Latest Gambling News: Colombia’s Constitutional Court Suspends VAT On Online Gambling, and more

Catch up on some of the stories our gambling compliance analysts have covered lately, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Colombia’s Constitutional Court Suspends VAT On Online Gambling

Colombia’s licensed online gambling operators will no longer have to pay an additional 19 percent value-added tax (VAT) on gross revenue, after the country’s top court suspended a presidential decree that declared a state of fiscal emergency.

President Gustavo Petro used that emergency status to enact a December 29 decree applying VAT to online gambling revenue, replacing a prior VAT regime based on player deposits.

Because the underlying emergency decree has been suspended, all further decrees enacted under its authority also are on hold until the Constitutional Court issues a final ruling on the issue at some point in the coming months.

The fact the emergency decree has been provisionally suspended suggests judges have “serious concerns” over its legality, according to Juan Camilo Carrasco, managing partner at Sora Lawyers in Bogota.

“For an industry already navigating complex regulatory waters, this creates both relief and uncertainty,” Carrasco wrote on LinkedIn. “Operators should prepare for potential scenarios while the Court deliberates.”

The 19 percent VAT had been applied since January 1 on top of a headline effective tax of 15 percent of revenue, more than doubling the overall tax burden.

Maryland Lottery Targets Online Sweepstakes Games

Maryland Lottery officials are seeking legislative support in their effort to crackdown on unlicensed “interactive games,” including sweepstakes casinos.

John Martin, director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, urged lawmakers to support Senate Bill 112, noting the bill’s provisions will allow the agency to effectively address illegal online platforms. [link over ‘Senate Bill 112’ ]

“Illegal online games are growing exponentially in Maryland because of ambiguities and loopholes in existing statues,” Martin said. “This legislation is intended to illuminate ambiguities and close any loopholes.”

Martin said the agency currently sends cease-and-desist letters and refers illegal operators to the appropriate law enforcement entities. He added that the agency has sent about 75 cease-and-desist letters, with about a 33 percent rate of success of companies leaving the state.

“Clarifying the language in statute to define illegal games as interactive games expressly covers online gaming entities,” said Martin. “Illegal operators do not register their businesses in Maryland. Therefore, taxes are not collected, state revenues are lost and consumer protections are ignored.”

Currently, there are 26 licensed online sports betting and fantasy sports operators in Maryland. Jennifer Basket, MLGCA’s director of legislation and policy, said SB 112 targets any unlicensed operator.

Opposition to the bill came from VGW and the Social and Promotional Games Association. SB 112 remains in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee awaiting a vote.

Virginia iGaming, Skill-Games Bills Advance In Committee

A bid to legalize iGaming and skill-games machines in Virginia advanced after a Senate committee approved changes to both measures, including banning the use of credit cards to gamble.

Senate Bill 118, sponsored by Democratic Senator Mamie Locke, cleared the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee by a 9-6 vote after a committee substitute measure that included statutory responsible gaming measures, such as mandating the use of player data for responsible gaming.

The bill also removed prepaid cards as a permitted payment method, following the earlier decision to ban credit cards. In addition, SB 118 also defines sweepstakes as “a promotional, advertising, or marketing event, contest or game … in which a prize or prize equivalent is awarded,” including through a dual-currency platform.

The committee by a vote of 8-6 also passed Senate Bill 661, authored by Senator Aaron Rouse, a Democrat, that would regulate and tax skill-game machines in the state. The bill sets an $800 fee per month, per machine, creates a voluntary exclusion program, and prohibits anyone under 21 from playing the games.

Rouse’s bill was amended to remove the use of credit cards to play the terminals, while also requiring all those who want to play the machines to show their identification to a store or truck stop employee before the game can be played.

The Gaming Subcommittee had voted down both SB 118 and SB 661 last week, but the committee’s votes on Wednesday sent the measures to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee for their consideration.

In addition, the committee advanced bills creating a Virginia Gaming Commission, tightening oversight of daily fantasy sports, and allowing Fairfax County to hold a referendum on the state’s sixth casino.

UK Government Launches New Illegal Gambling Taskforce

UK minister for gambling Baroness Twycross has announced the launch of a new illegal gambling taskforce to tackle the black market.

No concrete details have been shared on who is part of the taskforce or how it will work with the British Gambling Commission’s Illegal Gambling Hub that was launched last September.

However, Baroness Twycross said the taskforce is “uniting key players across the industry”, which includes tech companies and advisers as well as social media and payment platforms.

She added: “Our taskforce will work together over the next year to ensure that people who wish to gamble can do so safely, with the right protections in place.”

The announcement follows the UK government this week opening a new consultation on increasing Gambling Commission licence fees. The proposed fee increase is expected to help plug the regulator's annual budget deficits, with reserves drawn down after a period of higher spending and inflationary pressures.

The consultation weighs three potential plans to increase the British gambling regulator’s licence fees for operators: 30 percent, 20 percent and 20 percent plus 10 percent ring-fenced for combating illegal gambling.

The consultation has a closing date of 11:59pm on March 29, 2026.

Further Awareness And Education Around Problem Gambling Needed In Ireland, Study Finds

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) CEO, Anne Marie Caulfield, has cited a need for greater education and awareness of problem gambling.

It follows a study by the Economic and Research Institute’s Behavioural Research Unit that found problem gambling is much more likely among people who were exposed to gambling as children.

The study gathered anonymous online responses from a sample of more than 1,600 adults, with researchers comparing current gambling behaviour with childhood experiences.

The data showed a strong link that those who gambled as children were almost twice as likely to suffer from problem gambling as adults.

Having a parent who gambled increased the likelihood by a third, with parental attitudes towards gambling having a similar effect.

People who both gambled as children and had a parent who gambled a lot were four times more likely to suffer from problem gambling.

The findings support stronger regulation to reduce children’s exposure to gambling, including robust age-verification systems, restrictions on gambling advertising (such as TV watershed bans) and tighter controls on products that particularly appeal to children.

While addressing parental problem gambling may offer indirect protection, declining parental influence among younger cohorts suggests greater emphasis is needed on regulating accessibility and marketing beyond the family.

Recent child-protection measures introduced in countries like Ireland, the UK and Belgium highlight this shift, with further research needed to evaluate their effectiveness and clarify causal links to later problem gambling.

Following the publication of the findings, Caulfield stated that the findings provided clear evidence of the long-term potential harms of gambling resulting from exposure as a child.

She added that it reinforces the need for a “well-regulated gambling sector that protects children and those vulnerable to gambling harm”.

Caulfield concluded that all of this pointed to a greater need for awareness and education among young people and their parents/guardians on gambling-related harms.

OpenBet, Sportradar Exit American Gaming Association

The American Gaming Association (AGA) confirmed on Tuesday (January 27) that Sportradar and OpenBet are no longer members of the trade association but did not share a reason for their departure.

OpenBet supplies back-end services including risk management and geolocation to gaming operators, while Sportradar is the official data supplier to the National Hockey League and other professional sports leagues.

Messages seeking comment from OpenBet were not immediately returned. An AGA spokeswoman said it wished them well in their future endeavors.

"Sportradar has chosen not to renew its membership with the AGA in the ordinary course of business," the company said in an email. "The company remains fully committed to supporting a transparent, regulated sports-betting market."

OpenBet and Sportradar become the latest companies to exit the AGA. In November, DraftKings and FanDuel resigned their membership due to the AGA’s opposition to prediction markets. Fanatics resigned its membership several weeks later.

DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics have all launched prediction market products. MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, which have taken a more cautious approach to sports-event contracts, remain AGA members.

The AGA and Indian Gaming Association (IGA) have jointly urged Congress to intervene in the rapid expansion of sports-event contracts offered through online prediction markets, including Kalshi.

The two organizations sent a letter to Congress on January 12, warning the products were sports betting that operated outside of established gaming law, In the letter, the AGA and IGA described the issue as a definitive threat to state authority, tribal sovereignty, consumer protection, and the integrity of regulated financial markets.

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