Asia Pac

The Supreme Court of India has upheld constitutional rights for states of the union to govern gaming activities on individual terms.

The judgment comes as the federal government implements the first phase of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules (PROGA) 2026, authorised on 1 May 2026.

Due to PROGA’s adoption, the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had asked the Supreme Court to provide clarity on whether the new federal framework superseded individual states’ autonomy to set and control gaming laws.

The states urged transparency on interpretations of PROGA relating to gaming categories such as rummy, poker and other skill-based games, arguing that state authorities should retain the power to intervene where gaming activities are deemed detrimental to public welfare.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court determined that states continue to hold legislative authority to regulate, restrict or prohibit online gaming activities where measures are enacted in the interests of..

The New Zealand government’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has published its Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, providing a clearer roadmap to the opening of the market.

After much anticipation, the new framework is set to open on 3 July 2026, with the expression of interest stage of the licensing process set to begin in the second half of next month.
Up to 15 online casino gambling licences will be up for auction ahead of a scheduled market launch on 1 December 2026. From 1 June 2027, only operators that hold a licence will be permitted to operate.

Through its extensive guide, the DIA has provided little room for error in mapping out its detailed compliance requirements for license holders in its upcoming regulated online casino market.

Of note, the regulations specifically provided guidelines on harm prevention and minimisation, consumer protection and record-keeping, advertising and marketing, as well as fees, levies and charges.

Trina Lowry, Programme Director – O..

Hefty regulatory scrutiny has once more come in the direction of The Star Entertainment Group from the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Casino Commission (NICC) in Australia.

The Star Sydney has been slapped with fines totalling A$10m (approximately €6.2m) and an enforceable undertaking to set a further $5m aside to bolster its financial crime risk management operations technology.

A release from the NICC stated that thousands of breaches at The Star Sydney were investigated by the Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) last year, resulting in four separate disciplinary matters that led to the casino regulator issuing the following orders:

$1.5m penalty – For allowing customers to continuously gamble without a break longer than the prescribed time limits between May 2024 and April 2025.

$3m penalty – For allowing the conversion of casino reward points to cash involving at least 1,898 patrons between December 2018 and November 2023.

$500,000 penalty – For the failure to prevent entry by an ..

Authorities in Bangladesh are seeking to crack down on gambling by replacing a law that has previously stood for over 150 years.

As reported by local outlet BSS News, Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has confirmed an initiative to replace the outdated Gambling Act of 1867 with a new law aimed at preventing both land-based and online gambling.

Ahmed told reporters that the decision has been made in recognition of the rising popularity of online betting and gaming, which now requires a more technology-oriented legal framework.

He confirmed to reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum that the new law is currently in the final stages of drafting and will be presented to the country’s parliament during its next sitting.

The Home Minister provided few details on how the new legislation will go beyond the country’s Gambling Act, given that it already prohibits almost all forms of gambling.

Anyone found operating or promoting online gambling can be sentenced to ..

State of Origin 2026 kicks off this morning for UK viewers, but it could be the last series before sweeping changes and reforms to advertising and sponsorships.

The New South Wales Blues take on the Queensland Maroons in the 45th renewal of the annual best-of-three series, with game one kicking off at Accor Stadium in Sydney at 8:05pm local time (11:05am UK time).

Many are once again discussing the top State of Origin matchups – Tedesco vs Ponga, Cleary vs Walker, Robson vs Grant – but a wider ongoing discussion has been at the centre of debate in Australia in recent months: gambling reform advocates vs the gambling industry.

Last month, PM Anthony Albanese stated that the Labor government will look to implement “strong and decisive actions” to stem the proliferation of gambling advertising.

The proposed widespread 2027 changes

From 1 January 2027, the Australian government will implement these five measures:

Broadcast TV limits: Maximum of three gambling ads per hour between ..

The Australian government has published its ‘official response’ to online gambling reforms sought by the late Peta Murphy.

The much-awaited response has been published two years after Labor MP Peta Murphy submitted her 2024 parliamentary inquiry into gambling harms and federal interventions, titled “You win some, you lose more: the impact on those experiencing gambling harms”.

The inquiry was the final parliamentary project undertaken by Murphy, who passed away in December 2023.

Her recommendations on federal gambling reform were widely expected to shape the agenda of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, following commitments made by the Labor Party during its 2022 Australian election campaign.

Murphy called to end the “normalisation of gambling”

Australia’s online gambling laws were heavily scrutinised by Murphy, who questioned whether the existing regulatory framework and operating conditions were effective in reducing harms and extending support across the country’s six commonweal..

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is reportedly investigating Entain Australia & New Zealand after the operator allegedly sent emails sent to inactive customers warning them to place a bet or risk monthly inactivity fees.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Ladbrokes Australia brand also failed to disclose the customer’s legal right to close their account through the government’s self-exclusion website, BetStop, and have their money returned.

This is just the latest in Entain’s Australian troubles, after the operator recently entered into a court-enforceable undertaking after more than 500 breaches of national self-exclusion rules were discovered as part of a separate ACMA investigation.

The Sydney Morning Herald stated that Entain ‘sends the emails to customers who have been dormant for 18 months, warning them it will begin charging a $5 a month fee for holding their money’.

The report added that the ACMA confirmed it was reviewing to see if the ema..

Entain Australia & New Zealand is working with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after the body discovered more than 500 breaches of national self-exclusion rules in Australia.

As a result, the Ladbrokes and Neds operator entered into a court-enforceable undertaking following an ACMA investigation.

The ACMA found that Entain had:

Opened accounts and provided wagering to people registered with BetStop.

Opened new accounts for individuals registered with BetStop.

Failed to adequately promote BetStop in customer texts and emails.

As a result, the ACMA has accepted a comprehensive 18-month court-enforceable undertaking from Entain, as the company will commit to an independent review of its compliance systems and processes and implement any recommended improvements.

An Entain Australia spokesperson said: “We take all our regulatory responsibilities seriously. These matters arose during the early stages of a new national system, and we have worked constructiv..

Entain’s Australian brands Ladbrokes AU and Neds AU are in hot water after an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found more than 500 breaches of national self-exclusion rules.

The UK-headquartered company has now entered into a court-enforceable undertaking, with the ACMA finding that its brands opened accounts for people registered with Australia’s national self-exclusion register BetStop.

It is also said to have failed to close wagering accounts for self-excluded customers.

“When someone signs up to BetStop, wagering companies must close all of that person’s accounts held within their services,” said ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood.

“In this case, Entain’s systems did not adequately identify and link all wagering accounts held by those customers across its services, including one account that remained open for more than a year after the customer had self-excluded.

“When people register for self-exclusion there should be no way for them to open new..

Politicians in Bangladesh have vowed to launch a nationwide crackdown on gambling and online betting, emphasising that coordinated action is looming for the sector.

Action will begin following the closure of the country’s parliament on 30 April, with assertions made by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who promised a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on gambling, alongside drug use, in response to concerns raised by Zainul Abdin Farroque, parliamentary member for the Noakhali-2 constituency.

“To save the youth from destruction, the government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy,” said Ahmed, who promised that law enforcement agencies will conduct coordinated operations to dismantle networks linked to drugs and gambling.

Most forms of gambling remain illegal in Bangladesh under the Public Gaming Act of 1867, meaning online gambling operates in a grey area with no local regulation.

Ahmed’s call to arms over curtailing online gambling comes despite Bangladesh last year passing the Cyber Security..