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Regulators are getting more aggressive about what happens beyond the licensed market. Search engines, telecom providers and financial channels are all being pulled deeper into enforcement. Commercially, the week was just as active. Stronger supplier earnings, new product formats and expansion plans in major growth markets show where operators see the next wave of opportunity.
This week in the online gambling industry:
- Chile advances its regulated online gambling framework, with licensing, tax and player-protection rules under discussion.
- Armenia prepares telecom-level blocking of illegal gambling sites.
- Dutch watchdog KVA warns that Google autocomplete is steering users toward unlicensed online casinos.
- Singapore’s betting tax revenue rises nearly 12% to US$2.8 billion.
- Brazil creates a formal process to recover more than R$1 billion in funds linked to illegal betting.
😄 Haven’t caught up with last week yet? Visit the previous iGaming Recap!
Here’s the full rundown:
Regulatory & Legal Updates
Chile Advances Framework for Regulated Online Gambling, iGamingToday
Chile’s Senate Economy Commission is advancing plans for a regulated online gambling market, with lawmakers and the government working from an agreed draft. The proposal would introduce licensing, mandatory ID checks, tougher advertising rules and a dedicated gambling tax on top of VAT, while requiring operators to establish a legal presence in Chile.
The push follows concerns over the current system, where 42 gambling websites have been blocked while another 39 are registered for tax purposes. Senators also want stronger powers to disrupt illegal operators through website blocking, financial tracing and sanctions, alongside funding for responsible gambling and community sports.
Armenia Plans Telecom Blocking for Illegal Gambling Sites, SBC News
Armenia is preparing new restrictions that would require telecom operators to block access to unlicensed gambling and lottery websites. The rules are scheduled to take effect February 8, 2027, expanding a broader crackdown that already includes limits on payments to illegal operators and tighter restrictions on their advertising.
The country is also building a centralized digital monitoring system connecting licensed online and land-based operators. It will provide real-time data on wagers, deposits and losses, with Malta-based RegTech firm Random Systems International tasked with launching the platform by January 2027 under a 15-year licence.
Dutch Watchdog Says Google Autocomplete Is Steering Users to Illegal Casinos, iGB
Dutch affiliate watchdog KVA has warned that Google’s autocomplete and suggested searches are directing users toward unlicensed gambling sites, including queries promoting casinos outside the country’s CRUKS self-exclusion system. The group said it identified the suggestions primarily through incognito searches designed to exclude personalized history.
KVA acknowledged Google’s efforts to remove paid ads for illegal operators but called for stronger action on organic search. The issue is gaining political attention in the Netherlands, where lawmakers have also questioned Google and Meta’s role in black-market gambling promotion, and the government now expects reports on illegal gambling advertising every six months.
Financial Performance & Business Moves
Playtech H1 EBITDA Surges 77% on US Expansion, European Gaming
Playtech reported €162.5 million in adjusted EBITDA for H1 2026, up 77% year over year, while group revenue increased 10% to €425.1 million. B2B drove most of the gains, with divisional revenue rising 14% and adjusted EBITDA climbing 75% to €128.1 million.
North America delivered the strongest growth, as US and Canadian revenue jumped 161% to €56.9 million. Playtech expanded into Connecticut and added partnerships with FanDuel, Bet365 and Fanatics during the period. The supplier maintained guidance for more than €270 million in full-year adjusted EBITDA.
Singapore Betting Tax Take Climbs to US$2.8B, iGamingToday
Singapore collected SGD3.6 billion (US$2.8 billion) in betting taxes during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, an 11.9% increase from SGD3.2 billion a year earlier. The figure combines casino taxes and other gambling duties, which are not reported separately.
Betting taxes represented 3.7% of Singapore’s total SGD97.3 billion tax take, broadly unchanged from 3.6% the previous year despite the double-digit rise in collections. Overall government tax revenue increased 9.4%, with authorities attributing the wider growth to stronger economic activity and consumer spending.
Playtech Eyes Early 2027 Entry Into Brazil, NEXT
Playtech is targeting early 2027 for a major Brazil launch after progress on a prospective partnership was delayed during the country’s election period. CEO Mor Weizer said political sensitivity around gambling prompted the company, the government and its prospective customer to wait until after the elections before moving forward.
The supplier already operates a live casino studio in São Paulo and views Brazil as a key growth market. Management said the prospective deal was not specifically included in Playtech’s existing medium-term targets, meaning a successful launch could provide additional upside when the company revisits its outlook alongside its full-year results.
Technology & Innovation in Gambling
DATA.BET Adds Short-Form Crypto Markets to Predictions Product, SBC News
DATA.BET has expanded its prediction markets offering with a new “Up or Down” crypto format, just months after entering the sector. Players can wager on whether an asset will move above or below a set price across five settlement windows ranging from five minutes to one day. The format is designed to create more frequent betting opportunities outside the sports calendar.
The supplier has also added live and historical data widgets covering assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold and oil, along with API integration for operators. DATA.BET said the update is aimed at making prediction markets faster to use and easier to deploy as competition in the category increases.
BETBY Launches Slot-Style Sports Betting Format, SBC News
BETBY has introduced SlotBets, a new product that combines live sports betting with casino-style mechanics. The first version uses basketball and divides play into 15-second rounds, with three five-second windows acting like reels and real match events determining the outcome.
Events such as three-pointers, fouls, missed shots and periods of no action feed directly into each round, while stoppages can add to payout multipliers through a Pause Bonus. Rather than relying on random number generation, SlotBets bases payouts on what happens during the live game, creating what BETBY calls a new “slotbetting” category.
Responsible Gambling & Player Protection
Allwyn Names Playtech Veteran to Lead Responsible Gaming, iGB
Allwyn has appointed Francesco Rodano as group head of responsible gaming, bringing in an executive with two decades of regulatory and industry experience. Rodano spent nearly 10 years shaping policy at Playtech before leading its global player-protection work as chief sustainable gambling officer.
At Playtech, he helped deploy BetBuddy, an AI-powered behavioural analytics platform designed to identify potentially harmful gambling patterns. Rodano previously spent almost a decade as director of remote gaming at Italy’s gambling regulator, where he helped establish the country’s online gaming framework.
Brazil Sets Process for R$1B-Plus in Funds Tied to Illegal Betting, iGamingToday
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice has created a formal procedure for handling more than R$1 billion in frozen funds potentially linked to illegal fixed-odds betting. The money will not automatically go to the government, with each case requiring an administrative process followed by a judicial ruling before any funds can be permanently forfeited.
Authorities will review evidence supplied by the Ministry of Finance’s betting secretariat, while affected parties will have 15 days to present a defense and 10 days to appeal. If forfeiture is ultimately approved by the courts, the recovered money can be transferred to Brazil’s National Public Security Fund and used for public-security programs.
- LeBron James is the face of Polymarket’s new Sports betting ad today, Jordan Rogers on LinkedIn
- Bet365 has confirmed plans to cut around 340 jobs, iGB on X
- More than half of Gen Z has reportedly moved money away from investing and into sports betting, Bill Fanter on LinkedIn
- Underdog Sports gives up fantasy licences in seven states to prioritize prediction markets, Yogonet on X
Stories from iGaming Forums
- Trust wallet now offers prediction market, Bitcointalk
- I never reported my gambling to the IRS, r/onlinegambling
- Possible insider trading on Polymarket, Bitcointalk
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