Gambling regulation in focus, from Curacao to Finland

2025 has barely got underway, and there are already multiple legislative developments that have caught the eye of the keen observer. To start with, we will focus on the regulatory enforcement moves by various industry watchdogs.

Greentube and the UK Gambling Commission have settled for £1m following a detailed investigation by the watchdog. This is the second time Greentube Alderney has been fined in the United Kingdom.

Last time, the company paid £685,000 in 2021. Greentube, which operates Admiral Casino in the country, was found in breaches of anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and social responsibility policies.

Regulation & laws

Poland has called for a unified European Union framework on illegal gambling.

As the holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, it is looking to establish a working group that will bring together industry leaders and help them work against the illegal gambling sector, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg.

Virginia will most likely try to legalize online casinos during the new legislative session. Senate Bill 827 is seeking to lay the groundwork for how this may happen, with most local operators keen to see the state expand its sports gambling framework to now include iGaming.

Two cases that want to see unlicensed operators pay back their losses in Germany were suspended. The plaintiffs insist that any losses generated before the legalization of the gambling industry in the country ought to be paid back, but the Erfurt Regional Court has confirmed that it is referring the LG Erfurt 8 O 392/23 and LG Erfurt 8 O 515/24 lawsuits to the EuropeanCourt of Justice for further clarification.

Ukraine has dissolved its gambling regulator and watchdog, KRAIL, as the country has signed a new amendment to the existing laws that seek to streamline the licensing model, ensure better consumer protection, and ensure that illegal gambling sites tied to Russia are not preying on Ukrainian citizens.

Sweden has gone after Versus Odds B.V., an unlicensed operator in the country, which is said to have provided its products locally. The website has been banned by the regulator, Spelinspektionen.

The Kansspelautoriteit, or the Dutch Gambling Authority as it is widely known, has fined an offshore casino operator €1m. The Costa Rica-based Alimaniere Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitadais said to have breached several restrictions to offer online games of chance in the country.

A Finnish reviewing body has asked the government to further flesh out the upcoming re-regulation of the market, and pay specific attention to how the government will achieve harm minimization at a time when both industry observers and the government itself have acknowledged that moving to a licensee-based model would most likely translate into more people playing, and possibly – higher level of harm.

Business & finance

Entain’s Managing Director of Esports Justin Dellario has exited the company. He left amid a difficult time for the esports division, which saw many of its esports projects come to a halt or underperform.

Tipico has confirmed that it will acquire Admiral Austria from its owner, Novomatic, in a new deal that has not disclosed any financial information. Tipico has been keen to secure a stronger presence in German-speaking countries, and this deal allows it to achieve just that.

Evolution’s long-standing Chief Financial Officer, Jacob Kaplan has stepped down from the position. He will be replaced by Joakim Andersson in February.

Responsible gambling

Switzerland and Lichtenstein have agreed to impose cross-border restrictions on problem gamblers. The two countries will now share their exclusion lists, meaning that players who have been blocked due to excessive gambling in one country will not be allowed to gamble at either online casinos or land-based properties in the other.

The voice of the industry

To wrap up, we have had the pleasure to catch up with Kevin O’Neill, one of the distinct judges for the Casino Guru Awards, who spoke about the importance of compliance, but also why companies in the sector must think beyond ticking boxes if they want to really improve consumer protection measures.

You can read the full conversation with O’Neill here.

Another worthwhile conversation that Casino Guru News is eager to share is with BGaming Chief Executive Officer Marina Ostrovtsova who summed up the company’s performance throughout 2024 and what has been achieved.

You can read the full conversation with Ostrovtsova here.

Casino Guru News similarly caught up with Xpoint Chief Revenue Officer Ron Braunfeld with whom we spoke about the role of geolocation solutions and how they help protect businesses and consumers in the iGaming and sports betting verticals.

Find out more about what Braunfeld had to say here.

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