{"id":187,"date":"2025-05-21T13:03:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T18:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/igamings.news\/?p=187"},"modified":"2025-05-21T13:03:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T18:03:38","slug":"igaming-news-weekly-digest-5-21-global-casino-deals-accelerate-nj-igaming-surges-fake-slot-networks-and-scams-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/?p=187","title":{"rendered":"iGaming News Weekly Digest: 5\/21 \u2013 Global Casino Deals Accelerate, NJ iGaming Surges, Fake Slot Networks and Scams Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to this week\u2019s edition of <strong>iGaming News Weekly Digest<\/strong>, curated by the team at <a href=\"http:\/\/Onsec.io\"><strong>ONSEC<\/strong><\/a>. Tailored for iGaming operators, casino platforms, and betting leaders, this digest delivers the latest developments shaping the future of the industry\u2014from high-stakes casino investments and global expansion talks to evolving regulations and rising cybersecurity threats. In this issue, we spotlight Steve Cohen\u2019s $8B casino project near Citi Field, record-breaking iGaming revenues in New Jersey, and renewed momentum in Thailand\u2019s casino legislation. We also cover growing online fraud risks, from fake slot sites flagged by Gamecheck to phishing scams exploiting legitimate operator brands.<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed\u2014and stay secure\u2014with ONSEC.<\/p>\n<h1>Trends and Analytics<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Steve Cohen&#8217;s Casino Bid Advances<\/b>: Mets owner Steve Cohen&#8217;s $8B proposal to build a casino near Citi Field has cleared a significant hurdle. This development could potentially reshape the landscape of the gambling industry in the region. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/20\/us-news\/amazon-slayer-mike-gianaris-backs-bill-to-advance-steve-cohens-casino-bid\/\">New York Post<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b style=\"font-family: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif\">UFC Abu Dhabi Betting Odds<\/b><span style=\"font-family: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif\">: The opening betting odds for UFC Abu Dhabi have been released, with Whittaker favored over De Ridder. This event is expected to attract significant betting activity. Source: <\/span><a style=\"font-family: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/trentreinsmith\/2025\/05\/20\/ufc-abu-dhabi-opening-betting-odds--whittaker-favored-over-de-ridder\/\">Forbes<\/a><b><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>International Casino Operators in Talks with Thai Government<\/b>: Four international casino operators are reportedly in talks with the Thai government. This could potentially open up a new market for the global gambling industry. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/asgam.com\/2025\/05\/21\/four-international-casino-operators-holding-talks-with-thai-government\/\">Asia Gaming Brief<\/a><b><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>New Jersey Online Casinos Smash Revenue Records with $243.9M in March 2025<\/b>: Despite a decline in land-based casino revenue and sports betting, iGaming totals in New Jersey saw a significant increase of 23.7% in March 2025, smashing previous records. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.observertoday.com\/news\/2025\/05\/new-jersey-online-casinos-smash-revenue-records-with-243-9m-in-march-2025\/\">Observer Today<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Law and Regulation<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Four international casino operators holding talks with Thai government<\/b>: A special Senate committee is studying a Thai casino bill and four international casino operators are currently in talks with the Thai government. This could potentially lead to significant changes in the Thai gambling landscape. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/asgam.com\/2025\/05\/21\/four-international-casino-operators-holding-talks-with-thai-government\/\">ASGAM<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Sweepstakes Casino Ban Proposals Still Making Progress in Three States<\/b>: Proposals to ban sweepstakes casinos are still making progress in three states, despite the launch of Bally Bet Tennessee in the sports betting market. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamingtoday.com\/news\/plinkball-5000-mighty-mammoth-and-other-gaming-corps-slots-come-to-modo-sweeps-casino\/\">Gaming Today<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Dozens of UK betting companies in regulatory violation not made public<\/b>: Several UK betting giants have been spared regulatory action after secret deals with the UK regulator, despite being in violation of regulations. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/cdcgaming.com\/brief\/dozens-of-uk-betting-companies-in-regulatory-violation-not-made-public\/\">CDC Gaming<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Casino workers mobilize at Rhode Island legislature over smoking bill<\/b>: Casino workers in Rhode Island are mobilizing at the state legislature over a bill to ban smoking in casinos. The push for the ban has reignited debates at the State House. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/cdcgaming.com\/brief\/casino-workers-mobilize-at-rhode-island-legislature-over-smoking-bill\/\">CDC Gaming<\/a><\/li>\n<li><b>Illegal Gambling Probe Resignation<\/b>: The U.S. Attorney overseeing the illegal gambling probe involving Resorts World has resigned. This development could have significant implications for the casino industry in Nevada. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/sbcamericas.com\/2025\/05\/20\/attorney-ohtani-gambling-probe-resigns\/\">SBC Americas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Hacks and Data Breaches<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Navi Mumbai Businessman Defrauded of \u20b92.75 Crore via Online Casino Scam. <\/strong><span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">A businessman from Navi Mumbai lost \u20b92.75 crore (~$330,000) on the online gambling platform Satsports.com.<\/span> <span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">The site, which operated internationally and masked its location using a VPN, promised lucrative returns on games like Teen Patti and Casino.<\/span> <span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">After initial winnings, the user&#8217;s account balance dropped to zero, and the platform administrators provided vague responses.<\/span> <span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\">An FIR has been filed under the Information Technology Act, and investigations are ongoing.<\/span> <span class=\"\"><span class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\"><a class=\"flex h-4.5 overflow-hidden rounded-xl px-2 text-[0.5625em] font-medium text-token-text-secondary! bg-[#F4F4F4]! dark:bg-[#303030]! transition-colors duration-150 ease-in-out\" href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/mumbai\/navi-mumbai-bizman-loses-rs-2-75cr-in-online-gaming\/articleshow\/121320227.cms?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"relative start-0 bottom-0 flex h-full w-full items-center\"><span class=\"flex h-4 w-full items-center justify-between overflow-hidden\"><span class=\"max-w-full grow truncate overflow-hidden text-center\">The Times of India<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif;letter-spacing: -0.02em\">PointsBet Fined $500,000 for Breaching Spam and Self-Exclusion Laws. <\/strong>Australian online gambling company PointsBet was fined $500,000 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for sending 508 marketing messages to individuals who had self-excluded from gambling. <span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\" style=\"font-family: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif\">Additionally, the company sent 705 emails promoting betting products without an unsubscribe function, violating spam laws.<\/span> <span class=\"relative -mx-px my-[-0.2rem] rounded px-px py-[0.2rem] transition-colors duration-100 ease-in-out\" style=\"font-family: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif\">PointsBet has agreed to an enforceable undertaking to improve its compliance practices.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/next.io\/news\/regulation\/pointsbet-fined-a500k-spam-self-exclusion-breaches\/\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Albert Sans', sans-serif\"> Next.io<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong> PAGCOR Warns of Online Scam Using Lucky 7 Bingo\u2019s Name<\/strong><br \/>PAGCOR has issued a public alert about a fraudulent scheme impersonating licensed operator Lucky 7 Bingo Corporation. The scam involves a fake \u201cLucky 7 Bet Lottery\u201d offering high returns for upfront deposits using forged documents. PAGCOR clarified that Lucky 7 is only licensed for physical E-Games halls and has no authority to operate online. The regulator urges the public to verify licenses and report suspicious activity. <a href=\"https:\/\/sigma.world\/news\/pagcor-warns-of-scam-misusing-lucky-7-bingos-name\/\">Sigma<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Gamecheck Fights Back Against Fake Online Slots. <\/strong>Gamecheck has flagged over 1,000 casino sites hosting counterfeit slot games\u2014rigged copies that mimic popular titles but give operators total control over outcomes. Fake casinos like Lucky Green and Spinsala lure players with slick branding while slashing RTPs to near zero. The company now publishes weekly offender lists and offers blockchain-based verification tools. With enforcement still patchy, Gamecheck stresses transparency, player education, and industry-wide validation as key to restoring trust. <a href=\"https:\/\/sigma.world\/news\/gamecheck-cleaning-up-fake-slots\/\">Sigma\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><small>Sponsored by <a href=\"https:\/\/onsec.io\/?ref=acn&amp;utm_campaign=acn_news&amp;utm_medium=int\">ONSEC.io<\/a> &#8211; penetration testing for igaming industry<\/small><\/p>\n<h1>Final Words<\/h1>\n<p>As the iGaming landscape continues to shift\u2014driven by landmark casino investments, cross-border expansion, and an uptick in online fraud\u2014staying informed is more critical than ever. This week\u2019s developments highlight the growing divide between regulated and gray markets, the financial momentum of digital platforms, and the urgent need for proactive cybersecurity across the board.<\/p>\n<p>If you found this digest valuable, don\u2019t keep it to yourself\u2014share it with your team and peers in the iGaming industry. A more informed ecosystem is a more secure and resilient one, better equipped to thrive in an increasingly complex digital gambling world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to this week\u2019s edition of iGaming News Weekly Digest, curated by the team at ONSEC. Tailored for iGaming operators, casino platforms, and betting leaders, this digest delivers the latest developments shaping the future of the industry\u2014from high-stakes casino investments and global expansion talks to evolving regulations and rising cybersecurity threats. In this issue, we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-igaming"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/igamings.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}