If you missed out on some of the hottest weekly iGaming news, you are in luck. We at Nostrabet.com have gone through all of the most important news from the last week and combined it into this article. You are about to read all of the most intriguing news, so let’s dive in.
Sri Lanka Could Form a New Gambling Authority
There are reports that the Sri Lankan Government is drafting a bill to establish a new entity in the country — the Gambling Regulatory Authority. This comes just a few weeks after rumours that the local authorities will legalize gambling on the island.
According to the information, the Gambling regulator will operate independently and oversee legal gambling operations. Moreover, it will have to ensure the sector’s transparency and integrity. The new authority’s ultimate goal is to ensure operators meet the financial and legal obligations when they want to operate in the country.
A Woman in Macau Was Arrested for Illegal Currency Exchange
Macau is the go-to place for casinos in Asia and a gathering hub for millions of people. Consequently, it is no surprise that the place often finds itself in various betting scandals. The most recent one is from a few days ago, and it involves a 37-year-old woman who was arrested because she was conducting illegal currency exchanges next to a casino.
The surveillance footage shows that she behaved suspiciously and exchanged QR codes with different people. It became clear that she needed the QR code so that people could transfer money to her account.
Following an investigation, it became clear that the woman had around HK$58K of casino chips. In other words, the authorities believe this was an unlawful currency exchange for gambling.
In other interesting news from this part of the world, two Chinese nationals were arrested after stealing casino chips. Based on the report, the two men stole close to HK$45K and were detained shortly after what happened.
Influencers and Celebrities Banned from Gambling Ads in Kenya
Kenya is one of the hot markets for online gambling in Africa and is home to many different websites. With that said, the country’s Betting Control and Licensing Board, as well as other regulators, decided to tighten the control and impose new regulations regarding the gambling ads.
Based on the recent rules, there will be a 30-day gambling ad suspension. The idea of this is to help minors and those who are at risk of developing a gambling addiction.
The new gambling regulations, developed after a joint effort from various authorities within Kenya, prohibit gambling ads from featuring content creators, influencers, and even celebrities. Those who own a given media have to make sure that the companies that wish to run an ad meet the criteria.
In addition, all gambling ads must contain a responsible gambling message and an age disclaimer. They also have to have contact details and a statement. It will be interesting to see if these measures pay off in the long run.
Relax Gaming has a new Office in Belgrade
Relax Gaming is one of the industry’s most prominent casino software suppliers, responsible for many popular titles. Aside from developing new titles, the company decided to open a brand new office in Belgrade, close to the Danube River. This comes just days after the company announced a partnership with TaDa Gaming, a brand that has expertise in several Latin American countries, as well as in Brazil.
Speaking of partnerships, Relax Gaming also recently decided to expand into the North American market. The company is working alongside DraftKings and offers its products in New Jersey, Ontario, and Pennsylvania.
Evoplay Partners with Palms Bet in Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s an interesting market for online gambling. Despite the country’s size and the ban on gambling ads from a few months ago, the market does not seem to be slowing down. Consequently, Evoplay decided to partner with a local operator called Palms Bet.
Following the new partnership deal, Palms Bet will offer 32 online casino titles. This includes some of Evoplay’s best titles like Fruit Super Nova 40, Hot Volcano, and others. An interesting fact about Palms Bet is that it is the country’s first publicly listed gambling company.
Evoplay’s deal in Bulgaria comes just 2 months after the company expanded its services in Croatia.
Snabbare, TSG and Betsson Were Fined from SEK
The Swedish Gambling Authority has been in the news lately because it is trying to regulate the country’s booming market. Recent actions include a hefty fine for some of Sweden’s most prominent gambling operators.
Starting with Betsson, the latter received a SEK 6.5M fine because of its failure to meet the anti-money laundering policies. The same is true for Snabbare and TSG (the latter’s fine is the highest at SEK 7M, whereas Snabbare was fined SEK 5.5M).
It’s safe to say that 2025 has been a busy year for the Swedish Gambling Regulator. The people who work there have recently banned several operators for illegal gambling practices and have now fined some of the largest companies in Sweden. These actions also come days after the regulator issued penalties to charity organizations for violating different laws.
That said, the court has annulled the warning and SEK 100M administrative fine against Svenska Spel issued by the Swedish Gambling Authority. Those things happened in March 2024, but the company decided to appeal the decision. Lucky for them, the court agreed with their reasoning.
BetMGM Gets a Warning from KSA for Using Lamine Yamal in an Ad
The Dutch Gambling Authority recently issued a warning against BetMGM because the operator used Lamien Yamal in an ad. The reason why this became controvercial is because Yamal is just 17 years old and the laws in the Netherlands do not allow operators to include people who may appeal to children.
As for the ad itself, it was featured on BetMGM’s site, and even though the company got a report from a media brand that worked with it, it didn’t take any action. With that said, following the warning from the KSA, the site finally took down the ad.
Gordon Moody to Sponsors Redditch United
Gordon Moody became the official charity sponsors for Redditch United for the 2025/26 season. The company’s logo will be on the back of the players’ shirts, and people will also see it in the stadium.
The partnership deal comes as a result of Gordon Moody’s efforts to expand into sports. Several weeks ago, Moody started working with John Hartson and Dean Sturrige by naming them their official ambassadors, and now it has partnered with a football team.
Considering the growing problems with gambling and sports betting in the UK, Gordon Moody is becoming increasingly important. The company also opened a new treatment centre in Redditch last year. People who go there will have access to specialized programs.
Betsson Won’t Go Forward With Its Holland Gaming Technology Acquisition
Betsson’s plans to acquire Holland Gaming Technology and Holland Power Gaming, which started in 2024, have fallen through. According to the company, it does not want to make this move and wishes to explore other options.
The deal’s initial announcement took place in February 2024 and the Ditch Gambling Authority had to approve it. Now that Betsson has decided to move away from this deal, the company will receive around $30M, and it will return the rights to both companies to their owners.
An interesting fact is that this shift comes just a few weeks after Betsson received a license in Brazil. Perhaps the company is more interested in investing in South America because some countries there have huge potential.
Japan Approves the Bill to Ban Online Casinos in the Country
It seems like Japan won’t be joining other countries from the region when it comes to online casinos. The country’s House of Representatives has passed a bill that bans online casino sites in the country. Following this decision, the bill will have to be reviewed by the House of Councillors, and if it gets approval, it will be “live” just a couple of weeks from now.
The main reason for Japan’s actions is the growing gambling addiction in the country. Based on various surveys, close to 3.3M Japanese have used online casinos, and they spent around $8.7B annually. There were some attempts to legalize online casinos in the country, but as of now, online gambling in Japan continues to be illegal.
MGA’s 2024 Report
The Malta Gaming Authority is one of the world’s most important regulators because it is behind many big iGaming brands. Following the report for 2024, it became clear that the regulator gained 17 new licenses, imposed 25 fines, and had 84.1M EUR in revenue. This means a 2.5% increase from last year.
Aside from the granted licenses, the MGA also performed 43 compliance investigations. The stats also show it received 3372 requests for assistance from players within the country. It also received 244 suspicious reports and took part in over 30 overseas investigations.
No comments added yet. Be the first!