The popular feature among online bookmakers, “early payout”, is under fire.
In Belgium, players who have wagered on unlicensed online casinos can now take their case to court. This legal development marks a turning point in the fight against illegal operators and strengthens consumer protection against unauthorised platforms.
The chairman of the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA), Michel Groothuizen, has publicly expressed his reservations about the coalition government’s plan to impose a total ban on gambling advertising.
Belgium and the Netherlands are actively combating gambling addiction, and one of the tools available to gamblers is the EPIS system and the Cruks register respectively. Let’s take a look at the similarities and differences between these two systems.
Anger and concern are mounting in Finland. Major gambling companies such as Wildz Group and SkillOnNet are reacting sharply to the government’s new plans.
What started as a handy extra feature is now officially banned.
The Ksa is drastically strengthening its collaboration with sports federations and professional clubs to tackle persistent grey areas.
A new wind is blowing through the Irish gambling market. The government is taking a big step and giving the regulator real power. From 5 February, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) will be officially authorised to issue licences to gambling companies.
A minority coalition government in the Netherlands has made the fight against the risks associated with gambling a central priority of its programme. In a 67-page document published at the end of January, the executive announced a series of radical measures, including a general ban on all gambling advertising and possible restrictions on the number of licences granted to online operators.
Belgian professional football has always been driven by sponsorship deals. While the government is tightening the rules on gambling-related advertising, the links between clubs and industry players remain surprisingly strong.
It once seemed like a smart move. Start a company in Curaçao, arrange a gambling licence, open a bank account in Cyprus, and you were good to go. But those days are over. Anyone still operating this way is not only taking a risk. They will soon be out of the game.
In Austria, a gambler lost his case after spending tens of thousands of euros on loot boxes. The judge clearly stated that this was not gambling. At the same time, anger is rising in Belgium, where Meta is massively promoting these same loot boxes among young people.
The British gambling sector is facing another significant intervention. The government is considering increasing license fees for gambling operators by 30%. The goal is not to generate profit, but to fund the battle against illegal gambling.
The Conseil d’État has annulled the Royal Decree of 2022, which strictly regulated sports betting in press shops in order to combat ‘fake press shops’. The high court ruled that the government had exceeded its powers by defining criteria that were the responsibility of the legislator. This decision creates an immediate legal vacuum in the gambling sector.
The tone has been set in The Hague, the Netherlands. While Belgium is openly investigating and tightening ties between politics and the gambling industry, the Netherlands is lagging behind. MP Mirjam Bikker received zero response when she asked for a plenary debate on contacts between the government and the gambling sector.
As the Dutch government prepares to present a periodic report covering the policies applied between 2019 and 2025, parliamentary officials are asking: are we in a position to judge the effectiveness of these policies if the main indicators of gambling-related harm have not yet been defined?
