Regulators Target Prediction Markets, Ad Rules and Black-Market Rings

This week’s briefs show regulators and courts moving on multiple fronts, from Connecticut’s action against prediction-market platforms to a Swedish consumer ombudsman’s push to ban a lottery’s Instagram ads. Meanwhile, European operators are consolidating and reporting mixed results, and the industry continues to debate advertising, data rights and fraud prevention.

Regulation & Policy

• Belarusian president expresses frustration at visibility of gambling advertising — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for another review of the country’s rules on gambling advertising, according to state-controlled news agency Belta.
• The Gambling Wire: Connecticut Targets Prediction Markets, Playtech Revenue Jumps — Connecticut regulators took enforcement action against nine prediction-market platforms, according to a roundup of industry developments published by Gambling Insider.
• Swedish ombudsman calls for ban on Postcode Lottery’s advertising on Instagram — Sweden’s consumer ombudsman, Konsumentverket (KO), is taking the Swedish Postcode Lottery to court over its advertising on Instagram, arguing that the marketing is "not moderate"…
• Why fans at NFL Aussie game won’t trade on Kalshi from their seats in Melbourne — Fans attending the NFL’s historic game in Melbourne will not be able to trade on Kalshi from their seats, because prediction markets are banned in Australia.

Deals & Acquisitions

• Lottomatica/Cirsa tie-up shines spotlight on North Africa’s online betting licensing gap — Lottomatica has agreed to take over Cirsa, a deal announced on 2 September that folds four Moroccan casinos into one of Europe’s largest listed gambling groups.
• Opportunity knocks for GiG as 888Africa acquisition expected to ‘strengthen B2B pipeline’ CFO says — Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has moved back into consumer-facing gambling through the acquisition of 888Africa, a deal the company’s chief financial officer, Phil Richards,…

Partnerships

• FeedConstruct secures exclusive Asia volleyball coverage — FeedConstruct has signed an exclusive deal with the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) to distribute data and streaming rights for the organisation’s volleyball…
• Sunderland signs multi-year deal with Shuffle amid heightened black market scrutiny — Sunderland AFC has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Shuffle, a crypto-focused online casino and sports betting platform that does not hold a UK Gambling Commission…
• FeedConstruct secures exclusive worldwide data and streaming rights for Central Asian Volleyball Association — FeedConstruct has signed a partnership with the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) that gives the sports data and streaming supplier exclusive worldwide rights to collect…
• Codere Online secures multi-year NFL partnership in Mexico — Codere Online has signed a multi-year partnership with the NFL covering its operations in Mexico, according to iGaming Business.

Product Launches

• Uplatform launches new “Zoom In” market report series — Uplatform, a business-to-business supplier that provides platform technology to online gambling operators, has launched a new series of country-focused market reports called "Zoom…
• Blask launches affiliates: a dashboard that maps every brand on every affiliate site — Blask, an analytics platform that uses artificial intelligence to track activity in the online gambling sector, has launched a new product called Blask Affiliates.

Across the Industry

• Women Leaders in Finance e Strategic Economics Alliance abrem chamada para artigos de pesquisa — Two organizations, Women Leaders in Finance and the Strategic Economics Alliance, have opened a call for research papers, according to a report by the iGaming trade publication…
• World Cup betting drives strong Grupo Codere results with outcome of strategic review pending — Grupo Codere, the Spanish gambling operator, has posted its seventh consecutive quarter of improved profitability, with its online arm Codere Online and betting activity around…
• French betting operator PMU’s restructuring plan faces opposition over “commercial contradictions” — PMU, the French operator best known for horseracing and pool betting, has confirmed it will restructure its betting network, a plan that would cut 47 jobs.
• No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas Odds, Picks & Predictions — College football’s biggest early-season matchup takes place Saturday when top-ranked Ohio State visits No.
• As US NFL Sportsbook Growth Stalls, Europe Shows Another Path — Growth in NFL betting in the United States is slowing, and the 2026 season is shaping up to be the weakest for U.S.
• Estonia football match curtailed as concerns in potential iGaming hub continue to arrive — A second-tier football match in Estonia was abandoned on Thursday after suspected match fixing, according to a report by SBC News.
• Sportradar: the new battle for attention happens in real time — Sportradar has published an opinion piece arguing that the next contest for gambling and sports-media brands is not for screen space but for attention, and that it is being fought…
• Cryptobanco details 3-stage framework to stop real-time cyberattacks — Cryptobanco has set out a three-stage framework it says is designed to stop cyberattacks on digital asset transactions in real time, rather than relying on periodic security…
• Weekend Conversation Corner – September, 11 — Focus Gaming News has published the latest instalment of its Weekend Conversation Corner, a recurring round-up that gathers the major headlines from the past week in the gambling…
• New York resident pleads guilty in $9.36m Missouri gambling case — A 53-year-old New York resident, Sunilkumar N.
• Mor Weizer: Line must be drawn on tech supply to illegal operators — Playtech chief executive Mor Weizer used the company’s half-year earnings call to argue that a line must be drawn on technology supply to illegal operators, while he and chief…
• Germany cracks down on €6bn illegal gambling ring — German authorities have moved against what is described as an illegal gambling network handling around €6 billion in stakes, with raids carried out at eleven premises following a…
• Couple at the forefront of 2024 Conservative campaigning plead guilty after election bets — Two people with close ties to the UK Conservative Party have pleaded guilty to cheating offences under the Gambling Act 2005, according to a report by SBC News.
• SBC Summit’s Web3 & Crypto Academy to explore payments, blockchain and the future of gambling — SBC Summit will host a dedicated Web3 & Crypto Academy as part of its premium Education+ programme, the conference organiser has announced.
• Tennessee woman sues over alleged spa assault at MGM Grand — A woman from Tennessee has filed a lawsuit against MGM Resorts International over an alleged sexual assault that took place during a massage at the spa at the MGM Grand in Las…
• Omnichannel gambling is finally everything & everywhere — A trade-press analysis piece published by SBC News argues that "omnichannel" gambling — the idea of a single customer relationship that moves seamlessly between a company’s…
• Cincinnati man sentenced to 52 years for Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg robbery — A Cincinnati man has been sentenced to 52 years in prison for an armed robbery at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg in Indiana, a case prosecutors described as the state’s first…
• PMU sets out job cuts in French network transformation — Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), the French operator that runs betting on horse racing and the country’s pooled betting system, has set out a plan to cut jobs as part of a transformation…
• Chicago aldermen question Bally’s over River West casino construction pause — Chicago aldermen have publicly questioned senior executives at Bally’s over a pause in construction of the non-gaming amenities at the company’s $1.7bn River West casino,…
• You’re doing anti-fraud wrong: Why It’s time to stop treating risk as a cost center, according to Frogo — Frogo, a company working in automated risk and anti-fraud systems for digital entertainment businesses, has published an opinion piece arguing that gaming operators have been…
• German law enforcement raids suspected €5.8bn illegal online gambling ring — German prosecutors have carried out raids targeting a suspected illegal online gambling operation that authorities believe handled around €5.8bn in bets, according to iGaming…
• ‘Exceptional growth’ in Americas supports Playtech H1 growth, Sun Bingo business impacts B2C revenue — Playtech has reported what it calls exceptional growth in the Americas, with revenue from the United States and Canada rising 161% in the first half of the year, according to…
• Read the full Spectrum Gaming Group report, published in the latest twist in Playtech vs Evolution saga — iGaming Business has published the full Spectrum Gaming Group report that sits at the centre of the ongoing dispute between Evolution and Playtech.

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