Authorities in Thailand have clarified their stance on the nation’s poker policy, after legalizing poker games for money under specific conditions effective from July 30th.
Sorawong Thienthong, Minister of the Tourism and Sports Ministry – which is set to oversee poker tourneys, indicated that the move is not a “full deregulation”.
In statements cited by the Bangkok Post, the official noted that “poker can only be played during specific events, and only after a formal Poker Sports Association is established”.
Sorawong furthered: “there’s no urgency, and we’re following proper procedures”.
The statement comes amidst trepidation about the possible legalization of gambling in the country, an issue that has sparked much interest from gaming operators and backlash from the public.
“We are not trying to legalize gambling. Globally, poker is already adopted as a sport. I expect it will eventually be recognized in events like the Asian Games,” clarified the official.
However, the official noted that even casual poker play would require permission, noting that “if any form of betting is involved, it’s illegal”.
Sorawong quickly distanced the poker issue from that of the Entertainment Complex Bill, noting “This is an exceptional case. The Interior Minister remains concerned about gambling […] illegal gambling remains a criminal offense”.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is proposing to increase the casino entry levy on locals by 2-2.5 times instead of requiring proof of income.
This comes amongst a trial scheme to allow locals to gamble in specific venues in the country – currently limited to Corona Resort & Casino.
The proposed measure would double that of daily entries to VND2.5 million ($95), while that of monthly passes would increase by 2.5 times to VND50 million ($1,900).
The ministry indicated to media that punters have found it difficult to provide documentation regarding their income, particularly when sporadically pursuing the activity.
The proposed changes also would require casinos to retain customer data for a minimum of five years for review and verification.
Continent 8 Technologies, a top-tier provider of cloud and cybersecurity services for tribal gaming, has announced its latest deal with the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission to deliver trusted VAPT solutions, strengthening the regulatory authority’s cybersecurity division.
The Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission is the independent tribal gaming regulatory authority established in 1993 under Chapter 16 of the Cherokee Code of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Charged with ensuring the fairness and integrity of gaming activities within its facilities, the commission enlisted Continent 8 and its cybersecurity department, C8 Secure, to conduct penetration testing.
The VAPT service provides a comprehensive security assessment of an organization’s infrastructure and applications. Often mandated by regulation, it helps organizations measure the real-world effectiveness of their security controls and incident response capabilities. Additionally, the service provides actionable insights, including prioritized recommendations and industry best practices to address identified vulnerabilities and strengthen overall cybersecurity posture.
Emra Arkansas, Executive Directorat Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission said: “We are sincerely grateful to Continent 8, especially Patrick Gardner, Anthony Engel and Jerad Swimmer, for their partnership and recognition of our ongoing cybersecurity initiatives. The Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission remains firmly committed to protecting not only our critical infrastructure but also the sovereignty that underpins our regulatory authority. In an era of growing cyber threats, safeguarding Tribal IT systems is more than a technical priority, it is a sovereign responsibility. With Continent 8’s trusted expertise, we are proud to set a higher standard for cybersecurity in Indian Country, ensuring our operations remain secure, resilient and self-determined.”
Patrick Gardner, Chief Security Officer at Continent 8 shared: “In response to today’s evolving cyber threat landscape, the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission is working to establish a new standard in cybersecurity – and we are proud to support this important initiative. Their proactive efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure reflect a deep and ongoing investment in cybersecurity resilience.”
Jerad Swimmer, Regional Sales Director at Continent 8 added: “It was a pleasure collaborating with the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission in conducting a comprehensive evaluation of their IT infrastructure. Their team has shown a tremendous awareness of the escalating cybersecurity challenges within the tribal gaming sector. It is encouraging to see both enterprises and regulatory authorities actively enhancing their cybersecurity measures.”
Yggdrasil has added Jogo Global to its flagship YGG Masters program, making it the first-ever fast game provider.
The supplier, which has offices in the UK and Brazil, will benefit from Yggdrasil’s state-of-the-art GATI technology, which delivers a sandbox location for game development, ensuring all content is fully compliant in a variety of jurisdictions.
In addition, Jogo Global’s content will be available to be distributed via Yggdrasil’s operator network, significantly boosting its reach of diverse crash and fast games and slot content.
Zoe Bird, Head of YGG Masters at Yggdrasil, said: “Jogo Global is an experienced studio that has already made bold strides in the industry, and one that has real ambition to become a leading provider in fast games and casino content. We’re extremely excited welcome them as a Masters Partner where we look forward to helping them propel there games further’
David Marcus, CEO at Jogo Global, added: “We’ve made solid progress with our strong collection of slot content and fast games, and this marks the perfect time for us to join the YGG Masters program to accelerate our development roadmap and broaden our distribution network. We’re incredibly excited for this opportunity, and can’t wait to make it a success.”
Government regulations targeting the Philippines’ online gambling sector will ultimately benefit diversified gaming companies with the resources and technology to serve broader markets responsibly, according to a leading investment banking executive.
Juan Paolo Colet, Managing Director at Chinabank Capital
Juan Paolo Colet, Managing Director at Chinabank Capital, believes that while stricter online gambling regulations will impact operators, companies with diverse portfolios and substantial resources will be better positioned to navigate the changing regulatory landscape.
Chinabank Capital is the investment banking arm of China Banking Corporation, a leading private universal bank in the Philippines.
“I think that the government’s evolving gaming policies and regulations will ultimately favor diversified gaming companies who have the resources, technology, and offerings to responsibly cater to as large a market as possible.”
The executive’s comments come as the Philippines implements tighter controls on online gambling operations, including proposed measures from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Philippines Central Bank) for daily spending caps, time limits, and enhanced due diligence for payments. The Department of Finance (DOF) is also studying higher taxes for online gambling operators.
Online players unlikely to shift to land-based casinos
However, Colet does not expect the regulatory changes to significantly alter the competitive dynamics between land-based and online gambling sectors. He suggests that online players facing restrictions on verified platforms are more likely to migrate to unregulated operators rather than traditional brick-and-mortar casinos.
“My sense is that many of those consumers of online gaming who are at risk of falling away due to regulatory tightening are more likely to be captured by underground operators rather than large land-based casinos,” he explained.
This shift could create challenges for the industry’s overall growth trajectory. Recent gross gaming revenue growth has been primarily driven by online gaming, and Colet warns that a slowdown in that sector due to tighter regulation could dampen the Philippines’ gaming industry performance unless there is “a massive resurgence of foreign players in local casinos.”
The regulatory pressures have already shown impacts on land-based operations. Casino performance has exhibited a slow trend since the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) ban, with many industry sources indicating that POGO operators were clients for these establishments.
Despite these challenges, Colet sees strategic opportunities for companies with integrated approaches. “It still makes sense for integrated resorts to pursue their expansion into online gaming, and it would make sense for online gaming companies to tap into the land-based casino market,” he said.
Tax increases and implementation concerns
Regarding potential tax increases, Colet noted that the Philippines currently maintains a competitive gaming tax regime compared to other regional markets. He suggested that as a compromise, the Department of Finance might consider imposing corporate income tax on online gambling firms at rates up to 10 percent.
“At this level, legitimate online gaming companies can still generate healthy returns for their investors while boosting government tax revenues.”
For the proposed spending controls and enhanced due diligence measures, Colet emphasized the need for practical implementation. He recommended focusing on two key areas: player age verification to exclude minors and reasonable daily spending caps to address social and behavioral concerns around online gambling.
“These need to be studied more carefully so that the controls are practical and easy to implement,” he said.
The executive strongly cautioned against implementing a total ban on online gambling, warning of significant economic consequences. Such a measure would “deprive the government of a large source of much needed tax revenues” and potentially drive the entire online gambling sector underground, creating unregulated black markets that could foster crime and corruption.
For companies like Bloomberry (parent of Solaire) that have invested in online gambling operations, Colet does not anticipate severe financial impacts from the regulatory changes. While he does not expect the situation to affect their financial covenants or loan servicing abilities, he noted that equity investors may need to adjust their growth expectations based on the final details of proposed policies and regulations.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has stated expectations that the country could surpass Singapore as Asia’s second-largest gaming hub by 2025. However, achieving this goal may require careful balancing of regulatory oversight with industry growth potential, particularly as the sector adapts to evolving government policies.
Global sports technology company Sportradar posted record revenue in the second quarter of the year, totaling €317.79 million ($366.84 million), causing the company to raise its full-year expectations.
In results released on Tuesday, the company indicated that the revenue was a 14 percent yearly increase, with some 15.5 percent of this being profit – €49 million ($56.56 million). This was a strong acceleration from the €24 million ($26.65 million) in profit recorded in the first quarter, which was already at the top-end of its range of expectations. It was also a complete reversal from a €2 million ($2.31 million) loss recorded in 2Q24.
The group’s Betting Technology & Solutions segment continued to bring in the majority of the group’s revenue, at €258.76 million ($298.7 million) – a yearly rise of 12 percent. Of this, Betting & Gaming Content contributed the most, at €199.58 million ($230.4 million), a 10 percent increase, while Managed Betting Services brought in €59.18 million ($68.32 million), up by 21 percent year-on-year.
Looking to the group’s Sports Content, Technology & Services arm, overall revenue was up by 22 percent, to €59.02 million ($68.13 million). Of this, the majority was derived from Marketing & Media Services – at €40.99 million ($47.32 million), up by 16 percent yearly. It’s Sports Performance category saw a 24 percent increase in revenue, to €12.22 million ($14.11 million), while its Integrity Services segment saw a whopping 92 percent increase, to €5.8 million ($6.7 million) in revenue.
While the sports betting sector in the United States has been booming in recent years, the company actually derived most of its revenue from outside the US, with Rest of World contributing some €229.82 million ($265.3 million) in revenue – a rise of 9 percent. But the growth in the US was undeniable, as revenue rose by 30 percent yearly in the quarter, to €87.96 million ($101.54 million).
Carsten Koerl, CEO of Sportradar
Speaking of the results, Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar, noted that “Our industry leading scale, including our premium content and product portfolio and leading technology and AI, is driving customer uptake and above market growth. The inherent leverage in our business, combined with our focus on efficiencies, is driving sustainable margin expansion and cash flow generation”.
Business highlights and 2025 expectations
The group continues to expand its offerings across numerous sports leagues and product offerings, noting in particular its ‘strengthened partnership with the German Bundesliga to further entertain the league’s more than one billion global fans’. In addition, the group expanded its soccer offerings to all 63 matches of the FIFA Club World Cup – providing exclusive global betting rights with live data, live odds, and media content.
The company, impressively, has no debt outstanding, despite its total liquidity dropping slightly from €568 million ($655.68 million) in 2Q24 to €532 million ($614.12 million) in 2Q25 (including an undrawn credit facility).
Given its strong financial position, the group has increased its fiscal 2025 outlook to include revenue of at least €1.27 billion ($1.47 billion) – meaning yearly growth of at least 16 percent. The group is also expecting to record an adjusted EBITDA increase of at least 28 percent, to €284 million ($327.84 million).
The forecast does not include any possible impacts from the pending acquisition of IMG ARENA and its global sports betting rights portfolio. Sportradar in March announced that it would be acquiring the company from Endeavour Group, bringing on its 70 rightsholders covering approximately 39,000 official data events and 30,000 streaming events across 14 global sports on six continents. These include Wimbledon, the US Open, Roland-Garros, Major League Soccer, EuroLeague basketball and the PGA Tour. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, however it’s facing hurdles over monopoly concerns.
The NSW Government has again postponed the implementation of a reduced daily cash limit for gaming customers at The Star Sydney and Crown Sydney, maintaining the current limit of AU$5,000 ($3,100) until August 19th, 2027.
Originally, under transitional arrangements, the daily cash limit was scheduled to decrease from AU$5,000 to AU$1,000 ($620) starting August 19th, 2025. This reduction was part of broader regulatory measures to address problem gambling, money laundering, and financial crime in the casino industry by promoting responsible gambling and enhancing oversight of cash transactions.
However, the NSW Government has postponed this reduction for the second time, following a previous one-year delay in 2024 due to challenges faced by NSW casino operators in implementing mandatory cashless gaming technology.
The latest decision extends the higher limit for an additional two years, subject to conditions such as monitoring cash usage for gaming and providing regular reports to Liquor & Gaming NSW on customer and related data.
The NSW Government retains the authority to revoke this deferral at any time before August 19th, 2027.
ZITRO, a global leader in the gaming industry, has announced the reduction of the amount of non-recyclable waste by 73% in 2024 compared to the baseline year of 2022, marking significant progress in its environmental strategy and commitment to ESG principles (Environmental, Social, and Governance).
The effort has been primarily focused on the Getafe Operations Center and the Barcelona Technology Campus facilities, where comprehensive waste characterization, collaboration with specialized waste managers, and quarterly monitoring of generated volumes have been carried out.
Additionally, internal recycling campaigns have been promoted, and waste collection points have been optimized to facilitate proper waste separation at the source across all office areas.
The actions implemented throughout the year have delivered very positive results, reinforcing the path toward the goal of reducing non-recyclable waste by 70% by 2032. Zitro will continue to work actively to achieve this target.
In 2024, Zitro successfully reduced five tons of non-recyclable waste at its Barcelona Tech Campus compared to the previous year—strengthening its environmental performance and setting new benchmarks in sustainability. The company remains committed to finding innovative solutions to minimize waste and advance a greener future.
Genius Sports has announced an exclusive partnership with Serie A to capture, distribute, and commercialize official data and low-latency betting video streams from Italy’s top football competitions through the 2028/29 season.
This landmark agreement grants Genius Sports exclusive rights to every Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana fixture, delivering the fastest, most accurate, secure data and premium video to its global network of sportsbook partners.
Genius Sports will also gain access to Lega Serie A data including tracking, for media exploitation, supporting a range of editorial activities including broadcast augmentation as well as match reports, news content, and analysis.
Genius Sports and Serie A will partner to protect and enhance the value of one of the world’s most prized football data assets, working together on robust anti-infringement measures to ensure sportsbooks enjoy secure, uninterrupted and trusted access to premium content for their customers.
Building on Genius Sports’ unrivalled content portfolio, this partnership will supercharge BetVision, the world’s first interactive live betting product. First launched with the NFL across major US sportsbooks, BetVision is transforming the in-play betting experience by enabling bettors to watch live games, interact with stats overlays, customise viewing modes and place bets seamlessly within a single interactive player.
Luigi de Siervo, CEO of Lega Serie A, said: “Data and technology are transforming football, with growing importance across sport, media, and betting. That’s why we’re proud to announce a landmark agreement with Genius Sports who, in recognition of their visionary technology, will now become the sole authorized distributor of official Lega Serie A data and international streaming rights for betting operators through the 2028/29 season.”
Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, added: “We’re proud to announce our partnership with Serie A, one of the most prestigious football leagues in the world, and the most important sport in the largest sports betting market in Europe. With Serie A now secured, Genius Sports commands the most valuable rights portfolio in global sports betting — spanning the NFL, Premier League, and top-flight Italian football. We are not riding momentum; we’re driving it. Our technology, scale, and execution are unmatched. Guidance will be updated to reflect this positive commercial performance.”
This exclusive new partnership builds on Genius Sports’ recent acquisition of official betting data rights for select competitions under the European Leagues Association. The company will now deploy its groundbreaking GeniusIQ platform and tracking technology across European football, redefining performance analytics, officiating precision, and fan engagement.
Pragmatic Play, a leading content supplier to the iGaming industry, has opened the doors to the hall of horrors in Zombie School Megaways—where expanding reels and tumbling multipliers offer wins of up to 10,000x.
The undead stalk the reels of this 117,649 ways-to-win slot, where the number of symbols on a reel can randomly increase after every winning tumble.
Landing 4-6 scatters triggers the bonus game with 10-20 free spins, during which every tumble win is multiplied by the number of symbols that hit.
In select markets, not only can players buy entry to the bonus game, but they can also unlock the Persistent Multiplier Free Spins round for 500x. During this special version of the feature, all tumble win multipliers add to a total multiplier that boosts subsequent wins.
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “Zombie School Megaways is an exciting addition to our Megaways portfolio, featuring tumble win multipliers, expanding reels, and a delightfully ghoulish undead theme.”
