iGaming market weekly report | Aug 31–Sep 6, 2026

Chile rose 157.1% in the week Subtel* ordered six internet providers to DNS-block 42 unlicensed betting URLs within 48 hours — the sharpest WoW move in the dataset and the most concrete enforcement step of the reporting window.

*Subtel — Chile’s Subsecretariat of Telecommunications.

Top gainers

Chile +157.1%

On September 1, Chile’s Subsecretariat of Telecommunications instructed providers to block 42 online betting and casino domains supplied by the Superintendence of Gaming Casinos. Betano, Coolbet, Betsson, Stake and bet365 mirror URLs were included in the blocking list. Providers had 48 hours from notification to implement DNS restrictions and file compliance proof with the Santiago Court of Appeals. The order followed the Supreme Court’s September 2025 ruling that unauthorized online gambling is illegal unless expressly authorized by law.

Paraguay +124.4% 

Matchday 9 of the Torneo Clausura 2026 fell on September 5–6, headlined by Olimpia’s 2-1 comeback win over Sportivo Trinidense at Defensores del Chaco on September 6. Hugo Sandoval’s 80th-minute goal lifted Decano to third with 16 points. The APF council also published the schedule for rounds 10–11 on September 5. 

India +71.6% 

The Enforcement Directorate searched 17 locations across five states on September 2 in its Parimatch money-laundering probe, seizing Rs 61 lakh ($64,000) in cash, a 1-kg gold bar and freezing roughly Rs 37 crore ($3.9M) in bank balances. Investigators said the Cyprus-linked platform moved more than Rs 3,000 crore ($316M) in a year through mule accounts, hawala channels and crypto wallets.

CA-British Columbia +62.3%

B.C.’s Independent Gambling Control Office clarified on August 28 that sports and entertainment contracts on unregulated prediction markets, including Polymarket and Kalshi, constitute illegal gambling outside the PlayNow monopoly. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey told the legislature that PlayNow captures an estimated 51% of provincial online gambling, leaving roughly C$441 million annually with unregulated operators.

Peru +49.9% 

Matchday 8 of the Liga 1 Torneo Clausura 2026 ran September 4–6, headlined by Sporting Cristal’s 5-0 win over Los Chankas on September 6 and Deportivo Garcilaso’s 4-2 defeat of Atlético Grau the same day. Garcilaso stayed sole Clausura leader with 16 points. 

Cienciano’s 5-2 away win at FC Cajamarca opened the round on September 4. Universitario drew 2-2 with Comerciantes Unidos on September 5. 

Morocco +48.9% 

Lottomatica and Cirsa signed a binding €2.8B merger agreement on September 2 that includes Cirsa’s four Moroccan casinos — two in Agadir, one in Tangier and La Mamounia’s Grand Casino in Marrakech. Italian and Moroccan outlets mapped the kingdom’s land-based portfolio through September 6 as the deal positioned the combined group to become the world’s second-largest listed gaming operator.

Zimbabwe +47.1% 

No clear in-window catalyst identified.

Ghana +44.9% 

Ghana Premier League 2026/27 opened September 5, lifting the interest in iGaming. 

Ivory Coast +44.8% 

No clear in-window catalyst identified.

Algeria +42.8% 

No clear in-window catalyst identified.

Top decliners

Cyprus −69.7% 

Parliament’s House Audit Committee examined proposals on September 3 to block Minimum Guaranteed Income recipients from spending welfare payments at casinos, betting shops or gambling websites, including a restricted-benefits card and pre-issue casino membership checks.

Russia −66.9% 

A national voluntary gambling self-exclusion register took effect September 1, letting citizens ban themselves from legal betting, casinos and online bookmakers for at least 12 months via Gosuslugi. Licensed operators must block listed players and face fines of 300,000–500,000 rubles for accepting prohibited bets.

Bulgaria −53.1% 

Mandatory gambling-affiliate licensing entered force September 1, requiring a €6,000 annual fee plus 10% withholding on performance-based commission. Unlicensed affiliates face blocking orders within 24 hours of an NRA decision.

Italy −50.7% 

The Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) demanded suspension of Lega Serie A’s “True Data” campaign during matchday two. The closing line “If the data isn’t official, your bet is less secure” misleads users about state-licensed betting and constitutes indirect gambling promotion. ADM issued its statement on August 31.

Poland −50.2% 

BLIK** began blocking payments to domains on the Ministry of Finance illegal-gambling register on September 1. UOKiK’s*** August 26 probe into seven licensed bookmakers over dark-pattern UX continued.

**BLIK — popular mobile payment system in Poland. 

***Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Hungary −43.2% 

Government Resolution 1277/2026, published August 31, ordered a review of abolishing the Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities (SZTFH) after a 35-year Sopron casino concession was granted without public tender. Justice Minister Márta Görög must report by September 30.

Serbia −42.7% 

No clear in-window catalyst identified.

Belarus −42.3% 

The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade sent a draft bill on August 21 to government bodies that would ban online gambling advertising and restrict broadcast windows.

Rwanda −40.3% 

No clear in-window catalyst identified.

Czech Republic −38.5%

No clear in-window catalyst tied to the WoW decline.

Market spotlight: Chile | +157.1%

On September 1, Subtel notified six major ISPs to DNS-block 42 URLs identified by the Superintendence of Gaming Casinos — the first mass blocking order under the post–Supreme Court enforcement playbook. The list mixes international brands (Betano, 1xBet, Betsson, Stake, bet365) with local-facing domains and mirror sites. Congress is still debating Bill 14.838-03 to create a licensed online framework. Until that passes, enforcement runs through existing law and court rulings.

The open question is whether the blocking cycle sustains elevated search attention as operators shift domains or whether interest mean-reverts once the 42-site list is priced in. A sustained elevation through September would confirm enforcement as a recurring demand driver. A fade would reclassify this week as a one-off news-cycle spike.

Regional snapshot

Latin America

Latam combined the week’s largest percentage moves: Chile’s DNS order and Clausura matchdays in Paraguay and Peru, with enforcement stories led in Chile. 

Europe 

This region posted all ten decliners. Russia’s September 1 self-exclusion register, Bulgaria’s affiliate-licensing launch, Poland’s BLIK payment blocks and Italy’s ADM–Serie A advertising dispute all landed in the same seven-day window.

Africa 

Africa saw broad gains without a single shared trigger: Ghana’s domestic-odds ban ahead of the GPL opener, Zimbabwe’s show-floor enforcement rhetoric and Morocco’s laundering probe each carried distinct mechanisms. Ivory Coast and Algeria lacked verifiable in-window catalysts.

Asia-Pacific and North America 

These regions were led by India’s Parimatch ED raids and British Columbia’s prediction-market clarification — both regulatory enforcement stories rather than fixture-driven spikes.

Next week watchlist

Chile — DNS follow-through

Watch whether ISPs file compliance certificates and whether SCJ submits additional URL lists. Sustained blocking announcements would confirm enforcement as a recurring news driver. Quiet compliance would suggest this week’s spike was front-loaded.

Paraguay — Clausura matchday 10 (September 11–13) 

The APF council confirmed rounds 10–11 on September 5 after football drove this week’s +124.4% spike. Matchday 10 opens Friday September 11 and closes Sunday September 13 with two fixtures per day, completing the first round — headlined by Recoleta vs Olimpia and Cerro Porteño vs Sportivo Trinidense. Watch whether search attention tracks the weekend calendar or mean-reverts once matchday 9 is priced in.

Hungary — SZTFH abolition report 

Justice Minister Görög must deliver her feasibility report by September 30. A dissolution proposal would reshape who holds licences and runs the blocking regime. A retention recommendation would leave the licensing-scandal cloud intact.

Russia — self-exclusion uptake 

Early Gosuslugi sign-ups exceeded 20,000 on the first two days. Whether legal-market interest keeps fading or stabilizes once registration publicity drops will test how much of this week’s decline is structural.

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.