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The importance of shaping the rules before they are fixed

By Andrew Tottenham

Managing Director, Tottenham & Co

There is a particular kind of institutional complacency that only reveals itself after the fact. The gambling industry is, in my experience, rather skilled at it. We are excellent at reacting to regulations that have already been imposed on us, moderately good at lobbying against regulations that are transparently aimed at us, and certainly where the EU is concerned, poor at engaging with the legislative process at the point where our input would actually matter.

It may be that national industry organisations are loathe to cede some level of control to transnational ones, preferring to work with their own parliamentarians and regulators. EU institutions, however, prefer an industry to speak with one voice; a single voice carries considerably more weight.

I confess that I too have not followed this particular development, only having recently been alerted to it by a somewhat frustrated Hermann Pamminger, General Secretary of the European Casino Association, at an industry event.

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The Euro News Revue

by Andrew Tottenham and Hannah Gannagé-Stewart

Researcher Challenges GSGB Participation Estimates With Administrative Data

Gambling Insider, 3 June 2026

The sorry tale of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) has come in for another tarnishing. Dan Waugh of Regulus Partners, relying on industry data, has concluded that gambling participation rates in the GSGB are overstated by between two times and seven times depending on the activity, which is more than likely due to the survey’s methodology. Despite being warned that the GSGB may overestimate gambling participation rates by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the Gambling Commission has stuck by its survey. Unfortunately, the Commission has painted itself into a corner over its thoroughly discredited survey and should disown it, but now they cannot easily find a way to abandon it without looking foolish. (AT)

Fifty licence applications received in Finland ahead of 2027 iGaming launch

iGaming Business, 9 June 2026

Figures released this week reveal that around 50 operators have applied for a Finnish igaming licence ahead of the country’s new regime launching next year. The majority are from foreign businesses, according to Juha Katainen, Senior Adviser of the National Police Board’s Gambling Administration. Operators are charged a €29,000 ($33,500) processing fee to apply. iGaming Business reports that “reliability and suitability” of applicants are central to the review process. However, stakeholders have complained that there remains a lack of clarity around the finer details of the regime. The National Police Board is aiming to review applications within six months. (HGS)

DSWV: Germany faces a €400m World Cup wagering blackhole

SBC News, 8 June 2026

Germany’s online sports betting operators estimate that between 30% and 40% of World Cup bets will be on unlicensed sites. Channelisation stats are trotted out by operators and regulators, but with no real way of knowing how accurate these figures are. In a paper I will give at the European Association for the Study of Gambling conference in Copenhagen in September, I will be arguing for a better methodology to estimate the size of the black market and explaining why it is important to know. (AT)

Commission pushes back deposit limit deadline in midst of UK affordability debate

SBC News, 27 May 2026

The Gambling Commission of Great Britain has extended the deadline for betting companies to implement new gross deposit limit requirements from 30 June to 30 September. The rules are designed to enhance existing consumer protections by clarifying the definition of a ‘deposit limit’ and how it is communicated to consumers. By the September deadline, operators will be expected to offer gross deposit limits to their customers, making sure only these are called ‘deposit limits’, and give them “at least equal prominence as other types of financial limit.” The range of financial risk and affordability measures introduced by the 2023 gambling review white paper continue to court controversy among industry stakeholders. (HGS)

Why stake limits haven’t slowed Britain’s online casino engine

European Gaming, 8 June 2026

Despite dire warnings from the industry that reducing the stakes on online casino games would have a negative impact on revenue and therefore taxes, recent statistics released by the GBGC have shown no such thing. Admittedly, there is always a lot of noise, but the climb in turnover and GGR continues. (AT)

Austria heads for online gambling liberalisation as draft law is leaked

iGaming Business, 27 May 2026

The Austrian Finance ministry has drafted a law that would enable “several providers” to offer online gambling in the country under a “strictly regulated licensing system”, according to a leaked document seen by iGaming Business. The move away from the current monopoly system is hoped to improve channelisation and clamp down on the black market. The new regime would continue to limit lotteries to a single licensed provider, currently Win2day, but open the market to an uncapped number of online casino operators, albeit only those with a minimum share capital of €10 million and a willingness to meet stringent player protection requirements. (HGS)