NOVOMATIC makes a play for Vikings Casinos, regulators on the move in UK and USA

Regulation and gambling laws are once again in focus as calls to make gambling safer are heard from the UK to the USA and beyond.

Senator John Keenan of Massachusetts has pitched a new draft bill as he tries to toughen gambling regulation in the Bay State. The senator wants to see several major changes to the existing legal makeup of the industry and has proposed an increase for the iGaming tax to 51% from its current 20%.

The senator is also determined to see in-play betting go, introduce affordability checks, and obligate licensed companies to double their contributions to responsible gambling to $2m a year, from $1m presently.

In the meantime, the UK Gambling Commission has said that it will hold companies and software providers liable for breaching their licensure obligations if they are found to be providing their products to companies that in turn target UK players but do not have the necessary license.

Again in the United Kingdom, the Financial Reporting Council has opened a probe against KPMG, one of the "big four" accounting firms. The watchdog is looking for potential irregularities in KPMG’s bookkeeping for a gambling industry major – Entain.

The Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) has published a report of the enforcement action it has taken during the fourth quarter of the year in 2024. The report cited 301 enquiries, 243 of which were legitimate and required follow-up action.

Business and finance

NOVOMATIC has expanded its footprint in France and Europe by announcing the purchase of Vikings Casinos, a network of land-based casinos in France. The deal is still subject to customary regulatory approvals.

White Hat Gaming has appointed Steve Angelo as its SVP of Global Sales. He has previously worked with multiple industry leaders such as Scientific Games, IGT, WMS Gaming, and OpenBet.

ESPN Bet has launched its dedicated sportsbook offer in a 20th jurisdiction in the United States, rolling out its product in Washington D.C. The sports betting company launched as a collaboration between PENN Entertainment and the eponymous sports network, ESPN, has been continuously looking to expand its footprint in local markets, but currently holds a 3% of the market share.

GiG and Primero have expanded their partnership with the launch of the SweepX sweepstakes online casino platform. Primero is going to leverage its land-based experience and benefit from GiG’s iGaming expertise to create a new type of experience. This move comes at a time of increased scrutiny in the sweepstakes sector.

Riot Games has reportedly given the go-ahead to League of Legends and Valorant teams to team up with gambling sponsors. The move is supposed to further boost the competitive ecosystem in the two games and help smaller-tier teams pull ahead.

Responsible gambling

A new study has called for additional scrutiny in the regulated gambling sector. Research by Bournemouth University commissioned by GambleAware, a UK-based charity, has identified risk behavior in gambling participants and how the activities they choose could make them susceptible to gambling-related harm.

Both the researchers and GambleAware have called for toughening of the existing gambling regulation to provide consumers with a more comprehensive and reliable protection framework.

BetBlocker, a popular anonymous and free-of-charge service that focuses on helping problem gamblers exclude themselves from gambling, has rolled out its latest language support – Catalan on the occasion of ICE Barcelona.

The new language will be available to some 4m-odd speakers of the language and help them find help in their native tongue if they ever feel overwhelmed.

China has continued to crack down on illegal gambling across its border, with the country urging Thailand, Myanmar and other ASEAN countries to step up and limit the clout of illegal gambling that emanates from their territories and specifically targets Chinese nationals.

Women are increasingly interested a sports betting a new study in Australia has found out. Although the rate of participation remains highly in favor of men bettors (1 woman for every 9 men bettors), this new-found appeal would most likely inform commercial strategies. The researchers from the Journal of Australian Studies have cautioned that women may need additional protections to cope with sports betting.

The voice of the industry

As the Casino Guru Awards are drawing closer by the day, Casino Guru News has caught up with Peter Matúška, Casino Data Team Lead & Complaint Specialist at Casino Guru, to pick up his mind on what he expects from the upcoming event which will feature a live in-person ceremony for the very first time. You can read the full conversation with Matúška here.

ICE Barcelona and iGB Affiliate were the most significant industry events of the week not to miss. The events celebrated excellence in the industry, with numerous networking opportunities created directly as a result of these gatherings.

ICE also contributed to Responsible Gambling yet another year with the sponsors of the Sustainable Gambling Zone contributing a total of €65,000 to prominent sector charities. The event was similarly praised by casino suppliers who were pleased with the opportunity to show their products, network, and explore new opportunities for collaboration.

Not least, ICE similarly took a look at the thriving esports betting vertical and used the dedicated Esports Arena to show industry stakeholders why esports betting is only headed one way – up.

In other industry event-related news, SOFTSWISS won the Affiliate Company of the Year distinction from the International Gaming Awards 2025 for its Afflika by SOFTSWISS product.

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