One figure catches the eye: one press shop in seven in Belgium still sells lottery tickets to minors. This is the finding of a series of checks carried out by the National Lottery in the first half of 2025.
On 28 August, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed that it had charged Kenny Alexander, former CEO of GVC Holdings (Entain), with conspiracy to defraud and pay bribes. He and ten others are charged for their alleged role between 2011 and 2018 in the provision of gaming services in Turkey. The complex investigation, led by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), aimed to identify fraudulent behaviour and systematic corruption within GVC’s former Turkish network.
In Amersfoort, a cashier from the Primera chain was sentenced to community service after being caught stealing scratch-off tickets from the shop where she worked. The shop owner discovered several torn tickets in the bin behind the till. CCTV footage later confirmed that the cashier had taken the tickets without paying for them.
In the world of online casinos, visibility is everything. But what happens when that visibility is hijacked by malicious actors? Frank Kruit, an expert in SEO and affiliation in the gambling sector, has observed a worrying increase in fraudulent practices aimed at impersonating legal casinos.
In the hours leading up to the public announcement of their engagement on 26 August 2025, a user of the Polymarket prediction market known by the pseudonym ‘romanticpaul’ made a bold bet. He massively bought contracts betting on Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce, boosting the odds from 24% to 41%.
The National Gaming Authority (ANJ), well known for its vigilance against betting abuses, is preparing to show its commitment to amateur sports. In August 2025, it announced an original partnership: to sponsor fourteen amateur clubs during the 2025/2026 season, in order to raise long-term awareness of the dangers of sports betting.
The fight against gambling addiction is entering a new phase in the Netherlands. The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) and the health research organisation ZonMw have announced an ambitious plan: a £21 million investment in the extension of the Gambling Addiction Prevention Programme.
In July 2021, when Germany opened its online gaming market via the Gaming Treaty (GlüNeuRStV), a protection mechanism was launched: OASIS, the national self-exclusion system. Today, this mechanism is proving to be a tangible success.
On June 27, 2025, several thousand Norwegians received a message: “You have won the Eurojackpot!” Some thought of a house, others of a vacation or paying off debts. A collective euphoria, born from a simple text message or notification. And yet, this dream collapsed the following Monday: everything was false.
Frank Kruit doesn’t call himself a moralist, but his mission is clear: get rid of the junk in Google’s search results. And by junk, he means illegal gambling sites, dubious affiliate pages, and clever tricks that lure players to dangerous platforms.
Since the Kansspelen op afstand law came into force in 2021, the number of people exposed to gambling addiction has increased significantly. In response to this alarming reality, ZonMw is launching a major initiative: in September 2025, it will open a call for proposals for the creation of three multidisciplinary thematic consortia dedicated to the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.
On the morning of 22 August 2025, a large-scale operation mobilised more than 90 police officers in the city of Cape Coral, Florida. Raids orchestrated by the Cape Coral Police Department, in collaboration with the Florida Gaming Commission, targeted seven illegal gambling establishments, including arcades and even a private residence.
On 24 November 2025, on the initiative of the Expertisecentrum Gokken of the Trimbos-instituut, the first edition of a National Congress on Gambling Harm (Nationaal Gokschade Congres). This unique event aims to bring together researchers, health professionals, policy makers and, above all, people who have suffered from gambling-related harm.
Luchon will not have its casino in 2025. The city council’s decision, made in early July, left a feeling of unfinished business: 10 votes against, 9 in favour. This close result put the planned contract with the Golden Palace group on hold. Although Mayor Éric Azémar has already promised to revisit the issue at the end of August, confidence in the project’s viability remains fragile.
Behind the scenes at Las Vegas casinos, one question is stirring up concern among managers: what if banning smoking in gaming rooms didn’t hurt revenue… but actually boosted it?
On 24 August 2025, a 404 error appeared when attempting to access Drake’s official channel on the livestreaming platform Kick: his content simply could not be found. A few days earlier, everything still seemed normal. Drake was making frequent appearances and streaming games and betting on Kick, often in collaboration with streamers such as Adin Ross. But the atmosphere suddenly changed.
A recent survey by Thinks Insight & Strategy, commissioned by the British charity GambleAware, has shaken up conventional wisdom: responsible gambling advertisements, designed to moderate behaviour, can sometimes be counterproductive. According to the study, 45% of people who viewed one of these messages felt that gambling seemed to be a risk-free, fun distraction, creating a false sense of security.
