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Top gainers

Somalia +16.9% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced for the week, and Somalia’s base remains small. With gambling fully prohibited domestically and demand running entirely through offshore channels, week-to-week movement at this scale reads as a technical drift rather than an identifiable event hook.

Laos +14.3% — Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year) ran April 14–16, placing the three-day public holiday squarely inside the reporting week. Offices and schools closed nationwide, concentrating discretionary online time into the window and lifting search activity across leisure categories including iGaming.

El Salvador +13.5% — Classic mean-reversion after last week’s -11.7% drop. The recovery reads as a technical bounce rather than a response to any new local catalyst; no fresh policy, enforcement, or sporting event surfaced in-window. The prior week’s decline was itself shallow, so the retracement is mechanical.

Spain +11.8% — Copa del Rey final on April 18 delivered the peak sporting gravity of the week, with Atlético Madrid vs Real Sociedad going to extra time and penalties after a 2-2 draw at La Cartuja. La Liga matchday 32 on April 12–13 and Atlético’s Champions League semi-final build-up provided additional lift across the window.

Cambodia +11.4% — Choul Chnam Thmey (Khmer New Year) ran April 14–16 as a three-day public holiday, with schools, government offices and most businesses closed Tuesday through Thursday. The pattern mirrors Laos: the holiday cluster concentrates discretionary online time into the window, and the lift spills into adjacent categories including iGaming.

Top decliners

Ireland –23.3% — Pure event hangover after the prior week’s +33.8% surge. The Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on April 6 and the Aintree Grand National on April 11 both fell in Week 15, pulling Irish search activity to seasonal peak. With the Easter jumps festival over and no replacement hook in Week 16, demand compressed back toward baseline.

Chad –21.0% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced. The decline classifies as baseline drift rather than an identifiable suppression or hangover.

Switzerland –18.8% — No in-window catalyst surfaced. Swiss regulation remains structurally restrictive with DNS-blocking of unlicensed offshore platforms, but nothing specific to the April 13–19 window emerged. Ongoing commentary on the monopoly model appeared during the week but does not constitute a fresh suppression event. Classify as drift on a moderate base.

South Korea –16.6% — Suppression. Korea Sports Leisure launched a reward scheme on April 14 targeting illegal betting networks, with rewards up to KRW 200M ($135,000) for reports on illegal sports gambling operations. Public enforcement campaigns of this type compress visible search intent in markets where online gambling is prohibited for residents.

Liberia –16.4% — Suppression layer tightening. The National Lottery Authority is preparing measures to restrict radio stations from broadcasting betting promotions and interactive gambling programmes, following a Senate probe into rising unregulated gambling activity. Radio has been a key distribution channel for operators in Liberia, and the announcement coincided with Senate Committee hearings during the reporting window.

Market spotlight: South Africa | –14.8%

South Africa posted the single largest absolute movement of the week in either direction — a -14.8% compression on the continent’s largest regulated market, where gambling turnover reached ZAR1.5 trillion (~$91B) in 2024/25. The bulk of the drop aligned with two regulatory announcements dated April 8 and April 14, both inside the reporting window.

The mechanism is a stacked suppression layer. The National Gambling Board launched a verified-operator web portal on April 8, giving consumers a single register to confirm licensing status, then followed on April 14 with a direct warning to the public about illegal betting apps. Both sit on top of the October 2025 SCA ruling barring sports-betting operators from offering fixed-odds casino games, and the NGB’s early-2026 directive to Provincial Licensing Authorities on unauthorised Remote Gambling Server use. Three regulatory signals in six months.

The suppression layer is unlikely to lift in Q2. National Treasury’s proposed 20% GGR tax on online gambling remains under public comment, and the NGB has signalled cooperation with banks and payment providers to constrain flows to unauthorised operators. Expect continued WoW compression until the market clears the SCA ruling’s operational impact.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

Mixed, with Iberia-Italy as the defining axis on the upside. Spain’s +11.8% on the Copa del Rey final led the continent, with Italy just outside the top five at +11.0%. On the downside, Ireland’s -23.3% event hangover and Switzerland’s -18.8% drift produced the cleanest European losses, while Estonia (-14.8%) added a tail-end decline.

Asia-Pacific

Calendar-driven upside against structural downside. Laos (+14.3%), Cambodia (+11.4%) and Vietnam (+8.7%, just outside the top five) all caught Southeast Asian New Year lift during the April 14–16 holiday window. South Korea’s -16.6% was the regional counterweight on the new illegal-betting reward scheme.

Africa

Dominated by suppression. South Africa’s -14.8% and -3.2M absolute change set the tone, with Liberia (-16.4%), Chad (-21.0%) and Namibia (-14.7%) all declining — Namibia reflecting the ongoing gambling regulation reform consultation that ran through April 9, and Liberia reflecting the NLA radio restriction push. The Republic of the Congo (-15.0%) added to the African tail.

Next week watchlist

Southeast Asia — Post-holiday hangover 

Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam all ran elevated during the April 14–16 New Year cluster. Expect symmetric pullbacks in Week 17 as the holiday cohort returns to routine; the magnitude will depend on whether the lift pulled through genuine engagement or purely holiday-window availability.

Europe — Title races entering the final straight

The top European leagues are approaching the decisive stretch of the season. Premier League, La Liga and Serie A all have live title contests with fewer than six matchdays remaining, and the compression of meaningful fixtures typically generates sustained search lift through the final weeks of April and into May.

South Africa — Treasury online gambling tax consultation

Public comment on the proposed 20% GGR tax continues into Q2. Any formal draft-legislation movement from National Treasury would extend the current suppression and likely widen the WoW gap further.

Methodology note

Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.

Top gainers

Ukraine +38.9% — The Ukrainian Gambling Business Association formally countered the government’s universal military gambling ban proposal on April 10, arguing for a targeted case-by-case restriction model instead of a blanket block on over a million service members. The policy fight kept PlayCity, operator compliance, and the legal-versus-illegal market (estimated at 39–53% of total national volume) in continuous discussion all week.

Ireland +33.8% — Grand National week is the single biggest betting moment of the Irish calendar alongside Cheltenham, and Irish trainers dominate Aintree — Willie Mullins won the last two editions with I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett, and Irish yards fielded most of the 2026 contenders. 

Turkey +33.3% — The Süper Lig title race entered its final stretch with Galatasaray leading, Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor chasing. Combined with Champions League quarter-final coverage, this delivered the week’s biggest absolute volume swing.

Myanmar +22.9% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced. The gain reads as a technical bounce off a thin base rather than an event-driven move.

Lithuania +20.6% — No standalone Lithuanian policy or sports story. The move tracks with the European football cluster around the Champions League quarter-finals.

Top decliners

Norway –44.8% — Event hangover after the prior week’s +46.2% surge. 

Colombia –29.7% — Event hangover after the prior week’s +26.3% surge.

Venezuela –21.6% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced within the reporting week. 

Dominican Republic –19.5% — Same pattern. No regulatory, sporting or political catalyst surfaced within the window. Reads as baseline compression.

El Salvador –11.7% — Again, no regulatory or sports catalyst within the window. On a small base (~175K), a move of this magnitude sits within normal week-to-week noise rather than a meaningful reversal.

Market spotlight: Ukraine | +38.9%

Ukraine added 495K Blask Index points week-over-week, crossing 1.77 million — the country’s  strongest momentum signal of 2026 so far. The driver is policy, not sport: a compressed legislative cycle around the military gambling ban.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation’s draft resolution banning all military personnel from licensed platforms closed public consultation on April 3. On April 10, the Ukrainian Gambling Business Association formally countered the universal ban with a commander-initiated case-by-case model, citing analyses that put the illegal segment at 39–53% of national volume against a 1.18 billion euro legal market across 34 licences. 

Dev.ua separately reported a record spike in gambling-related searches concentrated in regions with high military presence — the search signal itself became part of the story.

The one-to-two-month rollout timeline puts a technical decision in late May or early June. Week 16 has no offsetting sports catalyst — Ukrainian clubs are out of European knockouts, the domestic UPL is mid-table-settled. Expect partial give-back as consultation-window intensity fades, with a secondary spike when PlayCity publishes its final mechanism.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

The region carried the week. Turkey (+33.3%), Ukraine (+38.9%), Ireland (+33.8%), Lithuania (+20.6%), the UK (+18.9%), Czech Republic (+17.8%) and North Macedonia (+17.8%) all clustered on football and regulatory catalysts, with only Norway (–44.8%, the sole major European decliner) running against the tide. The Europe-heavy leaderboard is a direct function of the Champions League first legs plus the Grand National plus domestic league fixtures.

Asia-Pacific 

Mixed and muted. Myanmar (+22.9%) and Azerbaijan (+16.5%) posted technical gains with no standout trigger, while India (–11.4%) drifted lower mid-IPL — the 2026 edition runs March 28 to May 31 across 74 matches — which reads as mean-reversion from the tournament’s opening-week surge rather than softening interest. New Zealand (–10.8%) continues to drift with no fresh catalyst.

Africa 

Africa sat out the top ten this week after dominating the prior report (Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Guinea, Chad, Republic of the Congo, all on the Week 14 gainers list). The absence is itself the story: the region’s attention cycle has normalised after two consecutive weeks of strong gains, with only Malawi (–10.3%) appearing in the decliners. No suppression signal — just the natural cadence of baseline-compression following sustained attention.

Next week watchlist

Turkey — Süper Lig consolidation test

Week 16 brings Fenerbahçe–Rizespor (April 17), Trabzonspor–Başakşehir and the Istanbul derby cycle. Direction: likely consolidation above baseline, with risk of partial give-back if results don’t tighten the title race.

Spain, France, Germany, UK — Champions League QF second legs

April 14–15 closes the quarter-finals with Atlético–Barcelona, Liverpool–PSG, Arsenal–Sporting CP and Bayern–Real Madrid. Direction: continued elevation for all eight national markets, with the semi-final draw anchoring attention into late April.

Ireland, UK — post–Grand National give-back

Aintree on April 11 was the single biggest jumps-racing betting moment of the Irish calendar, and the Week 15 spike reflects that. With the main event gone and only the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday (April 21) as a secondary anchor, expect meaningful mean-reversion in both markets. Direction: likely partial give-back for UK and Ireland, with a smaller secondary bump around Easter weekend.

Methodology note

Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.

Top gainers

Norway +46.2% — The spike aligns with the first “double-football” weekend of 2026: on April 5-7, Eliteserien played its second matchday (Molde vs. newly-promoted Lillestrøm, Tromsø vs. Rosenborg) while the second-tier OBOS-ligaen launched its season — the first time both Norwegian tiers ran simultaneously. Since Eliteserien follows a spring-to-autumn calendar, this marks the early peak of a brand-new season, landing after months when local sports coverage was dominated by a visibly struggling Norsk Tipping.

Mozambique +27% —  No clear country-specific trigger surfaced within the reporting window. 

Colombia +26.3% — All four Colombian Copa Libertadores entrants — Junior, Millonarios, Independiente Medellín and Deportivo Tolima — enter the group stage as play begins April 7–9, putting Colombia third among CONMEBOL nations in group-stage representation. The buildup week consistently pulls Colombian acquisition intent forward of tournament kickoff.

Tanzania +18.6% — Domestic Ligi Kuu Bara fixtures and the broad East African football cycle restart coincided with a clean baseline. No policy or enforcement trigger surfaced; classified as sports-driven drift upward on continental momentum.

Chad +18.4% — Domestic Première Division fixtures continued through late March into early April (Rounds 22–23), coinciding with the tail end of 2027 AFCON qualification momentum against Burundi (matches on March 27 & 31).

Top decliners

Cambodia –56.8% — Event hangover plus active suppression. Cambodia appeared in last week’s gainers at +9.8% and has now given back more than five times that. The Commercial Gambling Management Commission revoked Casino Licence No. 040 CGMC on April 3 following an April 1 raid on Shang Hai Resort in Svay Rieng, where 107 foreign nationals tied to scam operations were detained. An Amnesty International report published on April 4 named twelve additional licensed casinos linked to scam compounds.

Nepal –55.4% — Active suppression. The Nepal Telecommunications Authority confirmed on April 5 that more than 7,000 betting-related URLs and apps had been blocked under new Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s 100-point reform plan, following the March 27 Cabinet decision ordering ISPs to disable all gambling platforms within 24 hours. This is the largest single policy-driven compression in the week’s board.

US-Georgia –54.9% — Event hangover. The NCAA Tournament passed through its dead week between the Elite Eight (March 28–29) and the Final Four (April 4). Only two Final Four games fell inside the reporting window, while the championship game landed on the week’s closing day. Georgia, a non-regulated state, had compressed naturally off the prior week’s Sweet 16 / Elite Eight saturation.

Bolivia –54.8% — Mean-reversion plus disappointment from the World Cup playoff exit. Bolivia had surged in the previous week on the back of their March 26 playoff win over Suriname, but lost the decisive final to Iraq 1–2 on April 1, eliminating them from 2026 World Cup contention. This was compounded by Holy Week observance in a majority-Catholic country, with Good Friday on April 3 and Easter Sunday on April 5, which took the remaining surge straight back out.

Saudi Arabia –53.3% — Delayed post-Ramadan unwind, amplified by regional tensions from the ongoing Iran war. Attention peaked in the final ten days of Ramadan (ending March 20, Eid al-Fitr March 20–21) and has now reversed in the second full post-Eid week. This follows the same pattern seen last week in Qatar, UAE and Sierra Leone, with Saudi lagging one cycle amid broader Gulf uncertainty.

Market spotlight: Cambodia | –56.8%

Cambodia lost more than half its acquisition intent in a single week after appearing in last week’s gainers. The sharp reversal was triggered by two concentrated enforcement actions at the end of the reporting period.

On April 1, police raided Shang Hai Resort Casino in Svay Rieng and detained dozens of foreign nationals linked to scam operations. Two days later, the Commercial Gambling Management Commission revoked the casino’s licence. The following day, Amnesty International released a report naming multiple licensed casinos connected to scam compounds involving forced labor and trafficking.

This combination of a high-profile raid, licence revocation, and international exposé has created strong reputational pressure. Further crackdowns are expected, and the market is likely to settle at a significantly lower baseline rather than recover to previous levels.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

Region showed a narrow but extreme split. Norway led the entire board at +46.2% on the Eliteserien restart, while Switzerland — last week’s European leader at +14.6% — dropped out of the top movers entirely as its gain baked in. No other European market appeared in either direction, indicating a quiet continent outside the Nordic football cycle.

Asia-Pacific 

Cambodia at –56.8%, Nepal at –55.4%, Saudi Arabia at –53.3%, Japan at –49.7%, Australia at –45.8%, and AU-Queensland at –42.8% collectively make the region the week’s compression story. The causes are unrelated — enforcement in Cambodia and Nepal, post-Ramadan unwind and Iran war in Saudi Arabia, Easter lull and thin domestic fixtures in Australia — but the pattern dominates the decliner board.

Africa 

African countries carried the gainer list decisively, with the continent contributing the four largest volume gains on the board. Beyond the top five, Chad, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Republic of the Congo, and Ghana all posted mid-teens gains on the same post-FIFA-break football restart. 

Next week watchlist

Colombia, Brazil, Argentina 

Copa Libertadores group stage kickoff The tournament opens April 7–9 with matches across all eight groups. Expect gainer-side pressure on all four Colombian host markets and continued momentum in Brazilian and Argentine markets through the opening round.

United States 

NCAA championship game tailwind The Michigan–UConn men’s final on April 6 closes March Madness on the first day of the next reporting week. US state-level movements should skew positive on the day but compress immediately afterward as the college basketball calendar ends.

Cambodia, Nepal

Both markets face a second full week under enforcement regimes that show no signs of easing. Watch for whether Cambodia stabilizes at a new lower baseline or continues declining as further license revocations land.

Methodology note

Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.

Top gainers

Laos +23.2% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced for this week’s top gainer. Laos does not appear in prior weeks’ top movers, and no sports, regulatory, or calendar events within the reporting window explain the jump. The gain reads as organic fluctuation in a small-volume market, where modest absolute changes produce outsized percentage swings.

Sri Lanka +18.2% — The launch of IPL 2026 on March 28 drove a sharp rebound in Sri Lankan iGaming search interest, mean-reverting from the prior week’s –11.7% decline. Several Sri Lankan players featured prominently in pre-tournament headlines — Nuwan Thushara was blocked from joining RCB after failing a mandatory fitness test, while clearance for Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana remained uncertain through the week. The combination of national players in a marquee T20 league and the surrounding selection drama elevated both cricket and betting search volumes.

Bolivia +15.2% — Bolivia’s intercontinental World Cup playoff semifinal against Suriname on March 26 in Monterrey drove acquisition intent across sports betting verticals. Bolivia won 2–1, advancing to face Iraq for a World Cup berth — the country’s most significant footballing moment in decades. 

Switzerland +14.6% — Second consecutive week in the gainers column, following +23.3% in Week 12. The March international break provided a direct catalyst: Switzerland hosted Germany in a high-profile friendly at St. Jakob-Park in Basel on March 27, a seven-goal thriller (3–4) that drew 34,316 spectators. Simultaneously, the Swiss National League ice hockey playoffs are underway, adding a second domestic betting vertical to the week’s search demand.

US-California +13.5% — March Madness provided the calendar effect. The NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds fell within Week 13, and California — where sports betting remains illegal — consistently generates elevated iGaming search interest during major US sporting events as residents explore offshore and DFS alternatives. A new entrant to the top movers list.

Top decliners

North Macedonia –30.4% — North Macedonia played Denmark in a World Cup qualification playoff semifinal on March 26, which might be expected to elevate search interest, not suppress it. However, the country was a heavy underdog and lost 0–4 in Copenhagen. No enforcement or regulatory actions surfaced within the reporting window. The drop reads as baseline compression in a small market.

Qatar –28.1% — The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East continues to suppress iGaming search demand across the Gulf. After –23.2% in Week 12, Qatar shed another –28.1% in Week 13. With regional instability showing no signs of easing, the suppression layer is structural rather than event-driven.

Sierra Leone –27.5% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced. The market’s total volume is low enough that minor fluctuations produce large percentage swings. No enforcement, regulatory, or sporting events within the reporting window explain the decline.

Azerbaijan –26.9% — The spillover effects of the Middle East military conflict have directly impacted Azerbaijan, with airspace restrictions and disrupted border crossings with Iran compressing normal online activity patterns. The country did not appear in Week 12’s top movers, making this a new entrant on the decliner side. 

AU-South Australia –25.5% — No clear trigger surfaced for the sub-national market’s decline. At a low total volume, the market sits near the threshold where minor absolute changes produce headline-level percentage swings.

Market spotlight: Sri Lanka | +18.2%

Sri Lanka’s iGaming search volume posted a clean +18.2% gain in Week 13, reversing the prior week’s –11.7% decline. The catalyst is straightforward: IPL 2026 kicked off on March 28, and Sri Lankan players dominated the pre-tournament news cycle all week.

Sri Lanka Cricket introduced mandatory fitness testing before clearing players for overseas leagues, and the policy immediately created friction. Nuwan Thushara failed the test and was blocked from joining RCB, while Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana remained in limbo as they recovered from injuries. Meanwhile, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka, and Dasun Shanaka all received clearance and reported to their franchises. The daily drip of selection updates kept Sri Lankan audiences engaged with IPL-adjacent search queries across betting, fantasy, and match preview verticals throughout the week.

Sri Lanka is a cricket-mad nation where offshore iGaming operators actively target the market, given the absence of a comprehensive domestic online gambling framework. IPL seasons reliably produce search volume spikes as fans track their players across ten franchises, and the 2026 edition — with its compressed pre-season drama and high-profile player disputes — amplified the effect. With 74 matches scheduled through May 31, expect Sri Lanka to remain above trend for the duration of the tournament.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

Switzerland’s +14.6% extended its streak to a second consecutive week, fuelled by the March 27 friendly against Germany and building World Cup anticipation. On the decliner side, North Macedonia (–30.4%) and Azerbaijan (–26.9%) fell sharply — the latter directly impacted by spillover from the Middle East conflict. 

Asia-Pacific 

The region owned the week’s upside. India (+13.4%) and Sri Lanka (+18.2%) both surged on the IPL 2026 launch, Laos (+23.2%) led all gainers with no clear trigger, and Cambodia (+9.8%) extended its positive streak from Week 12 at a decelerating pace. Myanmar (–23.9%) was the notable decliner, continuing the volatility pattern characteristic of Southeast Asian grey markets.

Middle East & Africa 

The Middle East conflict remained the dominant suppression layer. Qatar (–28.1%) declined for a second consecutive week, the UAE (–25.5%) shed a quarter of its volume, and both markets saw major sporting events cancelled due to regional instability. In Africa, Sierra Leone (–27.5%) and Rwanda (–24.1%) declined without clear triggers — drift in low-volume markets lacking a sports or calendar hook during the reporting week.

Next week watchlist

India / Sri Lanka 

IPL 2026 enters its first full week of matches (March 30–April 5), with high-profile fixtures including Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans. Expect sustained elevation or further gains in Indian iGaming search volume as the tournament builds momentum and daily match coverage intensifies.

World Cup intercontinental playoffs 

The finals take place on March 31 in Mexico: Bolivia vs Iraq and Jamaica vs DR Congo, with two World Cup berths at stake. Bolivia is chasing its first World Cup appearance since 1994; Iraq’s preparation was disrupted by regional airspace closures. Jamaica and DR Congo are also one match from qualification. Expect elevated sports betting search interest across all four markets during the week.

Middle East 

The ongoing military conflict continues to disrupt the region. With airspace restrictions, cancelled sporting events, and general instability showing no signs of easing, expect further compression across Gulf markets in the coming week.

Methodology note

Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.

Top gainers

Cambodia +27.4% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced. Cambodia’s iGaming search base remains low, making double-digit weekly swings structurally common.

El Salvador +27.3% — This gain is a clean mean-reversion after the prior week’s –15.6% decline. 

Madagascar +26.8% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced for Madagascar’s gain. 

Guatemala +26.2% — Liga Nacional Clausura 2026 continued with Round 4 of the second phase during the reporting week, sustaining domestic football interest. No standout policy or enforcement event surfaced.

Algeria +25.9% — Algeria’s World Cup squad announcement on March 19 and the launch of the Adidas away kit on March 20 landed during the reporting week, directly ahead of the March 27–30 friendlies against Guatemala and Uruguay. 

Top decliners

Ireland –41.7% — Direct mean-reversion from the prior week’s +78.9% Cheltenham Festival surge. The Festival ran March 10–13, with Irish-trained horses winning 15 of 28 races and total attendance reaching 226,223 across four days. With no replacement racing fixture of comparable scale, search interest reverted sharply toward baseline.

Qatar –23.2% — The Qatar Football Festival (March 26–31), headlined by the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain, was cancelled due to airspace disruption and regional circumstances. Local sporting competitions also resumed behind closed doors following a temporary suspension. The cancellation removed a major anticipated attention peak, compressing search interest during the pre-event window.

Hungary –18.5% — Mean-reversion from the prior week’s +30.3% gain. No country-specific gambling regulation, enforcement action, or sporting event surfaced during the reporting week to explain the prior spike or the current pullback. 

United Kingdom –17.2% — Pullback follows a +29% advance in Week 11 that was powered by the Six Nations final round on March 14 — including a dramatic France 48–46 England finale — and concurrent Cheltenham Festival activity. With both events concluded, no equivalent fixture filled the gap, and search interest normalised.

Sri Lanka –11.7% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced for Sri Lanka’s decline. The decline coincides with the post-tournament window after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka co-hosted from February 7 to March 8.

Market spotlight: Ireland | –41.7%

The Cheltenham Festival is the single largest annual driver of iGaming search interest in Ireland — four days of championship National Hunt racing that concentrate betting activity the way a Grand Slam final does for tennis markets. The 2026 edition (March 10–13) delivered a dominant Irish performance: Willie Mullins trained eight winners, Paul Townend completed an unprecedented Champion Hurdle–Champion Chase–Gold Cup treble, and Ireland edged Britain 15–13 in the Prestbury Cup. That fuelled the prior week’s +78.9% surge.

This week had no replacement fixture of comparable scale. The next major catalyst is the Aintree Grand National Festival (April 3–5). Until then, a further modest decline is plausible as ante-post interest alone cannot sustain Cheltenham-level search volumes. The bulk of the mean-reversion pressure, however, has already been absorbed this week.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

The continent accounted for four of the week’s five decliners as Cheltenham and Six Nations hangovers rippled across Ireland (–41.7%) and the UK (–17.2%). Switzerland (+23.3%) and Estonia (+22.2%) provided the counterbalance, with Switzerland’s domain-blocking enforcement and Estonia’s gain occurring without a clear external trigger. 

Asia-Pacific 

Cambodia (+27.4%) led the regional upside and was the week’s overall top gainer, while New Zealand (+21.5%) rode regulatory momentum from the Online Casino Gambling Bill’s parliamentary progress. Nepal maintained a second consecutive week in the top 10 after advancing +20.2%, following its +28.7% gain in Week 11. 

Africa 

Algeria (+25.9%) and Madagascar (+26.8%) drove the region’s gains, with Algeria’s World Cup preparation cycle the clearest catalyst. On the downside, Somalia (–8.8%) and Namibia (–6.3%) both softened modestly.

Next week watchlist

Ireland 

The Aintree Grand National Festival begins April 3, but the gap between now and then leaves Ireland without a major race meeting. A further moderate decline of 5–10% is plausible as residual Cheltenham interest fades and pre-Aintree attention has not yet ramped.

Qatar 

The Qatar Football Festival cancellation removed the March 26–31 event window entirely. With no replacement fixture and ongoing regional airspace disruption, search interest is positioned to remain compressed or decline further through the end of March.

Algeria 

The national team’s friendly against Guatemala on March 27 in Genoa and against Uruguay on March 30 in Turin will test whether the squad-announcement attention converts into sustained match-week search interest. A further gain of 10–15% is plausible if both fixtures generate meaningful media coverage.

Methodology note

Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.

Top gainers

Ireland +78.9% — The Cheltenham Festival (Mar 10–13) dominated Irish search intent for the week. Ireland’s trainers won the Prestbury Cup 15–13 over Great Britain, with Willie Mullins delivering headline victories including the Gold Cup. Virgin Media One carried free live coverage, and almost every major bookmaker ran aggressive promotional campaigns targeting Irish punters. 

Hungary +30.3% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced.

United Kingdom +29% — The UK side of the Cheltenham Festival effect. Major sportsbooks — bet365, Coral, William Hill, BetMGM — ran dedicated Cheltenham promotions with enhanced odds, free bet offers, and Super Boosts across all four racing days. The Festival remains the single largest annual driver of UK horse racing betting volume.

Nepal +28.7% — Nepal appeared as a –26.5% decliner in last week’s report. The current +28.7% rebound is a clean mean-reversion: no Nepal-specific regulatory or sporting trigger surfaced within the reporting window. 

Malaysia +28.1% — Like Nepal, Malaysia fell –12.4% in the prior week and has now recovered most of that loss. No clear country-specific trigger surfaced. 

Top decliners

Quebec (CA-QC) –32.4% — No other country-specific trigger surfaced. Quebec’s Relâche scolaire (spring break) fell on Mar 2–6; the reporting week is the first full work/school week after the holiday, which may have compressed leisure-driven search activity.

Singapore –21.2% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced.

AU-Western Australia –20.7% — AU-WA surged +27.4% in the prior week (second among all gainers). No replacement sporting or regulatory trigger surfaced, and the decline reads as a clean mean-reversion from that elevated baseline.

Guinea –20.7% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced.

Croatia –17.4% — Croatia’s new Gambling Law is in active implementation. Measures taking effect in 2026 include a mandatory player identification system, a national self-exclusion register, a ban on gambling ads between 6am and 11pm, and a progressive tax on winnings reaching 30% above €70k. 

Market spotlight: Ireland | +78.9%

Ireland’s +78.9% WoW surge is the largest single-market percentage gain in this week’s Blask Index. The timing maps precisely to the Cheltenham Festival (Mar 10–13), jump racing’s most important annual event and, for Ireland, a near-national obsession. Ireland did not feature in the prior week’s top movers, which makes this a clean event-driven spike rather than a continuation of an existing trend.

The mechanism is direct. Cheltenham generates massive cross-platform media coverage in Ireland: free-to-air broadcasting on Virgin Media One, dedicated programming on Racing TV, and saturation coverage across print, online, and social media. Every major bookmaker — Paddy Power, BoyleSports, Betfair, bet365 — ran Cheltenham-specific promotions. The competitive angle intensified interest further: Ireland’s trainers took the Prestbury Cup 15–13, with the outcome hanging on the final race when Henry De Bromhead’s Air Of Entitlement prevented a draw. Willie Mullins delivered multiple headline winners including Gold Cup champion Gaelic Warrior. These narratives dominated Irish media and social feeds throughout the week.

The forward-looking implication is a near-certain mean-reversion next week. Cheltenham is a four-day fixture with no direct follow-up of comparable scale. The Aintree Grand National (Apr 10–12) is the next major UK/Irish racing event, sitting nearly a month away. Expect Ireland’s index to drop sharply — potentially back below 1,000,000 — as the event gravity dissipates. The question for sustained signal is whether Cheltenham promotional campaigns drive lasting user acquisition for Irish operators, but that would manifest over months, not in next week’s data.

Regional snapshot

Europe

Cheltenham dominated the European picture, with Ireland (+78.9%) and the UK (+29.0%) delivering the region’s strongest gains. Hungary (+30.3%), Slovenia (+28.0%), and Lithuania (+18.9%) added further momentum. On the downside, Croatia (–17.4%) absorbed the impact of its new gambling law, and North Macedonia (–16.2%) mean-reverted after last week’s +28.2% surge. Europe was the most active region in this week’s top 10, accounting for seven of the ten gainers and four of the ten decliners.

Asia-Pacific 

The region split between recovering markets and structural headwinds. Nepal (+28.7%) and Malaysia (+28.1%) bounced back from prior-week declines. India (–16.3%) dropped as the T20 World Cup high unwound — the final was played on Mar 8, and the reporting week had no replacement cricket hook — while Singapore (–21.2%) extended its decline for the second consecutive week. The overall regional tone was flat, with mean-reversion offsetting post-event and regulatory compression.

Africa 

Africa’s presence in the top movers was limited to Guinea (–20.7%) on the decliner side and Botswana (–13.6%), which mean-reverted after last week’s +12.0% gain. Somalia (+20.4%) appeared in the gainers at position seven but on a small absolute base. No clear continental trend emerged; movements were market-specific with no shared catalyst.

Next week watchlist

Ireland / United Kingdom

Post-Cheltenham mean-reversion. With no comparable racing fixture until Aintree (Apr 10), expect sharp declines in both markets. Ireland could drop 30–50% as the event gravity dissipates. The UK will moderate but its Premier League and Champions League football baseline provides a floor.

Top gainers

Canada — Ontario +195.9% — A published CMAJ study documenting a 317% rise in gambling-related helpline contacts among men aged 15–24 since Ontario’s iGaming privatization generated widespread national media coverage during the reporting week. The study, which also tracked a 239% increase in active player accounts, put Ontario’s regulated market under a public spotlight that paradoxically intensified search activity around operators and comparison platforms.

Montenegro +122.6% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced for this week’s move. Montenegro’s new Law on Games of Chance, which took effect in late 2025, has prompted ongoing industry attention around tax treatment disputes and a Constitutional Court challenge from trade body MontenegroBet, but no in-window event explains the magnitude. The gain reads as a technical bounce from a low prior-week baseline.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) +116.6% — No in-window regulatory or enforcement trigger surfaced.

Belgium (BE) +107.3% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced for Belgium’s doubling. The Jupiler Pro League entered its playoff rounds during the reporting period, which typically concentrates betting interest as stakes increase, but this alone does not fully explain the magnitude. The gain may partially reflect baseline normalization after a quiet prior week.

Denmark (DK) +103.8% — No clear country-specific trigger surfaced. Denmark’s Superligaen continues in its regular season, and the broader Nordic market typically shows steady engagement patterns. The move reads as a technical bounce from a compressed prior-week base.

Top decliners

Venezuela (VE) –79.7% — country appeared in the prior week’s losers at –44.6% and has now shed nearly 80% of its remaining volume. The country’s iGaming search signal has been structurally volatile since the Maduro capture in January 2026 disrupted normal online activity patterns, and no replacement hook has materialized to stabilize the baseline.

Mali (ML) –72.3% — Mali was also in the prior week’s decliners at –21.1%, and this week’s –72.3% extends the slide. Mali’s AFCON quarter-final exit to Senegal in January had briefly elevated search interest; the current compression represents a continued return to a structurally low baseline in a market where gambling is largely prohibited under Islamic-influenced law.

Turkey (TR) –50.7% — Suppression. After surging +33.2% in Week 9, Turkey gave back half its index value. The government’s zero-tolerance enforcement posture — anchored in the 2025–2026 Action Plan — continues to dismantle payment rails and fintech infrastructure servicing illegal operators. Banks have begun issuing direct warnings to customers, and the 11th Judicial Package expanded prosecutorial powers. The Week 9 spike now reads as a temporary search anomaly within a deepening suppression cycle.

Pakistan (PK) –50.6% — country appeared in the prior week’s decliners at –30.9% and the slide deepened as the T20 World Cup concluded on March 8 with the India–New Zealand final. Pakistan were eliminated at the group stage and played no matches during the reporting week, removing the single largest driver of betting-related search interest in the country.

Bangladesh (BD) –44.5% — Bangladesh’s government declared a zero-tolerance policy on online gambling in late 2025, and enforcement has intensified under the Cyber Security Ordinance 2025. The NCSA, CID, and BTRC are coordinating monitoring and blocking efforts, with over 1,000 financial service agents identified in connection with illegal gambling. The multi-week decline reflects active regulatory friction compressing search interest.

Market spotlight: Ontario (CA-ON) | +195.9%

The province tripled its search volume from a low prior-week base. A CMAJ study published on March 2 documented a 317% rise in gambling-related helpline contacts among men aged 15–24 since Ontario’s iGaming privatization, generating national media coverage across CBC, CP24, and Gaming America. The move’s magnitude — driven partly by base effects — exceeds what a single research publication would typically produce.

Ontario remains one of the most competitive regulated iGaming markets globally. Blask tracks approximately 230 brands active in the province. The market’s 2025 CEB reached $9.5B, the market continues to grow despite the public health scrutiny.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

The Balkans drove the continent’s upside, with five markets in the top ten. Greece (+66.2%), Serbia (+57.8%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (+116.6%), Montenegro (+122.6%), and Czech Republic (+66.4%) all posted substantial gains. Czech Republic’s move is a clean mean-reversion from the prior week’s –23.0% decline. Turkey (–50.7%) was the sole European decliner, continuing its enforcement-driven compression. Belgium (+107.3%) and Denmark (+103.8%) added further breadth to the European strength.

Asia-Pacific 

The region produced more losers than winners. Bangladesh (–44.5%), Vietnam (–44.5%), Indonesia (–41.0%), Pakistan (–50.6%), and Myanmar (–39.3%) all posted deep declines, continuing a multi-week pattern of compression across South and Southeast Asia. Australia bucked the trend decisively: Blask index rose +54.2%, with New South Wales alone surging +80.7%, powered by the 2026 F1 season opener at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit on March 6–8 — a major domestic betting event.

Next week watchlist

Ontario

The CMAJ study media cycle may sustain elevated search interest through mid-March, particularly if provincial legislators respond with policy proposals. Watch for compression if the news cycle fades without follow-up.

Turkey

Continued enforcement actions under the 11th Judicial Package and MASAK-coordinated operations could push the index lower. Any new fintech seizures or bank-account freezes would accelerate the suppression pattern.

Top gainers

Singapore +78.8% — A sharp snapback after the prior week’s –15.5% decline. The Feb 27 Toto Hong Bao draw carried a $9.4M jackpot headline, lifting authorised lottery search interest across the market.

Romania +59.5% — The biggest European upside move, flipping from last week’s –21.5% decline into a high-volatility recovery. The week followed Romania’s hosting of a major PGL event in Cluj-Napoca, keeping Romania in an internationally visible competitive-gaming news cycle.

Slovenia +44.3% — Greentube (Book of Ra and other hits) announced its first Slovenian launch via a partnership with Casino.si on Feb 25, putting a fresh iGaming brand-entry headline into the country’s news cycle.

Switzerland +39.6% — A lottery-driven calendar lift: the Feb 27 EuroMillions draw carried a €159m jackpot headline, raising gambling-related search salience domestically.

Colombia +38.3% — Event gravity from Copa Libertadores: Independiente Medellín advanced on Feb 25 after eliminating Liverpool (Uruguay), keeping Colombian club football in a high-salience international window during the reporting week.

Top decliners

Venezuela –44.6% — No clear iGaming-specific trigger surfaced inside the reporting window, but the national attention set was dominated by high-salience political headlines, including an announcement by opposition leader María Corina Machado about returning to Venezuela. 

Chad –36.4% — A clear security shock hit during the week as Chad closed its border with Sudan after fighters spilled into its territory, a disruption that tends to compress consumer-commercial signals broadly. 

Malaysia –33.0% — The decline followed directly after the prior week’s +13.9% gainer, and it also landed immediately after Ramadan began (Feb 19).

Pakistan –30.9% — Despite a headline T20 World Cup inflection match in-window (England beating Pakistan on Feb 24), the country’s acquisition-intent signal still fell sharply; Ramadan began on Feb 19, and the decline printed in the first full week of that calendar reset. 

Morocco –28.1% — Ramadan began in Morocco in mid-February (Feb 18), and the decline landed in the first full week after that start point.

Market spotlight: Singapore | +78.8%

Singapore printed the week’s largest move at +78.8% WoW, reversing hard after the prior week’s –15.5% decline. The timing clustered around a single in-window calendar catalyst rather than a multi-day build.

The most obvious mechanism was lottery event gravity: Singapore Pools’ Toto Hong Bao draw ran on Feb 27 with a $9.4M jackpot headline, a high-salience authorised gambling moment that can lift the market’s overall lottery-and-gambling search baseline. This looks like a snapback amplified by a one-off calendar event, so the next read is whether Week 10 holds above baseline once the draw clears.

Regional snapshot

Europe 

Europe dominated the upside: Romania (+59.5%), Slovenia (+44.3%), and Switzerland (+39.6%) filled three of the top five gainers with three different catalysts — Romania rebounded after last week’s –21.5% on the back of a major PGL event in Cluj-Napoca, Slovenia lifted on a clean iGaming headline as Greentube announced its first launch via Casino.si (Feb 25), and Switzerland caught a lottery calendar tailwind from a €159m EuroMillions jackpot (Feb 27).

Asia-Pacific 

APAC was sharply split: Singapore led the entire board at +78.8% on a snapback from last week’s –15.5%, amplified by the Feb 27 Toto Hong Bao draw. In contrast, Malaysia (–33.0%) and Pakistan (–30.9%) both printed deep declines in the first full week after Ramadan began (Feb 19) — Malaysia retracing after last week’s +13.9% gainer, and Pakistan sliding despite a headline T20 World Cup result (England beating Pakistan on Feb 24).

Africa 

Africa flipped from last week’s positive presence (Ethiopia was prior week’s top gainer at +18.3%) to downside pressure, led by Chad (–36.4%) and Morocco (–28.1%). Both declines aligned with suppression-style contexts — security disruption for Chad and a Ramadan calendar effect for Morocco — rather than identifiable gambling-policy moves.

Next week watchlist

Switzerland 

Engadin Skimarathon runs into early March, culminating in the marquee race on Sunday (Mar 8) keeping Switzerland in a sustained sports-attention window.

Islamic markets 

Ramadan remains in effect across Muslim-majority markets, and Week 10 should keep a mild downside bias as the calendar effect continues to compress baseline acquisition-intent search volumes, especially where no major sports or policy catalyst replaces it.

Methodology note

Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.