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SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited confirmed that the New Zealand Gambling Commission has granted SkyCity Queenstown Limited with a renewal of its casino venue licence for a further 15 years from 7 December 2025, pursuant to section 134 of the Gambling Act 2003.

SkyCity Chief Executive Officer, Jason Walbridge, said: “We’re delighted with this outcome. We look forward to continuing to play our part in Queenstown’s fantastic range of entertainment for both locals and visitors.”

The post SkyCity Announces Renewal of Queenstown Casino Licence appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Betsson Group has been shortlisted for “Legal Team of the Year” at the upcoming Global Regulatory Awards 2025 (GRAs), while its General Counsel, Corinne Valletta, has been nominated for “Chief Compliance Officer of the Year.”

Organised by Vixio Regulatory Intelligence, the Global Regulatory Awards celebrate excellence across the compliance and responsible gambling sectors, recognising individuals and teams who continuously raise industry standards and champion best practices.

These accolades testify to Betsson’s commitment to raising standards in compliance to ensure a safe and stable business.

The post Betsson Group Shortlisted at the Global Regulatory Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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The UK Gambling Commission has published the fourth and final report in its series exploring the complex and evolving issue of illegal online gambling.

The series — launched earlier this year — set out to improve understanding of consumer engagement with illegal online gambling, the risks it poses and the actions being taken to disrupt it.

Over the past months, the Commission has published three reports examining:

Part 1: Consumer awareness, drivers and motivations

Part 2: Consumer engagement and trends

Part 3: Disruption of illegal online gambling

This report — “Estimating the size of the illegal online gambling market” — explores the challenges of quantifying an activity that is, by its nature, hidden.

Understanding the challenge

The report highlights that while measuring the scale of the illegal online gambling market is essential for effective enforcement and policy-making, doing so presents significant methodological challenges. Reliable data is limited, and assumptions are often required to fill gaps — meaning that confidence in any single estimate is inherently constrained.

The Commission draws parallels with other areas of illicit activity, such as the trade in illegal tobacco, where government departments face similar difficulties estimating financial impact.

Building on progress

Although no single estimate of market size has been published, the Commission’s work to date has built a stronger evidence base and clearer understanding of both consumer behaviour and illegal operator tactics.

The series has found that:

• consumer motivations to use illegal sites are varied — there is no single driver of engagement

• some consumers are unaware that they are gambling illegally, highlighting the need for greater public awareness

• not all activity in the illegal market represents a direct loss to the regulated sector, as some consumers are self-excluded or otherwise unable to gamble legally

• there is currently no evidence of sustained growth in engagement with illegal websites where data has been collected

• a range of disruption and enforcement tactics are being deployed, supported by cross-industry and international collaboration.

A shared responsibility

The Commission emphasises that tackling illegal gambling requires a coordinated response. Efforts to measure, monitor and disrupt the illegal market will depend on continued collaboration across government, industry, digital platforms and financial services.

Chief Executive, Andrew Rhodes said: “Illegal online gambling remains a serious threat to consumers and to the integrity of the regulated market.

“While measuring the full scale of the problem is complex, our understanding is growing — and so too is our ability to disrupt illegal operators.

“Our independent research has strengthened the evidence base, improved transparency, and underlined that progress depends on a collective effort across sectors.”

Next steps

Although this marks the end of the current series, the Commission will continue its programme of research, data collection and enforcement activity.

The post UK Gambling Commission Concludes Four-part Series on Illegal Online Gambling appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.