Gambling Commission admits faults but backs credibility of Young People and Gambling Survey

France adds new obligations to sign off gambling ad campaigns 

ARGN looks to harmonise player protection across Africa

Entain warns prediction markets facilitate underage sports betting

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Entain’s Stella David has issued a criticism of the damaging consequences of the rise of prediction markets, claiming they facilitate underage sports betting in the US.

Many states across the US require players to be 21 to gamble. However, platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, which are federally regulated through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), have a minimum age requirement of 18.

Given that the platforms are currently offering markets on sports events, they are effectively bypassing state gambling laws, according to the Entain executive.

Updating investors yesterday, she stated: “Let me be clear, when people play the prediction markets in sports, it looks like a sports bet, it sounds like a sports bet, and it acts like a sports bet. I don’t think anybody should be in any doubt. It’s sports betting.

“In the US, you’ve got to be 21 to play, [but] 18 to 21-year-olds are playing prediction markets, and they’re playing prediction markets in non [online sports betting..

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New Zealand online casino bill set for Parliament scrutiny

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Regulated online casinos are edging closer towards reality in New Zealand, as the Online Casino Gambling bill has passed its second reading in the country’s Parliament.

The rubber stamping of the regulation is scheduled to be completed in June; however, there are still a few hurdles that are left to be overcome.

Support was shown for community returns from the online casino gambling market in the second reading, as offshore gambling duty (online gambling duty once the bill passes) will increase from 12% to 16%, with approximately 4% ring-fenced for community benefit.

Further scrutiny is set to come for the bill, as it now progresses to the Committee of the Whole House, which will consider the legislation in detail, debate each of its clauses and make any changes if necessary.

Once the clause review is complete, the bill will return to the House of Representatives for its third and final reading. The House will then vote and decide if the legislation should become law. If the bil..

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Virginia passes credit card ban but seeks online casino compromise

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On a busy day in the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond on Wednesday, Senate lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to ban the use of credit cards for sports betting.

A little more than a month after House Bill 515 passed the House by a 94-3 vote, senators unanimously approved it 40-0.

The bill would remove credit cards from the list of approved account funding methods for sports wagering operators who are licensed to do business by the Virginia Lottery Board. The Lottery already prohibits credit cards for lottery play.

The three no votes on the House floor are the only rejections the idea has faced in the legislature this year. It was approved unanimously by multiple committees in each of the House and the Senate over the last six weeks, as well as on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

The Senate-approved version has one small amendment, made in the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee two weeks ago, to add that sportsbooks must be held accountable in taking “reasonable mea..

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Australian regulator warns operators will be held responsible for influencers’ content 

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Liquor & Gaming New South Wales (L&GNSW) has given gambling operators a heads up that the use of social media influencers will be a key enforcement focus in 2026.

The regulator, which monitors online wagering and gaming machine advertising visible to the NSW community, will closely examine operators’ marketing and customer retention practices, including affiliate and promotional arrangements involving social media personalities.

Hospitality and Racing Deputy Secretary, Tarek Barakat, said operators would be held accountable for advertising carried out on their behalf.

“We are putting gambling operators on notice that a key priority for us this year is examining their marketing and customer retention practices, including the use of social media personalities,” he said.

“Gambling operators should be careful about any affiliate or partnership arrangements as we are holding them responsible for the advertising of their products.

“The things we are targeting include paid and unpaid pr..

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New study finds responsible gambling tools have limited impact on betting behaviour

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Responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits have limited effects on curbing risky behaviour, according to a new study of more than 24,000 online sports bettors in Australia. Tools that merely raise awareness or set voluntary limits rarely change behaviour unless they directly restrict access to betting. The findings raise questions about whether current harm-minimisation…

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Campaigners promote Harmful Products Marketing Act in Australia

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A new multi-stakeholder campaign has been launched in Australia which demands that the government takes action on “tightening advertising of unhealthy products” – the gambling industry in particular has been placed in the spotlight.

The nationwide initiative, titled “Give Us an Ad Break”, has been launched by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and has already received “the backing of more than 130 organisations and public health leaders spanning health, sport, research and social services.”

FARE is urging federal ministers to support the introduction of a Harmful Products Marketing Act – legislation that would impose clear legal limits on when, where and how harmful products can be advertised, particularly in environments where children may be exposed.

Its proposal is modelled on Australia’s tobacco advertising framework and seeks to curb the visibility of gambling, alcohol and unhealthy food promotions across broadcast, digital and outdoor media.

Campaign org..

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Louisiana legislators put prop bet and sweepstakes bans on agenda

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Louisiana’s 2026 legislative session begins on March 9, and legislators are already lining up a queue of gambling bills to discuss once the state Senate and House convene in Baton Rouge.

From banning prop bets and in-play micro markets to banning sweepstakes and legalizing iLottery, here are some things on the docket.

Time to prohibit props?

Senate Bill 354, which was pre-filed by Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews and has been provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary B, would change Louisiana’s sports betting statutes to remove the term “proposition bets” from the list of authorized wagers. It defines a prop as “a side wager” on a part of a sport or athletic event that does not concern the final outcome of the event.

While the list of authorized sports wagering markets includes “in-game wagering” and “in-play bets” SB 354 would also establish a brand-new definition for a “sports micro-bet,” meaning a prop bet that is placed while a sports event is in progress and which conce..

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First review of BetStop lauds successful rollout and recommends better marketing

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BetStop has laid new ground for comprehensive self-exclusion on AUS gambling licences and states, a dynamic dependent on the Labor Party’s stalled review of gambling advertising reforms…

The government of Australia has been warned that the BetStop National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER) cannot be viewed as a “silver bullet to stop the rise of gambling addiction rates”.

The warning has headlined the review of the BetStop register by independent examiner and AUS public health expert Richard Eccles, who was summoned by the Australia Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) in October 2024.

The ACMA has submitted its first review of BetStop to ministers of the Commonwealth, providing an overview and breakdown of self-exclusion activities across six states and two mainland territories in Australia.

BetStop first came into existence in August 2023 as part of The Gambling Amendment Act, with an aim of applying urgent reforms to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

The stewardship of the s..

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Sportradar extends integrity deal with FIFA ahead of World Cup

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FIFA is continuing to ensure the integrity of competition ahead of this year’s World Cup with the extension of a partnership with Sportradar.

On Monday, Sportradar announced that it has extended its integrity services agreement with FIFA for an additional five years. The newly-minted deal runs through 2031 and allows FIFA to leverage the monitoring and investigative services offered by Sportradar.

“The expansion of our integrity agreement with FIFA further strengthens the ability to identify, assess and respond to risks in an increasingly complex global picture,” said Sportradar Executive Vice President of Integrity Services Andreas Krannich. “It underlines both organization’s commitment to fair and clean sport at all levels globally.”

FIFA and Sportradar first teamed up in 2017 to ensure the integrity of soccer matches around the world. In 2026, Sportradar will continue to monitor betting activity for competitions hosted by FIFA and its 211 member associations. FIFA and Sportradar’..

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