It’s time for our weekly iGaming news roundup. We at Nostrabet.com analyzed all of the hottest news, so it’s time to learn everything about the events that stood out. As always, we have gathered some of the most interesting information from the industry.
84% of Young Adults use Legal Gambling Sites in Belgium
Belgium is one of the countries with a rich iGaming fanbase. An interesting survey from the local Gaming Commission revealed that 84% of young adults aged 18-30 prefer legal gambling websites. The stats also show that around 28% of those people also use illegal sites.
Another interesting result is that close to 94% of all respondents who took part in the survey were able to name at least one regulated platform. On the other hand, only 61% of people could do that for an illegal one.
48% of people gambled using websites, whereas 37% preferred visiting a land-based operator. Regarding how people find the operator they are currently using, two-thirds said they’ve chosen it based on recommendations from friends. Only 15% did that via social media.
Betting Revenue Reaches $248.9M in New York This May
New York once again proved it is among the leading places in America when it comes to betting. The Empire State beat its previous GGR high by 0.8%, resulting in $248.9M in May. Online sports betting continues to attract people from the state, which explains why there’s a 0.8% increase from January.
Despite the increase in revenue, an interesting fact is that New York’s May handle fell by 10.8% from this January. The good news is that there is a 12.1% year-on-year rise in handle from May last year. There’s also a 22.4% increase in GGR from May 2024, which means that operators win a lot more from their clients.
In terms of the leading operators in the state, the honor goes to FanDuel and DraftKings. With that said, things could change if the local authorities decide to regulate the sports betting industry. There were proposals about adding restrictions on deposit levels and the use of credit cards. However, we are yet to see if it will take place.The Philippines Approced Anti-POGO Act
The Philippines is one of the leading countries in SEA regarding gambling and sports betting. Local legislators have made many changes and the last one is from a few days ago.
After its third and final reading, Senate Bill 2868, also known as the Anti-POGO Act of 2005, has finally been passed. This is a major legislative milestone in the country’s efforts to ban Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
This bill was crucial for the authorities and was among the priority legislation that the local Government wanted to enact. An interesting fact is that PAGCOR (the local regulator) revealed a 25% year-on-year increase in the GGR in 2024, and E-games and E-bingo mainly drive it.
If enacted into law, the new Act will greatly affect the local gambling sector. It will be interesting to see the stats for 2025.
Two Cambodian Men Arrested in Sa Kaeo With THB1 M Linked to iGaming
The authorities in Thailand reported that two men from Cambodia were arrested in Sa Kaeo because of their connection with a cross-border online gambling network. Interestingly, the arrests took place near an ATM. The two suspects were trying to pull out large amounts of money using many different ATM cards.
Following the investigation, the authorities said that the two men were acting on behalf of a wider illegal gambling operation. They also had more than 18 cards on them, and all of them were under many different people’s names. The two suspects also had around THB1 M in cash.
Events like these are becoming more popular all over Southeast Asia. As reported earlier, the authorities in Laos and Vietnam also took down a cross-border online gambling ring, and similar situations occurred in Singapore and Malaysia.
Satoshi Gaming Group NV is No Longer Operating in Sweden
The Swedish Gambling Regulator took action and removed Satoshi Gaming Group NV from the country’s gambling market. This decision follows an in-depth investigation that revealed the company had “unlicensed activity.”
Based on the information, the group was operating in Sweden without a real license from the local authorities. This resulted in a permanent ban from this market.
The Scandinavian regulator has been incredibly active in the last couple of months. Spelinspektionen took action against many different operators, and it even fined a charity organization for violating lottery operations.
On top of that, the Swedish regulator also confronted several Twitch streamers who were promoting illegal gambling activities. These people didn’t receive any penalties, but the fact that the Spelinspektionen is willing to go through all of that shows that it is dedicated to providing locals with a safe gambling environment.
Betano Unveiled a New Public Basketball Court in Rio
Betano has been expanding its reach and influence in many parts of the world, including Brazil. After obtaining a license from the local regulator, the company has become one of the leaders in the local market. It seems like the brand decided to give something back to the community there, so it opened a newly refurbished public basketball court in Rio de Janeiro.
Betano invited Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the big NBA stars, to celebrate the new court. He has been the company’s global ambassador since 2023 and took part in the opening ceremony. He mentioned that these kinds of public sports facilities are essential because his own career began on public courts.
Denmark’s Top football Leagues Will Change Their Names
Soft2Bet is one of the leading iGaming operators in Denmark, so it’s no surprise that it managed to secure an interesting deal with the Danish professional football association. Based on that deal, Denmark’s top three football divisions will change their names and be named after the compnaýs subsidiary organization.
According to our information on this deal, it will include the 2025/26 and 2026/27 football seasons. Denmark’s first division will be Betinia Liga, whereas the other two will be CampoBet2 and CampoBet3.
BGC, ECA & AGA Agree that Illegal Gambling is a Global Threat
June 10, 2025 was an interesting day because there was an IAGA Conference in Berlin. It included a roundtable that consisted of some of the biggest gambling regulators from around the world. There were representatives from the American Gaming Association, the European Casino Association, and the Betting and Gaming Council.
Following an interesting discussion, the panel signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The three parties committed their efforts to tackling illegal gambling. It became clear that all regulators would undertake joint research and even bring together staff so that people could share their experience and knowledge on the topic.
The Police Chare A man in Sydney Over an AU$ 2 million iGaming Scam
The police in Australia reported that they arrested a 23-year-old man from Sydney. His arrest is related to an AU$ 2 M online gambling scam that involves several victims.
An interesting fact is that the investigation began in 2023 when the Australian police received several reports about a suspicious online gambling operator. The investigation revealed that close to 14 people started using a platform that pretended to be legitimate. Needless to say, this was not the case, and these individuals ended up losing a lot of money.
Interestingly, the 23-year-old man went to the Bankstown Police Station voluntarily. Following his arrest, he was charged with 14 offences, and the authorities are trying to find out whether there are other people involved.
An Online Gambling Link Disrupted an Indonesian Court’s Website
We are aware that gambling operators are very innovative when it comes to promoting their services. However, it seems like some of them are doing too much because people who were looking for the Praya District Court’s site on Google got an online gambling site ad instead. The incident took place a few days ago, and it quickly went viral.
According to the local authorities, the incident was not a cyberattack. The court’s IT experts discovered an external redirection, but there were no issues when users tried accessing the site through its domain.
The issue was resolved overnight and the authorities took preventive measures to make sure that this does not happen again.
Brazil’s Government to Increase Tax on Operators to 18% of GGR
Brazil has become one of the hottest gambling markets in the world. After allowing different operators to work in the country and obtain a license, the local authorities decided to increase the tax to 18% of GGR.
According to the information, 6% of that 18% will go towards social security and health contributions. The Government will divide the other 12% among other sectors.
Prior to this decision, the gambling tax in Brazil was just 12%, which means that this is a 50% increase.
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