SBC News

Turkish authorities have reported a critical juncture in the fight against illegal gambling, fuelled by direct actions on Turkey’s financial system and bank licences.

On Monday, Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of the Treasury and Finance, declared that proxy bank accounts enabling transactions to illegal betting and gaming sites could soon be eradicated.

Providing an update on investigations and enforcement carried out by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), Şimşek confirmed that in 2025 the financial intelligence unit halted the circulation of TL5bn (€100m) in illicit proceeds within Turkey’s financial system.

Şimşek stated: “Illegal betting organisers have recently started using bank, payment, electronic money and cryptocurrency accounts belonging to third parties.
“I would like to strongly remind our citizens that renting or allowing others to use their accounts under pretexts such as ‘escrow’, ‘temporary use’, or ‘for commission’ constitutes participation in illegal betting..

Gambling licensees in Spain have been told to prepare for a year of regulatory changes and new compliance orders.

The message was delivered by Andrés Barragán, Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, who holds Spain’s portfolio for the ongoing development of federal orders that oversee the authorisation of gambling licences.

Andrés Barragán

Barragán addressed delegates at the FEJAR Conference on the rehabilitation of problem gamblers and the coordination of Spanish agencies needed to combat gambling harms.

In his address, the Secretary cited long-held concerns that Spain operates under what he described as an ‘irregular framework’ in its ability to minimise problem gambling risks.

As such, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs will seek to execute its long-held mandate to centralise safer gambling tools and systems, taking on full control of the oversight of gambling and its engagement with the Spanish public.

“We have a serious public health problem with online gambli..

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have been told to disregard a proposal made by Victor Negrescu, Vice‑President of the Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD) and Vice‑President of the European Parliament (EP), which called for a “unionised tax charge on online gambling.”

This week, the European Parliament was informed of Negrescu’s proposal to create an ‘EU-level iGaming tax’, although the proposal itself is still said to be in development.

Negrescu framed his proposal to MEPs as a new measure to raise funds for EU-wide initiatives on education and re-skilling, and to support member states in the treatment of addiction and mental health.

The Romania SDP Minister currently sits on the council which considers and evaluates proposals for the design and development of the EU’s budget. The VP believes that a unionised tax charge on online gambling could provide an additional €4bn to the budget each year, and up to €28bn across a fiscal cycle.

In his address, the Minister argu..

The Senate of Romania has approved two bills that will apply new restrictions on gambling’s engagement and exposure with the general public.

Announced by MP Raluca Turcan, of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the bill is titled “Protect the Age of Innocence” and received approval from the Senate. The bill will increase Romania’s gambling age from 18-to-21.

Turcan was the author of the PNL’s proposal to “reset Romania’s gambling age to 21”, in response to a report by International NGO Save the Children, which ranked Romania as Europe’s highest rate of youth problem gambling.

Her bill will progress to the Chamber of Deputies for final readings and if approved there, it will be signed into law by Niscusor Dan, President of Romania.

If the bill is fully approved, Romania will join other European markets like Belgium, Lithuania and the Netherlands in raising the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21.

There are also attempts to introduce the same restrictions in neighbouring Bulgaria,..

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) believes there are areas in which licensed operators can improve their player protection tools, despite an overall positive level of compliance with regulatory expectations among the majority of licensees.

A thematic review was conducted by the MGA in the first half of 2025 on the self-exclusion implementation and other responsible gambling safeguards across 20 licensees and 58 active URLs.

A mystery shopper exercise was used to determine effectiveness, cross-brand account controls and how responsible gambling protections were presented at key moments by licensees.

The MGA stated: “For Brand A, a player account was registered using a fixed set of personal details, followed by deposits and gameplay to test platform functionality.

“Brand B involved registering with the same details, initiating self-exclusion on Brand A, and verifying whether this exclusion extended to Brand B.

“Brand C tested the system’s ability to detect linkage by registering wi..

The Dutch gambling regulator has expanded its battle against illegal gambling, ordering Polymarket to cease its presence in the country.

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) warned Adventure One QSS, the operator of the Polymarket brand in the Netherlands, that it would be sanctioned with a weekly fine of €420,000 should it continue to operate in the country, with a maximum penalty of €840,000.

A zero-tolerance approach to illegal gambling sites is one of the key goals set out by the government in its recently published ‘Getting started, Building a better Netherlands’ coalition agreement, with KSA now expanding this action to include prediction markets.

KSA highlighted how Polymarket has been in the news recently, particularly surrounding wagering on the Dutch elections. Polymarket staunchly denies that it falls in the gambling category.

Despite being contacted about its illegal activity in the Netherlands, no changes have occurred to Polymarket’s offering in the country and as such, an orde..

Bulgaria’s gambling sector has opposed a draft bill that proposes an increase in the minimum gambling age from 18 to 21.

Earlier this month, populist party ITN presented a draft proposal to amend the Gambling Act in a way that would forbid anyone under the age of 21 from gambling – extending the definition of vulnerable people to also include those aged 18-20.

“The proposed changes relate to both land-based and online gambling,” ITN said. “We believe that this will contribute to the correct development of our young citizens, who will be occupied with activities other than those leading to heightened risks of addiction and negative impact on their lives.”

‘Draft goes against constitution’

Four gambling trade bodies have now come out with an official statement countering the proposal, arguing first and foremost that it goes against the Bulgarian constitution.

The Gambling Industry Association, the Bulgarian Gaming Association, the Bulgarian Association of Gambling Activities, and th..