This week saw many regulatory and business developments, along with quite a few events wrapped up or confirmed. We dive into the most important updates of the week in our news bulletin.
New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, has issued cease-and-desist letters against 26 entities that operated under the social and sweepstakes casino model, notifying them that they have breached local laws and must halt all operations immediately, and exit the state.
This is the latest assault against the sector, which has come under increased scrutiny in places such as Louisiana.
The Maine gambling regulator has also issued a warning this week, cautioning consumers that these websites were, in fact, illegal and must be avoided at all costs lest consumers compromise their personal or financial information.
Business & finance
FanDuel has become the first company to announce a $0.50 surcharge that will apply to every wager placed by sports fans on its platform in the state of Illinois. The company may extend similar measures to other states that currently have too high taxes.
Ironically, the surcharge was originally floated as an idea by DraftKings, but customer feedback prompted the company to fold its proposition. Following Illinois’ recent tax hike, however, DraftKings will also be bringing its surcharge, as confirmed by the company this week, and following FanDuel’s announcement.
Hacksaw Gaming has confirmed that it will be indeed moving forward with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of its own. The listing is due to take place on NASDAQ Stockholm, and it will primarily focus on local investors as well as international institutional backers. The company should finalize and list by the end of the month if initial confirmations are correct
Entain has confirmed that its boss for Australia and New Zealand, Dean Shannon, will be exiting the company. Shannon is due to step down from the position at the end of the month, with his stint officially ending on June 30, 2025,the company has informed.
Allwyn has enjoyed another strong quarter, with the results for the first quarter showing growth in revenue. Allwyn's adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter this year stood at€363.2m.
"I am very pleased to report a good start to 2025, with the continued successful execution of our growth strategies sustaining the positive momentum from our record performance in 2024,"company CEO Robert Chvatal said.
To wrap up on a positive note, Betfred crowned its biggest jackpot winner to date, awarding one player the eye-watering £11,498,211.89 off a £1.50 wager. The game that awarded the life-changing sum was Mega Moolah, now owned by Games Global, and one of the very best progressive jackpot games in the world.
Responsible gambling
In the United Kingdom, the media watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority, has investigated two ads launched on behalf of Ladbrokes and that appeared on TV and Video on Demand (VOD) platforms, promoting Ladbucks – a unique token created by the operator that grants extends complimentary services to gamblers, such as free spins, bets, and more.
The watchdog concluded that the two ads in question had indeed breached the BCAP Code and CAP Code. Ladbucks were closely linked to popular currencies such as V-buck and Robux from video games Fortnite and Roblox, respectively, which could appeal to children.
Sweden has acted against two Twitch streamers who were said to have promoted unlicensed and unregulated gambling products to their followers on Twitch in the country.
Spelinspektionen, the country’s gambling regulator, which ordered the promotional activities to cease. The influencers who promoted the content had obliged, although this is not the first time they have been targeted by the regulator.
"The influencers who have been subject to supervision have, following the supervision of the Swedish Gambling Authority, ceased marketing illegal gambling," a statement on the watchdog’s website read.
Laws and regulations
Brazil has decided not to move forward with a highly controversial financial transactions tax law but has plugged the fiscal gap by increasing the tax on sports gambling instead. This measure will push the effective tax rate in the country to 18%, as the industry has cautioned that they cannot maintain a competitive product in constantly changing market conditions.
As a reminder, Brazil’s regulated iGaming and sports betting markets were launched in January 2025.
The voice of the industry
Although it technically took place last week, the Casino Guru Awards have now announced the winner of the 2025 event publicly. Hosted byMartin Sepiano, the evening honored the winners in 10 categories, all evaluated through a radically transparent and values-driven process.
Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Projects Director at Casino Guru, had this to add: "The Casino Guru Awards are more than just trophies and titles. They’re a celebration of the people and companies who are truly moving the industry forward. The ones who choose to be responsible, innovative, and proactive in how they do business."
You may find the complete list of winners right here.
Casino Guru News also caught up with Nicolas Haddad from PearFiction, with whom the publication spoke about the highly anticipated launch of Squealin’ Riches 2: Loot Collect. PearFiction is set to make a bold return to one of its most beloved franchises. You can read the full interview with Haddad right here.
Ivan Kurochkin, Head of the Consulting Department at 4H Agency, took a deep dive into the current Curacao regulatory landscape and the introduction of independent test labs locally, summarizing what the industry may expect as a result. You may read the full opinion piece by Kurochkin here.
Not least, Casino Guru News also spoke with Kate Romanenko, Head of Commercial at Kendoo, who discussed the importance of the Hold and Win feature and how this core mechanic has evolved over the years to be more relevant, more fun, and more impactful.
