Merkur Group to acquire White Hat Studios, Denmark continues to fight illegal gambling websites

Amazon has announced it reached a $201m settlement related to social casino apps. The settlement is the result of a class-action lawsuit filed against Amazon in 2023. At the time, plaintiffs alleged the company breached Washington gaming and state protection laws by permitting the completion of transactions in social casino apps available via the Amazon Appstore.

SiGMA North America 2026 is set to return with an event in September. The summit is planned to arrive in Mexico City on September 1-3. Notably, the major gambling industry event is expected to attract 4,000 delegates, 1,000 operators and 150 expert speakers, offering unique networking and growth opportunities.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final game is days away, and the prestigious soccer tournament has had quite a few surprises. The World Cup final, which will take place on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium will meet Spain and Argentina.

Business and finance

BlackRock announced it has increased its stake in Rush Street Interactive to 13.3%. Reaffirming its commitment to Rush Street Interactive, the investment firm's stake is now13,600,000 shares. Rush Street Interactive is the brand behind BetRivers, which has seen rapid growth recently.

Cordish Gaming Group, The Cordish Companies' gaming division, announced it hired the former Penn Entertainment and Caesars executive, Jason Birney. Joining the company, the executive brings more than 20 years of experience. Birney was appointed to the role of Executive Vice President and General Manager of Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia and put in charge of key day-to-day management and operations processes.

Merkur Group is set to acquire White Hat Studios after reaching a deal with White Hat Gaming. The move comes at a time when the former is planning to grow its footprint in North America. Last year in September, Merkur Group acquired the Nevada-based supplier, Gaming Arts.

Becoming the new owner of White Hat Studios is expected to propel Merkur's presence, particularly in the United States. While the company confirmed the planned acquisition, exact financial details about the milestone takeover were not publicly disclosed.

Regulation and laws

EvenBet Gaming, the fast-growing developer of poker and casino software, continues its European expansion with a new B2B supplier license in Sweden. The company obtained the license from the country's gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, permitting it to deliver its quality solutions and products to gambling operators across Sweden.

Denmark continues the crackdown on illegal gambling websites. A newly released report by the Danish Gambling Authority uncovers that the country has shut down the access to 334 illegal gambling websites throughout 2025. While some gambling operators chose to adjust their offering and not accept Danish customers, others made no such action, resulting in sweeping blocking orders.

The report highlights the gambling regulator's enhanced efforts in combatting illegal gambling. Currently, the Authority collaborates with internet service providers, trade groups and other stakeholders who help with the blocking of gambling operators without a Danish license.

Responsible gambling

Gaming in Spain, a recently concluded webinar focused on a range of potential changes that may affect Spain's gambling market. From the potential rise ofprediction markets to deposit limits that may decrease the overall gambling spending, the webinar pointed to major challenges and developments in the Spanish regulated online gambling industry.

This week, Casino Guru News had the opportunity to interview Sarah Barbosa Reis, Responsible Gambling Lead, KTO Group Brazil, who spoke about the importance of educating players about the potential risks of gambling. She acknowledged that offering insights and player education marks one of the strongest forms of prevention. Moreover, Reis addressed a number of hot topics and additional methods that can help create a safer gambling environment.

The voice of the industry

Casino Guru News released an interview with Yggdrasil's Olga Degtiareva, Regional Manager Germany & CIS. The experienced executive spoke about the changing nature of game design, highlighting challenges, and the studio's ambitious plans for future growth. Degtiareva acknowledged that scale and quality are no longer mutually exclusive in 2026, and there's real possibility of achieving both.

In a new op-ed publication by NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, football fans can tap into insights for the Los Angeles Chargers. The interesting report focuses on Super Bowl expectations and how the Chargers fit as a true contender.

Earlier this week, Casino Guru News published two exclusive interviews from the sports reporter, DJ Siddiqi, who had the opportunity to talk to the rising hockey star, Macklin Celebrini. In the first interview, the rising hockey star spoke about his soccer background and shared his thoughts about the World Cup. What's more, in a separate exclusive discussion, Celebrini addressed a potential contract extension and the playoffs.

This week, Casino Guru News published an analysis focusing on one of the best female poker players in the world, Liv Boeree. The comprehensive report outlined Boeree's success story and some of her biggest poker tournament victories.

Last but not least, the latest episode of Player's Horizon was released this week. The two hosts, Nate and Mike looked into the story of a casino player who had opened multiple accounts and then got blocked. The interesting case highlighted the importance of knowing, reading, and understanding the terms and conditions of online casinos.

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