48 million EUR in 2024, and all statistics indicate that it will likely continue to expand through 2029.

Overall, we can safely say that regulators want licensed operators that follow their rules. Most gambling authorities enforce strict anti-money laundering and player protection standards, and expect sites to follow them.

It will be interesting to follow what happens in the US because the country has become the largest gambling market worldwide. Currently, regulation remains state-by-state, but we would not be surprised if there is a shift. Keep in mind that the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be held there, so local authorities may change their approach.

#2 Stricter Promotional Rules

It’s no secret that online betting platforms have used bonuses to attract new customers for years. While we expect this to continue to be the case, industry forecasts and regulations reveal that operators are taking a slightly different approach.

• Due to the many different responsible gambling measures they need to follow, a lot of companies are cutting back on bonuses that promote excessive play.
• There are also specific regulations in some parts of the world that require people to opt in for product promotions. This is the case in the UK.

While most are slowly changing the way they advertise their offers, companies have to balance profitability and compliance. Many brands relied on “heavy promos” before, but nowadays, they are redesigning what they have. That’s why we believe that 2026 may offer online bettors smaller and more conservative offers than before.

#3 The growing role of AI

We can safely say that AI sparks controversies because not everyone is a fan of the new tech. For better or worse, it has transformed the online betting industry forever in more ways than most of you probably know.

• Nowadays, bookmakers and casinos use AI for all kinds of things. Many rely on complex machine learning models to set their odds, monitor bets and even provide hand-picked bonuses.
• We also believe that AI has been embedded in responsible gambling. Many popular features and third-party companies in the niche utilize AI to analyze betting patterns. The data helps these companies provide more accurate and useful betting resources.
• The customer support service is another place where AI is booming, and we expect this to continue in 2026. In fact, this is one of the sections where AI has been around for some time now because many sites have had chatbots. Nowadays, these chatbots are much more advanced and work way better.

Even if you don’t personally like AI, you can’t deny the fact that it has a growing influence in the online betting industry. We think that you should try to learn how it works and how to make the most of it in 2026. Unless something dramatic happens, we do not see it going anywhere else in the near future.

#4 KYC, Source of Funds and Identity Verification

The Know Your Customer (KYC) process is not new, as it has been in place for many years. Thanks to the growing licensing regimes, AI and a few other factors, however, we expect to see more advanced variations of the standard process.

• Outside of the tighter regulations, we expect to see big changes in the source of fund verification process. The growing iGaming market means that a lot more people are taking part in it. As a result, regulators have to monitor everything closely and make sure there is no money laundering, fraud and underage gambling.

But how are all these things going to affect players? Well, for starters, we expect users to have to provide more documents before. We also would not be surprised if players who have already verified their accounts have to provide additional data.

This is another department where AI can be implemented, as we believe it’s a matter of time before regulators and bookies/casinos themselves adopt it to track these things. AI will monitor any suspicious behavior and report it when it occurs.

Another reason why we may see additional sources of fund verifications is because of the growing match-fixing scandals. 2025 was a year where we saw a lot of them (the biggest being in Turkey and affecting referees, players and club owners).

#5 More Refined Payment Systems

All data shows that 2026 should be a better year for online betting than 2025. In order to welcome all new bettors, companies have to step up their game in the payment department. That’s why we expect to see more refined payment systems in 2026.

• We expect to see a lot of changes in the mobile payment option departments. Some stats show that close to 80% of all online wagers are made on smartphones. As a result, bookmakers and casinos have to find a way to make the mobile payment process faster, more efficient and more secure.
• With that said, we also expect to see some limitations when using specific payment gateways. The UK was one of the first countries to ban credit card payments in an attempt to reduce the number of problem gamblers. It appears that this approach has been successful, as countries like Australia have adopted a similar approach. We would not be surprised if even more countries decide to do the same in 2026.
• Another thing about the online payment is its speed. Nowadays, most brands offer instant deposits and fast withdrawals, but we expect the latter to become much faster.

#6 Expansion of In-Play and Micro-Betting Markets

Sports betting is huge because it has millions of fans worldwide. Many people like pre-match betting because of its advantages, but live betting is becoming increasingly popular as well. More than half of online sports betting happens in-play, and this is a trend we expect to see in 2026.

• Alongside the growing popularity of In-Play betting, we also have to mention the numerous micro-betting options. Not all online bettors are interested in these things, but having the option to place tiny bets on specific moment-by-moment actions is definitely gaining traction.
• With that said, regulators in many parts of the world are evaluating tighter controls for in-play and micro-betting. Most of them do that because of their concerns that this could lead to impulsive wagering. In other words, bettors can expect to see more of these markets, but there will also be new limits on how users can take part in them.

#7 More Responsible Gambling and Player Limits

Everyone who’s been betting online has noticed that 2025 included many responsible gambling initiatives. We firmly believe that this will be the case again because operators will double down on these frameworks.

• The statistics do not lie, as evidenced by places like GAMSTOP and their self-exclusion tool, which reported a 19% increase in 2025. In other words, more people are using these tools than before, which means that sites need to step up their game.
• Alongside the classic responsible gambling features, we expect operators to roll out new features and options. Thanks to AI, we would not be surprised if 2026 is the year when we will see tailored options for every player. Some believe that it is too early for that, but we will have to wait and see.

Overall, we expect the responsible gambling tools to become more prominent in 2026.

#8 Greater Importance of Data, Analytics and Betting Education

Most online bettors are well aware that having access to the right data can make a difference. Despite that, only a few of them actually take advantage of this data when making decisions. 2026 is around the corner, and we firmly believe this will change. Modern online bettors want to use every competitive edge they can get, so we would not be surprised if many of them start focusing on analysing data.

• Players who take advantage of all the features nd options available can be more prepared for longer-term participation.
• Securing a “betting education” is no longer as important as it once was, but nowadays, things are different. People realize that they need to have strong bankroll management and other skills that will help them survive in the industry. That’s why we wouldn’t be surprised if 2026 allows us to enroll in different courses and/or other offerings produced by the bookies themselves.

Conclusion

All statistics indicate that 2026 should be a better year than 2025 for our favorite industry. With many new markets, advanced options, and new features, players have access to more options than ever before. We thank you for following us throughout 2025 and can’t wait to see you next year!