Are you ready for the hottest iGaming news from this past week? The Nostrabet team has dived deep into everything and decided to focus on all of the interesting news from the last couple of days. It’s been a packed week, so let’s analyze everything that took place.
Tennessee’s Only Locally Owned and Operated Stopped Working
Tennessee is one of several US states where locals can access various online betting platforms. Action 24/7 was among them, and it was the only company with a local owner. It started operating in 2020 and had a fairly large number of clients, but it seems like things did not go as planned. The operator recently stated that it will no longer accept wagers and that it will cease operations.
What’s interesting about Tennessee is that it’s the only state where people pay taxes on the amount wagered. In other words, sportsbooks have to pay taxes even if they lost money for the given month. This puts many operators in a really bad position because they end up paying tons of taxes.
Action 24/7 has faced legal challenges over the years, so some people may not be surprised that the story ends this way. Now that the operator is no longer available, Tennessee will only have 10 online sportsbooks.
The UKGC criticized Meta for Allowing Illegal Gambling Ads
Members of the UK Gambling Commission recently criticized Meta (the company behind Facebook) for allowing illegal gambling operations to run ads on the platform. The accusations took place during the opening day of ICE 2026 in Barcelona. According to the UKGC, everyone who spends some time on Facebook and Instagram will eventually see an ad from an offshore operator. The bad news is that these companies usually target problem gamblers in the UK.
It seems like the UKGC believes that Meta is simply not interested in preventing illegal gambling ads. There were some reports recently that in 2024, Meta earned around 10% of its $164B revenue from illegal ads.
What’s important to note is that the UK is not the only country that has had issues with that. Brazilian authorities also ordered Meta to take down illegal gambling ads from its platform in 2025. The same happened in Malaysia, whereas in the Philippines, people even removed Facebook pages.
It will be interesting to see whether Meta will take action following the UKGC’s efforts to shed light on the problem. Considering the tension between the US and Europe, this is just another problem that needs to be addressed.
Authorities in West Virginia want to raise the Sportsbook and iGaming Tax to 25%
A West Virginia lawmaker recently introduced a bill to increase the state’s gambling tax. House Bills 4389 and 4397 would increase the state’s sportsbook and iGaming tax from 10% to 25%. On top of that, sportsbooks will have to submit weekly tax reports and payments.
There are many reasons why West Virginia wants to take these actions, one of which is the low taxes. At the time of writing, this is the US state with one of the lowest tax rates in the country. Michigan, Iowa and Nevada are the only ones whose taxes are lower than here.
Increasing the taxes on sports betting and online gambling will allow the state to generate more tax revenue. An interesting fact is that this was among the states that were early to embrace online gambling. Local lawmakers legalized sports betting in March 2018, which was even before the infamous Supreme Court ruling.
Timothy McCormack Sentenced to 2 Years for Betting with NBA Insider information
The high-profile NBA scandal from a few months ago finally has its first “victim”. Timothy McCormach, a New York resident, was involved in the betting scandal and used the insider information to wager. He was found guilty and the state’s judge imposed a two-year federal prison term.
An interesting fact is that the prosecutors sought a four-year sentence, but it seemsthis did not happen. McCormack was honest about what he did and told the court that he had been struggling with gambling addiction for most of his life.
According to the information, the player wagered on Jontay Porter, who was later given a lifetime ban from the sport. He also placed bets on Terry Rozier, another name that is also involved in the betting scandal.
The Online Gambling Revenue in Michigan Hit $3.8B in 2025
Michigan seems to be an interesting state when it comes to online gambling and the stats back it up. Online gambling reached a record $3.8B in 2025, meaning there was a double-digit growth across the state. In fact, the stats show there is a 29.5% increase over 2024.
Local bettors have the chance to access different platforms, but FanDuel and MotorCity were in the lead. The two operators got a total of $817.1M in gross receipts and $768.1M in adjusted revenue. MGM and BetMGM were close behind.
December was the most interesting month of the year for the industry in Michigan. The entire market generated close to $399.8M, surpassing November’s stats by 19.1%. All in all, Michigan is slowly becoming one of the hottest US states when it comes to online gambling.
The Dutch Regulator will Increase its Efforts Against Illegal Gambling
The Dutch national regulator recently shared its goals for 2026. One of the things that the regulator will focus on is its efforts to tackle illegal gambling in the country.
According to the information, the KSA will work closely with regulated operators. Moreover, the regulator will launch a new consumer platform that will offer information about safer gambling and additional support.
Another area where the KSA will focus on is illegal advertising. The operators in the country already have to adhere to strict rules and it seems like this will continue to be the case in 2026.
Lastly, we will see new anti-money laundering rules. The regulator will work closely with the country’s other authorities to ensure that there is no money laundering in the country.
Finland’s New Gambling Act is Set to Launch in 2027
There were rumours about the potential changes in Finland’s gambling legislation around a month ago. Well, we had to wait for around a month because the country’s new Gambling Act got a green light.
The changes are huge because Finland will finally move away from the single-operator online model it has had for years. The changes will allow locals to access different kinds of operators who will get a license. Based on our research, the new rules will not apply until July 1, 2027, which means there is a year and a half until then.
The new law will essentially put an end to Veikkaus Oy’s monopoly. Following these changes, slots, betting, online casino games and lotteries will be opened to competitions.
All operators who wish to be a part of Finland’s gambling market can submit their applications starting on March 1, 2026. Once a site starts operating, it must adhere to the numerous player protection mechanisms. In other words, there will be things like mandatory identification and other responsible gambling features. Expect things like self-exclusion, limits and other tools.
The UK’s Betting and Gambling Council Will Work Alongside ePAL in Chile
South America had huge success in the online gambling industry in 2025. Brazil became one of the world’s leading countries for iGaming and it seems like others in the region want a piece of the pie. Chile is one of them, which is why the local regulator will work closely with the UK’s Betting and Gambling Council. The two have signed a one-year Cooperation Agreement, where they will share regulatory experience.
Online gambling (as of now) is not formally regulated in Chile, despite the fact that the country has a developed land-based betting sector. The current political landscape in the country looks more favorable to move legislation forward.
The authorities will need to develop a licensing system and a range of player protection measures. It will be interesting to see how things change in the future, as Chile has one of the largest markets in Latin America.
Hungary Blocks Polymarket Due to Illegal Gambling Activities
Polymarket has become one of the most popular online betting platforms in the last couple of weeks. Despite having millions of users worldwide, it seems like the regulators in some countries are not fans of the site. That is the reason why the site is now off-limits in Hungary. The state’s gambling supervisor ordered the internet providers to restrict access to the site and its related subdomains.
Local authorities have opened a procedure over an alleged illegal gambling organization. This comes just a few days after Portugal also took action against Polymaker.
It seems like many authorities around the world believe that the prediction contracts related to real-world events look very much like gambling. Who knows, we may see different legislative changes that will “legalize” Polymarket’s business model in most European countries.
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