Finland is Preparing for its iGaming Launch, The Netherlands Could Increase the Legal Gambling Age & More Weekly iGaming News

The second-last week of May is almost over and we are about to take a look at all of the hot iGaming news that took place. The team at Nostrabet and I reviewed a lot of data and compiled a list of the most popular events from the last few days. Let’s analyze everything and see what you may have missed out on.

Mario Ho Believes Macau Must Include Sports Betting and Esports

Mario Ho took part in G2E Asia a few days ago and said that Macau should try to implement sports betting one way or another. He is the youngest son of Stanley H, one of the “gambling kingpins”. According to him. Macau has to find a way to add sports and esports betting, as this will allow it to compete with other parts of the world that already offer them.

Assuming that this happens, Macau will become even more competitive than it is today. No one can deny that sports betting and esports have millions of fans all over the world. In fact, China alone has millions of active esports fans who watch a wide array of different games. Many of them will be more than happy when they get the chance to wager on that.

GCI reported that the Global Black Gaming Market is over $5.9 trillion

The Gaming Compliance International recently released an interesting report that states the global black gaming market is now more than $5.9 trillion. This means there has been a 4% increase since 2024, when the number was $5.7 trillion.

Based on the information we have, the analysis focuses on different online gambling activities and does not even include land-based gaming. In other words, the real number is probably much higher.

The report itself includes all kinds of gambling activities, including sports betting, poker, crypto gambling, casino games and even lotteries. What’s shocking is that the unregulated gambling operators are responsible for close to 78% of the global online gambling GGR. The unregulated sector is so big that it’s effectively the third-largest economy in the world.

In the UK, for example, the unregulated market reached $22B in 2025. This is significantly more than what it was in 2019 (5 billion GBP).

What’s even more shocking is that experts predict that prediction markets will increase unregulated gambling even more. These sites are becoming incredibly popular in many countries, so it will be interesting to see the results next year.

Indonesia to Tighten Its Control on Foreign Visitors After a Gambling Raid

As I reported many times, Indonesia is one of the countries that is not messing around when it comes to gambling. The country’s authorities have decided to increase their monitoring of foreign visitors after a recent police raid. The authorities in Jakarta recently busted an illegal online gambling network that had over 320 foreigners.

Based on the reports, the people involved were from countries like China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. The crime syndicate operates under a strict hierarchy in a commercial building located in West Jakarta.

Bear in mind that gambling in Indonesia is illegal because of the Control of Gambling Law, which has been in place since 1974. The country tried to reform it several years ago, so it would also address online gambling. Since then, the authorities have blocked thousands of different sites and bank accounts that people used to gamble with.

Another reason why the police are on high alert is because of the upcoming World Cup and the recent crackdowns on illegal gambling in Cambodia. Many fear that Indonesia can become the new Southeast Asian hub for illegal gambling and are trying to do everything possible to prevent that from happening.

The Netherlands May Increase the Legal Gambling Age & adds extra World Cup 2026 oversight

The Netherlands is one of the countries in Europe that has a strong stance against illegal gambling. Recently, there have been studies that reveal young people are getting more involved with gambling. As a result, a politician from the Christian Democratic Party recently said that the legal gambling age should be increased from 18 to 24.

Assuming this happens, the Netherlands will be the first country in Europe to do it. Generally speaking, 18 has been the legal gambling age throughout the continent for years, but it seems like this could change soon.

Alongside all that, the Netherlands Gambling Authority announced it will intensify its monitoring of the situation in the country ahead of the 2026 World Cup. In fact, the regulator sent a formal notice to license holders and warned them that it would take action if they broke any of the rules. The regulator focused specifically on the ban on untargeted advertising.

The Casino Revenue in Chile Falls, Illegal Gambling Surges

The most recent report from the Chilean authorities reveals that illegal gambling is becoming more popular in the country. According to the stats, the country’s land-based GGR fell by 4.5% in 2025 and the total tax collection is also down by around 4.7%.

As of 2025, Chile has 25 different casinos, but despite that, the illegal online gambling market is valued at more than $1.3B. Considering all of that, it is clear that the regulated market is losing ground to the unlicensed one. This means that authorities have to step up their game and take action.

All of this comes at a time when a study examined young Chileans’ engagement with online betting. Based on that study, the average age at which people start gambling is just 15.5 years. Moreover, 26% of young people have placed online bets in the last year, and 92% had encountered some kind of gambling advertisement on social media.

The Governor in Iowa Signed SF 2289

Gov. im Reynolds decided to sign SF 2289, which gives the state the chance to “hunt down” unlicensed gambling operators. This also increases the number of sites that offer illegal sweepstakes in the specific state.

What’s interesting about this law is that it does not target sweepstakes casinos directly like in other states. Despite that, it increases the authority of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission and gives it the chance to take action when needed.

As in other states, the bill received support from licensed operators. The interesting part here is in the law’s design, which is very different from what you can find in other states. Speaking of other states, Iowa’s law comes amid a much broader wave of state action in 2026 against sweepstakes operators. There were legislative changes in places like Tennessee, Oklahoma, Maine, Indiana, and more.

Finland Could Receive up to 50 License Applications

As you probably know, Finland is one of the most interesting countries when it comes to iGaming right now because it is finally going to open its market. Once it became clear that the authorities would issue licenses, the information shows that more than 28 companies have already submitted their license applications.

Given that the regulated market will start operating on July 1 next year, experts predict more than 50 iGaming license applications. With that said, most companies are not fully sure how it will all work yet. According to some reports, operators are waiting for instructions on marketing and responsible betting, as well as on all other areas they need to focus on.

Assuming a given company obtains a license in Finland, it will have the chance to offer sports betting, online casino games, slots and bingo. When it comes to physical slot machines, Lotto and Eurojackpot, however, Veikkaus will keep its exclusive control.

Finland decided to revolutionize its iGaming sector after it became clear that many people were using offshore sites. The country’s new Gambling Act is very similar to those of other Nordic countries. It’s definitely one of the most interesting changes we expect to see in 2027.

Lawmakers in Armenia Proposed a Gambling Reform Package

An Armenian lawmaker recently proposed a gambling reform package whose goal is to be more effective against illegal gambling. Under the new law, ISPs will have to block gambling sites without a license, and banks will have to restrict payments to these platforms.

Assuming the new proposal comes into power, it will also add additional rules for licensed operators. Ads for different bookmakers’ services and online casino games will need to be approved before they can be published. This is a slightly different approach compared to most other jurisdictions, where authorities have banned gambling ads.

In addition to all of these measures, the new law will also ban advertising for unlicensed sites in Armenia. There are also changes for land-based gambling venues because people wishing to use them can only exchange gaming chips via non-cash transactions.

The companies that organize lotteries also have extra rules to follow – they must distribute a prize fund that’s worth at least half of the value of the tickets that they have received. This means that the overall prize pool should be a lot higher.