Stake to Apply for an Irish License, bet365 to offer Horse Racing in France, Playtech to be Available in Brazil & More Weekly iGaming News

In this week’s iGaming news, the Nostrabet.com team and I will dive deep into some of the most interesting events. It was a busy week in many parts of the world as some key legislative changes and mega projects were slowly coming to an end. Let’s take a good look at everything that happened in the last couple of days.

Playtech to Launch in Brazil in 2027

Playtech is one of the largest casino software companies around and it is behind the name of the popular slots we all love. The brand plans to expand its portfolio further, as its CEO said it will launch in Brazil early next year. In fact, it seems like the company should have joined in 2026, but postponed its decision because of the political instability.

Speaking of the political instability, Brazil’s Finance Minister said that the country does not rely on betting taxes to run. In fact, he even urged authorities to take action and ban the growth of gambling. This comes at a time when even the country’s President is raising his voice against the industry and the cost it has on people’s lives. He recently threatened to shut down the country’s online betting sector.

The most recent reports show that Playtech’s revenue increased by 10% to 425.1M EUR, mainly due to results in North America. Given Brazil’s size and its status as the largest market in South America, it will be very interesting to see the results.

Two Conservative-Linked Figures in the UK Have Entered Guilty Pleas

The UK is currently dealing with a high-profile betting scandal involving two individuals with connections to the Conservative Party. It seems the two pleaded guilty to taking part in betting activities related to the 2024 General election.

Anthony Lee actually confirmed that he was guilty and Laura Lee (his wife) found herself in a similar situation. However, she only pleaded guilty to one offense.

Based on the information, the UK Gambling Commission launched an investigation following reports of insider betting. Ladbrokes, one of the big gambling operators in the country, flagged a suspicious bet and this triggered the investigation. The market itself was related to the specific general election date.

This is an interesting case because there haven’t been many insider betting cases in the UK in the last couple of years. Anthony Lee got access to the information because he had a senior campaigning role and decided to use it to his advantage.

Authorities in Turkey Seized 17.75B Lira Following a Crackdown on Illegal Betting

Turkey is in the news again for illegal betting, but this time it is about seizing money. The authorities launched an operation against illegal betting and they found financial transactions related to 177 suspects. Based on the information, the total amount linked to these people equaled to 17.75B lira, which is around $365.8M.

It’s worth remembering that this is not the first time Turkish authorities have taken serious action against illegal betting. The country’s interior minister started a campaign earlier this year against it after it became clear that many coaches and football players were involved in a massive betting scandal.

In the last 20 years, authorities blocked more than 548K betting and gambling sites. In fact, they blocked a total of 84,000 operators in 2025 alone.

South Korea’s Gambling Control Commission Joined a Youth Gambling Prevention Agreement

South Korea is not one of the countries that’s often in the iGaming news, but it seems like this will change. The country’s Gambling Control Commission (KGCC) decided to join a special youth gambling prevention agreement with the Office of Education of Gyeonggi.

The idea of this partnership is to increase awareness among the younger generation. What’s different here is that this will not be a short-term campaign. Instead, it will add different kinds of activities that will be integrated into daily school life. There will be restrictions on smartphone use and other interesting ideas.

Considering the growing problems related to gambling among the younger generation in other parts of the world, I wouldn’t be surprised if other countries decide to take the same approach.

More than 80% of the Betting Sites that Instagram recommends in Brazil are Illegal

I came across a very interesting study conducted in Brazil that revealed close to 84% of all online casinos that are present on Instagram are illegal in the country. This came after the analysis of more than 55000 Instagram accounts.

Due to the platform’s algorithm, once someone starts following a given operator, Instagram automatically starts recommending similar pages. The top recommendations have a total of 6M followers combined and most of them do not have a license in the Brazilian market.

Outside of these sites, people also have access to influencers, tipsters and other kinds of people who sell access to special groups and predictions. Outside of sports betting, many of them are also related to online casinos.

Considering these findings, we may see an appeal from local regulators against Meta to tighten its grip over these kinds of ads. Whether this will actually happen is a topic for another day.

The Black Gambling Market in Europe has increased by 18% every year since 2019

Europe has the most developed online gambling market in the world. Almost all countries have their own licensing authorities that grant permits to operate within their jurisdictions. Despite that, the percentage of illegal gambling on the continent has been on the rise since 2019.

The stats are truly shocking: the black market grew at 18% annually between 2019 and 2026. Unless something changes, it will be worth 13B EUR by the end of 2026. Players can come across many different sites that operate without the needed permit, but it seems like most of them belong to a total of 25 companies.

One of the reasons the black market has been on the rise is restrictive policies. Companies have to follow many different rules that limit their competitiveness, because illegal sites can offer whatever they want.

The illegal gambling market is big in every part of the world and it seems like Europe is no exception. It’s really hard to “fight it” nowadays because crypto transactions allow these companies to thrive. We may see new restrictions and regulations that lower their level.

The iGaming Search in Belarus Increased Following Sabalenka’s Success at the US Open

Belarus is not the most interesting country for iGaming due to its restrictive laws. Despite that, locals seem to be interested in it, especially after the most recent US Open semifinal success of Aryna Sabalenka.

According to agency stats, people in Belarus typically perform around 60K to 80K iGaming searches daily. Following Sabalenka’s success, however, the number jumped to 203K. Once the information became public, the country’s president, Lukashenko, criticized the industry and said there were too many ads.

Sabalenka will take part in the US Open Grand Final for the 4th time in a row. Assuming she wins, we can probably expect to see the same increase in the iGaming search in her country.

Bet365 partnered with ZEturf and will offer Horse Racing Betting in France

Bet365 decided it’s time to expand its business once more, and this time, it targeted France. The company partnered with ZEturf, a French horse racing company and will offer special betting services in the country. Thanks to this deal, bet365 has access to many international and domestic horse racing markets that people can access through desktop and mobile.

It’s worth mentioning that this is not Bet365’s first appearance in France. In fact, the company became available there in May this year after it received a license from the local regulator. The site could offer sports betting, but horse racing was not included in that until now.

Outside of France, bet365 recently became available in Washington, D.C.

Stake will try to obtain an Irish Gambling License

Stake has established itself as one of the world’s most popular online gambling platforms in the last couple of years. Despite that, the site has had its fair share of controversies, including in Ireland. This was a place where people had access to the platform before, but the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland told it to stop offering its services locally because it did not have a license.

It seems the Irish market is important to the company, as Stake plans to take the necessary steps to obtain a gambling license. This comes at a time when Ireland is looking to reform its gambling regime.

An interesting fact is that Stake is not the only company whose services were restricted. This means we may expect other big names to apply for a license as well. This even includes the two popular prediction market platforms – Kalshi and Polymarket.

We will keep an eye on Stake’s progress, as this is another attempt to enter a regulated market. Who knows, we may see the company obtain even more licenses in the next year.