Asia Pac

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..

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..

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..

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..

The status of online gaming in the Philippines is once again under the microscope as PAGCOR vowed greater regulation in the face of prohibition calls.

The regulator’s Chair and CEO, Alejandro Tengco, unveiled plans to explore a complete ban on gambling advertising, after already implementing a TV and radio ad blackout during ‘primetime’ – between 5.30pm and 8.30pm.

“Radio and TV stations are asking if they can still show the ads during dead slots, mainly for advertising revenue. But for us, if it’s possible to completely ban them, that’s what we want to enforce,” said Tengco.

PAGCOR, alongside a number of other government agencies, faced questioning from anti-gambling campaigners, including Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Senator Erwin Tulfo.

Gatchalian has proposed several measures to further regulate the sector, including a minimum betting age of 21 and a minimum deposit requirement of P10,000 (£129).

Not present at the meeting of the Committee on Games and Amusement was Senator ..

Six operators have been hit with enforcement actions for breaching self-exclusion compliance rules in Australia.

The investigations conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) affect operators Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet and BetChamps.

All compliance failures were related to people registered on BetStop, Australia’s national self-exclusion scheme, varying from allowing self-excluded persons to access wagering services, to targeting such individuals with marketing. All breaches occurred in 2024.

The largest operator in Australia in terms of retail presence, Tabcorp, has accepted a penalty of AU$112.7k (£57.5k), in addition to a Federal Court-enforceable agreement to conduct a third-party review of its customer verification processes in place and further staff training on self-exclusion.

Betfocus, LightningBet and TempleBet have been given remedial directions by the regulator, which obligates them to conduct an independent audit of their player safety checks and follow through on any resulting recommendations – with further compliance failure leading to potential civil penalties.

A formal warning has been issued to BetChamps, while the ACMA is in the process of finalising the enforcement action against Picklebet.

Carolyn Lidgerwood, ACMA member, commented: “The national self-exclusion register is designed to help people who are trying to avoid gambling services and stop gambling, but self-exclusion only works if wagering providers follow the rules.

“These rules have been in place for more than two years and wagering providers should be taking their responsibilities seriously.

“When people decide to self-exclude themselves from online and telephone gambling, they trust the system to protect them from gambling harm. These investigations have found that these companies broke that trust and let people down.

“All licensed wagering providers need to be aware that the ACMA is investigating compliance and enforcing the rules. Gambling companies must have effective systems in place to ensure self-excluded people cannot gamble with them.”

Launched in 2023, BetStop is currently undergoing a statutory review expected early 2026, which aims to assess the effectiveness of the register and address critical operational deficiencies such as some BetStop-registered players still receiving gambling marketing.

This review ties in with ongoing debates on wider reforms in the Australian gambling legislature, namely the still-to-be implemented 31 recommendations from the Murphy report, devised by the late Peta Murphy.

The document suggests that a unified gambling regulator is created to end the current supervisory fragmentation of the Australian market, with the sole entity taking charge of the national problem gambling projects such as BetStop as well.

Authorities in Macau have thwarted a counterfeit chip scheme that defrauded gamblers of tens of thousands of dollars.

According to local media, four arrests were made in total by the Judiciary Police after suspicions arose following the discovery of fake chips in three casinos operated by the same company in Cotai and NAPE.

The suspects were alleged to have targeted gamblers near casino premises, offering to exchange counterfeit chips for cash.

In one example, a suspect allegedly attempted to exchange seven HK$10,000 ($1283) chips with a male gambler in Cotai, while further investigations revealed 18 more chips in circulation across the three casinos.

In total, the scammers are alleged to have defrauded gamblers out of HK$210,000 ($26,900).

All four claimed that they were hired by a crime syndicate and were promised a minimum of US$2,800 if the scam was successful. They have been charged with involvement in a criminal organisation and large-scale fraud.

Not a new problem

Given Macau’s status as Asia’s largest gambling hub, it is not surprising that the region has been targeted by criminal activity.

In January 2025, a trio of suspects were accused of defrauding a Macau casino of $75,000 through distributing fake chips.

More recently, gamblers lost HK$330,000 ($42,370) after being deceived by money changers.

Though only relatively small sums, this activity will still represent a cause for concern for authorities in Macau heading into 2026, as the jurisdiction looks to build on the positive momentum gathered in the second half of 2025.

The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported full-year gross gaming revenue of $30.8bn, up 9.1% from 2024 and beyond the government’s target of $29.9bn. The figure also represents 85% of pre-pandemic levels of gaming.

After a slow start caused by a number of challenging conditions, including the Super Typhoon Ragasa, the early months of the year experienced single-figure revenue growth.

However, fortunes turned a corner in May when the jurisdiction reported a 19% year-on-year rise in GGR to $2.6bn.

This surge was further backed by similar double-figure growth in the remaining months of 2025 – except for September. Macau closed the year with a 14.8% YoY rise in December, recording GGR of $2.6bn.

Setting a fraud-fighting trend

Meanwhile, in mainland China, President Xi Jinping has also spearheaded efforts to crack down on wider fraud and ensure that illicit activities aren’t able to take place in the country.

China elevated its strategy to tackle the significant amount of illicit funds within illegal gambling, a large chunk of which was being funnelled through crypto payments.

This action included the extradition of She Zhijiang, a Chinese national who is alleged to have been the mastermind behind a major illegal gambling network in Southeast Asia.

He was extradited from Thailand back to China, underpinning a level of collaboration across the continent when it comes to thwarting the leaders of illicit gambling networks.

Furthermore, as regulatory frameworks in neighbouring markets continue to shift, expect a number of syndicates to be targeted during 2026 as China and Jinping laser in on the illicit gambling activities taking place across the continent.

The latest efforts by China to detect and prosecute the counterfeit chip game aren’t an isolated case and may well set a trend for future action from China in ensuring that illicit gambling activities and fraud are detected and sanctioned.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s demand for a complete ban on illegal gambling has prompted Turkey to undertake a major overhaul of its penal code, with sweeping changes set to take effect by 2026.

The reforms will sharply increase penalties for illegal gambling, online betting and participation offences, forming the backbone of Erdoğan’s wider “Action Plan to Eradicate Illegal Gambling.”

The directive was confirmed through a circular released by Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who reaffirmed the government’s full commitment to the President’s zero-tolerance stance.

“Each new loophole that allows these networks to operate within our country is being closed,” Tunç said. “Nobody, whether organiser or participant, can get away with digital anonymity or lax penalties from here on out.”

11th Judicial Package

The penal code reform stands as the centrepiece of Erdoğan’s 11th Judicial Package, described by the Ministry of Justice as a nationwide effort to dismantle the financial and digital infrastructure of unlicensed operators.

Tunç outlined that the package will grant prosecutors expanded powers of seizure, suspension and prosecution, while updating the Turkish Penal Code to raise prison terms and financial penalties for both individuals and organised groups.

Under the proposed reforms:

Organisers of illegal gambling networks will face longer prison sentences, with enhanced penalties for crimes involving minors or cross-border coordination.

Participants and intermediaries will face greater fines and asset confiscations, including the freezing of bank and digital payment accounts for up to 48 hours pending investigation.

Proceeds of crime can be seized immediately, without prior reporting, and returned to victims where ownership is proven.

Banks and payment processors will be legally required to provide data to prosecutors or courts within 10 days — failure to comply will trigger administrative or criminal sanctions.

“It no longer has to be a marginal issue,” Tunç continued. “Illegal betting is a coordinated, organised activity that takes advantage of our youth, destroys families and transfers money abroad. It is a national threat — and we will view it as such.”

Enforcement on Payments

The 11th Judicial Package will also tighten control over electronic payments and telecommunications systems that have enabled illegal operators to reach Turkish consumers.

All accounts at electronic payment institutions will require biometric or chip-ID verification. GSM line subscriptions will demand full electronic ID validation to prevent the use of false or deceased identities.
The compliance measures form part of Erdoğan’s demand for “direct results” by 2026, with the President warning that agencies will be held accountable for any failure to act.

“We cannot live with a shadow economy built on human weakness,” Erdoğan said during a recent cabinet session. “Every lira lost to illegal gambling is a lira stolen from our nation’s future.”

All agencies mobilised

The Erdoğan government has ordered all state agencies — including MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board), the BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority), and the state lottery Milli Piyango — to cooperate in enforcement.

Milli Piyango has already submitted a detailed report to MASAK identifying 239,000 domains in direct violation of Turkish gambling laws.

Chairman Ekrem Candan, Milli Piyango official, described the problem as “unprecedented”, adding: “We are witnessing industrial-level targeting of Turkish citizens via the internet. This is not a handful of rogue operators — it is a coordinated ecosystem that must be dismantled.”

Turkey has also warned Cyprus, Malta, Georgia and North Macedonia that they could face diplomatic and economic retaliation if they continue to shelter or license gambling operators targeting Turkish citizens.

Minister Tunç concluded that the revised penal code will establish a zero-tolerance framework for gambling offences in 2026 and beyond.

“Illegal betting breaks apart families, traps young people in debt and disrupts public order,” he said. “The Republic will make no compromises and will take all necessary action to destroy the apparatus that exploits our citizens and threatens social peace. This will be a hard, stalwart fight — and it will be won.”