News December 2025
Temporary facility to open in Virginia Operator News
Te Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise are set to open Live! Casino Virginia in Petersburg on January 22, 2026. Te temporary gaming facility will be in place
whilst construction advances on the $1.4bn permanent destination next door, planned for 2027. Te 75,000-square-foot temporary casino will host more than 900 slot machines, over 30 table games, a bar, and a quick-service restaurant. Te permanent facility will cover 445,000 square
feet and include 1,600 slot machines, more than 60 table games, a 200-room hotel with suites, a sportsbook, and nearly 20 food and beverage outlets.
Finland dismantles monopoly Legislation
Te Finnish government’s landmark legislative proposal will dismantle the current online gambling monopoly in Finland and introduce a partial licensing system, a critical step toward enhancing player safety and modernising the market.
“Tis legislative proposal aims to find a
regulatory solution for balancing the regulation combating gambling harm with the willingness of gambling operators to apply for a licence, and for shifting online gambling towards a range of regulated games,” said Minister of the Interior in Finland Mari Rantanen. Te government’s proposal officially
acknowledges that the current monopoly system has not succeeded in its objectives, noting that the monopoly’s market share in digital gambling is near 50 per cent. Tis means a large portion of play already occurs outside the state-regulated system. Te reform’s primary stated goals are to prevent and reduce
Bodó money laundering exposed Legislation
Te Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Norte has obtained the enactment of precautionary measures for the seizure, blocking, and unavailability of assets amounting to up to R$145m.
Te move comes after an investigation into a
scheme of irregular fixed-odds betting exploitation, initially supported by a municipal law in Bodó. It was demonstrated, by the Bodó City Hall
itself in public statements, that the companies collected around R$415m in just 10 months of
22
gambling-related harm and to improve the channeling rate by bringing all operators into a single, strictly supervised framework in Finland. Te new legislation outlines a clear timeline
and structure for the new market and is intended to launch on January 1, 2027. Te new license system will cover online casino games and online betting. Veikkaus Oy’s exclusive activities, such as the national lottery and physical slot machines, will be legally separated into a different entity within the same group. Gambling licences will be issued for a maximum of five years at a time. A cornerstone of the new legislation is a
strong, multi-layered focus on responsible gambling and player safety. Te proposal also details the new tax structure and enforcement model, creating strong incentives for both players and operators to join the regulated system. A uniform lottery tax will be set at 22 per cent of GGR for all licensed operators. In a move to boost channeling, winnings from unlicensed gambling sites will become taxable income for the player.
operation based on the transfer of two per cent of GGR to the City Hall of Bodó (about R$8m). Te scheme used the municipal agency
Lotseridó created by the Municipality of Bodó, as “a front” to lend an appearance of legality to dozens of online betting platforms. Bodó is a small municipality in the state of Rio
Grande do Norte in the Northeast region of Brazil. Te city’s municipal lottery was established at the end of 2024. Te size and scale of the money laundering scheme could signify trouble ahead for other municipal lotteries. Around 70 municipalities in the country have approved laws for municipal lotteries so far.
Victoria Gate Casino suspension lifted Operator News
Te UK Gambling Commission has lifted the suspension of Victoria Gate Casino’s licence following significant action taken by the Leeds operator. Tis has included widespread changes to the
casino’s leadership, AML and compliance supervisors, implementation of new anti-money laundering and safer gambling policies and procedures, improved staff training on AML and social responsibility, and a commitment to undergo an independent audit within six weeks. Te Commission said: “During the course of the
ongoing review, the Commission will continue to monitor the operator closely to ensure full and sustained compliance with the Licensing requirements is achieved.” Te suspension followed concerns that activities
may have been carried out contrary to the Act, not in accordance with conditions of their licence and that the Licensee may be unsuitable.
Banned individual gambles for 14 hours Operator News
Crown Melbourne has been fined $100,000 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission for allowing an excluded individual to gamble for nearly 15 hours. Te breach occurred on the evening of October 31
2024, when the person entered Crown Melbourne and gambled continuously for 14 hours and 40 minutes. Te person was not approached by a Crown PlaySafe attendant or any other employee. Te VGCCC acknowledged the individual made
efforts to conceal their identity but said the incident indicates that the implemented measures have not sufficiently mitigated potential shortcomings.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134
