Industry roundup: week ending 6 November 2026

Five stories shaped the regulatory agenda this week: Austria's exit from its online gambling monopoly was pushed back at EU level, Finland and the Netherlands advanced their licensing processes, Italy set out tax rises and a concession extension in its 2027 budget, and Brazil's Supreme Federal Court heard arguments on the national betting ban. All five are reported by iGaming Business, linked under each heading.

Austria: licensing reform delayed after Maltese intervention

Amendments that would end Austria's online gambling monopoly and open an iGaming licensing system have been held up at EU level. The draft was due to clear the technical regulation notification period on 5 November, but a detailed opinion filed by the Maltese government triggered an automatic extension to 7 December. Observers quoted in the report still expect parliamentary passage before Christmas and entry into force on 1 January 2027. The commercial detail is unchanged: cross-border operators intending to apply must switch off online casino services for Austrian customers by 31 December 2026 or face an 18-month blackout, alongside a nine-month cooling-off period, settlement of player claims and backdated tax. Austria's sole online casino and lottery licence currently sits with Win2Day. Read the original.

What this means for operators: the delay does not move the 31 December switch-off date, so any operator serving Austrian customers from outside the market needs its exit and application plan finalised now.

Finland: more online licences approved ahead of the 2027 opening

Finland's National Police Board has continued approving online gambling licences ahead of partial liberalisation on 1 July 2027. Applications opened in March 2026, and oversight will transfer to a new Supervisory Agency once it is established. Wildz Group, which received its first licence in October 2026, has said it intends to launch 11 brands and apply for further licences. Suppliers run on a separate timetable: the B2B application window opens in July 2027, with supplier licences mandatory from 1 July 2028. Veikkaus keeps its monopoly over land-based machines, lotteries and scratchcards. Channelisation is estimated at around 50%, down from as high as 90% a decade ago, which remains the central argument for reform. Read the original.

What this means for operators: brand strategy is now a licensing question in Finland, because the number of brands an operator plans to run shapes how many licences it needs and when it should file.

Netherlands: KSA opens the totalisator licence tender

The Dutch Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) has set out the process for its single statutory totalisator licence, which carries the exclusive right to offer land-based pool betting on horse racing in the Netherlands. Online horse race betting is excluded and stays within the 2021 Gambling Act framework. Applications run from 4 January to 31 January 2027, with submission details expected on the regulator's website from December. The term is 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2032; the incumbent licence held by ZEbetting & Gaming Nederland expires on 30 June 2027. The non-refundable processing fee is 40,900 euros, up 27.8% on the previous procedure. Assessment covers corporate structure, operational continuity, integrity, outsourcing, incident response, player protection and match-fixing prevention, and applicants must show experience in offline sports betting. If more than one applicant passes, the winner is drawn by lot under notarial supervision. The holder must allocate 10% of monthly gross gaming revenue from Dutch horse and trotting races to the sport. Read the original.

What this means for operators: with a draw deciding between qualified bidders, all the value of the application work lies in clearing the assessment stage, so documentation quality matters more than competitive positioning.

Italy: higher machine taxes and concessions extended to 2029

Italy's 2027 budget bill, now before the Chamber of Deputies, raises the PREU levy on AWP slot machines from 24% to 25% and on video lottery terminals from 8.6% to 9.6% from 1 January 2027, with a reduced 20% rate for slots paying out at least 70% in prizes. Maximum stakes per slot game double from 1 euro to 2 euros and maximum prizes from 100 euros to 200 euros. Betting, slot, VLT and bingo concessions due to expire on 31 December 2026 are extended to the end of 2029 against set fees, including 14,250 euros a year per betting shop right where gambling is the main business. The scratchcard concession is extended to 2029 for 188 million euros. The bill also creates an ADM authorisation regime for esports and LAN gaming halls offering non-cash skill games. Technical estimates put the yield at about 952 million euros in 2027. There is no new levy on online gambling. Amendments are due by 17 November and parliament must approve the budget by 31 December. Read the original.

What this means for operators: the extension removes the immediate risk of concession expiry for land-based licensees, but the fee schedule and higher PREU should be modelled into 2027 budgets while the amendment window is open.

Brazil: Supreme Court hears arguments on the betting ban

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court held a public hearing on Provisional Measure 1.394, which bans betting in the country, with 34 entities taking part. Industry bodies argued the ban will drive consumers to unlicensed platforms and weaken integrity safeguards, citing 188 sites authorised by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets and more than 66,000 illegal sites blocked over 20 months of regulation. The Ministry of Justice requested the removal of 36,905 websites between 25 September and 29 October. The government defended the measure on public health grounds, with the Justice Minister describing betting platforms as an "architecture of dependency". Trade body ANJL is challenging the measure and has asked Minister Luiz Fux to suspend it while the case proceeds. Gambling-related harm was central to the government's case, a reminder that harm evidence now shapes market access decisions and not only conduct rules. Read the original.

What this means for operators: those with Brazilian exposure should treat the position as unsettled pending the court's decision and keep contractual exit and suspension provisions under review.

Planning your next licence application

Austria, Finland and the Netherlands all have deadlines or application windows inside the next few months, each with different evidential requirements. If you are weighing up a new market, a supplier licence or an exit from a grey market, get in touch and we will talk through the options.