Sorsby back in rotation, World Cup is upon us, FanDuel reduces headcount

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup upon us, the next week will be action-packed for sports bettors, but the gambling industry as a whole has not been staying quiet either.

Well, the FIFA World Cup is here, and it is now projected to be one of the most wagered-on events, with an analysis by Macquarie expecting the total betting handle on the FIFA World Cup in 2026 to reach $50bn.

This is way ahead of the $35bn projected to be wagered globally on the 2022 edition of the event, with the current tournament the largest event to be hosted, across three home nations.

Business and finance

FanDuel is in the midst of another restructuring with the company seeing as many as several hundred people leaving the company, as per multiple reports. This is the latest round of layoffs affecting the firm, with the company actively continuing to reduce its headcount over the past 12 months.

Among the people who are leaving the company is also Asaf Noifeld, the general manager of casino, who served a 12-year stint with Flutter Entertainment, and has called it a privilege to learn and grow in the company. Noifeld is not departing immediately, allowing for transition time.

The leading provider of quality sports data, solutions and technology, Sportradar Group AG, announced a groundbreaking partnership with the world's largest prediction market, Kalshi.

Kalshi will further enhance its global footprint and available markets by tapping directly into Sportradar’s extensive data and solutions, allowing it to offer more relevant products to traders.

Laws and regulations

Brendan Sorsby has been cleared to play in the NCAA’s football season by a Texas judge - Ken Kurry. Essentially, Judge Kurry sided with Sorsby’s defense in determining that the NCAA’s decision to block the player would disproportionately deny him the opportunity to advance in his career.

Kurry’s decision is a temporary injunction and has already been challenged by the NCAA on Monday, June8, 2026. In the meantime, many college officials, athletic departments’ representatives, and other relevant stakeholders have expressed opinions ranging from frustration to outrage over the decision, questioning what it means for a player to gamble $90,000 despite strict anti-gambling rules only to be allowed back in.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) in Australia is also looking to possiblymove in against influencers who have been promoting gambling products in the state.

The regulator is confident that influencers have a role to play in supporting the efforts of unregulated gambling but, more importantly, glorify the gambling experience and create false impressions in their followers, often painting gambling as a harmless and fun activity rather than forewarn about the real risks the activity entails.

For the time being, the VGCCC prefers to work on an awareness campaign, warning influencers that they may later become a subject of regulatory action if they fail to acknowledge the harms stemming from gambling properly in their content.

Responsible gambling

GamCare has issued a new report in which it noted that callers to the National Gambling Helpline reporting issues over their habits due to online gambling have reached a five-year high, with 82% of all people who reached out for help citing this specific problem.

GamCare took the opportunity to forewarn consumers, operators, and stakeholders that the FIFA World Cup is naturally a time when vulnerable and at-risk people find it harder to control their gambling-related spending.

In the same vein, the Betting and Gaming Council has highlighted a proposed five-step plan meant to tackle the illegal gambling market in the United Kingdom, calling on relevant stakeholders to take action and move in against the sector.

Americans, in the meantime, remain remarkably wary of sportsbooks’ ability to protect their personal data - and yet, they are happy to continue gambling, according to a new study by SEON.

SEON used a sample of 588 US adults surveyed. 56% of respondents intend to watch the World Cup, with 43% also "somewhat" likely to bet on upcoming matches, and 45% confirming that they did not fully trust betting platforms with their personal and financial information.

The voice of the industry

This week we had the chance to catch up on several very interesting conversations, including the latest episode of Safer Gambling Talks with Šimon Vincze, Casino Guru's Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, which is out, with a very special guest attending.

Tracy Parker, Senior Vice President of Accreditation, Advisory and Insights at the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), joined Vincze for a candid conversation around the bigger picture of responsible gambling, the importance of local culture, and the need to keep raising the bar. You can hear the full conversation here.

In a separate conversation, Casino Guru News caught up with Märit von Stedingk, Head of PR and Communications at Alea, who discussed how strategic PR helps build meaningful connections and supports the company’s rapid expansion across new markets.

Casino Guru News published its latest iGaming Horizon podcast episode, in which AI hosts Nate and Mike quickly caught the audience up on the most important updates from around the gambling landscape over the past few days, including Fertitta’s acquisition of Caesars, the ongoing uncertainty about prediction markets, and more. You can hear the full episode yourself here.

Casino Guru News also caught up with Marina Ostrovtsova, BGaming’s CEO, who recently won the Casino Guru Awards' iGaming Changemaker of the Year award. Ostrovtsova spoke about what the achievement meant to her personally as well as how it reflected on her work at BGaming.

Last but not least, Rocketplay.io shared an opinion piece on how player feedback is helping shape iGaming operations. From the piece: "player feedback is becoming one of the industry’s most important operational signals — changing from "nice to have" to a necessary indicator." You can read the full article here.

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