Welcome back to your weekly iGaming news roundup! We at Nostrabet.com are about to show you everything that has shaped the industry in the last week. From strategic moves to regulations, we bring you the hottest stories you should keep a close yet on. There were arrests, rewards, deals and awards that we need to address, so let’s begin.
Andrew Rhodes is No Longer the Gambling Commission’s CEO
The UK Gambling Commission is among the most respected regulating bodies in the iGaming industry. The regulator had made many changes over the last couple of years, all led by Andrew Rhodes. He became the CEO in 2021 and has led the UKGC through a transformative period.
For now, Sarah Gardner will step in as CEO and continue Rhodes’s work. Keep in mind that the latter is also behind the highly controversial gaming tax spike that many operators complained about.
Illinois Sent Over 60 Cease-And-Desist Letters to Different Sweepstakes Casinos
Many states in the U.S. that taken action against sweepstakes casinos operating in their jurisdiction. One of them is Illinois and the state’s Attorney General issued over 60 different cease-and-desist letters to different unlicensed online casinos and unregulated sweepstakes operators. An interesting fact is that even household names like Stake and Chumba Casino were included in the list of operators.
Illinois is following the example of several other U.S. states that decided to outlaw sweepstakes casinos. In fact, there are several other states that are adjusting their legislation so that they can get rid of these kinds of operators.
An interesting fact is that Mississippi’s Senate was the first chamber to pass a sweepstakes ban last year. We will follow these cases closely to see what will happen by the end of 2026. The way things are going, we won’t be surprised if many of the sweepstakes casinos stop operating in the USA.
Macau’s Gaming Revenue Drops Due to the Pre-Chinese New Year Celebrations
The most recent stats from Macau show that casinos made around $621M in the first 8 days in February. While these numbers may seem impressive, casinos are down by about 14% from the same period in January.
One of the big reasons why Macau earned less money than before is the run-up to the Chinese New Year. The latter is among the most important holidays of the year for the Chinese and it lasts for 9 days.
Experts have said that the stats from recent years reveal a close to 14% drop in VIP player activity during this time of year. An interesting fact is that Macau had a strong January, with GGR of close to MOP 22.63 billion, 24% more than the same period in 2025.
Another intriguing fact about Macau is that local authorities expect to receive a total of 41M visitors in 2026. All in all, Macau has established as the leading land-based gambling destination in the entire world.
Arizona Could Increase the Sports Betting Tax
Arizona may be close to joining the growing list of states that will increase the original tax on sports betting it has proposed. It is one of the places where sports betting became legal in 2021, and since then, the tax has been set at 10%. If the changes from Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s Governor, came to power, some of the big sports betting companies would need to pay 45%. Operators will only have to do that if they are handing over $75 each month.
Based on the current stats, only three companies follow in this segment – DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. Raising the tax on these operators would allow local authorities to generate an additional $150M each year.
It definitely won’t be easy for Hobbs to implement the changes because both legislative chambers belong to the Republicans. To make matters worse, the state’s constitution requires have two-thirds supermajority vote from the legislature on laws related to the state’s revenue. In other words, it will be hard to see these changes.
Novomatic Failed to Buy the Remaining Ainsworth Shares
Novomatic is one of the biggest online gambling brands and currently controls 66.6% of Ainsworth’s shares. Some within the company wanted to acquire the remaining shares, but the idea did not receive the necessary shareholder support.
The full takeover should have taken place recently, but after it did not receive the necessary approval, Ainsworth reported that it has terminated the transaction implementation deed. The good news for Novomatic is that it will retain its majority holding in the company.
Keep in mind that this has not been the only deal for the iGaming powerhouse. Novomatic was a part of another deal that included Vikings Casino, a French casino. The company also sold its Austrian Admiral business as part of its portfolio reshaping.
Betano Steps in Ghana
Betano was the center of attention in 2025 after one of the largest online betting operators began offering its services in many parts of the world. After taking over Brazil and the South American market, the site decided it was time to expand into Africa once again and will launch its sportsbook and casino in Ghana.
The announcement took place in Accra, Ghana’s capital, and it included Emmanuel Siisi Quainoo. He is the person in charge of the country’s Gaming Commission.
Ghana is definitely an interesting country in Africa when it comes to online betting. Most people will agree that there has been a surge in mobile adoption, which has led in an increase in the gaming market. Some sources state that the country generates over $915.9m annually, making it one of the largest in Africa.
Currently, Ghana has over 60 different licensed gambling sites, and Betano will be one of them. It is worth noting that this is not the brand’s first African market because Betano launched in Nigeria before that.
Turkey Seized Over 470M EUR in Crypto Assets
Turkey has not been in the iGaming news for a while now, following the referees’ accident a few months ago. It seems like there is another major issue in the country because the authorities have recently seized over 470M EUR in crypto assets. Based on the information, this money is related to a money-laundering scheme related to illegal gambling.
The seizure of these funds comes following the arrest of Veysel Sahin. Prosecutors are conducting an ongoing investigation and have found financial trails linking these funds to online betting operators that use cryptocurrencies. It seems like the crypto funds were in USDT.
FanDuel Will Stop Accepting Credit Card Deposits From March
FanDuel is among the biggest online betting platforms in the U.S., with millions of people. Sadly, some of them will have to change the way they deposit because the site will stop accepting credit cards starting from March 2.
One of the reasons for this decision is the annoying rules governing credit card restrictions under individual state regulations. What’s interesting is that FanDuel is not the first big U.S. iGaming company to do that. DraftKings already made this decision in the summer of 2025.
This decision will align FanDuel with the legislation in specific states like Tennessee and Iowa. Keep in mind that many jurisdictions worldwide also prohibit local sites from accepting credit card deposits. The UK is among the most popular examples because it was also among the first countries to introduce these limits.
1xAffiliates Won the SiGMA Dubai Award
1xBet has always been one of the biggest online betting platforms in the world and has one of the largest affiliate programs. Speaking of affiliates, the SiGMA Eurasia 2026 exhibition took place in Dubai, and 1xAffiliates won an award for being on another level.
1xBet’s affiliate program has been around for more than 9 years and it has partners from over 150 countries. What’s also interesting is that it includes over 250 different payment options and allows people to earn up to a 50% lifetime commission. Some reports say there are over 500,000 partners worldwide, which is really impressive.
PAGCOR May Introduce a Full Ad Ban
The Philippines has been one of the most interesting places in Southeast Asia when it comes to online betting. The country has loads of active players and many different operators, so it’s no surprise that local regulators are looking for ways to tighten their grip.
It seems that authorities may not implement the current gambling regulations correctly, as many minors have been exposed to online gambling. Furthermore, there are possibilities of money laundering and that is one of the reasons why PAGCOR (the regulator) may be on the verge of introducing a full gambling ad ban.
The gambling ads are already prohibited during primetime, but the regulator is considering adding a full ban. Another change locals need to be aware of is that they must complete KYC before making any deposit. In other words, Filipinos have to verify their identity before transacting on an iGaming site.
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