Two British members of the Scattered Spider cybercrime collective who helped carry out the 2024 cyberattack on Transport for London have been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison, bringing to a close what the UK’s National Crime Agency described as the country’s biggest cybercrime prosecution to reach the courts.

While the Transport for London (TfL) breach was the focus of the prosecution, the case also provides one of the clearest public links yet between individuals convicted in the UK and the cybercrime group responsible for some of the most disruptive ransomware incidents in recent years, including the attacks on MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas.

Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, pleaded guilty last month before being sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday. Prosecutors said the pair infiltrated TfL’s systems between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3, 2024, forcing the transport operator to reset passwords for roughly 28,000 employees, disrupting multiple customer services and leaving the organization with about £29 million in recovery costs.

Authorities said the hackers gained extensive administrative access after using social engineering techniques to compromise employee credentials. Investigators recovered recordings, screenshots, chat logs and other digital evidence tying the pair to the intrusion.

The NCA described the defendants as members of Scattered Spider and said the Transport for London investigation was “lengthy, highly complex and painstaking.”

“The perseverance and meticulousness of our officers, and the work of our partner organisations, meant that Jubair and Flowers had no option other than to plead guilty and take responsibility for their offending,” said Paul Foster, deputy director and head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit.

“The profile of offenders like Flowers and Jubair demonstrates the increasing threat from cyber criminals based in the UK and other English-speaking countries, epitomised by Scattered Spider.”

Foster added: “This is why we work closely with partners at home and abroad to identify offenders within these networks and bring them to justice.”

TfL case exposes Scattered Spider network attack against MGM and Caesars

The case is thought to be significant beyond the TfL attack because both men were identified by the National Crime Agency as members of Scattered Spider, a loose network of primarily English-speaking hackers known for targeting major corporations through help desk impersonation, SIM-swapping and other social engineering tactics.

The same group attracted worldwide attention in September 2023 after breaching MGM Resorts International, triggering widespread outages that disabled hotel room keys, slot machines, payment systems and other operations across its casino properties. Caesars Entertainment was also compromised during the same campaign after attackers allegedly stole customer data. Those incidents established Scattered Spider as one of the most capable financially motivated cybercrime groups operating against large enterprises.

Security researchers say Scattered Spider is not a traditional organized gang but a loose collection of hackers connected through an underground online ecosystem known as “The Com.” 

According to KrebsOnSecurity, members collaborate across Telegram and Discord communities, sharing techniques, recruiting accomplices and coordinating attacks. The publication also reported that some participants in those communities have been linked to online “harm groups” involved in stalking, harassment, sextortion, doxing and coercing vulnerable victims into self-harm.

The outlet also states that the guilty pleas represented the first time key members of the group publicly admitted responsibility in a major criminal case. The report noted that Flowers separately admitted participating in conspiracies targeting U.S. healthcare providers SSM Health and Sutter Health.

Although prosecutors focused on the TfL intrusion, investigators have described the case as evidence of the growing threat posed by young, English-speaking cybercriminals operating from the UK. 

The National Crime Agency said the prosecution demonstrates its wider effort to identify and dismantle members of Scattered Spider working alongside international law enforcement partners, such as the FBI. The sentencing also comes as authorities and security researchers continue investigating the wider ecosystem surrounding the group, including links to cybercrime, SIM-swapping and online harassment communities that have helped fuel some of the most high-profile attacks against major companies in recent years.

Featured image: National Crime Agency

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Washington state officials and the Tulalip Tribes of Washington have reached a tentative agreement on a new amendment to the Tribe’s Class III gaming compact, bringing decades of revisions into a single governing document while introducing several changes for casino operations and regulation.

The Washington State Gambling Commission said the proposed twelfth amendment restates the original compact signed in 1991 and folds the first 11 amendments into one updated agreement. Regulators say the approach is designed to simplify administration while reflecting current gaming practices, public health priorities, and oversight standards that have evolved over more than three decades.

“The proposed compact amendment modernizes the first Tribal-State Gaming Compact signed in Washington 35 years ago and demonstrates the robust history of collaboration between the State and the Tribe. Together, the State and the Tribe continue to keep Class III gaming in Washington legal, honest, and well-regulated for the public.”

Tulalip Tribes Chairman Hazen Shopbell said the agreement would support both the Tribe and the surrounding region.

“These compact amendments reflect a strong government-to-government partnership between the Tulalip Tribes and the State of Washington. This agreement helps ensure we can continue providing essential services for our community, creating good jobs, and contributing to the regional economy while maintaining the high standards of regulation and integrity that have long defined tribal gaming in Washington.”

Tulalip compact update aligns with wider Washington reforms

The amendment replaces older contribution requirements, allows wagers of up to $50 on tribal lottery system player terminals in line with lottery ticket pricing, and raises the maximum wager for existing table games and electronic table games to $1,000.

It also creates a framework for sharing jackpots between the Tribe’s gaming facilities for table games and opens the door to adding as many as 1,000 extra player terminals through a phased process modeled on another Washington tribal compact.

Additional updates establish a new appendix covering tribal licensing and state background investigations, plus another defining terms used throughout the agreement. The proposal also spells out the Tribe’s continuing support for emergency services, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and charitable groups.

Public health measures are expanded as well. Casinos where smoking is otherwise permitted would be required to provide a designated non-smoking gaming room. The amendment also strengthens responsible gambling rules covering employee training, self-exclusion programs, responsible gaming signage, and self-imposed gambling limits.

The proposal now moves into public review. A joint hearing before the Senate Business, Trade & Economic Development Committee and the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee is scheduled for July 22, while the Gambling Commission is expected to vote on August 28.

If approved, the amendment will proceed to the Tulalip Tribal Chair, then the governor, before federal review by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The proposal follows similar compact modernization efforts involving the Puyallup Tribe, Squaxin Island Tribe, Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, reflecting a general effort to consolidate older agreements while updating gaming rules and responsible gambling standards.

Featured image: Canva

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Evolution has agreed to pay £4.75 million ($6.38 million) to resolve a license review by the UK Gambling Commission, ending an investigation that began in December 2024 into how its casino games became available on gambling websites serving British customers without the required license. The agreement closes a regulatory matter that had remained unresolved for more than a year while the company worked with the regulator to address the issue.

The review centered on findings that Evolution’s games appeared through two operators across six websites offering gambling services to people in Britain without UK authorization. The company said those operators got around existing restrictions and violated Evolution’s supply terms. It added that regulators found no evidence during the 18-month review of any wider unauthorized availability of its gaming content in the British market.

Evolution closes UK license review with settlement

The Gambling Commission opened the review after determining that UK players could reach Evolution games through operators that were not licensed by the regulator. When the investigation was announced in December 2024, Evolution said it had begun cooperating immediately. The company also said it blocked UK access to the identified websites while working with the Commission on the matter. At that time, Evolution said roughly 3% of its revenue came from the UK market.

Throughout the investigation, Evolution said it maintained close cooperation with the regulator and described that approach as consistent with its long-standing relationships with regulatory authorities. The company said it regularly relies on technical safeguards, legal action and commercial controls to detect unauthorized distribution of its games, reduce the risk of misuse and respond when problems are identified.

Evolution also said it ended its business relationships with the two operators involved as soon as it learned their websites might have allowed British consumers to access its games without authorization. Company executives said additional compliance measures have been introduced since the review started, including stronger ring-fencing controls intended to make unauthorized access more difficult. Evolution acknowledged that determined third parties may still attempt to bypass technical protections, but said it will continue investing in compliance systems while supporting enforcement efforts alongside regulators.

The settlement removes the uncertainty surrounding the licence review and, according to Evolution, fully concludes the matter with the UK Gambling Commission. The company said it remains focused on supporting regulated gambling markets while limiting access through unlicensed operators.

When the investigation was first disclosed, Evolution CEO Martin Carlesund said, “Evolution embraces the objectives of the review by the Commission. We are committed to support the licensed UK market as well as preventing unlicensed traffic. We are now taking forceful action using all technical tools available to us to ensure that our games only are available in the UK through Commission licensed operators. 

“We believe that a close collaboration to address our joint concerns will lead to swifter and better results. As always we remain committed to an open and transparent relationship with our regulators.”

Featured image: Evolution / UK Gambling Commission

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Kalshi says it spotted suspicious trading tied to markets on President Donald Trump’s speeches before anyone raised the issue publicly, then investigated the activity and alerted federal regulators.

The prediction market exchange offered its first public account of the matter Thursday (July 16) through a statement from Robert Denault, Kalshi’s Head of Legal and Enforcement. His comments followed reports that President Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator is believed to have earned more than $100,000 by betting on markets connected to the president’s speeches.

In a statement posted Thursday on X, Denault wrote: “The Kalshi surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated and referred these trades to the CFTC. We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided all evidence that we collected, as we do with any referral.”

His comments were the company’s first public explanation of how it responded after detecting the alleged trading. Kalshi said its surveillance systems identified the activity, its team reviewed the trades internally, and the company voluntarily turned over its findings to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

White House confirms action against Trump teleprompter over alleged Kalshi trades

Questions about the investigation quickly reached the White House during Thursday’s press briefing.

Reporters asked who would handle the president’s teleprompter duties after news surfaced that the longtime operator was under investigation. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was aware of the situation and confirmed President Trump had also been briefed.

“The president is too,” Leavitt said. “He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly, a disgrace.”

She said the individual is cooperating with the CFTC’s investigation and confirmed he would no longer carry out his White House responsibilities.

“There will be a teleprompter operator tonight, of course, but it will not be the one, unfortunately, in that story,” she said.

Leavitt also addressed questions about how the administration intends to avoid similar situations in the future. She pointed to existing ethics policies and announced that the employee had been placed on unpaid administrative leave.

“The administrative leave is unpaid, to be very clear,” she said. “That was a decision by the president.”

Regulators have not announced any enforcement action, and no criminal or civil charges have been made public. The investigation remains ongoing.

Questions focus on potential informational advantage

According to ABC News, the inquiry centers on Gabriel Perez, who served as one of President Trump’s teleprompter operators. The report said Perez allegedly profited by trading contracts linked to presidential speeches while having advance access to remarks before they were delivered publicly.

After the report was published, Perez’s LinkedIn profile was no longer publicly available.

The allegations have drawn attention because prediction markets depend on participants having access to the same public information. If someone possesses material nonpublic information that could affect an event’s outcome, regulators may examine whether that person gained an improper trading advantage.

Kalshi has stressed that it detected the activity through its own monitoring systems rather than waiting for an outside complaint. Denault’s statement also suggested that the company shared the evidence it gathered with federal regulators as part of its referral.

The exchange did not discuss details of the investigation beyond confirming its cooperation with the CFTC.

Kalshi says monitoring worked as intended

The investigation comes only months after Kalshi broadened its efforts to prevent insider trading across its platform.

In March 2026, the company introduced new automated safeguards intended to prevent politicians, political candidates, athletes, referees, and other insiders from participating in markets they could influence.

Instead of relying only on investigations after trades have been completed, Kalshi said the new technology is designed to stop prohibited traders before orders are executed.

The company also announced a partnership with integrity-monitoring firm IC360 to help screen participants connected to professional and collegiate sports. At the same time, it expanded oversight of political markets to include declared candidates.

Kalshi said those measures reflected growing regulatory attention, CFTC guidance, and legislative proposals focused on insider trading risks in prediction markets.

The exchange also rolled out a whistleblower tool that allows users to report suspicious trading directly from individual market pages.

At the time, Kalshi said: “Ensuring market integrity is not just a goal—it is a cornerstone of our business model.”

The company has increasingly drawn attention to those initiatives as prediction markets continue to expand into politics and other high-profile events.

Earlier this year, Kalshi also publicized disciplinary actions involving three political candidates: Minnesota state Sen. Matt Klein, Virginia Senate candidate Mark Moran, and Texas congressional candidate Ezekiel Enriquez.

According to the company, each case involved Kalshi Rule 5.17(z), which bars people who can influence an event’s outcome from trading contracts tied to that event.

The penalties included five-year suspensions from the platform, financial sanctions, and, in one instance, the disgorgement of trading profits.

Kalshi said those actions demonstrated that its surveillance systems were identifying prohibited activity and reinforced the value of expanding automated safeguards that could prevent questionable trades before they occur.

Featured image: RawPixel / CC0 license

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Entain is moving ahead with organizational changes that will lead to about 500 job losses as the Ladbrokes and Coral owner pushes to streamline its operations. The company confirmed the restructuring to ReadWrite, saying a number of positions across the group will be affected over the coming months as it reshapes the business.

“As part of our ongoing focus on enhancing Entain’s operational efficiency and agility, we have begun implementing organisational changes which will regrettably impact a number of roles across the Group over the months ahead. These changes will help make Entain a stronger, better business and are further demonstration of our strategic focus on maximising shareholder value.

We are consulting with all those affected to support them during this process.”

A person familiar with the plans said the changes will remove roughly 500 roles, representing about 2% of Entain’s global workforce. The restructuring comes as the gambling group continues looking for ways to offset rising costs and improve long-term performance.

Entain job cuts come amid restructuring 

The latest move follows Entain’s March financial results, when the company posted a statutory loss after tax of £681 million ($915 million) for 2025. Much of that loss stemmed from a £488 million ($656 million) impairment linked to higher UK gambling taxes introduced in the UK government’s November 2025 Budget.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased remote gaming duty from 21% to 40% from April 2026 and introduced a new 25% general betting duty for online gambling from April 2027. During the results presentation, Chief Executive Stella David warned that the measures could unintentionally benefit unlicensed operators.

“The UK government’s decision to dramatically increase taxes on the gambling sector was extremely disappointing,” David said.

She added that the higher tax burden “opens the door to the illegal black market who pay no tax, do not have a license, and have no player protections.”

The company’s response has extended beyond internal restructuring. Earlier this year, Entain confirmed it would end Coral’s sponsorship of the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival after 52 years, saying the tougher financial environment had forced it to reassess where sponsorship spending could be justified.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm Coral will not be renewing its long-standing sponsorship of the Coral Cup,” said Simon Clare, Entain’s PR and Sponsorship Director, in a statement to ReadWrite.

“Ending our sponsorship after 52 years is incredibly regrettable, but reflects the need to reassess where and how we invest under the new cost landscape.

“The Jockey Club remains a valued and long-standing partner, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration across the many major Coral and Ladbrokes sponsorships we continue to support.”

Despite the cuts and sponsorship changes, Entain says it remains committed to investing in its UK business and horse racing. The company believes larger operators can better absorb the higher tax burden and still expects to deliver at least £500 million in annual adjusted cash flow by 2028 through operational improvements.

Featured image: Entain

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Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is pressing prediction market platform Polymarket for answers about its marketing practices, arguing that paid influencer partnerships may have helped spread election misinformation while creating financial incentives tied to election betting.

In a July 14 letter to Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, the Illinois Democrat said he is concerned about “the role of prediction-market platforms in amplifying and profiting from election misinformation and false claims of voter fraud,” pointing to recent reporting about the company’s promotional activities.

Krishnamoorthi said those reports raise broader questions about how election prediction markets are marketed and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to stop misleading claims about election integrity from gaining traction. According to the letter, weaknesses in influencer, affiliate and sponsored-content programs may allow election misinformation to spread while benefiting platforms, paid promoters and market participants.

Election marketing concerns add to growing challenges for Polymarket

The lawmaker cited reporting involving both Polymarket and Kalshi, saying political influencers promoted election markets while also questioning the legitimacy of contested races. He wrote that these arrangements demonstrate how “inadequate guardrails in affiliate programs can enable sponsored content to blend with misleading election-fraud narratives.”

Krishnamoorthi also said Polymarket sponsored influencers who promoted election-denial claims while advertising active election betting markets. He argued that such arrangements create situations where both the company and its users “may financially benefit from speculation driven by allegations of election fraud.”

“These dynamics create dangerous incentives,” he wrote. “When political influence and financial incentives become intertwined, platforms risk incentivizing premature claims, misleading narratives, and false allegations before votes are fully counted or certified.”

The congressman also referenced reports that social media influencers cited prediction-market odds while falsely suggesting the Los Angeles mayoral election had been manipulated despite no evidence of fraud. He said combining market odds with those claims could undermine public confidence in elections.

The latest congressional scrutiny arrives as Polymarket faces pressure on several other fronts. In late June, the company disclosed that a compromised third-party vendor injected malicious code into parts of its frontend in what security researchers later identified as a phishing campaign rather than a breach of its underlying smart contracts. Researchers estimated attackers stole roughly $3 million before the company removed the malicious dependency and pledged to fully reimburse affected users.

At the same time, U.S. lawmakers had already urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to examine allegations surrounding Polymarket’s marketing practices following claims in ongoing litigation involving undisclosed paid influencers and promotions allegedly targeting American consumers. CNBC has also reported that the CFTC opened an investigation into Polymarket, although the agency has not publicly confirmed it.

Krishnamoorthi requested a response by July 28, seeking details about Polymarket’s influencer relationships, vetting procedures, internal discussions and election-related marketing policies. He also called for stronger safeguards, including clearer disclosures and restrictions on paid promotions that could mislead the public.

“Waiting until misinformation has already spread is insufficient,” Krishnamoorthi wrote. “Platforms that profit from election-related prediction markets have a responsibility to ensure that their products are not used to fuel false claims, undermine confidence in election results, or erode trust in free and fair elections.”

Featured image: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi via Facebook / Polymarket

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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has directed Kalshi to complete pending trades that the prediction market operator had previously unwound after a Michigan state court order. The move leaves the company arguing it is now trapped between conflicting legal demands from state and federal authorities.

The agency said it had stayed a Kalshi rule change and used its emergency authority to require the exchange to honor the affected trades. That decision effectively reverses Kalshi’s earlier response to the Michigan court order and prompted the company to say it is being forced into an impossible position.

Kalshi sharply criticized the regulator’s action in a statement from its Head of Enforcement and Legal Counsel, Robert Denault. The company said it reversed the trades only because it believed compliance with the Michigan court’s directive was mandatory.

“We are disappointed by this decision and believe it is unfair to Kalshi. We already acted and unwound the trades, as the Michigan court order required us to do,” Denault said.

The company said the CFTC’s order leaves it caught between state and federal authorities.

“We are being put in an impossible position, looking to follow state court orders that may contradict our federal regulatory obligations,” Denault said.

He added, “We did not have a choice.”

CFTC order deepens legal standoff between Michigan and Kalshi

According to the CFTC, the agency exercised its emergency authority to stay Kalshi’s rule change and require the exchange to fulfill the pending trades affected by the earlier unwind. Kalshi maintains it acted appropriately when it canceled those trades because it was complying with the Michigan court’s instructions. The company now says the federal directive conflicts with its obligations during the state court proceedings.

The latest dispute grows out of a lawsuit filed by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who alleges Kalshi is operating an unlicensed sports betting business in the state under the appearance of a federally regulated prediction market. The complaint argues Michigan residents can buy contracts tied to sporting events without approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board, violating state gambling laws and the Lawful Sports Betting Act.

State lawyers cited contracts tied to hockey, golf, basketball and other sporting events, saying customers profit if their predictions are correct. Michigan has argued that sports-based event contracts function as gambling, while Kalshi has consistently maintained that its products are financial instruments governed by federal commodities law rather than state gaming rules.

The legal fight recently shifted again after a federal judge sent the case back to Michigan state court, rejecting Kalshi’s effort to keep the dispute in federal court. That ruling cleared the way for Michigan’s request for a preliminary injunction to continue before the state court.

“A state cannot force a DCM to violate its obligations, and federal law does not permit a DCM to discriminate against a state’s residents,” said Chairman Michael S. Selig. 

“Canceling trades that have already been executed is an unprecedented step that risks a cascading effect on the entire marketplace and undermines the certainty in contracting that is a necessary component of a functioning market. The Commission will not allow states or state courts to bully registered entities into violating the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.”

Featured image: Kalshi / Canva

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Federal prosecutors have asked a federal judge in Brooklyn to schedule guilty plea hearings for 12 defendants accused of taking part in an alleged NBA-related scheme that cheated players during illegal poker games held across the United States.

In a July 14 letter seen by ReadWrite, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York told U.S. District Judge Ramon E. Reyes Jr. that Nelson Alvarez, Louis Apicella, John Gallo, Marco Garzon, Jamie Gilet, Shane Hennen, Horatio Hu, Zhen Hu, Nicholas Minucci, Michael Renzulli, Angelo Ruggiero Jr., and Julius Ziliani are expected to plead guilty to Count One of the indictment. Prosecutors asked the court to place change-of-plea hearings on its calendar and said an elements sheet for the offense accompanied the request.

Twelve defendants move toward guilty pleas in alleged NBA-related poker conspiracy

Count One charges conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors contend the conspiracy operated from at least 2019 and relied on sophisticated technology to secretly identify players’ cards before relaying that information to coordinated cheating teams. According to the indictment, the operation targeted illegal poker games in New York City and other locations around the country, leaving victims with losses that prosecutors previously estimated at more than $7.15 million.

Investigators allege the defendants used altered card-shuffling machines, hidden wireless devices and other technology to determine cards, predict winning hands and send information in real time to players seated at the tables. Members of the alleged teams then communicated through covert signals, giving them an advantage over opponents who believed they were participating in ordinary underground poker games.

The indictment, unsealed in October 2025, charged 31 people and alleged ties to members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families. Court filings describe two recurring Manhattan poker locations, identified as Washington Place and Lexington Avenue, where prosecutors say rigged games regularly took place. The Washington Place operation allegedly served as the central hub, while a participant known as the “Quarterback” was accused of relaying card information received through concealed technology.

Federal prosecutors have also alleged that organized crime figures approved or protected some of the gambling operations, collected portions of the proceeds and helped recover gambling debts. The indictment includes additional counts involving money laundering, extortion conspiracies and robbery conspiracy against various defendants, although the latest filing says these 12 defendants are expected to plead guilty only to the wire fraud conspiracy charge.

Several defendants named in the latest request, including Apicella, Gallo, Hennen, Zhen Hu, Renzulli and Ruggiero Jr., were previously identified by prosecutors as participants in the alleged cheating operation. Former NBA figures Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were also charged in the original case as alleged “Face Cards” who prosecutors say attracted wealthy poker players, while Jones has separately appeared in court filings connected to an ongoing federal sports betting investigation. The government has not said when the requested plea hearings will be scheduled.

Featured image: Canva

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Alberta officially opened its regulated online gambling market on Monday (July 13), creating one of the most significant developments in Canada’s iGaming industry since Ontario introduced its competitive framework in 2022. The new system begins with 22 registered online gambling sites, giving Albertans access to major international sportsbook and casino brands through a provincially regulated environment built around consumer safeguards and responsible gambling standards.

Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally joined Alberta iGaming Corporation CEO Dan Keene at a news conference in Edmonton to mark the launch. They said the province’s approach is designed to encourage players to leave offshore gambling websites and instead use licensed operators that must meet Alberta’s rules for accountability, security and player protection.

“Today, Albertans have a responsible legal alternative where operators are held to high standards of conduct and accountability and where player protection comes first,” Nally said.

Provincial officials said about 70% of Alberta’s online gambling activity had previously taken place through unregulated operators. By opening a legal market with licensed companies, the government hopes more players will choose platforms that follow provincial standards covering responsible gambling, advertising practices, privacy protections and data security.

Officials repeatedly framed the move as a response to an existing reality rather than an effort to expand gambling. Their message was that many Albertans were already placing bets online, but much of that activity happened outside the province’s oversight. The regulated market, they argued, gives players a safer option without changing the fact that online gambling was already widely available.

Major operators move into Alberta’s regulated market

The launch immediately creates one of Canada’s most competitive regulated iGaming markets, with several globally recognized companies available from the first day of operations.

Among the operators entering Alberta are bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, theScore Bet and Caesars Entertainment. Each combines online sports betting with casino gaming under Alberta’s new regulatory framework.

Caesars said Albertans can now access three separate online brands: Caesars Sportsbook & Casino, Caesars Palace Online Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino. According to the company, each platform targets a different audience. 

Caesars Palace focuses on a premium online casino experience, while Horseshoe Online Casino is aimed at value-conscious players. Caesars Sportsbook combines sports wagering with casino gaming and includes Same Game Parlays, Flex Parlays, live betting, player props and built-in responsible gaming features such as deposit limits, spending limits and cooling-off periods.

Technology suppliers are joining the market as well. Inspired Entertainment announced that its casino content is now live across Alberta’s regulated iGaming ecosystem, allowing licensed operators to offer its games through their platforms.

Alberta has already launched with a wide range of choices that mirrors the competitive environment already established in Ontario. Nally hopes that the variety will give players more incentive to move away from offshore websites that operate outside provincial oversight.

Consumer safeguards drive the new framework

Throughout the announcement, provincial representatives returned to one central theme: the purpose of regulation is consumer protection rather than encouraging more gambling.

Nally said Albertans were already participating in online gambling before the market officially opened. In his view, the province had to decide whether people would continue using websites beyond its control or have access to licensed platforms operating under Alberta’s standards.

“We are not bringing online gambling to Alberta. It is already here,” Nally said during the question-and-answer session. “If you’re not gambling today, please don’t start. But if you do gamble, we want player safety and player responsibility first.”

Licensed operators must provide responsible gambling tools that allow players to set deposit, spending and time limits. They are also required to supply activity statements, monitor for high-risk gambling behaviour and intervene when signs of problematic gambling emerge. Strict identity and age verification is mandatory, and advertising rules prohibit targeting minors and vulnerable individuals.

One feature highlighted by officials is a province-wide self-exclusion program. Through a single online portal, players can voluntarily block themselves from every regulated gambling website in Alberta as well as casinos and racing entertainment centres across the province. Officials described the centralized system as an important lesson drawn from Ontario’s earlier experience and said it creates a simpler process for people seeking help.

Keene said players will also be able to identify approved operators through the Alberta iGaming Corporation logo. The logo is intended to signal that a platform has satisfied provincial requirements for integrity, responsible gambling and regulatory compliance.

Alberta targets offshore gambling with regulated competition

Keene said another important objective is ensuring gambling revenue generated by Albertans remains within the province instead of flowing to offshore companies that are not subject to Alberta’s regulatory system.

Under the framework, 3% of total gross gaming revenue has been set aside for specific purposes. Two percent will go to First Nations, while the remaining 1% will support responsible gambling initiatives, research, mental health services and treatment programs. Revenue beyond those allocations will be directed to Alberta’s general revenue fund.

Nally said the province expects the market to generate about C$76 million during its first full year of operation. Even so, he emphasized that success will be measured less by tax revenue than by the number of players who shift from unregulated websites to licensed operators.

Officials acknowledged they cannot prevent Albertans from accessing offshore gambling sites. Instead, the province believes a competitive legal marketplace with recognizable brands, stronger consumer protections and consistent oversight will persuade more players to choose regulated platforms.

Alberta’s model closely resembles Ontario’s open-market approach while adding several responsible gambling measures, including the centralized self-exclusion system that applies across both online and land-based gambling venues. 

Featured image: Canva

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A new survey from Norway’s Lottery and Foundations Authority suggests suspected efforts to manipulate sporting events are still going largely unreported, even though athletes, coaches and officials are required to report them. The research, carried out in November 2025, gathered responses from people involved in basketball, football, handball and ice hockey to measure awareness of match manipulation, reporting habits and knowledge of integrity rules.

“There have been few match-fixing cases in Norway. The goal of the survey is to increase knowledge about the manipulation of sports competitions,” said Eirik Haugen Tysse, a lawyer with the Norwegian Lottery Authority.

The results show ten respondents said someone had approached them about manipulating a sporting event, while another 27 said they were aware of similar incidents. Even so, only one in five people who encountered or knew about such approaches reported them. Tysse said reporting remains one of the most important tools for preventing match-fixing and stressed that people covered by the regulations are obligated to report suspected attempts.

Knowledge of the rules has improved only slightly since a similar survey in 2023. Participants rated their familiarity with match-manipulation regulations at an average of 2.86 out of five, indicating there is still considerable room for improvement. Tysse said it was encouraging to see some progress but added that organizations responsible for protecting sporting integrity would continue their education efforts.

Norway match-fixing survey finds education and reporting remain the biggest integrity challenges

The survey also found uncertainty about inside information and how it applies to sports betting. Twenty-six respondents said they had been contacted by someone seeking non-public information that could influence betting markets, while many others were unsure whether such an approach had occurred. Nine respondents acknowledged using or sharing inside information, and several others said they did not know whether they had done so.

“This may indicate that some people are uncertain about where the boundary lies,” Tysse said.

The Norwegian findings mirror concerns emerging elsewhere in Europe. In the Netherlands, gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit reported a new pattern during 2025 after identifying four cases in which professional athletes placed bets on competitions connected to their own sporting careers. Officials warned that such behavior creates conflicts of interest and increases the risk that inside knowledge could influence betting activity.

“The SBIU received four reports about players who placed a bet on their own competition,” the regulator said in its translated report.

The Dutch authority said licensed operators cancelled the wagers, restricted or closed the betting accounts and alerted both regulators and sports federations. It also noted that most suspicious alerts still involved unusual betting patterns rather than confirmed manipulation.

Authorities in both countries argue education remains one of the strongest safeguards. Norway’s regulator said the latest survey highlights the need for better understanding of reporting duties and inside-information rules, while Canada’s Canadian Premier League recently completed a second year of anti-match-fixing training with the International Betting Integrity Association and PFA Canada, focusing on rules, responsibility and reporting as sports betting continues to expand.

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has lodged a formal complaint with the Bank of Lithuania, accusing Lithuanian payment service provider Walletto of processing payments connected to illegal online gambling operators. The trade body wants the central bank to investigate its findings and take tougher action against the financial networks that help unlicensed gambling websites reach customers across Europe.

The complaint follows an EGBA investigation into illegal gambling websites and mobile apps aimed at European consumers. During that work, the association said it carried out test transactions that indicated Walletto’s payment services were linked to deposits on several illegal gambling platforms. EGBA has now asked Lithuania’s financial regulator to examine those findings.

EGBA links payment access to illegal gambling growth in Lithuania

Although the complaint focuses on one payment provider, EGBA says the issue stretches well beyond a single company. According to the association, illegal gambling businesses depend on access to widely used payment methods and established card networks to continue operating outside licensed regulatory systems across the European Union. Without those payment channels, it argues, their ability to attract customers and process deposits would be significantly reduced.

The association also says players using illegal gambling sites can miss out on safeguards required from licensed operators. Those protections include stronger identity verification, safer gambling tools, anti-money laundering controls and confidence that legitimate winnings will be paid. EGBA further warned that weak identity checks may allow minors and self-excluded individuals to access those platforms.

“Payment providers should not be allowed to process transactions for illegal gambling operators. Illegal operators flourish by exploiting legitimate financial channels and the mainstream payment networks that consumers rely on every day,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA.

“Our aim is simple: to leave them no room to manoeuvre, and to cut off the payment channels they use to reach European consumers.”

Haijer added: “Card schemes also have a crucial role to play in combatting illegal transactions: they are better placed than anyone, as they set the rules for these payment networks and see transaction flows no one else can.”

The latest complaint comes a year after EGBA backed a Court of Justice of the European Union ruling involving Lithuania’s gambling advertising restrictions. The court found that amendments expanding the country’s advertising ban were not properly notified to the European Commission through the Technical Regulation Information System, making them unenforceable against businesses because of a procedural failure.

Following that decision, EGBA repeated that notifying draft gambling rules through the TRIS process is a fundamental safeguard for ensuring national laws comply with EU requirements. The association says effective enforcement depends on both proper legislative procedures and consistent action from financial regulators, payment providers, acquiring banks and card schemes to stop illegal operators from using legitimate payment infrastructure.

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The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) wants a federal judge in New York to hold off on briefing an expected motion to dismiss in its insider trading lawsuit against US Army Special Forces soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke, while a separate request to pause the civil case is considered. 

In a July 10 letter to the US District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr., the agency said the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has moved to intervene and is asking for a full stay until related criminal proceedings are finished.

According to the commission, granting that stay first would avoid unnecessary litigation over a motion that might not be addressed for some time. The agency said delaying the planned pre-motion conference would promote efficiency if the criminal case takes priority.

CFTC court battle in US soldier insider trading case shifts to procedural dispute

The latest filing follows a July 6 request from Van Dyke’s attorneys asking the court to move quickly toward considering dismissal of the civil complaint. They argued the allegations “have already caused serious negative effects on Van Dyke’s reputation, career, and family” and urged the court to move the case forward “as expeditiously as possible.”

The CFTC sued Van Dyke in April, accusing him of misusing confidential government information obtained during operations targeting former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Federal prosecutors separately allege the 38-year-old used classified planning information while stationed at Fort Bragg to place roughly $33,000 in Polymarket wagers linked to the operation, later turning those trades into about $409,881 after Maduro was captured. The commission alleges he received more than $436,000 through related event-contract trading.

Van Dyke has signaled he will argue the prediction market contracts do not qualify as swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act. His lawyers contend the contracts were “settled based on the occurrence or non-occurrence of a specified future event with potential financial, economic, or commercial consequences.” They also maintain the case is unprecedented, raises due process concerns, invokes the rule of lenity, and shows the commission exceeded its authority through Regulation 180.1.

The CFTC rejected those arguments. It said the contracts “fall squarely within the unambiguous definition of a swap” under the Commodity Exchange Act and that Regulation 180.1 “was properly promulgated pursuant to an express congressional delegation of authority.”

The agency also said its complaint plausibly alleges the contracts depended on whether a specified event occurred and involved potential financial or commercial consequences, including possible effects on crude oil prices, Venezuelan government bonds and the Venezuelan bolívar. 

It further argued that insider trading enforcement under the Commodity Exchange Act is well established, the civil nature of the lawsuit makes the rule of lenity inapplicable, and Congress expressly authorized the regulation supporting its claims. The court has not yet ruled on the requested stay.

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DraftKings has officially expanded its online poker platform into a shared player network covering Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey after securing approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The regulator announced the decision Monday (July 13), while the multi-state platform itself went live on July 8, 2026.

In Michigan, DraftKings operates its poker product through the Bay Mills Indian Community. State officials said the operator satisfied every requirement needed to offer interstate online poker following what they described as a comprehensive regulatory review.

DraftKings joins Michigan interstate poker ecosystem

The approval means eligible Michigan players can now compete against opponents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey through one combined player pool instead of being limited to games within state borders. The larger network is expected to increase game availability and support bigger tournament fields by bringing together more participants.

Michigan became a member of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in 2022. The compact also includes Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Before joining the agreement, online poker players located in Michigan could only face other players inside the state.

“This approval reflects the strength of our partnership with Bay Mills Indian Community and the thoroughness of our regulatory process,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said in a statement. “As Michigan’s multistate poker network continues to grow, we remain focused on ensuring every operator meets the same high bar for fairness, security, and player protection.”

The MGCB said approving DraftKings supports its broader effort to expand legal online gaming while maintaining standards for fairness, security, integrity, and responsible gambling. The agency also directed players to additional information about interstate poker, including the Multistate Poker Submission Form available through the regulator.

The latest authorization follows another significant decision earlier this year involving FanDuel. In April, the MGCB approved FanDuel to connect its online poker platform with players in other participating states after reviewing its geolocation systems, data security measures, and responsible gaming controls.

“FanDuel is a well-established operator in the Michigan gaming market,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said.

“Michigan players can have confidence in the integrity of the games they play, backed by the same rigorous oversight the MGCB applies across all licensed gaming activity.”

Although FanDuel received regulatory approval, the company has not announced a launch date for its multi-state poker network in Michigan.

State officials have stressed that Michigan players remain subject to the state’s identity verification, age restrictions, and responsible gaming protections even when competing against players elsewhere. The regulator also continues encouraging residents to treat gambling as entertainment and highlighted available support, including self-exclusion programs, responsible gaming initiatives, and free access to Gamban gambling-blocking software for Michigan residents through its partnership with the provider.

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Bryce Harper says a personalized Cameo video he recorded was never intended to become part of a FanDuel gambling promotion, pushing back after reporting linked the clip to a high-value sportsbook customer. The Philadelphia Phillies star said he believed he was simply creating a holiday greeting for a fan and had no idea it would later appear in marketing connected to gambling.

Responding on social media to reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Harper said he joined Cameo to make personalized paid videos and expected requests on the platform to be genuine fan messages rather than commercial campaigns.

“In response to a recent article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, I want to provide the following facts,” Harper wrote.

Harper explained that in November 2024 a user identified only as “Bryttanni” ordered a personal “holiday video for Terry.” He said Cameo offered a separate category for business requests, and nothing about this order suggested it would be used commercially. According to Harper, the request included a brief script that he read “in good faith.”

“FanDuel then put its own logo on the video and used it as a gambling promotion. I did not know FanDuel would do this, I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it,” Harper said.

He also said he would never have recorded the message had he known FanDuel’s intentions or anything about the recipient or “any alleged ‘partnership’ between Cameo and FanDuel.”

“Contrary to the Inquirer’s suggestion, I did not know the Cameo video would be used for a FanDuel VIP promotion, and I have no affiliation with FanDuel whatsoever,” he wrote.

Harper ended his statement by saying his counsel had advised him not to comment further.

Harper FanDuel dispute adds to betting integrity debate

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said it knows about the matter but emphasized the customer involved is based in Pennsylvania. Spokesperson Thomas Mills said regulators remain focused on a wider examination of sportsbook VIP programs rather than announcing any enforcement action tied to Harper or FanDuel.

“The Commission is aware of the matter. This situation involves a Pennsylvania patron. We maintain a close working relationship with other jurisdictions. The MGC is looking into VIP programs as a whole. This project has been moving along, and an update could be placed on an agenda as early as this fall,” Mills said.

The dispute arrives as gambling’s relationship with professional sports faces growing scrutiny. Senator Richard Blumenthal has asked MLB and other major leagues to detail their sportsbook and prediction-market partnerships, warning that expanding betting ties could affect integrity, athlete safety, addiction risks, and oversight. He has also questioned how leagues monitor suspicious wagering and whether financial incentives influence policy decisions.

Meanwhile, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue fighting federal gambling-related charges. Their defense argues intercepted messages cited by prosecutors referred to legal rooster betting in the Dominican Republic rather than baseball wagering, while both players remain on paid non-disciplinary leave before jury selection was scheduled for May 2026.

ReadWrite has reached out to FanDuel for comment.

Featured image: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA via WikiCommons / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Amazon and consumers suing the company have asked a federal judge in Washington to give preliminary approval to an unusual class action settlement that would let consumers pursue more than $201 million from app developers instead of collecting directly from Amazon.

The unopposed motion, filed July 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, would resolve claims that Amazon violated Washington gambling law and the state’s Consumer Protection Act by processing payments for virtual casino chips sold in more than 200 social casino apps on the Amazon Appstore. Amazon denies wrongdoing and liability but is not opposing the requested procedural steps.

“The proposed Settlement converts a difficult and risky litigation into a clear path to financial recovery whereby Settlement Class Members can get back the same portion of spending as in the prior developer settlements—which for Settlement Class Members with the highest spending levels results in life-changing sums.” – Steven Horn et al. vs Amazon

The case began in November 2023 when plaintiff Steven Horn alleged Amazon served as the exclusive payment processor for in-app chip purchases while keeping a 30% commission from every transaction. The complaint argues Amazon shares responsibility with developers because it helped facilitate transactions involving games that allegedly qualify as illegal gambling under Washington law. Amazon disputes those claims and says, among other defenses, that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields it from liability.

An Amazon spokesperson told ReadWrite: “We’re pleased to have reached a settlement in this matter. The resolution allows us to continue offering choice in our Appstore while requiring developers to make changes that improve the customer experience. As has always been true, all apps in our Appstore must comply with applicable laws, and we retain the ability to remove any app at any time.”

Amazon gambling settlement shifts claims to developers

Rather than requiring Amazon to pay the full amount, the parties propose a $201,355,607.75 covenant judgment reflecting 30% of class spending across the social casino apps. Amazon would provide $2.5 million for notice and settlement administration. In exchange, class members would agree not to enforce the judgment against Amazon. Instead, Amazon would transfer its contractual indemnification rights against 32 app developers to a litigation trust, which would pursue those companies and distribute any money recovered to the class.

Plaintiffs told the court the arrangement recognizes Amazon’s distinct legal position because it can raise defenses, including Section 230 immunity, that developers generally cannot. They argue the agreement lets consumers pursue “the same percentage of the Class’s alleged damages” achieved in earlier developer settlements while reducing the uncertainty and delay of continued litigation. Court filings say six previous settlements involving social casino developers have returned more than $650 million to consumers.

The proposal also includes future changes for participating apps on the Amazon Appstore. Developers would have to let players continue after exhausting virtual chips without requiring another purchase. They would also need to provide spending limits, purchase blocking tools, and account suspension or closure options. Amazon would remove apps that fail to comply.

The Washington case arrives as other technology companies continue facing similar legal challenges. Apple, Google, and Meta are defending lawsuits alleging they profited from gambling-style apps on their platforms through payment processing and commissions. Reuters reported that U.S. District Judge Edward Davila rejected their bid to dismiss those claims entirely based on Section 230, allowing the litigation to continue while leaving room for future appeals.

The plaintiffs now want Judge Robert S. Lasnik to certify the settlement class, approve the notice plan, grant preliminary approval, and schedule a final approval hearing. Amazon continues to deny liability but “does not oppose the specific relief sought” in the motion.

UPDATE: Amazon comments added on July 14, 2026.

Featured image: Amazon via Canva

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Kalshi’s attempt to counter a Roosevelt Institute analysis of retail trading losses has triggered a wider public dispute, drawing criticism from gambling industry figures and prediction market observers. What began as a disagreement over research methods has changed into questions about how the company distinguishes professional trading firms from everyday customers when discussing activity on its platform.

The study takes ‘maker’ and ‘taker’ data from the Kalshi API and conflates these terms with ‘professional’ and ‘casual’ users. This is not accurate, and invalidates the claims of the study. – Kalshi

The Roosevelt Institute estimated that ordinary users of Kalshi and Polymarket together lost about $583.5 million through March 2025. Of that total, roughly $244.5 million was attributed to Kalshi. The report also concluded that about 86% of Kalshi traders lost money, while approximately 1% of users collected nearly 80% of overall profits.

Kalshi rejected those conclusions and argued the underlying analysis incorrectly grouped institutional market makers with retail participants. The company said professional market makers and other liquidity providers generate about 97% of trading volume, leaving retail customers responsible for only around 3%. Because of that, Kalshi argued the report assigned institutional losses to ordinary users and produced what it described as an inaccurate estimate of retail losses.

Critics argue Kalshi applies inconsistent customer classifications amid Roosevelt Institute report retail loss debate

That explanation has not persuaded several prominent critics.

Author Steven Seril questioned Kalshi’s claim that institutional market makers should be viewed as peers of regular customers.

“YOU claim that your market makers like SIG are ‘peers.’ YOU claim they are included with ordinary users. Yet, they get benefits & fee discounts. They have algorithms linked directly to your platform which react to market situations at a rate of speed, accuracy, and efficiency,” Seril wrote on X.

Seril argued that firms receiving fee discounts and direct technological integration with the exchange operate under fundamentally different conditions than retail traders.

Former DraftKings executive Jon Aguiar also challenged Kalshi’s position, suggesting the company’s description of market makers shifts depending on the context.

“So just to be clear. When a market maker lays $30,000 to win $5 all $30,005 is handle that shows @Kalshi is bigger and growing fast but when the market maker loses that parlay the loss is not actually a loss because the market maker is not a real customer?” Aguiar wrote.

His remarks echoed a broader criticism that institutional trading is highlighted when discussing platform growth but treated differently when customer losses become the focus.

The discussion has expanded beyond the Roosevelt Institute’s methodology. Sportico assistant editor Dan Bernstein pointed to Kalshi’s expanding parlay product as another way to examine retail outcomes.

“Just parlays, just through April: $117 million,” Bernstein wrote.

He added that “Takers are an almost perfect proxy for retail users on parlays, considering you can’t be a maker in the app,” suggesting parlay bettors provide a clearer measure because app users cannot serve as liquidity providers there.

Other social media users dismissed Kalshi’s response outright.

“Rich coming from a ‘prediction market’ blaming methodology for retail losses,” one X user wrote while sharing Bernstein’s analysis.

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A Ninth Circuit panel spent Friday’s oral argument closely examining whether Kalshi Inc. and Robinhood Markets can keep offering sports event contracts to people located on tribal lands while the underlying lawsuit moves forward. The appeal stems from a district court decision denying a preliminary injunction requested by three California tribes in Blue Lake Rancheria, et al. v. Kalshi, Inc., et al.

Representing Blue Lake Rancheria, Chicken Ranch Rancheria and Picayune Rancheria, attorney Lester Marston argued the contracts become Class III gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act whenever someone enters into one from tribal land.

“I go on the Blue Lake Rancheria … I see a Kalshi app and I download the app,” he said. Marston then described a user placing money on a sports contract whose payout would depend on the outcome of a game.

“If it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck,” Marston said.

A judge pointed to what appeared to be little practical difference between Kalshi’s product and a traditional sportsbook, noting Kalshi’s counsel had acknowledged the same transaction would be barred through DraftKings but allowed through Kalshi.

Tribal gaming protections dominate Kalshi Ninth Circuit appeal

Marston said the legal status changes once the activity occurs on tribal land. “The moment they come onto the reservation,” Marston argued, Kalshi is violating federal law and the civil provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. He relied on Supreme Court precedent recognizing that conduct lawful elsewhere can become unlawful on a reservation.

He also argued tribal gaming ordinances, tribal-state compacts and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act work together as a single regulatory system. In his view, ordinances restrict gaming unless specifically authorized, the compacts require compliance with those ordinances, and violating an ordinance therefore breaches the compact. Challenging Kalshi’s reliance on federal commodities regulation, he added, “What Congress giveth, Congress taketh away,” while pointing to savings clauses he said preserve authority under other federal statutes.

Kalshi attorney Grant Mainland urged the panel to decide the appeal on narrower grounds. He argued the tribes cannot sue under the provision they cited because it authorizes claims only for gaming conducted in violation of a tribal-state compact. “There is no language in any compact or in any secretarial procedures that Kalshi could have violated here,” Mainland told the panel.

Mainland also maintained tribal ordinances are legally separate from the compacts and said the tribes never sought preliminary relief on the ordinance claim. When asked directly whether Kalshi’s products qualify as Class III gaming, he answered, “That is our position,” Mainland said when a judge asked him directly. “Not Class III gaming.”

The judges repeatedly questioned how Kalshi’s contracts differ in practice from sportsbook wagers. Mainland acknowledged there could be “some similarity” but argued designated contract markets and sportsbooks operate under different legal regimes.

Robinhood attorney Anthony Ryan focused on the injunction standard rather than the statutory dispute. “There’s no showing whatsoever,” Ryan argued, saying the tribes failed to demonstrate irreparable harm or customer diversion. The panel took the case under submission without issuing a ruling.

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Arizona gambling regulators have expanded their enforcement campaign against unlicensed online gambling operators, issuing cease-and-desist orders to five platforms after investigations the state says uncovered illegal gambling activity and access by underage users.

The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced enforcement actions against BetOpenly, Bookmaker, Club WPT Online Poker, Kutt Inc., and Raffle Creator. According to the department, each order alleges conduct that could support felony charges for promotion of gambling, illegal control of an enterprise, and money laundering.

The latest enforcement follows a series of similar actions by the ADG in 2025. In June, the regulator issued multiple cease-and-desist orders to unlicensed operators it said were illegally targeting Arizona residents with unauthorized gambling products, including slot-style casino games, sweepstakes models, sports betting, horse race wagering, and peer-to-peer betting exchanges. In August, the department also ordered Fliff Online Gambling, Thrillzz Mobile Gambling, BettySweeps Casino, and Pulsz Casino to stop offering gambling services in the state, alleging they were providing access to illegal online gambling platforms, including sweepstakes-style casino products and sports wagering.

“Arizona is taking decisive action against illegal gambling operators that put Arizonans at risk,” said Jackie Johnson, Department Director. 

“Our top priority is protecting Arizonans and I’m grateful for the efforts of our intelligence unit led by Chief Law Enforcement Officer Doug Jensen to do just that. Through these cease-and-desist orders we are putting operators on notice: their conduct runs contrary to Arizona law and they must stop promoting illegal gambling.”

The department said the current enforcement actions are part of broader public safety efforts tied to Arizona law, which prohibits gambling unless it is specifically authorized and sets the legal gambling age at 21.

Arizona intensifies action against illegal gambling operators

According to the department, BetOpenly operated peer-to-peer sports betting and casino games while benefiting from a commission structure that investigators say violates Arizona law. Regulators also allege the platform offered event wagering and daily fantasy sports contests without the required state licenses and made those activities available to underage Arizona users.

Bookmaker allegedly accepted wagers on horse racing, sports, and casino games without holding the licenses required under Arizona law. The department noted that online casino games remain illegal in Arizona.

Club WPT Online Poker is accused of allowing Arizona residents under 21 to participate in pay-to-play online poker tournaments for prizes while using what the department described as deceptive “no purchase necessary” language. The agency said online poker is not legal in Arizona.

The department said Kutt Inc. operated a platform that allowed users in Arizona to deposit money and wager on sports, politics, pop culture, and casino-style games. Regulators also argued that Arizona’s legal definition of social gambling does not permit a third party to profit from the activity.

Investigators also alleged that Raffle Creator enabled raffles that did not qualify for Arizona’s nonprofit raffle exception and allowed people younger than 21 to purchase tickets for prize drawings.

The cease-and-desist orders direct all five operators to immediately stop gambling operations in Arizona, whether online, through mobile applications, or by other means, and prohibit future illegal gambling activity in the state. The department said future enforcement could include criminal charges or civil actions against the companies, their principals, and employees, along with restitution claims from consumers and forfeiture of funds allegedly obtained through illegal conduct.

The ADG has repeatedly warned that many gambling platforms accessible in Arizona are neither licensed nor regulated, exposing users to risks including fraud, identity theft, and financial losses. The regulator also notes it cannot assist with disputes involving illegal or unregulated operators.

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Today in prediction market news, we’re tracking the biggest stories as they unfold, including a wave of new lawsuits facing Kalshi, Google’s decision to ban prediction market extensions from its stores, the CFTC’s approval of Optex Markets as a new prediction market exchange, Polymarket’s reported bid to secure a U.S. license for margin trading, fresh debate over insider trading and employee betting policies, and the latest state and federal regulatory developments. Follow along for live updates on prediction markets, regulation, sports event trading, crypto, and the companies shaping the industry’s next chapter.

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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed an executive order prohibiting executive branch employees from using nonpublic government information to profit through prediction markets, creating new ethics rules that also classify certain information as confidential when it could be be used to place wagers.

The order, signed July 9 as Executive Order 2026-02, prohibits state executive branch employees from using or disclosing nonpublic information obtained through their public service to earn money, avoid financial losses, or help another person or organization profit through participation in prediction markets. Employees who violate the policy may face dismissal or other disciplinary action and could also be referred to law enforcement, according to the executive order.

Governor Hobbs announced the order Thursday (July 9), saying it is intended to strengthen ethical standards as prediction markets continue to expand in popularity and scope.

“Arizonans deserve a state government that works for them, not one where insiders exploit public service for their own gain,” said Governor Katie Hobbs in an accompanying statement. 

“I’m proud to set clear, commonsense ethical standards on prediction markets to hold our government accountable. Public service is a privilege, and we will not tolerate anybody abusing that privilege to line their own pockets.”

The executive order points to existing Arizona law barring public officials and employees from using or disclosing confidential, nonpublic information. It says the proliferation of prediction markets—which allow users to trade contracts tied to the outcomes of elections, government actions, military operations, weather events, wildfires, sports and other real-world events—has created new opportunities for insiders to misuse privileged information for financial gain. According to the order, public confidence is damaged when government employees use information obtained through their positions for personal profit.

Growing prediction market platforms prompt stronger insider trading safeguards in Arizona

The action follows recent media reports and federal indictments alleging that government employees outside Arizona used confidential federal information to win millions of dollars through prediction market wagers tied to government actions, including military operations involving Venezuela and Iran. The executive order states that such conduct could have endangered U.S. service members and underscores the need for clearer safeguards at the state level.

Beyond banning insider trading on prediction markets, the order formally designates as confidential any nonpublic information obtained by Arizona executive branch employees during public service that could reasonably be used to generate profits or avoid losses through prediction market transactions. The governor’s office said the additional designation is intended to reinforce public trust in state government.

Arizona is not alone in addressing the issue. Earlier this year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a similar policy prohibiting state employees from using confidential government information to trade on prediction markets, reflecting growing concern among state officials that expanding event-based trading platforms create new ethics challenges for public servants.

The Arizona order also comes as prediction markets face continued legal scrutiny. In a recent federal court decision, a judge blocked Arizona regulators from taking enforcement action against prediction market operator Kalshi while litigation over the company’s event contracts continues. The ruling allowed Kalshi to continue offering its federally regulated contracts in Arizona, highlighting the evolving legal landscape surrounding prediction markets even as states adopt stricter ethics policies for government employees.

The new policy applies to employees and officers in the Governor’s Office, executive departments, agencies, offices and most state boards and commissions. Limited exceptions include agencies headed by separately elected officials, the Arizona Corporation Commission and boards or commissions created by ballot measure after the November 1998 general election. The order also encourages other statewide elected officials, independent boards and commissions, as well as the judicial and legislative branches, to adopt similar standards. It took effect immediately upon the governor’s signature and will remain in force until repealed, replaced or rescinded by a future executive order.

Featured image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

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