All around the world #2; a gambling news round-up
The gambling industry never stands still, however from the latest news stories, it seems that many countries are struggling to keep up. From outright bans on real money gaming, to legislational about-turns, and crackdowns on the black market, governments are scrambling to stay on top.
Thailand: when gaming policy meets geopolitics
If there’s one recent story that feels less like regulatory housekeeping and more like a geopolitical thriller, it’s Thailand’s sudden retreat from casino legislation. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul didn’t just shelve the Entertainment Complex Bill because of domestic worries or political caution, he did it because China asked him to.
In their meeting, China's President Xi Jinping reportedly made it clear that Beijing was deeply uncomfortable with the idea of legal casinos springing up so close to its borders. He warned casinos can create crime routes, attract dubious capital, and could damage Chinese citizens abroad. This wasn’t gentle advice, he hinted China might restrict tourism, investment, and even trade if Thailand moved ahead.
With Chinese visitor numbers already down 34% this year, Xi Jinping didn’t have to push very hard. Anutin Charnvirakul returned home and publicly announced that his government would not legalise casinos while he’s in charge.
It’s rare to see a country openly admit that its gambling policy shifted because of a foreign power. Yet, it seems to speak to a broader trend – governments responding fast and forcefully when gambling interacts with politics.
India: The PROGA ban and the digital shockwave
If Thailand’s move was driven by diplomacy, India’s was driven by internal politics. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) 2025 effectively banned online money games overnight and with it, detonated a slice of the tech sector that had been projected to hit $10bn in under two years.
Developers described the change as like ‘starting from zero’, and frankly, they’re not exaggerating. India has long had a complex relationship with real-money gaming, but this is the most severe shift yet. It will impact tens of thousands of jobs, effectively pause investment and studios are already scrambling.
Predictably, the Supreme Court is now knee-deep in petitions challenging the law’s constitutional footing. While this goes on, some of India’s biggest studios and brightest minds are pivoting to fintech gamification and social gaming.
Slovakia: A presidential veto with bite
In Slovakia, President Peter Pellegrini vetoed amendments to the gambling act, halting what the government thought was a straightforward update. After all, it had been almost unanimously voted through by MPs. His reason? The changes would override local councils and allow casinos to keep operating in towns that had already voted against them.
It was a powerful standpoint. Insisting that public opinion can’t be bulldozed to make way for smoother regulatory framework. It’s not Thailand levels of drama, but it’s still a powerful reminder that gambling policy often becomes a flashpoint for wider political questions about autonomy, local power, and democratic rights.
South Africa: 107 organisations, one goal
South Africa is facing a groundswell – a 107-organisation coalition demanding a total ban on online gambling.
The argument is to the point – online gambling in South Africa is a silent epidemic. The current regulatory framework is too fragmented and too easy to exploit. Former regulator Dhilosen Pillay essentially said the quiet bit out loud: South Africa never really built a proper online gambling framework in the first place. Instead, bookmaker licences got stretched into covering online play, allowing offshore operators to fill the void and now, the country is paying for it.
The government has been taking steps to rein things in, but it’s been half measures. Now the citizens of South Africa are pushing the government to make larger, more meaningful changes. This is going to be an interesting one to watch unfold.
Turkey: Illegal gambling as a national security issue
Turkey’s authorities are treating illegal gambling with the level of seriousness that South African citizens are pushing for. It’s not a regulatory headache for them, it’s more like a national security threat.
The National Lottery Office (Milli Piyango İdaresi or MPİ) recently delivered a dossier containing an incredible 420,000 criminal complaints to the country’s financial-crimes unit, MASAK. Within this, they’ve identified 239,000 domains involved in illegal gambling. That’s a volume that dwarfs just about anything seen in Europe.
This is all part of President Erdoğan’s action plan for the upcoming year, to deliver a sweeping crackdown that brings together:
- MASAK (financial intelligence)
- The Interior Ministry (cybercrime)
- Telecoms regulators (blocking platforms)
- The Justice Ministry (fast-tracked prosecutions)
- And even the Directorate of Communications (policing influencers)
Thousands of servers have already been blocked and billions of lira tracked. And Turkey isn’t being shy diplomatically either, having warned it will take aggressive measures against any jurisdictions hosting Turkish-facing black-market sites.
France: The black market that outgrew the legal one
If Turkey is battling a wave of illegal operators, France is drowning. A new PwC study commissioned by AFJEL (the nation’s leading online gambling trade association) found that 5.4 million French players are now using unlicensed gambling sites. That’s almost double the legal market.
In 2025 alone, France’s illegal online casino market generated around €2 billion in GGR (gross gaming revenue), at the same time costing France almost €1.2 billion in lost tax revenue. While it is shocking, it’s also not all that hard to see how this has happened. At the moment offshore operators can:
- Offer bonuses French sites legally can’t
- Flood the internet with social ads
- Use search-engine manipulation to appear more legitimate
- Operate without player-protection obligations
- Skip taxes entirely
AFJEL has been blunt in its stance that prohibition is not protection. France’s ongoing ban on online casinos is feeding the black market. It looks like the only option is for France to finally properly regulate an online casino market that already exists in everything but name.
Australia: Ads, broadcasters and a visibility battle
The final story in this round-up brings us to the endless gambling reform debate in Australia. Ads have long been on the table in this jurisdiction, but as the threat of gambling ads being banned altogether hurtles ever closer, some companies aren’t backing down without a fight.
Australian media companies rely heavily on gambling advertising revenue. So when the government delayed implementing the reforms before the election, few were surprised. Nine Entertainment, one of the country’s largest broadcasters, has since publicly stated it will seek compensation if gambling ads are banned. Its argument is simple: if the government removes a major revenue stream, then the government should offset the damage.
The irony of it all is that a strict ad ban designed to protect consumers could unintentionally push them toward offshore sites that operate with zero responsibility. Australia’s struggle isn’t so much about banning gambling ads as it is about optics, influence, and the economic weight of a deeply ingrained sector.
In terms of wagers placed through legitimate channels Australians are the world’s biggest gamblers. Clearly the regulated industry is concerned about the potential impact on that of banning advertising.
Summary
What connects all these stories is that every country is grappling with the same core question:
How do you manage a gambling industry that’s expanding faster than the rules can keep up?
Some respond by shutting doors altogether, others by protecting the rights of locals. Some focus on the black market and others on advertising. In truth, there’s no magic wand to fix the issues that a flourishing gambling market can bring with it. It’s got to be a holistic approach, which seems to be something that none of the countries in the news lately have been able to face.