The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) was forced to take action against prohibited betting options. Both ZEbetting and Betca were summoned for a reprimand.
Gambling is not just about winning money. Belgian players return mainly because of the feeling of excitement and thrill. Every bet provides a new adrenaline rush. When a player wins, dopamine is released – the “happy hormone” that creates euphoria.
The 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas saw an unexpected face emerge among the four finalists: Kenny Hallaert, a Belgian professional from Hansbeke. A performance that confirms his status as a poker icon in Belgium.
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.
The Netherlands has just delivered a damning report: despite clear guidelines on consumer protection in the face of video game monetisation practices, the majority of publishers continue to flout the regulations. A new university study reveals that 90% of popular iPhone games do not comply with legal obligations regarding loot boxes. And the most worrying thing? It’s often the biggest companies that break the rules with impunity.
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.
Norsk Tipping, Norway’s public lottery operator, is under in-depth investigation after a series of serious technical errors, including the sending of false winnings to 47,000 Eurojackpot players. The regulator, Lotteritilsynet, is denouncing a breach of public trust and repeated breaches of the Gaming Act.
Despite their popularity and image as light entertainment, scratch card games can be a gateway to excessive gambling. This is particularly true when they are played both at the point of sale and online, or through high-stakes tickets, according to a study conducted by Concordia University (Montreal) at the request of the ANJ.
Since the introduction of stricter Belgian gambling regulations, such as the EPIS system and mandatory wagering limits, many gambling addicts have been trying to get their lives on track. Yet this is far from always successful.
The Ksa has just imposed an injunction under penalty payment on Casinoscout.nl for promoting illegal casinos. The fine amounts to €75,000 per week.
While Meta has just announced a tightening of its advertising policy against illegal gambling, fraudulent sponsored adverts have emerged on Facebook, exploiting PepperMill Casino’s image without authorisation.
A major international gambling fair took place in London in early July: iGB Live. More than 15,000 people from the gambling world gathered there.
To mark its 5th birthday, the ANJ organised a major conference to strengthen the fight against gambling addiction. Experts and regulators called for more proactive regulation, focusing on AI, personalised support and legislative reform. The aim: to build a sustainable French model focused on protecting players.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced a major change in its gambling advertising policy at the beginning of July 2025. Until now, many advertisements from poorly regulated operators circulated freely, without any real control. Meta now acknowledges that it must remedy this situation, under pressure from regulators and civil society.
The Dutch magazine Nederlands Dagblad interviewed 46-year-old Mathijs Ummels from Berg en Terblijt about how he developed a gambling addiction with a huge loss of 600.000 euros.
On Monday 8 July, Flutter Entertainment confirmed that there has been a data leak at gambling sites Paddy Power and Betfair. In the process, players’ personal data was captured.
There was already a lot of fuss about viewing the gambling data at Unibet. For example, in April of last year, a player took steps to gain access to this transaction history, but at Unibet they hid behind the European privacy data and the Maltese regulations.
