Brazil’s iGaming Situation, Spain to Add Stricter Payment Verification, Malaysia Removed Illegal Ads and Websites & More Weekly iGaming News

The iGaming industry never stops evolving, and this week will bring you all of the latest news from around the world. Our experts at Nostrabet will keep you informed about what’s happening in places like Brazil, Europe, and even Malaysia. This week was full of interesting events from around the world, so let’s check the most intriguing ones.

Tanzania’s Gambling Tax Revenue To Hit $116M as Online Betting Expands

Tanzania is slowly shaping up to become one of Africa’s biggest gambling markets, and the stats prove it. Based on the stats from the country’s gambling industry, it generated around $116.2M in tax revenue for 2025/26. The increase is mainly due to the growing smartphone adoption and digital payments.

James Mbalwe, the Gaming Board of Tanzania’s director, said that online sports betting and casino gaming have become more popular than land-based operations. However, due to the rapid increase, there have been many regulatory challenges. Local authorities seized over 3,000 illegal slot machines, and you can still access many illegal sites im the country.

In an attempt to strengthen oversight, the regulator wants to introduce electronic monitoring systems. It will also try to improve revenue collection and establish a centralized database for players who’ve used self-exclusion.

Another interesting fact about Tanzania is that it will host the Gaming Regulatory Africa Forum in 2027. This will bring together industry stakeholders to discuss key issues.

Brazil’s Supreme Court Reviews Government Ban on Sports Betting

There hasn’t been a single week in the last couple of months where we haven’t mentioned Brazil in some way, shape, or form and this one is no exception. Following the highly controversial ban on betting and the official complaint filed with the Supreme Court, the court scheduled a public hearing for November 3.

The hearing will focus on the Provisional Measure 1394/2026, which bans betting operators and revokes all existing licenses. A total of 28 organizations and even major football clubs were invited to present their arguments. Needless to say, this will be one of the most important hearings of the year.

The National Association of Games and Lotteries is seeking to overturn the ban on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. The hearing represents a crucial moment for Brazil’s regulated gambling market.

Spain Adds Stricter Payment Verification Rules for Online Gambling

Spain decided to introduce new anti-money laundering regulations that require licensed gambling operators to verify that every payment method belongs to the registered player. This comes following Royal Decree 813/2026 and the rules apply immediately to new accounts. As for people with existing accounts, they will have until April 28, 2026 to complete the verification.

Those who fail to meet the requirements will face different withdrawal restrictions and even account closure. The changes aim to identify fraud and strengthen player protection. An interesting fact is that these changes come ahead of the country’s nationwide gambling deposit limits, which will launch in March 2027.

Netherlands’ Online Gambling Revenue Increases by 11% but the Illegal Market Remains a Concern

The Netherlands’ regulated online gambling market recorded a 115% increase in revenue in the first half of 2026. Based on the numbers, it reached around EUR 670 M, with licensed operators accounting for 59% of revenue.

A deeper dive into the stats shows that between 94% and 97% of players use licensed platforms, but some prefer focusing on illegal operators. The average losses per player in the country are around 137 EUR, which is lower than in other parts of the world.

Another interesting fact is that online gambling advertising is down by 33% amid tightening regulations.

New Campaigns Tackling Gambling Harm Among Young People

Aside from the numbers mentioned above, the Netherlands got into this week’s iGaming news because of its campaign. The country’s regulator (Kansspelautoriteit) launched two awareness campaigns whose goal was to prevent gambling-related harm among teenagers and young adults.

The initiative encourages parents to discuss the gambling-related risks with young people. All of this comes after the KSA found that around 22% of all legal gambling accounts belong to people aged 18-23. What’s shocking here is that these people represent just 9.2% of the country’s population, which means there are growing concerns over youth gambling and how it will develop in the future.

Italy Plans 952M EUR Gambling Tax Increase in 2027 Budget

Italy’s proposed budget for 2027 introduces higher gambling taxes and extends the land-based betting licenses. Based on the initial information, companies providing these services will continue to do so until the end of 2029. According to the government, this should bring in around 952M EUR in additional revenue for 2027.

The new budget also brings some changes to slots, where the tax will increase from 24% to 25%. Video lottery terminals will also see an increase from 8.6% to 9.6%. The maximum slot take will double to 2 EUR and the potential prizes could increase up to 200 EUR. Another interesting change is to the maximum slot stakes, which will double to 2 EUR and the potential prizes could reach 200 EUR.

These measures focus mostly on land-based casinos, so online gambling taxes remain unchanged, at least for now. Keep in mind that Italy is one of the countries with a less-than-ideal financial situation, so we may see changes in the future. If the budget remains as it is, the parliament must approve it by December 31.

Brazil becomes the First Country in the Americas to Sign Macolin Convention

Outside of the turbolet situation regarding the betting ban, Brazil also made some interesting changes. The country became the first in the Americas to sign the Macolin Convention. This is an international treaty whose goal is to combat match-fixing and protect sports integrity.

Based on the agreement, cooperation must be strengthened among governments, sports organizations, and various betting operators. The goal is to prevent manipulation of sporting results.

Even though some people were surprised by this decision, it actually builds on Brazil’s National Policy for the Prevention and Combat of Match-Fixing. This was introduced in 2026, and the new convention will build on it by promoting information sharing, monitoring suspicious betting activity, and coordinating action against sports fraud.

Michigan Approves Fixed-Odds Horse Racing Betting on Online Sportsbooks

Michigan becomes the latest US state to decide to change its betting laws. The state authorized licensed online bookies to offer fixed-odds betting on horse racing. The new rule came into effect on October 30 and it now allows bettors to place fixed-odds bets. Before, horse racing fans only had access to pari-mutuel betting, where the payout depended on the betting pool.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board said the decision came in response to growing demand. All sites wishing to add fixed-odds horse racing to their platforms can now do that with their existing license. Of course, they need to keep in place all the responsible gambling tools and age-verification tech they’ve used so far.

Switzerland’s Gambling Regulator Highlights Youth Protection Gaps and Sports Betting Risks

Gespa, the gambling regulator in Switzerland, announced that it found numerous weaknesses in age verification at retail betting outlets. This happens despite having effective player-protection measures across online platforms.

The stats are from 2025 and they show that around 100 underage people placed sports bets and physical locations of Swisslos and Loterie Romande. The self-service terminals were the ones that proved to be the most vulnerable. As a result, the regulator may require companies offering them to introduce identity scanners and stricter verification procedures.

The report also identified that sports betting is the riskiest category. This is where players recorded greater average losses than in other areas, such as lotteries.

It became clear that both Swisslos and Loterie Romande have added various safety measures. Players have access to automated risk monitoring, deposit warnings, monthly loss limits and more.

An interesting fact is that online gambling accounted for only around 24% of operators’ GGR in 2025. This makes Switzerland one of the few places around the world where it seems like people prefer retail betting.

From a financial point of view, the two operators had net profits of CHF 814 M, which is close to 5% less than the numbers in 2024.

Malaysia Removed Over 724K Online Gambling Posts and Blocked Over 2600 Websites

Malaysia remains one of the most “determined” countries in Southeast Asia to fight illegal gambling and its most recent efforts prove that. The country recently removed around 724K illegal gambling-related posts and blocked over 2600 websites. This happened over the course of one and a half years.

According to Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission processed more than 98% of the content removal requests. All of this was possible because of the joint effort of the Royal Malaysia Police and everyone else involved.

Outside of these measures, Malaysia’s authorities are also considering stronger financial monitoring to identify and restrict transactions related to illegal gambling. These incidents have become increasingly common in the last few years, especially after the major crackdowns in places like Cambodia.