Compliance Updates
Romania Bans Gambling Venues in Small Towns and Villages
Romania has announced a ban on gambling venues in small towns and villages with populations of less than 15,000 residents.
What’s known as the “law of slot machines” was passed by deputies in the lower house of parliament. “It is the first law adopted in Parliament in 30 years against this mafia that has controlled the political world until now,” said Alfred Simonis, the leader of the Social Democrats.
“Right now we are fighting an industry that has a total turnover of €10-12 billion.”
Industry figures complain they were not consulted, and hope that the authorities will control the black market as they promised.
Despite the unanimous vote, there was some dissent within the chamber. Two opposition parties that want to ban the “scourge” of gambling outright accuse the government of collusion with the gaming sector for not taking a stronger position.
On another front Ionut Mosteanu, the leader of the opposition USR, questioned how lawmakers had set the threshold.
“They thought that slot machines only damage 15,000 people,” he said. “There was not even a debate to see how many townships qualify for this 15,000. Why not 16, 17, why not two million and you would ban them definitively?”
Gambling venues have become ubiquitous across Romania over the last few decades. The National Gaming Office, the state body that monitors and approves the sector, has registered 12,000 sports betting, bingo, casino, lottery rooms.
The state collects taxes from gambling venue licenses and online ticket sales as from the amount betting houses spend on advertising.
There are no recent data to indicate how many people in Romania are addicted to gambling. The last survey was conducted in 2016, and found that there could be around 100,000 addicted people across the country. The number today could be much higher.
The post Romania Bans Gambling Venues in Small Towns and Villages appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
BETER has received approval from the Illinois Gaming Board to add its exclusive Setka Cup table tennis product to the state’s Sports Wagering catalog, expanding its regulated US footprint into Illinois.
The approval allows licensed Illinois operators to offer Setka Cup content, including live data and live streams, according to the company. BETER said the content is already available to Illinois bettors via bet365, and that additional operator launches are planned.
Illinois is the eighth US state where BETER’s exclusive content is available, the company said, following Florida, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, and North Carolina.
Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “Entering Illinois is another significant step in our US expansion and reinforces BETER’s position as a leading provider of fast-betting content in the world’s most exciting sports wagering market.
“Demand for high-velocity, 24/7 content continues to accelerate across the US, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of that shift. With eight states now under our belt, we have clear momentum and a long-term vision that goes well beyond individual state launches.”
Valeriia Tarchynska, Chief Legal Officer at BETER, added: “Securing approval from the Illinois Gaming Board is a testament to the rigorous regulatory work our team undertakes in every jurisdiction we enter. Each US state has its own framework and requirements, and our commitment to full alignment with those standards is non-negotiable.
“The US remains a strategically vital market for BETER, and we continue to work actively to secure approvals in additional key states. We are building real scale in this market, with much more to come.”
The post BETER wins Illinois approval to distribute Setka Cup betting content appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
BETER, the award-winning provider of live streams, live data, and odds for esports and sports, has expanded its US presence after its exclusive Setka Cup table tennis content was added to the Sports Wagering catalog in the State of Illinois.
The approval was granted by the Illinois Gaming Board, the regulatory and law enforcement agency responsible for overseeing all licensed casino gambling, video gaming, and sports wagering in the state, and it allows BETER to provide licensed operators in Illinois with its Setka Cup content, including live data and live streams, for the first time.
Illinois marks the eighth US state in which BETER’s exclusive content is now available, following successful launches in Florida, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, and North Carolina.
The content is already available for local bettors via bet365, a long-standing partner of BETER, with additional operator launches planned in the near future.
BETER exclusively delivers 24/7 live streaming, real-time data, and hyper-accurate odds for more than 700,000 fast-paced esports and sports events annually to operators worldwide, offering up to 50 markets per event and an average operator margin of 7.5%+.
Its esports portfolio includes the ESportsBattle product featuring eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey, and eTennis. Its sports portfolio features the Setka Cup table tennis content and the BSKT Cup basketball league.
All of BETER’s exclusive content is underpinned by its Integrity team, ensuring strict adherence to fair play standards through 24/7 monitoring and close collaboration with key sports integrity bodies, including IBIA and ESIC, as well as sports federations.
BETER will also exhibit at SBC Summit Americas for the first time at Stand 813 from June 9–11, marking a major milestone in the company’s expansion across the United States.
Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “Entering Illinois is another significant step in our US expansion and reinforces BETER’s position as a leading provider of fast-betting content in the world’s most exciting sports wagering market.
“Demand for high-velocity, 24/7 content continues to accelerate across the US, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of that shift. With eight states now under our belt, we have clear momentum and a long-term vision that goes well beyond individual state launches.”
Valeriia Tarchynska, Chief Legal Officer at BETER, added: “Securing approval from the Illinois Gaming Board is a testament to the rigorous regulatory work our team undertakes in every jurisdiction we enter. Each US state has its own framework and requirements, and our commitment to full alignment with those standards is non-negotiable.
“The US remains a strategically vital market for BETER, and we continue to work actively to secure approvals in additional key states. We are building real scale in this market, with much more to come.”
The post BETER expands US footprint with Illinois approval appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Armenia accelerated one of the most aggressive gambling regulatory reforms in Eurasia after approving new measures to control digital platforms, advertising, payments and financial supervision across the betting sector. The strategy promoted by the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan aims to strengthen legal gambling operations, increase fiscal oversight and tighten control over offshore operators in a market that has expanded dramatically over the past decade.
The reform is being driven by the Ministry of Finance of Armenia led in 2026 by Vahe Hovhannisyan, together with the State Revenue Committee headed by Rustam Badasyan. The main political architect behind the changes is MP Hayk Sargsyan from the ruling Civil Contract party.
The core of the reform focuses on payments and financial monitoring. Armenia plans to block transfers to unlicensed gambling operators, strengthen AML/KYC requirements and connect licensed platforms directly to state monitoring systems operating in real time. Armenia is advancing the software operator selection for its centralised gaming monitoring center, following the legal framework established in early 2024 to connect platforms directly to state systems in real time.
The 2026 update focuses on accelerating the public tender for the private operator, rather than the initial creation of the monitoring infrastructure, with the State Revenue Committee (SRC) leading the technological implementation. The fiscal framework is also becoming stricter. Since July 1, 2025, Armenia has applied a 10% turnover tax on gambling operations, while online gaming license costs doubled in April 2025 and are scheduled to continue increasing annually through 2028.
According to official figures cited by lawmakers, Armenia’s gambling turnover reached approximately AMD 6.3 trillion in 2023, equivalent to nearly €14 billion, while online casino deposits climbed to AMD 811 billion during 2024.
The government also tightened gambling advertising restrictions, limiting promotions to luxury hotels, border checkpoints and authorised operator channels. Armenian authorities argue that the new regulatory model is designed to protect legal operators, reinforce financial traceability and modernise state supervision over one of Eurasia’s fastest-growing digital industries.
The post Armenia Launches Sweeping Gambling Payment Reform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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