World Cup Warnings, Nordic Regulations and Asian igaming

Weekend conversation corner - 19 June

Welcome to the twenty-second episode of the second season of the Weekend Conversation Corner, brought to you by Focus Gaming News! I'm your host, Oliver, and together with my co-host Charlotte, we are filtering through the noise to bring you a concise snapshot of this week's most important igaming developments from around the globe.

In this episode, we break down a major joint warning from nine European gambling regulators targeting non-compliant prediction markets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We also explore strict new responsible gambling proposals from Sweden, Finland's newly revealed online regulations ahead of their 2027 market launch, and Spain's impressive 13.9 per cent jump in Q1 online gambling revenue. Plus, we discuss insights from the Balkan Gaming Federation's Filip Jelavić on how poorly designed regulations can unintentionally fuel illegal markets.

Finally, we turn our attention to the East with a burning question from our "5 Leaders – 1 Question" segment: Are digital payment advances making regulated igaming viable in Asia, or do political barriers remain the decisive bottleneck?

Stay informed, stay inspired, and join us for another great conversation from Focus Gaming News!