This week’s iGaming news is as interesting as ever, especially for those who come from a few specific countries. That’s why we at Nostrabet.com are about to show you everything you need to know. Like every week, our team has scanned everything and prepared some of the biggest weekly news, so let’s dive in.
KSA Focuses on Illegal Gambling Machines
Holland’s gambling regulator (commonly referred to as KSA) is often in the news because of its actions. The most recent one is from a few days ago, and it focuses on illegal gambling machines. These actions came into life following several casinos closing down in the country.
After changing some of the tax regulations, a lot of casino companies are actually out of business. Those who “survived” are probably trying to maximise their potential winnings, so the KSA checked the various gaming machines.
In addition to the security checks, the KSA announced that it may increase the age limit for certain gambling activities to 21. Despite the stricter regulations and constant checks, revenue for 2024 shows a 6% growth from 2023. It will be very interesting to see if things change in the future.
Alongside all of that, the KSA also continues its funding for different gambling risk awareness projects. The idea behind them is to help people learn more about the risks associated with gambling and everything else that comes with it.
Kentucky Derby Receives $349M in Wagering
Horse racing is among the first sports that come to mind when people think of online gambling. There are a lot of popular races worldwide and the Kentucky Derby is among them. The 151st version of the race took place just a few days ago, and the stats around it are impressive because it received more than $349M in wagering.
The Kentucky Derby is one of the biggest races in the US. It is held on the first Saturday in May. Before the competition, fans had the chance to enjoy the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival.
According to Churchill Downs Incorporated, the Kentucky Derby got $349M in wagering, which is almost 9% more than last week.
The UAE Granted IGT a License
A few weeks ago, we reported that Novomatic received a gaming vendor license and will offer its services in the UAE once the casino starts operating in the country. It seems like this won’t be the only company to which people will have access to games. Based on the most recent news, the UAE also granted IGT a license, adding it to the list of gaming vendors. This means IGT is the third brand to provide its services here, alongside Novomatic and Aristocrat.
Interestingly, the addition of IGT does not come with any format notification. However, you can find the company’s details on the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority’s website. Fans who want to play IGT’s games will need to wait for the Al Marjan Island project to be completed (it should not take that long because it recently received the $2.4B funding it needed).
Florida’s Anti-Sweepstakes Bills Fail
Sweepstakes casinos are very popular all over the US, especially in places where locals can’t access “real online casinos”. Florida is one of the places where locals seem to enjoy these types of casinos. The local senate wanted to criminalise sweepstakes promotions after trying to pass two bills, but both of them failed.
As expected, the Social and Promotional Games Association was delighted with the news. If they had passed, they would have criminalized people who play unlicensed games on their phones.
Atletico River Plate Partners with Betano
Betano is one of the world’s leading online gambling operators that you can find in many countries around the world. The brand made significant advancements in South America in 2024 and 2025, especially in countries like Brazil and Argentina. Speaking of the latter, Kaizen Gaming, the company behind Betano, signed a special partnership deal with one of the country’s most prominent football clubs, Atletico River Plate.
According to the news, Betano will become the club’s shirt sponsor, and the deal will start immediately. This is good news for the brand because it will continue to gain new fans in the country. River Plate is also lucky to get this kind of partnership deal because it will allow the club extra revenue.
In case you are not aware. River Plate is one of the oldest clubs in Argentina because it was founded in 1901. The stats show that it has more than 350,000 members, which makes it one of the largest in the world.
As for Betano, this is another impressive partnership deal after those with MGA games. It’s safe to say that the company is one of the biggest names in iGaming right now.
Spoonkier, a Kinder Group Subsidiary, Has Been Fined in Sweden
The Swedish Gaming Regulator decided to fine and issue a warning to Spoonkier. The company will have to pay close to 10M SEK (around 1M EUR) for failing to perform customer due diligence.
The warning and fine came after an inspection of how the operator handles customer due diligence. Sweden’s regulator has noted that Spoonkier does not collect enough data in terms of the source of money that people use to play. In other words, the company fails to meet the specific anti-money laundering criteria.
Interestingly, the same company had already issued two warnings regarding this issue. The first one came in 2021, when it became clear that the brand allowed users to deposit more than the 5K SEK limit imposed at that time.
The second time Spoonkier got in trouble was in late 2024, when it was fined 30M SEK. Back then, the company was providing unauthorised bonuses and lotteries.
India’s Supreme Court & Gambling Taxes
Considering the most recent events between India and Pakistan, it’s safe to say that gambling is not the country’s top priority. However, the government and representatives from the gaming industry started debating about the different games of skill and what should happen if people decide to bet on them.
The entire point of this discussion is to decide whether games like chess and rummy can be considered games of chance. Doing this means that people who earn something while playing will be subject to the country’s tax laws.
The current situation with iGaming in India is unclear because individual states can decide what to do with their own gambling laws. We will monitor the situation and inform you when the court decides what to do with the gambling taxes and whether states will take advantage of that. India is one of the largest iGaming markets in the world, so everyone is interested in seeing what will happen.
The Gambling Market in the Philippines reaches $1.8B in Q1 GGR
The Philippines is a popular beach destination all over the world, but it’s safe to say the country is also one of the leaders in terms of gambling. According to the most recent results from PAGCOR, the 2025 Q1 gambling revenue is close to $1.8B, resulting in a 27.4% increase from Q1 last year.
An interesting fact is that e-games have become way more popular in the Philippines than before. The stats reveal that these products are responsible for close to 49.4% of the total revenue. The licensed casinos in the country account for around 47.3%, whereas the PAGCOR casinos have a 3.3% share.
10 Bookies Got a License in Botswana
Botswana is most likely not the first African country that people think of when talking about betting. However, the local authorities seem interested in the idea of promoting this activity because the Botswana Gambling Authority granted 10 licenses to bookmakers. Based on the news, six have already started operating, whereas three more are expected to do so soon. Only one of the companies that got the permit decided to cease operations.
Following the decision to grant licenses to casinos and bookmakers, these places secured 400 jobs for the local population. According to the country’s gambling authority, casinos and betting shops could generate close to 2300 jobs in the future.
The Bank of Ireland to Introduce Features that Block Gambling
People who use the services of the Bank of Ireland will now have the chance to use a gambling block feature. This idea came into existence following the “push” from the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland related to consumer protection.
Those who wish to use the new feature will be able to block all debit card transactions related to gambling operators. In addition to casinos, the block will also include sites that offer slot matches and lotteries. What’s even more interesting is that the block will work for both business and personal accounts and will soon include credit cards as well (they are not affected by it as of now).
The Bank of Ireland decided to introduce this measure because of the most recent gambling trends. The stats for Q1 2025 show that more than 90% of all gambling transactions are made online. Moreover, 99% of those deposits were made using debit cards.
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