We are back once again with another dynamic week in the iGaming world. The team at Nostrabet.com has examined the latest industry changes, and it’s time to take a look at the most important ones. From suspicious partnerships to regulatory updates, there’s plenty to unpack, so let’s learn more about everything.
Stake’s Partnership with Eden Hazard Could Result in Sanctions in His Country
Eden Hazard is one of the most popular Belgian soccer players, and he recently became a brand ambassador of Stake.com. All of this happens just a few months before the FIFA World Cup 2026, but it seems the footballer has found himself in a difficult situation.
Hazard could face penalties from the Belgian Gaming Commission because the country has a strict ban on gambling advertisements. What’s even worse is that Stake is also on the country’s blacklist because it does not hold a license from the local regulator.
After it became clear that Hazard will advertise the site, the regulator will investigate the matter and has to decide whether this partnership focuses on the Belgian market. If the answer is yes, Hazard will have to either cut ties with the site or face serious penalties.
It’s worth knowing that Stake has not been allowed in Belgium since 2021. Despite that, the site decided to start a collaboration with one of the most well-known names in modern football. Eden Hazard has more than 27M followers on his social media and is one of the company’s biggest deals to date.
Betting Syndicate in Australia Crumbled After a Kidnapping
Worldwide Sporting Investment was an Australian sports betting syndicate owned by Tyler Roberts. Although it was pretty successful, it all came crashing and it’s now in court-ordered liquidation. According to the news, creditors say the company owes them more than $1.5M, but TSI has less than $ 1,000 in its accounts.
The business was doing well until April 2025, when Roberts and his girlfriend were kidnapped. Based on the police statement, the couple was taken late at night by a group of men. After a while, the police eventually found them and arrested everyone.
Outside of the kidnapping, Roberts found a way to secure huge funding, but one of his former business partners actually disappeared with the funds. As a result, creditors are now looking to recover their losses, but as we mentioned earlier, this will be easier said than done.
Las Vegas & The New Generation of Taxi Ads
Las Vegas has an interesting idea that would transform some of the taxis into moving advertising platforms. Thanks to the company SOMO, we will see the first triple-screen taxi advertising system in the U.S. and this will allow them to draw a lot more attention. According to the information we have, there will be two displays on the roof and a third screen in the rear window.
What’s special about these ads is that they will run in such a way that they will not obstruct the driver’s view. This is possible thanks to special transparent display technology.
If everything goes according to plan, Las Vegas will see a total of 400 taxis with 1200 screens. These kinds of moving ads will create additional marketing opportunities, as Las Vegas’s economy is built on visibility. We would not be surprised if many companies decide to create customized ads.
A Gaming Survey in Germany Shows Interesting Results
There was a comprehensive gambling survey in Germany that took place last year and it shows that around 36.4% of all respondents engaged in at least one paid gambling activity in the last 12 months. The stats have shown that men are more likely to gamble than women. As for the age group, those between 56 and 70 seem to be more likely to take part in gambling activities.
Another interesting stat from the survey is that 11.7% of respondents gambled at least weekly. The median monthly expenditure ranged from 30 EUR to 160 EUR and depends mainly on a person’s preferences.
Close to 7.5% of all respondents were considered “riskier” gamblers. Keep in mind that games like slots, sports betting and keno were considered high risk.
Another interesting fact about Germany is that the GGR of the black market reached around 547M EUR in 2024, a 17% increase from 2024. It seems like more and more people choose unregulated gambling sites. In fact, the survey revealed that close to 20% of people prefer the latter.
Colomobia Added an Online Gambling Deposit Tax
The Government in Colombia decided to reintroduce a tax on online gambling deposits. According to the information, the decision comes following the severe flooding in eight provinces and the tax itself is set at 16%.
The new tax will apply to online operators that offer their services in Colombia, regardless of whether they are registered in the country. According to the stats, the new tax should contribute an additional $2.3B in tax, which will help the country deal with the damage from flooding.
It’s worth mentioning that Colomobia’s licensed gambling sector had to deal with a lot of tax pressure last year. The government decided to introduce VAT on deposits last February and the rate was set a 19%. Since that tax was introduced, local sources reported that the online GGR in the country had fallen by 30%, and it has caused serious problems.
All in all, Colombia remains one of the most interesting markets you will find in South America. Brazil is still in the lead, but countries like this one are close behind.
Virginia Failed to Legalize Online Casinos
Virginia is one of the U.S. states where people are not legally allowed to use online casinos. Everyone was looking forward to their legalization, but the attempts came to an end this week. There was an argument between the competing casino bills, and in the end, neither will advance.
Both bills (House Bill 161 and Senate Bill 118) had similarities, such as wanting to have a 20% tax on GGR. Both of them survived in the Senate but had many differences when it came to specific steps to safeguard brick-and-mortar operators. In the end, none of the bills received the needed attention and voting.
Despite the failure of the online casino legislation, lawmakers in Virginia actually made progress in other areas. The new legislation will ban people from using credit cards for sports bets, tighten regulatory controls over specific sports formats and there will be a land-based casino in Fairfax County.
A New Law in Brazil Could Ban Loyalty Programs and Cashback Bonuses
Brazil became one of the biggest online gambling markets in the world in 2026. It’s no surprise that local authorities have been trying hard to regulate everything, and the most recent attempts come from Eduardo Girao, one of the opponents of gambling. He presented a bill whose goal is to ban retention mechanisms within the industry. This would also include loyalty programs and cashback bonuses.
The so-called Bill No 1018 was published this week and it also includes a ban on gamification. Operators would not be able to feature goals, missions, or challenges.
Whether the bill will become reality is yet to be seen, but it’s safe to say the licensed betting sector has become an interesting topic among politicians in Brazil. Even the country’s president is against it and urged the government to unite and ban online betting.
Sri Lanka Hosted the First iGaming Conference
Sri Lanka is slowly but steadily becoming an important destination for the iGaming sector and the latest conference proved it. The country recently hosted its inaugural online gambling trade show that focused on iGaming and it took place in Colombo. The conference lasted two days and included operators, suppliers, and compliance experts from around the world.
According to the organizers, Sri Lanka wants to become a hub for tech innovations. It also seems like the local authorities are interested in building a second resort in the country after the City of Dreams Sri Lanka opened last year. It remains the largest investment in the country’s history. The people behind it believe Sri Lanka will become a major tourist hub in the next couple of years.
What’s different from many other countries is that the politicians actually support the industry’s growth. Sri Lanka’s president was happy about the City of Dreams project and believes that casinos are a powerful tool for attracting foreign investment. He believes that the tourism industry is key to help the country generate more revenue and it has a long-term goal to attract tourists from around the world.
Speaking of the devil, the stats for 2025 were good because the country attracted more than 2.3M visitors. The country’s officials have set a goal of 5M visitors by 2030, and it seems like there is a good chance it will happen. Sadly, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is not helping at all.
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