The Swedish government is taking a further step in its fight against gambling addiction and over-indebtedness: a bill has just been submitted to ban the use of credit in gambling.
Italy is looking to take a decisive step forward in the regulation of its online gambling market. After years of the status quo and battles against the black market, the Italian government has adopted an ambitious reform aimed at radically transforming a sector that is as lucrative as it is controversial.
In Belgium, before donning your best outfit for a casino evening or clicking on an online game, you have to wait until you have blown out 21 candles. While this choice may seem arbitrary to some, it is in fact part of a carefully considered approach aimed at protecting young people and regulating the world of gambling. Let’s take a look behind the scenes.
In a firm move designed to protect its regulated market, Sweden has taken the decision to permanently ban Satoshi Gaming Group NV from operating in the country. The announcement was made by Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gaming regulator, in a statement highlighting repeated breaches of the legal framework.
The Dutch Gambling Regulatory Authority (KSA) has unveiled its ‘Regulator 2.0’ vision, promising greater cooperation with operators to combat the black market. However, it warns that persistent breaches of advertising rules could lead to a total ban on gambling ads.
This is a resounding victory for Svenska Spel Sport & Casino. The Swedish Administrative Court has overturned the decision of the gaming authority Spelinspektionen, which had imposed a record fine of SEK 100 million (approx. €9.1 million) on the public operator for neglecting players at risk.
In Austria, the gambling landscape is dominated by a state monopoly: win2day, operated by Österreichische Lotterien. However, the digital boom has enabled many foreign operators, often based in Malta or Curaçao, to offer their services to Austrian players without legal authorisation.
The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) warns gambling companies that they should not simply assume that their online license will be extended when the term has expired.
Limiting gambling losses is an idea that is increasingly being advocated in European countries. But what exactly are we talking about?
On 2 June 2025, the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), the Dutch gambling regulator, issued an official warning to BetMGM. At issue was an advertisement on a well-known news website featuring 17-year-old football prodigy Lamine Yamal. The campaign breached Dutch legislation prohibiting the use of public figures in gambling advertisements, particularly when targeting vulnerable groups such as minors.
From 16 June 2025, the Dutch Commissariaat voor de Media (CvdM) will be extending its monitoring to a wider range of influencers. Until now, only those with more than 500,000 subscribers were concerned. From now on, any content creator active on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok who has published at least 24 paid videos in the last 12 months and is registered with the Chamber of Commerce will be subject to this enhanced surveillance.
On 29 May 2025, the Raad voor de Kansspelspelers (RvKS), a Dutch organisation representing gamblers, announced its withdrawal from any active participation in the debate on gambling policy in the Netherlands. In an open letter, the RvKS denounces a system that, in its view, fails structurally to bring about meaningful change and to take gamblers’ expertise seriously.
The Swedish Gambling Authority has fined the ruling Social Democratic Party of Sweden (SAP) 3 million Swedish kronor (€275,000). The fine came after an investigation revealed serious violations of consumer protection.
The Irish government has announced that full implementation of the new gambling legislation, set out in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, will not begin until mid-2026. This decision has raised concerns among public health experts and defenders of the vulnerable, who believe that the delay could exacerbate the problems associated with compulsive gambling.
For several months now, the debate has been raging in the Netherlands over the introduction of common monthly deposit limits for all online gambling operators.While the measure aims to provide better protection for players, it does raise some major concerns. Privacy issues, technical challenges and threats to the channelling of legal gambling are all serious obstacles to its implementation.
State Secretary Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen has stated that privatising the Dutch Lottery is impossible. The planned reforms in the gambling policy would make this plan unfeasible. The government should not sell the Dutch Lottery and then adjust the legislation in a way that undermines the value of the company.
The European Union (EU) is redefining the rules of the game for online gambling operators. Between digital accessibility, algorithmic responsibility and transparency of digital services, the new European directives impose an in-depth overhaul of the industry’s digital practices.
