Welcome to this week’s edition of the hottest iGaming news! Nostrabet’s team and I decided to bring you the latest updates and insights from the gambling industry. This week was busier than usual, so we have plenty to cover. Join me as I show you all of the more interesting actions that happened.
France’s Regulated Gambling Market Grew in 2025
Generally speaking, France is not the first country that comes to mind when discussing the gambling industry in Europe. However, it seems the industry there is slowly on the rise, as the stats show a 3% increase in 2025.
Based on the stats, France’s GGR reached around $16.1B and online gambling is the main driving force behind it. In fact, France is doing better than Italy, where the increase is just 1.9%, but worse than the UK, where the stats show a 4.3% expansion.
An interesting fact is that the online sector in France is responsible for around 18.5% of the total market. The numbers may seem low, but they reveal a significant increase from before and show that more and more people are preferring gaming. France’s online sector consists mostly of sports betting, horse racing and poker.
Evoke In talks with Bally’s Intralot About Merging Their Business
It seems like we could see a really interesting deal in the iGaming world next month. Evoke has confirmed that it is in talks with Bally’s Intralot for a potential all-share merger, where each share would be valued at $0.67. The deal deadline is May 18, and Evoke is waiting for its financial advisers to decide what to do.
This move may not come as a surprise to some because there have been speculations for some months now. Evoke was seriously impacted by the UK’s new gambling tax and even closed 200 William Hill shops across the country. After that, Deutsche Bank downgraded the company’s shares in January and this is where the rumours about Evoke’s potential sale came to life.
Mexico May Modernize Its Gambling Regulation Soon
Mexico is one of several countries worldwide that need to step up their game and reform their gambling regulatory frameworks. A quick overview of the sector shows that many of the laws have been in place for over 80 years and do not address any modern issues.
Having said that, Mexico will be one of the nations to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in just two months from now. Considering there will be a large influx of people and a lot more betting activity than usual, we expect to see these changes once the event is over.
Experts believe that the country’s outdated regulations are holding it back from growing. It will be very interesting to follow the country’s development in the future.
Jamaica Approves Casino Regulations
It seems Jamaica will finally join the many other countries that allow casinos after it approved its framework. However, the country’s first casino has not yet opened because business owners are waiting for the regulations to be finalized.
The so-called Casino Gaming Regulations 2025 were passed last Friday in the Senate. There have been debates about whether Jamaica should take this step for years and it seems like it has finally decided to do so.
Once the first casino opens in the country, Jamaica will become even more competitive as a Caribbean tourist destination. It seems like the country is following Sri Lanka’s footsteps in how it revolutionized its gambling legislation.
There is a Rise in Illegal Prediction Markets in Singapore
If you’ve been following the iGaming news from around the world, you know that the prediction markets are incredibly popular right now. Millions of people engage with these platforms and it seems like Singaporeans are among them. Unlike other countries, however, Singapore actually banned providers like Polymarket in 2024.
The bad news for the country is that the ban does not prevent locals from accessing or using the platform. Singapore has strict rules regarding these kinds of violations and includes fines of up to SG$10,000, six months in jail, or even both. Singaporeans wishing to gamble legally can do that via the Singapore Pools, which is a state-sanctioned portal that offers sports betting, horse racing and lotteries.
The stats show that people who have used prediction markets have lost considerable amounts of money. For example, gamblers wagered more than $100,000 on the country’s weather and failed to guess the degree.
Keep in mind that prediction markets are a problem in other parts of the world as well. In Hong Kong, for example, authorities decided to delay the launch of legal sports betting amid an increase in the use of prediction markets.
The Dutch Illegal Gambling Sector Overtook the Legal one in 2025
The Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling regulator, reported that the country’s illegal gambling sector overtook the legal one in 2026 in terms of revenue. It seems like unlicensed operators account for the majority of gambling spend in the Netherlands. There are many reasons this is the case, such as the introduction of stricter player protection measures, deposit limits, and higher gambling tax rates.
The commission reported that most people continue to use regulated operators. However, it seems like many of them are also “spending money elsewhere”. Based on the stats for 2025, there is a 34% increase in reports of illegal gambling. This was one of the big reasons why the regulator decided to launch its new initiative called Project Disconnect.
Overall, the Netherlands remains one of the more interesting markets in Europe. Despite the gambling regulator’s efforts and the introduction of loads of new rules, it seems like illegal gambling is flourishing. Keep in mind that the regulator fined several illegal sites in 2025 for a total of 31.2M EUR, but it seems this won’t stop them.
Play’N Go has Three New Games
Play’N Go is one of the leading casino software suppliers in iGaming, and this week it released three new products.
The first game is called Wrappin’ Gold and it’s an Egyptian-themed slot with 20 paylines, 5 reels and an RTP that can reach 96.2%. The game is characterized by having medium volatility and we expect it to become popular.
Up next, Play’N Go also released Spice Spice Baby. The slot will be available on April 28 and feature 243 paylines and 5 reels. It also comes with medium volatility and an RTP of up to 96.18%.
Lastly, we have Legion Gold Reckoing. The game has the same RTP, volatility, and reels as the above-mentioned slot, but it comes with 25 paylines.
The Supreme Court in Brazil Postponed the Vote on Gambling Decriminalization
It seems like Edson Fachin (Brazil Supreme Court’s Chief Justice) decided to remove the Extraordinary Appeal No. 966, 177 regarding the decriminalization of gambling. This comes at a time when the country’s Supreme Court is “under fire”. It has been criticized by the media, politics and even ordinary people because of how it works.
Among the reasons for the decision is the criticism of Brazil’s president regarding the sports betting and online gambling sector. It seems like this was the final nail in the coffin and the reason why the Supreme Court decided to postpone its decision. Sadly, this decision also means that the court avoids taking a public stance on the issue.
Assuming the court decriminalizes, there will no longer be any legislation that bans gambling. It also means that lawmakers in Brazil will have to draft a new law that regulates the land-based gambling sector.
According to the UKGC, VPNs make it harder to Track Illegal Gambling
In a recent analysis from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, the latter said that it is becoming increasingly challenging to track illegal gambling because people use more VPNs. It seems like a lot more people are using these tools, especially after the Online Safety Act in July 2025.
There is little that the UKGC can do to regulate these activities, but it seems like it will do its best. According to it, there is a chance it will introduce VPN-related measurements. It definitely won’t be easy, however, because the entire idea behind the VPN is to protect a given person’s privacy.
The iGaming Bill in New Zealand Passed its Final Parliament Reading
After several months of debates, New Zealand’s Online Casino Gambling Bill successfully passed the final reading in the parliament. This means that the sector is ready to launch in 2027.
As some of you may know, the bill will authorize up to 15 online casino licenses that meet the requirements. While we do not have information about all of the companies we’ll see in action, Entertain reported that it’s interested in securing at least three of these licenses.
Speaking of licenses, the process of obtaining them will begin in July and will last until December 1, 2026. Those who fail to submit the required license applications by that time will be required to stop providing services in the country. Needless to say, they will also face financial penalties.
No comments added yet. Be the first!