How to direct trafic to gambling and betting: January results

Publication date: 04 Feb 2025

January 2025 was a busy month for the betting and gambling industry. There’s been significant news from Brazil, while legislative initiatives in Curaçao, France, and Thailand are of particular interest. 3S.INFO has gathered all the crucial information to help you boost traffic to casinos and bookmakers.

January 2025 for the betting and gambling legalization: laws, amendments, initiatives

The first month of 2025 started with news from Brazil: 81 operators were finally granted a local gambling license. This development effectively outlaws all other bookmakers.  According to the H2 Gambling Capital prediction, the volume of the country’s legal iGaming market in 2025 will amount to $3.7 billion.  Here’s a brief rundown of the latest developments from the scene in January:

• A working group between SPA (regulator – Secretariat of Prizes and Betting) and RFB (Federal Tax Service) on betting tax, named GTI-Bets, has been established.  
• The legal betting operation in Brazil has begun, and taxes are being collected. 12% on the gross gaming revenue (GGR) for operators, as well as 15% for players on winnings of about $550.
• At the same time, operators are aware that the authorities may seek to collect tax for the past 5 years. Meanwhile, the industry was in the process of introducing new legislation.

In Hong Kong, the first steps towards legalizing betting have been taken. In January 2025, Eric Fok, chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association (China), stated that the district stands to benefit from the introduction of a legal sports betting system on the outcome of local football matches. He made it clear that he has “notable support in favor of legalization,” but he also emphasized that this change cannot happen without Beijing’s consent.

Curaçao is experiencing intense debate surrounding gambling licensing reform. The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) is investigating the opposition, who called the regulator’s new licensing system “implausible and ridiculous.” Parliament approved the new licensing system for gambling and betting on December 17. The new system aims to enhance the quality of licenses issued in the jurisdiction by conducting additional due diligence and requesting more detailed information from applicants. The new system replaced the previous master license system. As a result, all previous license holders had to reapply. 

On January 1, 2025, Russia officially has a new gambling zone. It will be located on the territory of the passenger terminal of the Yalta Sea port (Crimea). It’s important to note that all casino operations in Russia are currently concentrated in designated gambling zones. Yantarnaya (Kaliningrad region), Primorye (Far East), and Sibirskaya Moneta (Altai region) were operational as of late 2024.

There is even more important news from Russia. In January 2025, a bill that would have criminalized online casino advertising was rejected. The proposed amendments would have imposed penalties for promoting illegal gambling sites, including fines, forced labor, and a prison term of up to six years.

Singapore continues to block illegal sites offering online casino and betting services. However, as of January 1, 2025, this function has been transferred under police supervision. According to data from the last 10 years, about 4 thousand resources were blocked in the country. In addition, 145 thousand payment transactions worth 27.2 million US dollars were prevented.

Thailand plans to introduce licensing of online gambling. The authorities are determined to bring the industry out of the underground and boost tax revenues. A special study to amend the current legislation is planned to be conducted in the coming months.  Earlier, major operators like MGM China and Las Vegas Sands identified Thailand as a promising market and expressed interest in entering it. 

France initiated the process of legalizing gambling, but then changed its mind.  This was due to protests by the trade association Casino de France, which unites about 200 land-based casinos. According to estimates by the National Office of France in 2023, approximately 3 million residents of the country actively engage in various forms of gambling and betting on offshore sites.  According to government forecasts, the regulated online casino industry could contribute approximately €1 billion annually to the country’s budget. 

Ukraine has signed (for the umpteenth time?) a law on the liquidation of KRAIL. On April 1, 2025, a new body will begin overseeing the work of bookmakers and casinos in the country. According to the results of 2024, the gambling sector of Ukraine contributed about $400 million to the budget, which is almost $168 million more than for 2023.  

Gambling and betting traffic sources in 2025: what changes are coming?

The world is about to get one more gambling platform. Social media has reported (as yet unconfirmed) that streaming service Kick.com intends to acquire “TikTok in the US.”

On January 8, 2025, Google’s platform changed the rules for advertising gambling and betting in Nigeria. The ban concerns the promotion of any “gambling-related products” (gambling vouchers and bonus codes, books and e-tutorials, tips, odds and handicaps).

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