Welcome to this week’s overview of the hottest news from the iGaming industry. We at Nostrabet are back with some of the most intriguing news from the last few days and it’s safe to say it was an interesting week. There’s a lot to talk about, so sit back and let’s go through everything.
The Authorities in Spain are Concerned Due to the Rise of Female Gambling
More and more women are starting to get involved in gambling and it seems like Spain is one of the countries where this happens a lot. According to the stats from the country’s Directorate of Gambling, there is a 23% increase in female players. Overall, a total of 64,000 new women have started gambling in the last yeas. An interesting fact is that 60% of them are under the age of 35.
What’s interesting is that the percentage of new female players is higher than the number of men. With that said, it seems likely the average spending is around 539 EUR, which is lower than that for men.
It’s worth remembering that Spain has specific limits on deposits. The current laws allow people to add up to 600 EUR/day, 1500 EUR/week and 3000 EUR per month. The downside is that these limits apply per operator, so people using multiple sites can exceed them.
Gabon and Zambia Make Progress Towards Licensing Online Gambling
Africa is definitely one of the more interesting regions for online betting. Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya are among the leaders, but it seems like more countries are joining because Zambia and Gabon have decided to improve their local markets.
The Gabon National Lottery invited third-party sites that wish to operate there to apply for a license. The same is true for the Zambia Gaming Association. The latter actually is focusing more on compliance because it wants to ensure that all sites that will start operating there meet the security standards. At the time of writing, Zambia has more than 85 licensed operators.
The situation with Gabon is more interesting because all of the current gambling licenses will expire on July 7. All sites wishing to operate in this jurisdiction must comply with the rules of the new legal framework.
It’s worth mentioning that Gabon’s current regulated industry is limited to land-based operators. With that said, the move to shift licensing could mean an influx of online gambling operators.
Authorities in the Philippines have raided a Korean Gambling Hub
The Philippines is one of the SEA countries with the largest gambling markets, and the authorities are definitely not messing around. According to the news, the police have arrested Koreans who were accused of running an illegal gambling operation. The arrest came following a warrant and it took place in Cebu City.
All of these actions come at a time when the local authorities have tightened their grip against illegal gambling. The local regulator’s CEO said that there are plans for greater regulations in the sector. Moreover, the authorities are discussing a potential ban on gambling advertisements on TV and radio between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM.
Campeon Gaming Gained a License from the MGA
Campeon Gaming is one of the interesting gambling companies operating in many parts of the world. It seems we will see it in even more places, as the site recently received a license from the Malta Gaming Authority.
Apart from the new permit, the site also welcomed Sotiris Pappas as its new director. He will be in charge of the development and implementation of the strategic operational framework at Campeon Gaming. Before picking up this role, Pappas was a part of N1 Partener Group and he was also the affiliate marketing manager at Novibet.
Going back to the Maltese license, it will allow the site to explore the local market as well. According to the company’s CEO, this was a defining milestone, so we can expect it to become even more popular.
Wynn Resumes Its Work in the UAE
People considered the UAE one of the safest places on Earth, but the situation changed following the war in Iran. Wynn, one of the biggest names in the casino world, began developing the region’s first casino, but operations had to stop following the strikes.
Now that the conflict is entering its third week, Wynn Resorts assured its investors that construction is back on track. This happened just days after it became clear that the war had expanded into the Strait of Hormuz and was affecting global shipments. On top of all that, Dubai’s airport keeps getting attacked as the local authorities are trying to intercept Iran’s drones.
Going back to the rest, this is one of the biggest projects in the region because the total cost is estimated to be close to $3.9B. If everything goes according to plan, it should open in March 2027, but the conflict seems to be pushing it back.
The Dutch Gambling Authorities Intensify Their Battle Against the Black Market
The Dutch Gambling Regulator is taking further steps against illegal operators in the country by issuing two sanctions. According to it, Novatech and Fortaprime SRL have allowed Dutch players to use their platform and make crypto payments without completing the age verification requirements.
The allegations are serious, so it’s probably not surprising that the fines are substantial. Fotaprime will have to pay around 1.8m EUR, whereas Novetech received the single-largest penalty ever at 24.9M EUR. The KSA Chairman even stated that the fine was not enough and the operator deserved to get over 100M EUR in fines, but this was the maximum allowed penalty.
We believe these penalties will make operators think twice before breaking local regulations. The Netherlands has one of the biggest iGaming markets in Europe regulators are trying to keep everything under control.
A Klatham Party member in Thailand stays in custody over ties to an illegal online gambling network.
This week in Thailand, Chonnapat Naksua surrendered to the authorities to respond to inquiries regarding his involvement in an online gambling ring that began in 2019. Local officials claim that he was part of a group responsible for running operations. The latter had a value of over 1 billion baht and ran multiple sites.
Unsurprisingly, the politician received charges of organizing gambling and arranging schemes. The police also charged him with advertising or directly persuading others to take part in gambling games that the officials did not authorize.
Keep in mind that this is just one of the many arrests that took place last week. According to authorities, 93 people were arrested in connection with a black market network that targeted people in Vietnam. During the arrests, the police caught people working on Vietnamese gambling websites that offered sports betting and online casinos.
Finland’s iGaming Sector Attracted More than 20 Operators
Finland will become one of the most interesting countries in Europe for iGaming, as it has changed its legislation. The country opened its application for operator licenses in March, and even though it’s been less than 2 weeks, there are already 20+ applications. Keep in mind that Finland will lift its market restrictions on July 1, 2027, which means operators will be able to offer their services from that point on.
Once the market changes, third-party sites will be able to offer online casino games, slots, bingo and sports betting. With that said, Veikkaus, the state-owned company, will have exclusive rights over Lotto, Eurojackpot and real slot machines.
Finland’s future gambling legislation will be very similar to that in Denmark and Sweden. The idea behind local authorities was to create a competitive, licensed market. This would allow players to shift away from unregulated platforms.
Courts in the European Union Can Freeze Bank Accounts Linked to Offshore Gambling
The EU Court of Justice will likely allow states to freeze the bank accounts of gambling operators that are not licensed in the EU. This comes after a case from a German player who wants to recover more than 57,000 EUR in online gambling losses from an operator in Curacao. After receiving the ruling in Germany, the player sought to have the courts freeze the operator’s bank accounts in Cyprus via European Account Preservation Orders.
This is another case that highlights the legal risks people take when using offshore gambling websites. We will definitely wait to hear the court’s final ruling about the German player’s case because it will determine what will happen across courts in the EU when it comes to these kinds of cases.
Betsson expanded its Services in Canada after acquiring Rhino Entertainment
Betsson is among the most prominent European betting companies and it’s now expanding its reach into Canada. The company announced its agreement to acquire Rhino Entertainment Group for 64.5M EUR. The latter is a B2C business that has developed numerous technologies. Alongside the tech, the deal also includes the company’s assets, personnel, and licenses in Ontario and other Canadian provinces.
According to Betsson, the company will integrate the new tech into its own B2B offering. This should create additional licensing revenue streams. Moreover, it will allow Betsson to expand into digital gambling services beyond the consumer market.
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