Author: Charles Shephardson

Cassino Bet has returned to FIRST.bet’s proprietary sportsbook platform, reuniting two partners to compete at the highest level in Brazil’s regulated betting market. The renewed deal provides Cassino Bet with advanced trading capabilities, configurable product infrastructure, and the operational control needed to thrive in one of the most demanding betting landscapes in the world. FIRST.bet is already trusted by some of Brazil’s largest operators, meaning Cassino Bet benefits from a platform proven under real local market conditions, including high-volume traffic and strict compliance requirements. Ana Gaming, the holding company that controls the Cassino Bet brand, made the decision to return…

Flutter Entertainment and DraftKings have seen notable share price gains following a blog post from renowned investor Michael Burry expressing confidence in both companies. Burry, made famous by his portrayal in The Big Short, disclosed a substantial portfolio weighted 60% toward Flutter and the remainder toward DraftKings in his recent post. He has argued that prediction markets are exploiting a “loophole economy” that will not survive the regulatory wave he believes is coming. Flutter has climbed 2.74% on the New York Stock Exchange since Burry published his blog, while DraftKings has risen just under 1% since 8 July. Some observers…

Imagine Live, the live casino provider, has officially partnered with MaxBet, one of the leading sports betting and gaming operators across the Balkans region. The collaboration will roll out across multiple regulated markets, bringing Imagine Live’s live dealer games and game show content to MaxBet’s growing player base. The partnership launches first in Montenegro before expanding into Serbia and then Bosnia and Herzegovina as the relationship develops. MaxBet serves approximately 95,000 online players each month and holds a leading position in its core Serbian market. The operator has been majority-owned by Flutter Entertainment, the global giant behind brands including Paddy…

Swintt has unveiled its latest SwinttPremium title, Duolito Iceman Tower, taking players on a sun-drenched trip to the Italian city of Pisa. The five-reel, 10-payline slot blends Italian holiday charm with frozen dessert imagery, populating its reels with gelato treats and classic ace-through-ten playing card symbols. The game’s titular iceman serves as the highest-value symbol, capable of awarding a top prize worth 10,000 times the player’s selected bet. A standout mechanic in the base game is the leaning tower wild symbol, which shifts one column to the left on every spin until it disappears off the screen. These moving wilds…

North Carolina’s sports betting operators will face a heavier tax burden after Governor Josh Stein signed Senate Bill 257 into law on July 7, 2026. The newly signed budget raises the tax rate on sports betting operators from 18% to 23%, marking a significant shift in how the state approaches the maturing market. The change arrives just over two years after online sports betting officially launched across North Carolina, signalling the end of an early-stage, lightly taxed environment for operators. Licensed operators can still offer mobile sports wagering under the framework overseen by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, but…

SBC Summit has unveiled the Regulatory Gaming Meet-Ups, a new networking initiative designed to connect delegates directly with regulators across more than 20 gaming jurisdictions. The meet-ups will take place each day from September 29 to October 1 at the Regulatory Gaming Meet-Up Lounge, located at stand F4-17, during the 2026 event in Lisbon. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss market developments, regulatory changes, compliance requirements, and business opportunities with experts operating within the same regulatory environments. Sessions are organised by jurisdiction and region, allowing delegates to focus specifically on the markets most relevant to their own business interests.…

The Malta Gaming Authority has asserted that Malta remains the leading global jurisdiction for governing business-to-business iGaming operations and supplier activity. The MGA’s position reflects the island nation’s long-standing reputation as a hub for online gambling licensing, compliance frameworks, and regulatory innovation within the igaming sector. Malta has for many years attracted hundreds of gaming companies to its shores, offering a stable regulatory environment that appeals to both operators and technology suppliers alike. The B2B segment of the iGaming industry encompasses software providers, platform developers, payment processors, and other suppliers that underpin the broader online gambling ecosystem. Governing this segment…

BetCris has launched a fully conversational sportsbook experience on WhatsApp, powered by ChatBet and integrated through the Plannatech platform. The deployment allows customers to discover markets, ask questions, receive personalised recommendations and place bets using natural language through text or voice. This marks one of the first large-scale conversational betting deployments for a regulated operator across Latin America, signalling a potentially significant shift in how sportsbooks are designed. For more than two decades, online sportsbook design has followed the same basic philosophy of reducing clicks and building faster, more intuitive navigation. But the BetCris launch challenges that assumption entirely, asking…

The European Casino Association has called for coordinated cross-border enforcement measures targeting the black market as illegal operators across the EU generate €91.6 billion. The scale of the illicit gambling market represents a serious and growing challenge for regulators, licensed operators, and governments across Europe. Black market operators undercut licensed businesses by avoiding the taxes, compliance costs, and responsible gambling obligations that regulated operators must meet. The ECA’s call to action reflects mounting frustration within the industry over the competitive disadvantage that licensed operators face when illegal sites go unchecked. Cross-border enforcement has long been a sticking point in the…

Casino-focused gambling operators are increasingly looking to add sportsbooks to their platforms as the competitive iGaming landscape continues to evolve rapidly. The shift reflects a broader industry trend where operators recognise that offering a single vertical is no longer sufficient to retain and attract players in a crowded market. Sports betting has long been seen as a powerful acquisition tool, drawing in a different demographic of player compared to traditional casino products like slots and table games. For casino-first operators, launching a sportsbook represents both a significant opportunity and a considerable operational challenge that requires careful planning and investment. Building…