
This week, North America's gambling legislation has been active, from Hawaii in the Pacific to the French-speaking Quebec in Canada, as various regions seek a balance between expansion, regulation, and the crackdown on illegal activities. The Hawaii House Committee has once again passed an online s

Virginia's efforts to legalize online casinos took a dramatic turn this week — both the Senate and House bills were initially rejected in the first vote, but passed narrowly a few hours later in a re-vote. In plain terms, the lawmakers first gave a warning shot, then changed their minds and let it p

Henry Aguda, the Minister of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the Philippines, recently revealed that the authorities are considering whether to ban the communication platform Telegram. The reason is that intelligence shows that some illegal gambling operators ha

The London-listed gambling giant Evoke plc is facing a perfect storm—the UK remote gambling tax has soared from 21% to 40%, compounded by its already high leverage and complex business structure, putting the company, which owns William Hill's UK retail outlets and online brands such as 888 and Mr G

The Washington State Senate this week passed SB 6137 with an overwhelming majority of 41 votes to 8, allowing residents to bet on state college sports teams at tribal casinos. This means that games from local colleges such as the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Gonzaga Uni

South Dakota has taken another step closer to the legalization of online sports betting. This week, the State Senate passed SJR 504 with a vote of 23 to 10, officially sending the question of "whether to allow online sports betting" to the November elections for a decision by all voters. Simply put,

The Brazilian Prize and Betting Secretariat (SPA) recently announced the biennial regulatory agenda for 2026/27 through Normative Decree No. 408. Over the next two years, the regulatory body will focus on optimizing the license review process, combating illegal operators, improving anti-money laund

Swedish gambling operator ATG delivered a less-than-stellar report card for the fiscal year 2025: net gambling revenue of 5.25 billion Swedish kronor, a decrease of 2.2%; net profit 1.24 billion kronor, a drop of 16.4%. The performance pressure directly triggered a management shake-up—CEO Hasse Lor

Iowa and New York are considering taxation and regulation, Hawaii and Illinois are attempting outright bans, and Connecticut is targeting individuals under 21—lawmakers in multiple U.S. states are intensively introducing legislative proposals against prediction markets. However, this seemingly formi

The battle for licenses at Japan's Integrated Resorts (IR) is set to reignite after years of dormancy. The Japan Tourism Agency has confirmed that a six-month application window will open from May to November 2027 for the remaining two IR licenses. Aichi Prefecture Governor Hideaki Omura is expected

The sale plan of the Philippines integrated resort "City of Dreams Manila" has been officially shelved. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco Entertainment, revealed in the latest financial report meeting that the company has completed a strategic assessment and decided to continue holding 50% of t

Austrian gaming equipment giant Novomatic's full acquisition offer for the Australian listed company Ainsworth Game Technology officially expired on February 6 after several delays. Despite Novomatic and its founder holding a 66.6% absolute majority of shares, they failed to convince enough minority

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has thrown three "gambling tax bombs" in the newly announced budget, the most eye-catching of which is the second "per-bet tax" scheme in the nation—sports betting platforms must pay 25 cents to the state treasury for each bet processed, increasing to 50 cents afte

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is brewing a "regulatory combination punch" for online gambling, covering the entire chain from player identity verification, advertising placement restrictions to problem gambling intervention. The most attention-grabbing aspect is that the a

South Korea's Inspire Entertainment Resort recently announced the appointment of Steve Wolstenholme, who has been battling in the Asian casino circuit for over thirty years, as the Chief Casino Officer. This new helmsman has managed top projects such as Vietnam's Hoi An South, Manila Okada, and Gala

Finland will officially say goodbye to the long-standing state monopoly model in July 2027, opening the door to international operators for online gambling licenses. However, a year and a half before the marketization countdown, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) threw cold water: Op