With September now underway and some of the industry’s most important events just around the corner, Casino Guru News takes a look at the build-up to the big days and the growing regulatory scrutiny across key markets.
This week, Ukraine announced a new system to monitor gambling transactions in real time, strengthening the regulator’s grip on a sector long criticized for lax oversight.
In the meantime, IC360 has acquired Compliable, and its automated license compliance management platform, enabling partner businesses to deploy regulation-ready solutions.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has gone after a number of unlicensed websites that have been operating in the Great Lakes State this week.
The regulator targeted a single operator that owned multiple brands, and which has been ordered to cease all activities voluntarily within 14 days. Failure to comply would trigger a more severe multi-agency response.
Business and Finance
This week, FanDuel appointed Keith Whyte as its Responsible Gaming Strategic Advisor, in time for Responsible Gaming Education Month. Whyte is a seasoned veteran with 30 years of experience who has actively worked on strengthening players' understanding of responsible gambling and strengthening the private and public sectors in matters related to safe play.
SiGMA has announced its full schedule of events for 2026, with the roadmap including eight stops and covering the global gambling market. The events focus on a diverse geographical footprint, addressing core regions and markets, including South America, North America, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, and more.
SBC Events has confirmed that the Legends Charity Game will take place at the iconic Estádio José Alvalade, with the game played in front of a 50,000-strong crowd, and seeking to raise €1,000,000 for four charities.
The event will also be backed by MARCA, one of the biggest Spanish media outlets dedicated to sport, as its official media sponsor.
Responsible gambling
The Kansspelautoriteit, or the Dutch Gambling Authority, as the watchdog is known outside the country, has pushed for further expansion of the country’s Prevention of Gambling Addiction programby allocating another €21m over the next several years.
Working together with partner ZonMw, the regulator wants to ensure that consumers are better protected and the behavioral triggers that lead to gambling addiction are understood.
In a similar development, Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority, has introduced a gambling awareness campaign meant to strengthen player understanding of sustainable gaming habits and practices.
Notably, the initiative seeks toraise awareness of the risks associated with gamblingandprevent indebtednessor gambling-related problems.
As noted, young people will be the primary targets of the new campaign, which will engageadults between the ages of 18 and 25.
In similar news, the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), which represents 90% of the current sports betting handle in the United States, and the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) have announced a new partnership that seeks to introduce a Responsible Gambling Certification in the country.
British Columbia has raised concerns over the proliferation of youth gambling, with the Canadian province presenting evidence that children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 may be engaging in gambling products without a legal right to do so.
An estimated 34% of 38,000 respondents said that they have gambled, or participated in an activity that the survey estimates has a pernicious impact on underage individuals.
Gambling laws & regulations
Sweden is experiencing a dip in its channelization rate, with the market recently reporting that the number of players that stick to licensed and regulated market options is estimated to be 85%, down from 86% a year earlier.
The latest figures have raised concerns that the market is still far from its expected 90% which the government and the regulator, Spelinspektionen, have set out at the onset of market legalization.
In response to this, the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BoS) has sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance, calling for a revision of the current gambling laws. In its letter, and through an official statement, BoS calls for a broader inquiry to determine how channelization in the market can be strengthened.
In related news, Finnish police have issued cease-and-desist letters against a pair of influencers based outside of the country who have been promoting illegal gambling content to local customers through platforms such as Kick and Twitch. Both face a fine of €30,000 if they fail to comply, and a third influencer has already been fined the aforementioned amount.
The voice of the industry
This week, Casino Guru and WinSpirit Casino recapped the SmartPlaySocial Media campaign that showed to demonstrated, across a series of social media engagements, that operators can actively engage in educating players and make them interested in responsible gambling and safer play. You may read more about the campaign here.
