Betting on the weather: innovation or abuse?
Imagine being able to bet not on the outcome of a match, but on the weather: rain, snow, hail or extreme temperatures. That’s exactly what’s happening, and more frequently than you might think.
Imagine being able to bet not on the outcome of a match, but on the weather: rain, snow, hail or extreme temperatures. That’s exactly what’s happening, and more frequently than you might think.
Behind the scenes of the sports betting industry, a growing number of integrity alerts are attracting attention. According to a recent report by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), the second quarter of 2025 marks a notable increase in suspected manipulation in European betting markets.
FIFA is tightening its rules against gambling-related advertising in refereeing, now prohibiting the presence of betting company logos on referees’ uniforms and key areas, in order to preserve the integrity and impartiality of global football.
On 12 August 2025, the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), the Dutch gambling regulator, issued a stern warning to TonyBet. The reason? The operator, despite holding a licence in the Netherlands, offered its customers bets that are considered illegal under Dutch law.
In France, match-fixing (the manipulation of results for profit) has long been seen as a marginal problem. But this ambiguity is about to disappear: since June 2025, this practice has been treated as organised crime, on a par with drug trafficking and human trafficking.
Serie A enters a new digital era. Genius Sports, the global sports data giant, has just signed an exclusive agreement with Lega Serie A, granting it the rights to distribute official data and live video streams for all major Italian competitions until 2029.
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.