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Flutter has announced the creation of its new “Flutter Brazil” business with the acquisition of an initial 56 percent stake in the NSX Group, the Brazilian online operator of the Betnacional brand, for cash consideration of approximately $350m.

The deal aligns with Flutter’s strategy to invest in market-leading brands in new markets, with NSX being among the four largest operators in Brazil, and is expected to generate revenue of approximately $256m and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $34m in 2024, according to Flutter’s on September 13.

Peter Jackson, the CEO of Flutter, said: “We believe that combining the extensive local expertise of the NSX team, our existing Betfair business and the power of the Flutter Edge, will create a compelling opportunity to capitalize on the growth opportunity in Brazil which presents an exciting runway of future growth."

Flutter said the acquisition will create shareholder value by delivering an enhanced competitive position in a fast-growing, newly regulated market, enhancing its local brand portfolio and “presents a compelling opportunity to drive synergies via access to the Flutter Edge, and deliver meaningful value creation”, according to the press release.

Flutter can increase its shareholding through reciprocal put/call arrangements in year five and year ten following the completion date.��

There was a “significant” increase in the number of larger operators being compliant at the point of their assessment by the UK Gambling Commission, according to the regulator’s 2023 published on September 11.��

The reports forward, signed by Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes and chair Marcus Boyle, states: “The rate of operators achieving compliant first-time outcomes in our assessments more than doubled and the compliance rate of the largest operators has almost trebled in the past 2 years.”

In 2023, the Gambling Commission collected £7.16m in fines and £6.24m in regulatory settlements, compared with £20.9m in fines and £39.2m in regulatory settlements in 2022.

“These are positive indicators of the work that the Commission has been doing to raise standards of compliance with our rules and on the part of operators as well. Alongside this we have made a significant impact tackling illegal online gambling, through our upstream work with third parties in finance, payment services and internet service providers,” the forward states.

The Colombian Congress' proposed Value Added Tax of 19 percent on online gambling and other services will not become law, according to well-placed sources.��

The much-protested tax was never formalised but was discussed in various congressional budget committees at the beginning of the month as a part of President Gustavo Petro’s tax-reform plan.��

A source who wished to remain anonymous told Vixio Gambling�°������ϲʹ������� that “congressmen are not going to support the tax reform”, which extends beyond online gaming to other online businesses like Airbnb.

However, Congress believes that online gambling should be taxed, but potentially on a presumptive basis.

Operators in the country currently pay a headline tax of 15 percent and additional fees that add up to an effective tax rate of about 20 percent.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) granted preliminary approval Wednesday (September 11) to the proposed merger of sports-betting technology provider GAN Ltd with Sega Sammy Creation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings.��

Naoki Kameda, president of Sega Sammy Creation, told the NGCB the company has $500m to $700m in cash to invest, and could be used to improve GAN or look for a new opportunity.��

“We are a very cash rich company and are ready to support GAN’s business,” Kameda said.��

The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) will consider granting final approval of the deal at its meeting later this month. The deal still needs to be approved by gaming regulators in several states.��

Upon completion of the merger, GAN will cease to be a publicly traded company, and its shares will be delisted from the NASDAQ allowing it to be owned by Sega Sammy Holdings. The deal, which was announced in November 2023, valued GAN at $107.6m.

The deal was expected to close in the fourth quarter or by early 2025.

A new group, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, has launched a campaign to oppose Amendment 2, a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize sports betting in Missouri.��

Amendment 2 will be on the November 5 ballot. Brooke Foster, a campaign spokeswoman, said the initiative was a “bad deal for Missouri.”

Foster also targeted DraftKings and FanDuel for their financial support of the initiative. So far, both companies have contributed more than $10m to bring the sports-betting measure to the ballot.

Additionally, the initiative received support from the Kansas City Chiefs, of the National Football League, Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, and St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League.��

“This deceptive measure was written by and for the financial benefit of its out-of-state corporate sponsors and funders,” Fister said. “But Amendment 2 provides no guarantee that any funds will actually be provided to the state.”����

The measure sets the sports-betting tax rate at 10 percent and includes deductions for promotional play of up to 25 percent of the operator’s total cash received for a month and federal excise tax. Missouri’s four professional sports franchises, along with 12 casinos, could also operate retail and online sports betting.

Amendment 2 also would make two online betting platforms eligible to receive a license.

Caesars Entertainment continues to expand its operations in the District of Columbia, with the acquisition of 53 locations that will host Caesars Sportsbooks, the company confirmed Tuesday (September 10)

The Caesars Sportsbooks wagering kiosks will replace the GambetDC kiosks currently in place at Office of Lottery and Gaming licensed retail locations. In addition to wagering, the kiosks will accept cash deposits to Caesars Sportsbook mobile accounts.��

In July, Caesars launched its mobile sportsbook throughout Washington, D.C., except for federal lands, which are restricted areas. Previously, the Las Vegas-based gaming company opened the district’s first retail sports book in 2021 at Capital One Arena.

MGM Resorts International also operates retail sports book until its BetMGM brand at Nationals Park, which is home to Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, and FanDuel offers retail wagering at Audi Field home of DC United of Major League Soccer.��

BetMGM, FanDuel and DraftKings also operate district-wide mobile betting after the DC Council relaxed restrictions allowing companies full mobile access if they partnered with one of the city’s professional sports franchises.

The Sports Wagering Amendment Act of 2024, passed by the DC Council earlier this year, also led to the elimination of the D.C. Lottery’s GambetDC, which was plagued with technical issues since its launch in May 2020.

A special master appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court found nearly 6,000 signatures supporting an anti-casino ballot measure should be disqualified because of insufficient addresses.��

Other challenges to the proposed ballot measure to block a Pope County casino, such as potential issues with an agent signing affidavits in place of a sponsor, that were made in an original petition filed last month were rejected.��

Special Master Randal Wright’s report will be used by the state's Supreme Court as it determines whether votes cast on the proposed constitutional amendment on November 4 will be counted.��

The proposed amendment introduced by Local Voters in Charge aims to repeal a Pope County casino license and require any new casino built in the state to be approved in a county-wide special election before a gaming license is issued.��

Local Voters in Charge submitted more than 162,000 signatures on the state’s deadline of July 5, surpassing the required 90,704 signatures to be placed on the ballot. On July 31, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston’s office certified 116,200 signatures.��

Wright expressed concern with nine addresses of paid canvassers, which resulted in his recommendation to discard 5,966 signatures, leaving the total at 110,234.��

Oklahoma’s Choctaw Nation has supported Local Voters in Charge after its casino proposal was rejected by the Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC) in favor of a planned casino project by Cherokee Nation Entertainment.

Nevada and Massachusetts regulators said they were aware of a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) reached between Wynn Resorts and the U.S. Department of Justice but would not confirm if either state had launched their own investigation.��

As part of the NPA, Wynn Resorts will forfeit $130m to resolve a ten-year-old investigation into transactions at Wynn Las Vegas that were related to foreign customers facilitated by now-former employees of the resort. The deal allows the company to avoid prosecution.

Kirk Hendrick, chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), said the board was aware of the NPA entered into by Wynn and the Justice Department.��

“The NGCB will ensure that all individuals and entities involved in Nevada’s gaming industry are held to the highest standards,” Hendrick said in a statement.

Thomas Mills, a spokesman with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), said their agency’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) was made “aware of this agreement late last week and commissioners were immediately informed.”��

“The commission will continue to closely monitor the details of this matter,” Mills said.

Wynn Resorts is licensed in Nevada, where is operates Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, and in Massachusetts, where it operates Encore Boston Harbor. Both states continuously review licensees for ongoing suitability and are required to disclose issues to gaming regulators.

The Las Vegas-based company also operates casinos in Macau and Cotai.

Thai officials have released new details on government plans for integrated resort (IRs) legislation, including three resorts for Bangkok, and gambling areas accounting for 10 percent of IR floor space.

Suksit Srichomkwan, deputy secretary-general for political affairs to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, told The Nation Daily that casino floor space will be a maximum 10 percent, or double the proportion of casino floor space in Singapore and other Asian casinos.

A finance ministry source told The Nation that Bangkok would have up to three casinos, with the remaining proposed four IRs to be distributed among the nation’s tourism-focused provinces.

Mandated investment for the Bangkok properties will be a minimum of 100bn baht ($3bn), with half that amount for regional properties.

�ճ󲹾������Ի�’s draft legislation for casinos was released for public comment in early August, and included potential 40-year licences and a minimum of four entertainment attractions additional to gambling.

The Paetongtarn government has moved to affirm support for the IR plan amid industry concerns over political instability surrounding the Thai apex court’s removal of her predecessor Srettha Thavisin, a committed supporter of IR development.

The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) has named Mike Leara as its ninth executive director, succeeding Peggy Richardson.��

Leara was appointed chairman of the commission in August 2019. Then in July 2023, Republican Governor Mike Parson appointed Leara as the state supervisor for the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.

Leara, a Republican, served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2017. Richardson, who was selected as MGC executive director in 2021, stepped down in June leaving Heather Richenberger as interim executive director.

Should voters on November 4 approve ballot measures to legalize retail and mobile sports betting and build a casino in Lake of the Ozarks, Leara and his staff would regulate the new gaming offerings in the state.

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An Australian court on Monday (September 9) a Singaporean gambler to pay more than A$38m ($25m) in gambling debt and A$19m in interest to The Star Entertainment Group’s Queensland division.

Justice Melanie Hindman in the Supreme Court of Queensland added Star Entertainment’s costs and a six-year interest bill of A$19.17m to Yew Choy Wong’s payment of just under A$38.66m.

Wong suffered net gambling losses of A$47.3m in a seven-day baccarat spree at Star Entertainment’s Gold Coast casino in July and August 2018, then left Australia without settling his account. A blank cheque left by Wong to Star at the company’s Sydney casino bounced after Wong requested that his bank block the payment.

Hindman entered judgment for Star, noting that Wong “has not made out any pleaded defence to that claim” of Star. She added that the casino company inexplicably reduced its claim against Wong by A$4.55m.

Hindman’s ruling included a letter by then Star Gold Coast COO Paul Arbuckle to Wong that apologised for dealer “mistakes”, but the judge found this had no bearing on Star’s claim.

The ruling is an unusual piece of good news for the company as it awaits the New South Wales state gambling regulator’s finding on its suitability to operate in Sydney, as well as a likely fine in the hundreds of millions of dollars from federal transactions regulator AUSTRAC.

Thirteen of 24 people suspected of casino floor financial transaction crime appeared in a Singaporean court on Saturday (September 7) charged with offences including illegal currency exchange and gambling chip transactions.

Officers arrested 14 of the 24 suspects after a two-day enforcement operation in early September, the Singapore Police Force said in a statement. The other suspects remain under investigation, it said.

All of the suspects allegedly offered unlicensed casino cash services and chip purchases, while more than S$190,000 (US$146,000) in cash and chips were seized during the operation, it said.

The suspects face a maximum of four years in jail for combined breaches of casino control and payment services legislation.

A federal court judge in Washington D.C. has issued a three-day stay with a hearing set for Thursday (September 12) on the request by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) request for a 14-day stay to block a company from offering betting contracts.

The CFTC requested the stay on Friday shortly after Judge Jia Cobb, with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, overturned a commission’s order blocking Kalshi’s election betting markets.��

In a court filing, Kalshi opposed the CFTC’s request for an emergency motion for a stay, noting “This case is time-sensitive”.

“This court has ruled against the CFTC but has not yet said what the commission has done wrong,” the CFTC said in a filing in response to Kalshi.

Kalshi filed a lawsuit in September 2023 challenging the CFTC’s decision to block it from offering specific event contracts related to the U.S. election.

“Kalshi protests that it should be allowed to immediately begin trading these contracts because it has waited long enough and should be able to pursue its business, heedless of the public interests indicating that election gambling poses threats to election integrity and the perception of election integrity,” the CFTC wrote in its filing.

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has called on Finland’s government to rethink its ban on bonuses, affiliates and social media marketing.

In a following its submission to the Finnish government consultation on its new gambling act, the EGBA argued that banning gambling ads on social media or by affiliates would hamper their ability to compete against the black market.

“Also, the proposed blanket ban on bonuses is concerning. While we support setting boundaries on bonusing, a complete prohibition will simply make any newly licensed operators less competitive against unlicensed ones. This risks pushing players towards unregulated sites, undermining the very consumer protections the legislation aims to establish and strengthen,” the trade group said.

The EGBA suggested that a new version of the draft legislation include regulations that govern affiliates and allow bonuses according to restrict rules linked to responsible gambling.

Finland intends to dismantle its current gambling monopoly and launch a licensed market in 2027. A consultation on the first version of its new gambling act closed in August.
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Milton Champion, the executive director of the Maine Gambling Control Board, received support from agency employees, including the deputy director, a day after nine casino inspectors signed a letter of no confidence in his ability to lead the agency.

“As a group, we feel a need to express our unwavering support and appreciation for our executive director,” deputy director Matthew Motti and the employees wrote in a letter released on Friday (September 6).

The letter from casino inspectors claimed that Champion had created a toxic work environment and that he changed their work schedules in retaliation after they voiced their concerns.

“It is important to address recent concerns, as those of us who work closely with Milton daily have never experienced hostility or any form of negative work environment directed by him personally,” the employees wrote. “We believe Milton's integrity and dedication to the unit are unquestionable, and we are deeply concerned by the direction these recent claims are heading.”

“His leadership has been a cornerstone of our success, and we stand by him during this time,” the letter stated.

Last year, Champion was suspended for one week without pay for tweeting a sexist slur. As of Friday, it was unclear what next steps could occur.

Democratic state Senator Joe Baldacci told News Center Maine he supports the vote of no confidence in Champion, saying it has been more than two years since a sports-betting bill was signed and there is still no retail wagering at the state’s two casinos.

Baldacci called it unacceptable, and called on Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, to remove Champion from his position. Champion did not respond to a request for comment.��

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has warned gamblers that with the start of a new National Football League (NFL) season, they should only wager with legal and regulated sportsbooks and that they must report their winnings as taxable income.

Illegal gambling activities can result in criminal charges ranging from money laundering to tax evasion, the IRS notice said. Currently, sports betting is legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia, with the American Gaming Association (AGA) projecting U.S. gamblers will legally wager $35bn on NFL games this year.

Between fiscal years 2020 and 2024, IRS-Criminal Investigation initiated 151 investigations into illegal gambling activity totaling more than $178.8m, resulting in 71 sentencings with an average prison term of over two years.

"Sports betting has grown exponentially in the past five years and is more common than ever,” said IRS-CI chief Guy Ficco. “While online gambling is easily accessible, it’s not always legal.”

"As this year’s football season kicks off, IRS-CI special agents are continuing to monitor trends and using our expertise to root out criminal activity related to illegal gambling like money laundering and tax evasion,” Ficco added.