ional.wire

Google widens gambling ad certification to every Gambling and Games category from 14 September

Google is extending the gambling advertising certification system it introduced in March 2026 to cover every category under its Gambling and Games policy. The change takes in online gambling and gambling-promoting content, offline gambling, online non-casino games and social casino games.

The update was posted on 13 July 2026, giving advertisers roughly two months to prepare.

Veikkaus backs the end of its Finnish monopoly and puts channelisation at the centre of the fight

The state-owned operator says it is ready for the monopoly to end and supports opening the Finnish market to commercially licensed operators, provided the regulated market and new entrants are enabled to take share from unlicensed operators.

iGaming Expert editor Joe Streeter notes that with no affiliate traffic available, marketing budgets, creativity and brand presence will decide who the players recognise.

Nigerian regulators declare Stake illegal, citing 10 evaded compliance notices

Two gambling regulatory authorities in Nigeria have declared that Stake is operating illegally in the country, saying the operator has evaded 10 compliance notices.

Dutch regulator chair repeats call for Europe-wide action on illegal gambling

The chair of the Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling regulator, has reiterated calls for tougher action across Europe to tackle the illegal gambling market.

North Carolina handle up 53% and New Hampshire up 45% in July as New York slips in August

North Carolina sports betting rose 53% in July to $566.3m, which Gaming Intelligence attributes to the FIFA World Cup continuing to lift summer betting. New Hampshire handle grew 45% year on year to $68.9m, generating $7,738,559 in gross gaming revenue and $3,320,812 in tax to the New Hampshire Lottery.

New Hampshire's channel mix moved sharply: online accounted for 94.34% of all bets, while retail handle fell to $4,604,478, down 42% from July 2025. New York's mobile market slowed in August, with handle and revenue both down year on year ahead of the football season, and United States horse racing wagers fell 6% to $1.13bn.

Real App puts FanDuel odds and prediction markets in front of 1.5 million monthly users

Real App, a social sports app built around live play-by-play, real-time stats and fan conversation, has named FanDuel its first official and exclusive sportsbook and prediction market partner. The deal brings FanDuel odds and contextual markets into Real's live sports experience for its 1.5 million monthly active users.

Egyptian Legends built around a Mythical Progress Bar that unlocks features

A Mythical Progress Bar unlocking a series of features is the core element of the 5x6 slot, which combines cascading gameplay, five mythology-inspired features, multipliers, free spins and what the supplier describes as flexible bonus options.

Triple Beasts of Fortune links three free spins features across 1,024 payways

The five-reel slot is set on a supernatural Grand Canyon frontier where three crystal-linked free spins features can arrive alone, in pairs or all three together.

Bonus Spin Xtreme passes 1,000 installs across North America

AGS has now officially installed more than 1,000 units of its Bonus Spin Xtreme progressive platform across North America.

Phygitals graded card system added so operators can give away randomised trading cards

Vegangster has added Phygitals' graded card systems to its product offering. The technology provider's operator partners can now offer randomised Pokemon trading cards as rewards.

Multi-level progressive jackpots pushed further across Europe

IGT has focused recent effort on the global expansion of its multi-level progressive jackpot products, continuing to develop a genre it helped create.