Regulation, topic by topic
Comparative explainers on the rules that shape gambling markets — licensing models, tax, advertising, stake and deposit limits, affordability checks, AML, age verification, blocking and the new frontiers of sweepstakes and loot boxes.
Licensing
Licensing
Gambling Licensing Models Compared: Monopoly, Open Market, Hybrid
How countries license online gambling: state monopolies, open competitive markets, hybrids, sub-national systems and offshore licensing hubs.
Read guideLicensing
B2B Supplier Licensing: How Regulators Oversee Game Providers
Why regulators license game studios, platform providers and other B2B suppliers, and how the UK, Sweden, Malta, Ontario and US states do it.
Read guideEU Law
Tax
Marketing
Marketing
Gambling Advertising Rules Compared Across Key Markets
From Italy's near-total ban to Spain's 1am–5am broadcast window and Belgium's sponsorship phase-out: how countries restrict gambling advertising in 2026.
Read guideMarketing
Bonus and Promotion Restrictions: How Regulators Limit Inducements
How the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Ontario and others restrict gambling bonuses, wagering requirements and free bets in 2026.
Read guidePlayer Protection
Player Protection
Stake and Deposit Limits by Law: A Country Comparison
Legal stake caps and deposit limits compared: UK £5/£2 slot stakes, Germany's €1 spin and €1,000 monthly cap, Dutch thresholds, Belgium's €200 a week.
Read guidePlayer Protection
Affordability and Financial Risk Checks in Gambling Explained
How affordability and financial risk checks work in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and beyond, and what they mean for players.
Read guidePlayer Protection
National Self-Exclusion Registers Compared: GAMSTOP to BetStop
GAMSTOP, OASIS, CRUKS, Spelpaus, ROFUS, RGIAJ, RUA, BetStop and Brazil's new register compared: periods, scope, revocation and gaps.
Read guidePlayer Protection
Age Verification in Gambling: Legal Ages and How Checks Work
Minimum gambling ages compared (18, 19, 21) and how operators must verify age online, from the UK's pre-play checks to eID logins in the Nordics.
Read guideFinancial Crime
Enforcement
Emerging Issues
Emerging Issues
Sweepstakes and Social Casinos: The US Crackdown Explained
How dual-currency sweepstakes casinos work, why US states from New Jersey to California banned them in 2025–26, and how social casinos are regulated.
Read guideEmerging Issues
Loot Boxes and Gaming Regulation: Where the Law Stands in 2026
Are loot boxes gambling? Belgium's 2018 stance, the Dutch court reversal, UK industry principles, Australia's ratings and Brazil's 2026 ban for minors.
Read guide