Falsely accused of match-fixing, Lucas Paquetá has just been definitively cleared by the Football Association.
Michael Jordan is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in world sport. An NBA icon, six-time champion, two-time Olympic champion, and a living legend. Yet behind this dazzling image lies a dark side: an intense, even uncontrollable passion for gambling. But how far did this obsession go? And did it play a role in his mysterious disappearance from the NBA in 1993?
In 2024, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) revealed that 4.31% of active betting accounts (643,779 accounts out of nearly 15 million) had been subject to commercial restrictions. These actions ranged from betting limits to outright closure, with no direct link to anti-money laundering or financial vulnerability.
The legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit is preparing to host another edition of the Belgian Grand Prix, the flagship event on the Formula 1 calendar. With just a few hours to go before the action gets underway, all eyes are not only on the unpredictable weather in the Ardennes, but also on the bookmakers’ odds, which are already shaping up to be a high-tension race.
The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), the Dutch gambling authority, is back with a new advertising campaign in its fight against gambling addiction. The aim remains unchanged: to reach out to those who have lost control. But this time, the method is taking a novel twist.
UEFA has handed a ten-year ban to Arsenal Tivat, a Montenegrin club accused of match-fixing. This scandal, dating back to the summer of 2023, undermines the very foundations of integrity in European football.
Since the 2021 Interstate Gambling Treaty (GlüStV) came into force, German online casino players have had to comply with a strict rule: a monthly deposit limit of €1,000, applicable nationwide to all operators. The government’s aim behind this measure is to combat gambling addiction and provide a firmer framework for the fast-growing digital gambling industry.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has targeted three banner ads from games publisher Play’n GO Malta Ltd. Distributed via the Adroll platform, the ads featured a superhero bunny, a DJ robot and anime-style princesses. The ASA considers that these visuals, despite their ‘18+’ labels and responsible gaming messages, were likely to attract under-18s.
For the 2025 edition of Wimbledon, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has broken new ground. Gone are the suspects spotted solely via the bookmakers’ odds: Wimbledon is now deploying undercover agents (“spotters”) in the stands to track down courtsiders, the live bettors who exploit the time lag between the actual point and its televised broadcast.
On 9 July 2025, a tense town council put an abrupt end to plans to reopen the Bagnères-de-Luchon casino. Golden Palace’s proposal was rejected by 10 votes to 9, consigning to oblivion a project that had been two years in the making. It was a slap in the face that the spa had not anticipated.
Since April 2025, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has been sounding the alarm: the British government is planning to merge taxes on online betting, raising the tax on horse racing betting from 15% to 21%, the same rate as for casino gambling. This change would represent a loss of at least £66 million a year (around €76 million) for the industry, with a risk of £160 million (€185 million) if the rates rise further.
No sooner had the Belgian football championship ended than a significant announcement was made: runners-up Club Brugge have signed a new sponsorship deal with Betsson AB, a Swedish gambling operator. The partnership, billed as a record deal for the club, continues a long tradition of links between professional clubs and betting companies.
2 July 2025 marks a major turning point in the world of Belgian football. Club Brugge has just signed an unprecedented shirt sponsorship deal with the Betsson group, an international online gaming giant. The deal, described as a record in the club’s history, exceeds all financial expectations and symbolises a new stage in the relationship between sport and the gaming industry.
Since the Royal Decree of 27 February 2023 came into force, Belgium has tightened its rules on gambling advertising. However, one major player is an exception: the National Lottery, owned by the State, enjoys a privileged position. This inequality has provoked strong protests from Groen, the Flemish ecologist party.
In June 2025, Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham, the global rap superstar, suffered colossal losses betting on sporting events. According to a photo shared on Instagram, he wagered a total of $124.5 million in the space of a month. But the balance was bitter: his losses totalled $8.2 million (around €7.2 million).
Every summer, Belgian administrations slow down, and this year is no exception. The Gaming Commission (GC) has just announced that processing times for licence applications will be considerably longer during July and August 2025.
The world of British basketball has been rocked by a vast match-fixing scandal. Six former players in the British Basketball League (BBL), including five former members of Surrey Scorchers, have been sanctioned for serious offences relating to the manipulation of results and illegal sports betting.
