Author: Charles Shephardson

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…

The UK Gambling Commission has delivered a long-awaited update on financial risk assessments, outlining the next stage of affordability checks applied to customers across Britain. The Commission hosted a conference call with industry stakeholders to present the framework and schedule for the binding application of financial vulnerability checks. Reports from Sky News and The Daily Telegraph ahead of the briefing indicated the government and Commission would confirm the Gambling Review’s proposed structure for these assessments. Customers losing more than £125 over 30 days or £500 in a year will face lower-tier checks using publicly available data, including bankruptcy records. More…

The iconic American Powerball lottery is set to make its UK debut on 21 July, marking the first time the draw has been offered outside of the United States. National Lottery steward Allwyn UK will begin selling £4 Powerball tickets through its retail network, website and app, subject to final regulatory approval. UK players will be eligible to enter the first official draw on 23 July, with an estimated top prize of around $416m if the current jackpot continues to roll over. Powerball has produced seven prizes worth more than $1bn since its inception in 1988, including the world’s largest…

Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has seen its decisions fully backed by the courts after three operators failed to overturn significant penalty fees. The regulator originally brought action against Betsson Nordic Ltd, Snabbare Ltd, and Spooniker Ltd in May 2025 over customer due diligence failures. The violations in question related to operator conduct during 2023, when all three were found to have inadequately assessed large customer deposits. Spelinspektionen issued Betsson Nordic a fine of SEK 6.5 million, Spooniker a fine of SEK 10 million, and Snabbare a fine of SEK 5.5 million alongside formal warnings. Snabbare Ltd is a subsidiary of…

Landman Economics researcher Howard Reed has challenged the credibility of a World Advertising Research Centre report predicting illegal gambling advertising will surpass the licensed sector. The WARC report, titled “The ad spend disconnect,” forecast that UK black market gambling advertising expenditure would outstrip the licensed industry by 2028. Reed’s critique was commissioned by Derek Webb’s Campaign for Fairer Gambling, and it targets the report’s lack of methodological transparency in its forecasting. Reed, the former chief economist for the Institute for Public Policy Research, argues the research is “flawed” because the methodology behind its predictions is never properly explained. His response…