Welcome to this week’s edition of iGaming News Weekly Digest, brought to you by the ONSEC team.
Tailored for digital casino operators, betting platform leaders, compliance officers, and cybersecurity professionals, this digest offers a sharp snapshot of the latest shifts in the global iGaming ecosystem. In this issue, we cover BetMGM’s bullish forecast, Cirsa’s €460M IPO, and a wave of proposed betting tax reforms in Brazil. We also track major regulatory developments in the U.S.—with multiple states moving to ban sweepstakes casinos—and spotlight a series of cybersecurity alerts, including a $90M crypto breach, over 19 million game-targeted attacks, and data leaks impacting over 800,000 gambling accounts.
Trends and Analytics
- BetMGM Raises 2025 Full-Year Forecast
BetMGM (Entain + MGM Resorts) raised its fiscal 2025 revenue guidance to $2.6 billion+, with at least $100 million core EBITDA, citing strong iGaming and online sports-betting growth.
Source: Reuters - Cirsa Files for €460M IPO in Spain
Blackstone-backed Spanish operator Cirsa filed to raise up to €460 million via an IPO on the Madrid stock exchange. The company reported €2.15 billion in revenue and €699 million in EBITDA for 2024.
Source: Reuters - Brazil Proposes Hike to Betting Tax
Brazil’s Ministry of Finance proposed raising gross gaming revenue taxes from 12% to 18%, drawing criticism from the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming and raising concerns over regulatory tightening in Latin America.
Source: Next.io - Canada Casino Rankings Updated for June 2025. Released its updated June 2025 rankings of Canadian online casinos, evaluating platforms based on licensing, fairness, mobile performance, and bonus transparency.
Source: Trading View - AI, Gamification, and AR/VR Drive iGaming Innovation
Reports highlight that AI-powered personalization, gamified mechanics, and AR/VR integration are becoming central to the next wave of iGaming platform development.
Source: Eye on Annapolis
Law and Regulation
- New York Poised to Ban Sweepstakes Casinos. New York’s Senate passed Senate Bill 5935 on June 11, followed by Assembly approval on June 17. The bill now awaits Governor Hochul’s signature and would prohibit dual-currency sweepstakes platforms that convert virtual coins into cash — effectively banning Chumba, LuckyLand, and similar services. Source: Yogonet
- Connecticut Enacts Sweepstakes Casino Ban. Governor Lamont signed Senate Bill 1235, making Connecticut the second U.S. state (after Montana) to ban sweepstakes-based “social casino” sites. The prohibition covers virtual gambling games mimicking real-money formats and takes effect October 1, 2025. Source: Next.io
- Ainsworth CEO Investigated in Europe. Austria’s economic prosecutor is investigating Ainsworth Game Technology’s CEO Harald Neumann over alleged corruption during his previous tenure at Novomatic. While most inquiries have been dropped, one remains active, although Neumann retains valid licensing in over 100 jurisdictions. Source: Next.io
- Maine Issues Warning on Unlicensed Platforms. Maine’s Gambling Control Unit issued a formal warning—around June 10–17—to residents against unregulated iGaming and sweepstakes platforms offering real-money payouts. Emphasizing limited legal options in the state, the warning urges consumers to steer clear. Source: National Law Review
- Louisiana Vetoes Sweeps Ban Bill. Louisiana Governor Landry vetoed Senate Bill 181, intended to outlaw sweepstakes casinos, citing its overly broad scope. The veto halted the prohibition effort, and it’s unlikely to be overridden. Source: Yo Go Net
Hacks and Data Breaches
- Hackers leaked the personal and financial data of 10,000 customers of VirtualMacOSX, a macOS cloud-hosting provider, exposing names, emails, passwords, and bank details on a public hacking forum. The breach, discovered on June 15, 2025, was confirmed by cybersecurity researchers and poses high risk for account takeovers and fraud. Many iGaming affiliates, fraud testers, and emulator users rely on VirtualMacOSX for automation and campaign testing—putting them at potential risk from this breach. Source: Hack Read
- Merkur’s Player Data Breach Exposes 800,000 Accounts. Ethical hacker Lilith Wittmann exposed a major data breach across several of Merkur’s German gambling sites, revealing access to over 800,000 players’ personal and financial data via insecure GraphQL queries. The breach included sensitive information like player IDs, banking details, login data, and self-exclusion statuses, prompting a public reprimand from the German regulator (GGL) and warnings to suppliers who had skipped mandatory penetration testing.This incident underscores systemic cybersecurity gaps in regulated online gambling platforms and highlights how neglecting basic security practices like annual pentests puts player data at serious risk. Source: IGB
- Gen Z’s favorite games used as bait in over 19 million attempted cyberattacks. Kaspersky detected over 19 million cyberattack attempts using fake downloads of Gen Z’s favorite games like GTA, Minecraft, and Call of Duty. These attacks targeted young gamers with malware, trojans, and credential stealers to hijack accounts, steal data, and distribute ransomware. Source: Ciso.in
- Hackers stole at least $90 million from Iran’s largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, by compromising its hot wallet infrastructure. The attackers, identified as Predatory Sparrow, later destroyed the funds by sending them to inaccessible wallets, disabling Nobitex’s operations and affecting over 10 million users. This high-profile attack on a financial platform illustrates the critical need for hot wallet and API security—especially for iGaming platforms that handle crypto deposits, payments, and web3-based betting systems. Source: Tech Crunch
Final Words
As iGaming continues to evolve at the intersection of finance, regulation, and cybersecurity, this week’s stories highlight the sector’s shifting risk landscape. From sweeping bans on sweepstakes casinos and European compliance crackdowns to sophisticated cyberattacks and AI-driven innovation, the stakes for operators have never been higher. Staying ahead means staying informed.
If you found this digest valuable, feel free to share it with colleagues and peers. A more resilient and forward-thinking iGaming industry starts with open dialogue and shared insight.
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