Everyone is familiar with a New Year’s resolution, whether to get back in the gym, learn a new hobby, read more books, or perhaps something more professionally minded like staying up to date with the latest news in your industry.
If your resolution is the latter, you’re in the right place – and for readers returning from 2025 you may have noticed some changes. We’ve done a bit of a paint job, put in some new carpets and curtains, finally fixed that dripping tap, and hired a landscape gardner.
Readers, I’m SBC News’ Editor Ted Orme-Claye and I’d like to welcome you to the all-new SBC News. This is our redesigned platform to bring you all the news on the betting and gaming industry as we head into what looks set to be as busy a year then any.
So what then, in my opinion, are going to be the biggest stories covered on this platform this year?
The tax impact
Everyone knew this was coming. Tax, and particularly the regulatory and political debates around it across countless markets from Europe to Latin America, although it was easily the heated discourse around British taxation that dominated our headlines last year.
In November, it was announced that UK taxes on gaming would be going up. Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) on online betting will go up from 21% to 40% in April this year, and next year General Betting Duty (GBD) will also increase.
Elsewhere, France’s taxes also went up last year, while the Netherlands is now moving onto the next phase of taxation with a rate of 37.5% on GGR. In Brazil, the government has approved plans for the rate to go up to 15% by 2027 and to 18% by 2028.
The impact these could have will be significant, and we aim to make sure we’ve got all of it covered – whether this be a predicted boost to black markets, market exits and entries in response to changing tax dynamics, or reduced marketing spend and the knock on effects this may have.
New horizons
I don’t want to dive into this with just doom and gloom though. As ever, there are always new opportunities on the horizon, and governments continue to see this sector as an important economic one – they wouldn’t be putting taxes up if they didn’t after all.
Two nations to keep a close eye on are Estonia and the UAE, which both have ambitions of becoming local iGaming hubs for their respective regions. In Estonia’s case, this may be interesting news for operators but less positive news for the governments of Malta, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man.
The country is putting a tax rate of 4% on gambling, one point less than Malta’s rate of 5%. This is a clear move by the Estonian government to make its nation an attractive hub for gaming firms, both B2C and B2B, and some like Yolo Group already see the Baltic state as being a potential launchpad for regulated crypto betting in the EU.
Turning to the UAE, the country’s eCOGRA regulator and the expansion of its national lottery got a lot of attention in 2026. More and more firms are securing licences in the country, and SBC News will closely follow the potential for it to become a springboard for further Asian expansion plans.
Will everything always be political?
To answer my own question above, yes, I’m afraid so. The iGaming industry will always find itself in political crosshairs, whether for positive or negative reasons – the two topics discussed above explain why.
As we head into 2026, keeping on top of the political developments around iGaming will be a top priority. Starting close to home, despite taxes going up and the Gambling Act review recommendations being adopted, advocates for gaming reform in the UK are not slowing down.
Elsewhere, the Netherlands’ political situation seems to have stabilised, but there is still every chance that gaming reform will find its way back onto the political agenda. In Brazil, the huge growth of the local market following regulation on 1 January 2025 has its political detractors, including some government figures who have openly expressed regret.
Disruptors and market moves
Despite the challenges of taxation and regulatory uncertainty, iGaming is an industry constantly on the move. Last year saw, as usual, a lot of M&A. Flutter completed its takeovers of NSX in Brazil and Snai in Italy, Betclic bought a majority stake in Tipico, and Alwyn bought its own stake in PrizePicks while also agreeing to merge with OPAP.
These are just a few big examples, though what could happen this year is a bit harder to predict. With taxes biting into revenue and profits, there may be less financial ammo in operators’ arsenals to make big acquisitions.
However, at the same time, if smaller-to-mid sized firms struggle to foot the tax bills across various markets, they may look for a new lifeline in new ownership. Companies may also be forced to think outside the box more in 2026, whether with marketing, product development, or how they utilise new and emerging technologies.
On this topic, we’re particularly interested in the developing predictions markets space in the US and what bearing this is having on betting. Whether or not the predictions platforms can make a splash in Europe and if Europe-based predictions attempts, like Matchbook’s, can break the US market is also on our agenda
So, to put things simply – 2026 is going to be just as big and just as chaotic as 2025, and we aim to keep you covered.