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TOP-10 of countries setting trends in gambling laws 2025
In 2025, the global gambling regulation map is not a "single code," but a set of rapidly evolving practices. Trends are set by countries that either launch large-scale reforms for the first time or refine mature regimes: strengthen responsible play (RG), redraw advertising, introduce risk-oriented AML/KYC, standardize content technical certification and close holes between offline, online, betting and crypto payments. Below are ten jurisdictions that are particularly worth watching in 2025.
1) UK: Risk-based benchmark
Why in the top: the British model of remote licensing and supervision traditionally sets the standards: affordability assessments, rigid RG tools, limitations of "high-risk" mechanics, collaboration with payment systems and media.
What changes in 2025: point revision of RG requirements, adjusting behavioral risk tracking, tightening affiliate control.
What to learn: How to combine commercial product availability with deep compliance and protection for vulnerable players.
Risks: excesses in game availability checks, marketing pressure.
2) Malta (MGA): Content "passporting" and B2B standards
Why in the top: a historical hub for B2B providers and remote operators. The practice of mutual recognition of tests is strong, transparent requirements for platforms and content.
What changes in 2025: focus on data management, auditing event tracking, RG widgets out of the box, expanding requirements for third-party providers.
What to learn: How to build a modular compliance architecture for multiple markets.
Risks: the need to synchronize with stricter advertising and RG rules of individual EU countries.
3) Netherlands: tough advertising, strict RG and affiliate controls
Why in the top: one of the most "strict" European models for advertising, protecting young adults and responsible play.
What changes in 2025: narrowing risky creatives, increasing monitoring of "tunnels" from affiliates to the operator, mandatory RG mechanics and tracking the reality of the game.
What to learn: how to close the "gray" zones of marketing and streaming.
Risks: high costs of compliance and creative localization.
4) Germany: step-by-step legalisation with a focus on control
Why in the top: strict regime of tolerances to verticals, limits, technical requirements for product dynamics, centralized supervision.
What changes in 2025: technical adjustments to verticals, improvement of work with limits and limit gateways, development of joint registries.
What to learn: how to manage the risks of "high-speed" mechanics and introduce system limits.
Risks: the competitiveness of the legal proposal against the illegal.
5) Spain: advertising framework and consumer protection
Why in the top: one of the most thoughtful models for audience segmentation, show times, warnings and responsible messages.
What changes in 2025: adjusting content and influencer practices, controlling "almost winning," strengthening the protection of young players.
What to learn: how to combine a developed market with "micro-regulation" of advertising.
Risks: Restrictions on the growth of new brands and formats.
6) Italy: restart online mode and reboot competition
Why at the top: a large European market with high sensitivity to taxes and advertising restrictions, restarting online tolerances and conditions.
What changes in 2025: updating the terms of licenses/concessions, clarifying advertising frameworks, strengthening AML/KYC and technical certification.
What to learn: how to restart the rules to reduce illegal and support competition.
Risks: Entry costs for new players and certification "narrow necks."
7) Brazil: Latin America's new flagship
Why in the top: the launch of a comprehensive mode for online betting and iGaming is the largest reform in the region in years.
What changes in 2025: practical implementation: licenses, taxes, local payment stacks, RG and advertising; alignment of federation/state roles and sports integrity.
What to learn: how to build a large-scale white market from scratch with local payments and consumer protection.
Risks: speed of implementation, coordination of requirements between bodies and ligades.
8) USA: "mosaic" of states and mature sports betting
Why in the top: the largest sports betting market by revenue, where states compete in RG design, advertising, taxes and technological requirements (geofencing, interstate pools, etc.).
What changes in 2025: point tightening of advertising, control of affiliates, synchronization of sports integration centers and monitoring of suspicious bets.
What to learn: How to manage federalism and the competitive landscape of providers.
Risks: Interstate regulatory "saws" and pressure on unit-economics.
9) Canada (Ontario-model): High RG Standard Open Market
Why in the top: a unique "pseudo-federal" model with a separate Ontario open market, developed RG policy, strict advertising control and a clear role as a regulator.
What changes in 2025: adjustment of affiliate rules, interaction with sports and control of "high-risk" content.
What to learn: how to open a market with strong consumer protection without slipping into a monopoly.
Risks: Fragmentation by province, complexity of cross-Canadian strategies.
10) Australia: Advertising force control and protecting the vulnerable
Why in the top: one of the most active discussions on advertising rates and protecting young users, tight interaction with banks and media platforms.
What changes in 2025: tougher advertising content, focus on self-exclusion, cooling tools and restrictions on scoring incentives.
What to learn: how to restrain "aggressive" marketing patterns with high penetration of betting.
Risks: traffic migration to the gray zone and pressure on the media market.
Watchlist (Shortlist)
Philippines: a fine line between supporting B2B clusters and cleaning up gray practices.
South Africa and Kenya: mobile payments, RG and betting on local supervision mechanics.
UAE and Saudi Arabia: point pilots in tourism-cluster zones, sports events and high sensitivity to reputation.
India: continued "gluing" of heterogeneous rules between states and demarcation of skill vs chance.
LatAM outside Brazil (Peru, Chile, Colombia): tax synchronization, advertising, local payment rails.
7 common trends 2025 that form a "new normal"
1. Extraterritoriality 2. 0: more important is not the server and office, but the fact of targeting players in a particular country.
2. Default RG: limits, timeouts, reality checks, self-exclusion - mandatory baseline, plus behavioral risk analytics.
3. AML/KYC as a product layer: transparent verification, sanction filters, source of funds, anomaly monitoring and personnel training.
4. Advertising under a magnifying glass: age fences, prohibition of "almost winning," correct disclaimers, control of influencers and streamers.
5. Technical certification and B2B compliance: mutual recognition of tests, control of version changes, requirements for telemetry and logging.
6. Sports integration alliances: sharing suspicious betting data, insider betting bans, league codes and disciplinary practices.
7. Supervised crypto payments: whitelist assets, travel-rule chains, anonymity limits, blockchain analytics.
What does this mean for the operator and provider in 2025
Cartography of law: keep a live register of requirements for key markets (licenses, RG, advertising, taxes, crypto).
Modular software: "switches" of local rules (limits, language, currency, RG widgets), centralized logging.
Partner management: affiliates, PSP, anti-fraud, hosting - with contractual SLA/OLA and audit.
Data-governance: DPIA, data minimization, secure behavior analytics, protection of the vulnerable.
Team readiness: regular tabletop exercises, response plans, marketing and support training.
In 2025, trends are set by jurisdictions that are not afraid to tighten RG and advertising, while leaving a commercial "window" to the white market. The strategy of "compliance-by-design" wins: when legal requirements are built into the product, payments, analytics and marketing. Keep an eye on a dozen of this list - and you'll be one step ahead in what legal gambling will look like in the coming years.