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Casino news is the Bonusjungle report on operators, regulation, and studios, with the arithmetic on the terms. 18+.
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Industry · Hacksaw Gaming ·
Hacksaw expects Q3 revenue growth of 11–12% as shares fall
Hacksaw expects third-quarter revenue of about EUR 57.5–58.5 million, up 11–12% on a year earlier, which the slot studio itself calls below its historical growth pace. The shares fell 27% in early trading on 12 October, according to Nyhetsbyrån Direkt via iGaming Times.
Analysis ·
The week regulators went after the money, not the ads
Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway and Curaçao all acted this week, and none of it was about advertising. Refund data, deposits, payments and the licence check players rely on: our column on why the money side is where player protection now happens.
Regulation ·
Brazil appeals court suspends Stake's injunction
The President of Brazil's appeals court TRF-3 has suspended the 8 October preliminary injunction that let Stake Brazil keep operating until 25 October. He granted the federal government's request on 9 October, citing regulatory asymmetry. The suspension lasts until a final decision, or until the court's presidency decides otherwise.
Regulation ·
Alberta's grace period for unlicensed sites ended on 13 October
Alberta's regulated online gambling market opened on 13 July. On 13 October, the last transition extensions for sites that served Albertans before then ran out. Stake says it holds an Alberta licence and aims to go live once its operating agreement is signed.
Regulation ·
Norway warns 62 more gambling sites of DNS blocks
Norway's gambling regulator has told 62 more websites that it plans to block them, including Stake, Betway, ComeOn, Polymarket and Kalshi. The sites can reply until 15 October, and the regulator's director says it has "in practice concluded". 238 sites are already blocked.
Regulation ·
Brazil says it will sue eight betting firms over refund data
Eight former Brazilian betting operators missed the 7 October deadline to send banks the data needed to refund their players, and the federal government said on 10 October that the Attorney General's Office would sue them. The government timetable gave the banks 9 to 14 October to refund players; balances they could not pay go to Caixa.
Regulation ·
Dutch regulator calls out 711 for making players wager deposits
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) has called out licensed operator 711 for making some players stake their deposited money before they could withdraw it. The Ksa says wagering conditions are only allowed alongside a bonus, and a player's own deposit must be paid out when they ask. The Ksa announced no fine.
Industry ·
FanDuel brings back 50-cent fee on smaller Illinois bets
FanDuel has reinstated its $0.50 fee on qualifying Illinois sports bets from 7 October, after pausing it in April. Straight bets of $25 or more, parlays of $10 or more and bets placed entirely with Bonus Bets are reported to be exempt. The fee comes on top of the stake and is kept on a push.
Regulation ·
Curaçao retires breached portal; licence seal affected
The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) says the online licensing portal that was accessed for nine months under a false identity will not come back, and that the digital seal casino sites use to show a Curaçao licence will be affected. Existing licences stay valid. A replacement way to verify a licensed domain has been promised but not yet published.
Regulation ·
CFTC rules casino and sportsbook bets are not swaps
On 9 October the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission adopted an interim final rule saying bets with state- or tribal-licensed casinos and sportsbooks are not swaps. In a separate proposal it wants sports, politics, culture and weather event contracts treated as swaps under its exclusive jurisdiction. Nothing changes today for people who bet with licensed casinos and sportsbooks.
Industry ·
Google's Masthead notice set 21 October for gambling ads
Google's 7 October notice set 21 October 2026 as the date YouTube's Masthead, the ad at the top of the homepage, would accept online gambling advertisers certified under Google's Gambling and games policy. Before that date the slot was limited to sports betting and, in the US and Canada, daily fantasy sports. Promoters of gambling content that face no mandatory state or national registration are left out.
Regulation ·
Northern Territory bill would ban bonus bets at bookmakers
Independent Northern Territory MLA Justine Davis has published a draft bill that would ban sign-up bonuses, free bets, deposit matches and VIP schemes at NT-licensed bookmakers, cap monthly deposits for 18 to 24-year-olds and raise the maximum penalty to A$10 million or 10% of annual gross revenue, whichever is greater. It is a private member's proposal, not law. Because most of Australia's big online bookmakers hold NT licences, it would reach bettors across the country if passed.
Regulation ·
Michigan tells 33 offshore gambling sites to stop
The Michigan Gaming Control Board has sent cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators it says offered online casino games, sweepstakes-style games or sports betting to Michigan residents without a state licence. The regulator also warned that Michigan's self-exclusion database only binds licensed sites, so a self-excluded player can still sign up and deposit offshore.
Industry ·
Lottomatica–CIRSA merger: votes expected 23 and 25 Nov
On 8 October 2026 the boards of Italy's Lottomatica and Spain's CIRSA approved the plan for Lottomatica to absorb CIRSA. CIRSA shareholders would get 0.668 new Lottomatica shares per CIRSA share. Shareholder meetings are expected on 23 November (Lottomatica) and 25 November (CIRSA), and the companies expect the merger to take effect in the second quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
Regulation ·
Denmark's gambling bill L 37 would ban ads around live sport and turnover-based affiliate pay
Denmark's government has tabled bill L 37, which would ban gambling ads from 10 minutes before to 10 minutes after live sports broadcasts, on public transport and near schools. It would also stop operators paying affiliates on the basis of players' turnover, winnings or losses. It is a bill, not law: first reading is scheduled for 22 October 2026, and the marketing rules would apply from 1 July 2027.
Regulation ·
Brazil court let Stake operate until 25 Oct; injunction suspended 9 Oct
A federal judge in São Paulo has granted Stake Brazil a preliminary injunction that keeps its authorisation alive until 25 October 2026, the date on which Provisional Measure (MP) 1.394/2026 ends all betting authorisations anyway. The ruling does not suspend the MP and covers no other operator. Stake may not run new promotions or acquisition bonuses, and withdrawals must stay possible. The federal government says it will appeal.
Regulation ·
Greece files criminal complaints against 18 Instagram influencers over the alleged promotion of illegal gambling sites
Greece's gambling regulator, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP), has filed criminal complaints against 18 Instagram influencers it accuses of promoting unlicensed gambling sites to a combined 3.6 million followers. The cases are at the preliminary-investigation stage, and no court has ruled on them. A law passed in June also lets the regulator fine illegal online promotion up to €50,000 per violation.
Industry ·
Bloomberry launches OnlyFun.PH, a PAGCOR-regulated platform that puts livestream hosts and online casino games on one platform
Bloomberry Resorts, the company behind Manila's Solaire casinos, has launched OnlyFun.PH in the Philippines: users watch shows run by streamers and online personalities, interact with the hosts and play online games on the same platform. It runs under PAGCOR regulation as part of Bloomberry's FUNaloMAX brand. No bonus terms, game list or studio partners have been announced.
Regulation ·
Grosvenor casino owner pays £5m after UK regulator finds missed checks on big losses
Three Rank Group companies that run Grosvenor's 51 land-based casinos in Great Britain will pay £5,012,261 after a Gambling Commission review found weak anti-money laundering controls and missed safer gambling checks. In one case a customer won about £260,000 and lost around £250,000 of it in 12 days with no recorded interaction. The settlement concerns the casino venues, not Rank's online sites.
Regulation ·
Quebec's new government backs licensing private online casinos, but Loto-Québec stays the only legal site for now
The Parti Québécois won Quebec's 5 October election and will form a minority government. Its leader has said he would adopt the Liberals' plan to license private online gambling sites through the provincial regulator, the RACJ. Nothing changes for players yet: Loto-Québec remains the only legal online casino and sportsbook in Quebec, and no bill, timetable or tax rate exists.
Regulation ·
Finland bans MagicPoro, the operator behind Pelikaani and Bigwin, from marketing to Finnish players, with a €1.2m conditional fine
Finland's National Police Board has ordered MagicPoro, an Estonia-licensed operator whose brands include Pelikaani, Pelikioski, Bigwin and Pottila, to stop marketing gambling to Finnish players. The order carries a €1.2m conditional fine, but MagicPoro has appealed, and a Helsinki court has suspended the ban until it rules on the appeal. The order details come from police documents obtained by NEXT.io; the appeal was reported by Voitto.net.
Regulation ·
theScore Bet fined C$200,000 in Ontario after refusing two cash-out offers a player had accepted
Ontario's regulator, the AGCO, has given theScore Bet's operator a C$200,000 penalty, the maximum available, after the sportsbook showed a player cash-out offers of about C$380,000 and almost C$100,000 on a C$1,000 parlay and honoured neither. The last leg lost and the bet settled with no payout. The rule at stake: an Ontario site may not show an offer it cannot pay.
Regulation ·
Peru's Mincetur blocks 50 more unauthorised gambling platforms, bringing its total to 86
Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) said on 2 October 2026 that it had blocked 50 online casino-game and sports betting platforms that were serving Peruvian users without authorisation. That brings the number blocked so far to 86, against a target list of 157 platforms the ministry plans to block this year.
Regulation ·
Bulgaria's draft gambling law would ban advertising and end affiliate licences from 2027
Bulgaria's Finance Ministry has proposed a draft amendment to the Gambling Act that would ban almost all gambling advertising and would end all affiliate licences from 1 January 2027. The draft is open for public comment until 23 October 2026 and, according to Gaming Intelligence and PressGiochi, has been sent to the European Commission. It would also raise the state fees for an online gambling licence and would require foreign licence holders to report through a place of business in Bulgaria.