SOFTSWISS reviews H1 regulatory trends
SOFTSWISS published an update to its trend report, reviewing how gambling regulation evolved in key markets during the first half of 2026. The provider identifies three major movements in the period: the launch of new licensing systems or the confirmation of their launch dates, significant tax increases in several countries, and growing attention from regulators towards payments, the application of financial measures, advertising, and player protection. The review focuses on changes that came into force or reached a formal milestone between January 1 and June 30.
In Europe, the provider frames the changes within the preparation for the new EU anti-money laundering regulation, which will be applicable from July 2027 and will replace much of the current framework with directly applicable rules. Finland began accepting license applications on March 1, with operations enabled from July 2027 and a 22 percent tax rate on gross gaming revenue, while Ireland opened its operator portal and issued its first remote licenses effective from July 1. In Malta, the challenge to Article 56A advanced before the Court of Justice of the European Union, with a preliminary opinion from an Advocate General suggesting abstention on procedural grounds, while the Netherlands raised the tax to 37.8 percent and introduced new compliance requirements, Sweden expanded restrictions on credit-funded gambling, and the United Kingdom increased the Remote Gaming Duty from 21 to 40 percent and abolished bingo tax.
In the Americas, Brazil entered its second year with a revised allocation of betting revenue and a stronger enforcement framework, which, through Decree 13.033, authorized the Secretariat of Prizes and Betting to order the blocking of accounts of unauthorized operators. Alberta converted its legislation into an operational plan with launches enabled from July 13, Chile kept its project under urgent consideration without yet converting it into law, Colombia established a national consumption tax of 16 percent on online gambling, and Mexico raised the tax from 30 to 50 percent, with a broader base for offshore providers. In the United States, the semester was marked by tax issues and jurisdictional disputes surrounding prediction markets, with lawsuits from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission against state actions.
The review also covers other regions. In Asia and the Middle East, India enacted its online gambling law with a regime that prohibits real-money games and creates a national authority, and the United Arab Emirates updated its civil law framework while commercial gambling continues under specific regulatory authority. In Oceania, New Zealand created the framework for its first online casino market with up to 15 licenses per brand and a competitive allocation process, and in Africa, Kenya moved from law to implementation with regulations requiring geolocation, real-time monitoring, and local storage of player data.
According to the provider, the common thread of the semester is that regulatory responsibility increasingly extends beyond operators to payment providers, platforms, and companies that enable the activity, in parallel with an open debate about the extent to which higher taxes and stricter restrictions strengthen player protection or weaken channeling to the legal market.
Tags: SOFTSWISS, 2026 regulatory trends, gambling taxes, player protection, SoftSwiss, Platforms, Aggregators