SBC Eurasia Editorial Team is happy to present a quick recap of the gambling industry events, news, regulations, and partnerships that happened last week.
Kazakhstan plans to open new gaming zones in several regions of the country, including Mangystau, Almaty, East Kazakhstan, and Zhetysu. While PlayCity confirmed that LLC MSL, FDI Ukrainian National Lottery (UNL) and PrJSC Patriot all applied for licences under the current competition, signalling that the process is expected to preserve market continuity rather than introduce new entrants.
In Estonia, a ‘clerical error’ by the Ministry of Finance has unintentionally exempted online casino from the 2026 tax regime. While Serbia has authorized the regulation of jackpot games and winnings following the publication of a new Rulebook governing jackpot operations and prize systems in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia.
As Finland continues to refine the details of its gambling framework ahead of the 2026 launch, stakeholders are expressing concerns over the current approach to affiliates and digital marketing. While Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) has been granted expanded powers to directly monitor financial transactions in order to “prevent the proceeds of crime”.
Mini‑games are rapidly gaining popularity in online gaming — they are fast, exciting, and tailored to the needs of today’s players. To better understand what’s ahead for this segment, iGaming Expert spoke with Upgames CEO Tornike Tvauri.
GR8 Tech has unveiled a new payments platform, Crypto Turnkey. While iGP is set to enter the Romanian gambling scene at a time of regulatory change for one of Eastern Europe’s biggest markets.
SpinOro continues to strengthen its presence in the European market by launching its products simultaneously in Romania and Ukraine in partnership with Favbet. While Global football governing body FIFA has chosen Stats Perform as its betting data partner for this year’s World Cup.
Betway has shut up shop in Portugal, with the licences the sportsbook held with the national regulator cancelled as it winds down operations.
In France, online gambling operators have been warned that they must modify their 2026 marketing and player incentive strategies to meet compliance demands on advertising coverage and exposure. While the European Commission (EC) has been formally notified of new technical and supervisory powers sought by Spillemyndigheden, Denmark’s Gambling Authority.
Debates are intensifying on the Isle of Man over updates to gambling legislation. While Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gambling Authority has issued two fines, one for failure to comply with player protection standards and another for illegal operations.
Italy has reported a “stable, as anticipated” start to its new online gambling regime, as the market welcomed 46 online licences into full operation during December 2025. While Flutter is seeing success in Italy amid early signs of growth in the country’s newly emerging online gaming segment.
A candidate for Thailand’s parliament has been arrested on charges of involvement in online gambling and money laundering.
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