This week in iGaming, performance and pressure are rising together. Operators are showcasing stronger digital economics—especially as major brands sharpen their 2026 profitability narratives—while regulators and courts continue to draw (and redraw) the line between traditional sportsbooks and fast-growing prediction-market “event contracts.” At the same time, the security environment remains unforgiving: Patch Tuesday volume, actively exploited vulnerabilities, and payment-provider disruption all reinforce that uptime, trust, and fraud loss are now tightly coupled to security response speed.
Trends & Analytics
BetMGM posts a record FY2025 update and outlines its 2026 profitability trajectory.
The operator reported strong YoY growth across iGaming and online sports, reinforcing “scale + efficiency” as the 2026 playbook.
Source: BetMGM / MGM Resorts IR
MGM’s digital segment (iGaming + online sports) drives earnings upside in Q4.
MGM Digital’s growth helped offset softer Vegas lodging trends, underscoring how online performance is now a core earnings lever.
Source: Reuters
New York’s January sports betting handle nears $2.5B, keeping the “$2B+ streak” alive.
January results highlight continued demand concentration among top operators and the durability of NY’s high-volume model.
Source: Sports Handle
Nevada Super Bowl betting falls to its lowest level since 2016 despite continued national growth narratives.
Nevada’s handle dip adds nuance to Super Bowl KPI reads—market maturity and channel mix matter.
Source: Reuters
AIBC Eurasia week in Dubai: AI-led product announcements intensify operator competition.
Pre-conference showcases and launches highlight how AI features are being packaged into retention, CRM, and game UX propositions.
Source: LiveDealers
Law & Regulation
Hawaii reopens the sports betting debate as a new gaming study group begins work.
The 2026 push signals momentum even in long-shot states, but process/structure questions could slow timelines.
Source: iGaming Business
Virginia online casino bills clear key committee hurdles (and sweepstakes language stays in focus).
Virginia’s 2026 session activity keeps iCasino legalization—and gray-market enforcement—on a fast-moving track.
Source: SBC Americas
Massachusetts judge gives Kalshi 30 days before a sports-event contracts ban takes effect without a gaming license.
The ruling escalates the “prediction markets vs. gaming regulators” boundary fight for operators and affiliates watching substitution risk.
Source: Reuters
Dutch regulator calls on operators to remove “Share your bet” features as a form of advertising exposure risk.
This is another sign EU regulators are treating viral mechanics as marketing—and subject to stricter protection standards.
Source: SiGMA
US 2026 legislative wave: sweepstakes crackdowns spread while expansion slows in some states.
A week’s roundup captures the patchwork reality—rapid enforcement in some jurisdictions and stalled progress in others.
Source: Gambling Insider
Hacks & Data Breaches
Microsoft February 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 58 flaws including multiple actively exploited zero-days.
For iGaming, patch speed matters most on endpoints used by finance, support, VIP, and admin operators (prime initial-access targets).
Source: BleepingComputer
Threat actors exploit SolarWinds Web Help Desk bugs to deploy tooling in attacks.
Helpdesk systems often sit on privileged lanes; compromise can become a fast pivot into identity, ticketing, and internal admin workflows.
Source: BleepingComputer
BridgePay payment gateway disruption after a ransomware attack.
Even when card data isn’t confirmed exposed, outages at payment providers can trigger cascading downtime and chargeback/fraud stress across merchants.
Source: TechRadar
Russian-linked threat activity targets a Microsoft Office zero-day; urgency remains high for M365 fleets.
Document-led initial access is still one of the most common ways attackers get a foothold—especially through finance, HR, and support inboxes.
Source: TechRadar
Winter Olympics systems targeted by suspected Russian-origin cyberattacks (event-sector disruption trend).
High-visibility events increasingly attract disruption campaigns—relevant for iGaming brands running promotions, sponsorships, or geo campaigns around major events.
Source: TechRadar
Final Words
Net-net: growth is there, but the winners in 2026 will be the ones who treat compliance + security as revenue protection—not a checkbox. If you want a practical view of where attackers can realistically pivot inside an iGaming environment (front-end/API surfaces, cashier/payment flows, KYC integrations, affiliate panels, admin tooling, and third-party access), ONSEC can help with iGaming-focused penetration testing and a prioritized remediation plan your engineering team can execute quickly.
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