Another eventful week in the gambling industry is in the rearview mirror and Casino Guru News brings a recap of the sector's top stories, including major business developments and regulatory updates.

Blackstone-owned gambling operator, Cirsa, is looking to hit a €2.5bn ($2.95bn) valuation market with its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in Spain. Some €400m worth of shares are expected to be put up. In addition, Cirsa may consider issuing another €68m worth of shares in case there is sufficient demand.

xQc is one of the most popular casino streamers in the world. Famous for his emotional streams and notable change of platforms from Twitch to Kick, xQc uses the popular online casino, Stake. According to a recently released screenshot, the famous streamer had wagered an astronomical sum of more than $3.6bn via Stake.

Business and finance

A recent report compiled by the leading online intelligence platform, Yield Sec, for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling warned that illegal sports streams are fueling a multi-billion-dollar gambling black market. Per the data, sports fans across the United States tapped into a mind-boggling 4.2bn illegal sports streams of 90 seconds or more throughout last year alone.

Concerningly, the white paper warned that 82% of the illegal sports streams promoted illegal gambling, while 84% were "laced with malware, spyware or keystroke loggers." Ultimately, the illegal sports streams fueled an illegal gambling black market estimated at $67bn.

The leading gambling, transaction processing systems, betting management and game content company, Intralot, confirmed that its acquisition of Bally's Interactive is set to move forward. The €2.7bn takeover recently received approval from both Bally's Corporation and Intralot's Board of Directors.

The landmark acquisition is set to be finalized by the end of this year, with the former expected to start operating under Intralot's umbrella. Ultimately, the sale is expected to create new synergies for the two companies, enabling them to continue to expand on a scale.

In another business move earlier this week, Brightstar Lottery confirmed it has finalized the sale of its Gaming & Digital business to Apollo Global Management. The divestment of the company's asset was completed on July 1 and was preceded by a change of the name of IGT Lottery, which is now doing business as Brightstar Lottery.

Currently, Brightstar Lottery trades under its new ticker symbol, BRSL, on the New York Stock Exchange. Finalizing the sale of its business asset, the company also confirmed its intention to allocate $2.0bn to reduce debt and return $1.1bn to shareholders.

Hasbro, the leading games and toy company, inked several multi-year licensing deals earlier this week. Growing the reach of its famous brands across the casino vertical, the company teamed up with Aristocrat Technologies, Bally's, Galaxy Gaming and Evolution.

Announcing the landmark agreements, Claire Hunter Gregson, Hasbro's Director, Gaming Relationships, said: "We’re all about play—and that means meeting our fans wherever they are, from the game table to the casino floor." Joining forces with the top gambling firms will see the delivery of new games, featuring Hasbro's popular brands and characters. In addition to online casino games and slots, the licensing deals will bring new land-based slots and casino table games.

Regulation and laws

New Jersey, one of the most important gambling markets in North America, is on the cusp of increasing gambling tax and banning sweepstakes. That is, under two bills awaiting the state governor's signature. In case Gov. Phil Murphy greenlights the two bills, New Jersey would become the latest state to ban sweepstakes casinos and increase the gambling tax to 19.75% of gross gaming revenue for iGaming operators.

Elsewhere, in New Zealand, online casinos are expected to launch in 2026. Pressing forward with online gambling, the country plans to establish a market with 15 licensed online casino operators. While the iGaming market would include many operators, New Zealand intends to limit sports betting to a single provider. Similar to other gambling markets, operators that are interested in offering their services can apply for a license.

In the UK, the country's gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission, issued a monetary sanction against Taichi Tech Limited, trading as Fafabet. The operator was fined ￡170,000 over unfair T&Cs, the gambling regulator claimed. Besides unfair terms and conditions, Fafabet allegedly failed to intervene in cases where players demonstrated potential gambling-related harm.

Across the ocean, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found out that The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has violated civil rights law after failing to accommodate employees' religious beliefs. The breach of the established regulations, dating back to 2022, resulted in a lawsuit against the company. Now, The Venetian will have to repay employees, who filed the lawsuit, some $850,000.

Back in Europe, one leading betting and gaming operator was ordered to repay a hefty sum to a customer. That's the case with Betsson, which was ordered by the Supreme Court of Sweden to repay a problem gambler €500,000, or nearly SEK5,000,000, as reported by local media outlets.

Responsible gambling

Denmark made a major step against the illegal gambling sector, issuing the single-largest blocking order affecting 178 websites. The regulatory action follows a green light given by the court in Frederiksberg, enabling the country's regulator, Spillemyndigheden, to block the illegal gambling operators. The blocking order reaffirms Denmark's dedication to decreasing the share of illegal gambling. By banning 178 websites, the total number of blocked unlicensed gambling operators has now reached 616 websites.

In the UK, the leading charity, GambleAware, insisted on the delivery of more responsible gambling messages by the National Lottery. "The National Lottery’s reach among those experiencing gambling harm means it has a critical role to play in preventing and reducing gambling harm," the charity wrote.

Only recently, the leading betting and gaming company with a solid presence in the US, DraftKings, confirmed the launch of My Budget Bilder Responsible Gambling tool. Offering intuitive UX and UI, the new responsible gambling tool enables players to easily manage their betting limits and access vital information related to their gambling spending.

The voice of the industry

This week, Casino Guru News had the chance to sit down with Katarzyna Pysz, 3 Oaks Gaming’s Head of Gamification. She spoke about the importance of delivering innovative features and promotional content, among other hot topics.

Earlier this week, Casino Guru News released an interesting analysis that focused on Katrina Bookman, a woman who won nearly $43m at the Resorts World Casino in New York. Regretfully, she was denied her winnings with the casino claiming that the game she played had malfunctioned.

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