Big names in the gambling industry predict 2026 – here’s what it looks like

The biggest names in the gaming industry took a few minutes at the start of the year to share their predictions. 2025 was not an easy year for the gambling sector, and 2026 doesn’t look like it will be any simpler.

Taxes up. Reputation down. And political pressure everywhere. Yet, the opportunities remain significant – certainly in Latin America, Africa, and potentially in Southeast Asia too. And crypto? That’s coming. But whether it happens legally is still the question.

Legislation shifts with political pressure

The biggest headaches remain the rules. Or rather: the deluge of new rules. Governments, including in Belgium, want more grip on gambling companies and better protection for consumers. This leads to discussions about advertising bans, stricter licenses, and higher taxes.

Steve Ketteley, legal expert at Wiggin, says the balance between protection and freedom is becoming almost impossible to find.

“It is a classic dilemma.” Steve Ketteley

In the United Kingdom, for instance, higher taxes for online gambling will kick in from April.

Latin America continues to grow

Charmaine Hogan of Playtech sees plenty of opportunities in South America. Brazil is the eye-catcher there. That country is considering distributing up to 25 licenses for physical casinos, including several in São Paulo and Rio. Chile and other countries are also on the verge of getting serious about online regulation.

According to Wes Himes, the evolution of LatAm looks very similar to how Europe grew between 2008 and 2018: step by step, with new countries opening legal markets one by one.

Crypto is being taken seriously

The time for casual experiments with crypto seems over. In more and more countries, the discussion is ongoing about how crypto casinos should be regulated. That is tricky: anonymous payments and little transparency make it difficult for regulators.

Jesper Svensson, CEO of Betsson, sees that rules are finally starting to follow user behavior.

“Crypto is already widely used in entertainment. Now the law has to follow.” Jesper Svensson

He expects that Europe with MiCA rules and other regions with their own frameworks will provide a first form of oversight.

“It is logical that crypto casinos will eventually enter the legal sphere.”

Black market remains a persistent problem

Everyone wants to tackle it, but no one knows how. The black gambling market is growing, especially where legal operators are given too little room. High taxes, slow regulation, and a lack of cooperation between countries keep the problem alive.

Peter Kesitilwe of the Africa iGaming Alliance points to a trend in Africa:

“We see strong growth in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. But as soon as the tax burden becomes too great, players move to unlicensed sites. Regulating also means: staying realistic.”

Strikingly: in Malawi and Tanzania, new tax rules are putting a brake on legal growth. And in parts of South Africa, fragmentation between provinces is a problem. However, the consumer keeps playing, just not always where the law wants them to.

Africa is digitizing fast

The infrastructure in Africa is making great leaps. Mobile payments have been the norm in countries like Kenya for years. That makes these markets attractive, certainly now that more regulators are investing in real-time monitoring and AI for responsible gaming.

Kesitilwe expects many more improvements in the coming years. More cooperation between countries, better tax models, and more control over money laundering risks are spearheads.

USA: fewer states, more depth

In the US, the expansion of regulated states is slowing down. Yet the market continues to grow. Not via new states, but via deepening in existing markets. Think of more products, more marketing, more data. States like Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia remain contenders for 2026, but it is moving slower than many companies want.

Meanwhile, some companies are aiming for alternative formats such as sweepstakes and prediction games. But pressure is increasing there too. In states like Nevada and New York, regulators are already intervening against uncontrolled variants.

Europe remains difficult

For many companies, Europe is becoming too expensive, too strict, or too risky. Belgium, Ireland, Finland, and the EU itself are working on new rules, while the Netherlands and the UK are implementing tax hikes. The limit seems to have been reached. Major operators are therefore increasingly looking at emerging markets outside the continent.

Yet, no one is ruling out Europe.

“The rules may be strict, but the audience remains loyal,” says a top executive who wishes to remain anonymous. “But you have to be willing to adapt. Otherwise, you won’t make it.”