Welcome to this week’s hottest news from the gambling industry. The experienced team at Nostrabet.com and I have analyzed and reviewed a lot of data to bring you the most important news of the week. As always, you can find a lot of intriguing things, so let’s dive in and learn more about what has happened.
Irish Players Are Aware of the Gambling Awareness Program
Ireland launched the first-ever peer-led gambling awareness program targeting footballers. Following its reveal, around 94% of players are aware of the UEFA and FAI integrity regulations and what they entail.
The stats show that the program has reached more than 1250 players via workshops across 32 senior clubs. The idea of the program is to raise awareness of the different gambling-related harm that happens in the community. An interesting fact is that Flutter is the company that funds all of it.
Brazil Said that Predictions Markets are Illegal and Started Blocking Them
Prediction markets are among the hottest topics worldwide, and Brazil is no exception. Sites like Polymarket and its alternatives became so popular that Brazil’s Finance Minister and Miriam Belchior held a press conference. In it, they said that prediction markets are illegal in the country.
Once it became clear that this was the case, the country’s telecommunications agency started blocking access to these platforms. The initial news is that people can no longer access 28 different sites that offer prediction markets.
It seems like these kinds of platforms violate Brazilian law. This comes around one year after the South American country launched its regulated gambling market and banned more than 39K illegal sites.
The UK MPs Believe That Gambling Advertisement is a Public Health Issue
A few days ago, members of the UK Parliament decided to gather and debate the impact of gambling advertising in the country. Following the talks, it became clear that the country has to take stronger action to protect children and address the unregulated gambling market. The idea about the debate came after a report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group related to the gambling reform.
We will have to wait to see what the measures will look like, but by the looks of it, there will be changes. The UK may follow Australia’s footsteps and heavily regulate the way operators advertise their services.
While many people support these changes, some more conservative MPS members warned that overly strict measures could lead to unintended consequences. These people noted that the gambling revenue is very important for certain sectors and authorities should be careful. We will have to wait to see if there will be any new measures and how they will actually work.
Speaking of the UK, we have to remind you that the country recently increased its gambling tax. It seems like operators are trying to figure out how to deal with that and one way is to reduce the RTP of slots. There were rumors that some companies were going to do that, but reports suggest this could backfire.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board Partners with Gamban
Michigan is one of the states in the USA that gives people access to different kinds of gambling platforms. It seems local regulators want to ensure people can get help if needed. As a result, the Michigan Gaming Control Board and Gamban came together to provide a free gambling-block software.
The idea of the new blocking tool is to allow people to apply for a Gamban license without playing anything. Applications wishing to take part in the initiative do NOT have to be self-excluded from the state’s own program. This means that anyone can take advantage of the new option.
Keep in mind that this is just one of the many available options. As mentioned, Michigan has its own self-exclusion service that people can use and it will not allow them to access any sites. There is also the National Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program that became available in 2024. When you sign up for it, you can prevent yourself from accessing gambling sites in all regulated states.
Gambling Ads Reach More Men than Women in Ireland
On the topic of gambling ads, a recent finding from the University of Cambridge shows that gambling ads in Ireland reach more men than women. The people behind the study focused on 88 different licensed operators and analyzed their ads. Following all of it, the stats revealed that the ads targeted almost 2.5x more men than women. Some of the ads were specifically targeting men only, whereas others were set to “all”.
The age-targeting stats are also interesting, as younger adults dominated the intent. The 25-34 group received the most, followed by the 35-44 group.
All of these stats may not come as a surprise to some, as Ireland has a large gambling market. Some stats reveal that around 3.3% of the country’s population is in the high-risk gambling category. In fact, the lifetime engagement in gambling is believed to be slightly above 64%, which shows that Irish people like playing.
Mexico Gambling Regulator Rejects Crime-Linked Casino License Allegations
Something interesting happened in Mexico a few days ago. The country’s national gambling regulator rejected recent media claims that 20 casino licenses were issued to a company linked to Hernan Bermudez Requena. He is a well-known figure who currently faces criminal charges due to his relationship with organized crime.
The newspaper Reforma reported that Compañía Operators Clie is the company linked to the corruption scandal. According to Mexico’s regulator, however, the company received the permits after a judicial order. It also became clear that the licenses were held under separate entities.
This is definitely one of the more interesting gambling-related cases in Mexico, so we’ll keep an eye to see what’s going to happen.
Cambodia to Increase Casino Law Enforcements
After it became clear that Cambodia was one of the places in SEA with high illegal gambling networks, China demanded the country take action. It seems like Cambodia’s authorities did not take long to quickly shut down 91 casinos. These sites were accused of supporting online fraud networks. As you probably know, Cambodia is well-known for its scam centers.
It seems like the activity from within the country affects everyone nearby, including China. That’s the reason why the country’s Foreign Minister visited Cambodia’s PM and urged him to take action against these centers. China wants to make sure that Cambodia and its neighbors are no longer hotspots for casino-related crime, which has become very popular among Chinese nationals. That is one of the big reasons why the two countries have collaborated in the arrest and extradition of Chen Zhi.
Illegal Gambling in Japan Reached Record Levels in 2025
Japan is one of the countries that does not allow any form of online or land-based gambling. Despite that, the country recorded high levels of illegal gambling activity in 2025. As a result, local regulators are trying to come up with a working solution, including website blocking.
This may not seem like an issue to some, but a potential move like that could violate Japan’s constitution. As a result, the Internal Affairs and Communication Ministry believes that such a move should be done as a last resort.
Based on the reports from the National Police Agency, the latter took action against 317 people last year. 221 of them were arrested because they had something to do with online casinos. As mentioned, online gambling is strictly prohibited in the country, but some stats show that around 2 million people take part in it. These people spend over 1.24 trillion yen per year, so it’s safe to say the market is huge.
The Japanese authorities are doing everything they can to make sure that locals can’t access the different operators. In fact, they even reached out to all of the big gambling commissions around the world and urged them to block access to Japanese users. Despite the growing interest, locals are reluctant to even talk about the potential of online gambling.
Betsson Partners with EveryMatrix in Cameroon
Africa is an interesting market for many of the big European gambling companies and Betsson is one of them. As a result, the brand decided to partner with EveryMatrix in an attempt to revamp Betsson Africa. The deal gives the company full access to EveryMatrix’s casino and sports technology suite, which should make the site look a lot better than before.
This is just one of the many steps Betsson is taking to expand its presence in Africa. Keep in mind that EveryMatrix is also slowly establishing itself in this part of the world. Aside from its partnership with Betsson, the brand also has deals with BetKing in Nigeria and MBet in Tanzania and the DR Congo.
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