iGaming market weekly report | May 4–10, 2026

Three things drove the week: a record Singapore lottery jackpot, new identity checks in Belgian retail betting shops, and a nationwide police crackdown on illegal gambling in South Korea. Singapore led the gainers on a single Toto draw.

The downside was lighter on the news. Vietnam unwound the prior week’s holiday lift, Romania reacted to a government collapse, and Slovenia, India and Greece fell with no clear trigger.

Top gainers

Singapore +28.7% — One ticket won almost the $10M Toto jackpot on May 4. The ticket was bought online through Singapore Pools, the country’s only legal gambling operator. The jackpot had been rolling over for weeks, and the win was front-page news across Singapore.

Belgium +23.0% — Demand for iGaming jumped in the first full week after new identity and self-exclusion checks took effect in newspaper shops that offer betting or gaming machines. From May 1, those shops had to check players before they could bet or play, turning a previously lighter retail channel into a more controlled gambling point.

Senegal +20.4% — No clear in-window catalyst.

South Korea +20.3% — Police started a nationwide crackdown on illegal gambling venues from May 1, focused on hold’em pubs that operate as fronts for unlicensed betting. The campaign will run through August and got broad press coverage, pulling search interest toward gambling-related terms.

CA-Quebec +15.6% — The Montreal Canadiens are in the second round of the NHL playoffs against Buffalo. The previous week, Quebec had fallen –25.7% after the first round ended. With home playoff games back on the calendar, betting interest came back too.

Top decliners

Slovenia –15.8% — No clear reason. The move is small in absolute terms and reads as normal week-to-week noise.

India –13.4% — iGaming demand declined during a softer IPL week. The tournament was still active, but the main playoff drama — Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants both eliminated on May 10 — came only at the end of the window, so Week 19 carried less event gravity than the stronger IPL weeks before it.

Romania –13.3% — Blask Index fell in the week the government lost a no-confidence vote on May 5. Gambling policy was already politically sensitive, so the collapse added uncertainty around regulation and enforcement.

Greece –12.1% — No clear trigger.

Vietnam –12.0% — The demand for iGaming cooled after the prior week’s holiday lift around Reunification Day and Labour Day. With the long-weekend effect gone, Week 19 looks like a clean mean-reversion.

Market spotlight: Singapore | +28.7%

Singapore was the biggest mover of the week. And the driver was a single lottery event. The jackpot had been rolling over for weeks, building national attention before the draw, and the win itself was front-page news.

Toto is a lottery rather than a sportsbook or casino, but Singapore Pools is the country’s only legal gambling operator with almost 90% share in Blask Index. So a major payout on its digital channel pulls attention to the wider gambling category.

Regional snapshot

Europe

Belgium (+23.0%) was the only European gainer in the top movers, lifted by the new retail identity-check rules taking effect. Slovenia (–15.8%), Romania (–13.3%) and Greece (–12.1%) all fell, with Romania the only one tied to a specific in-week event.

Asia-Pacific

The region drove both ends of the board. Singapore (+28.7%) led on the Toto jackpot, South Korea (+20.3%) rose under the new police enforcement campaign. Vietnam (–12.0%) unwound the prior week’s holiday lift and India (–13.4%) softened during a quieter IPL week.

Next week watchlist

Switzerland and the hockey nations — IIHF World Championship

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship opens on May 15 in Switzerland and runs through May 31. Hockey is a mainstream betting product across Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Canada, and the first week of group games usually lifts these markets.

India — IPL playoff race closes

The IPL group stage ends on May 24 and the top-four race will be decided inside the next reporting window. With Mumbai and Lucknow already out, the remaining qualification fight is the strongest single driver of cricket-betting interest left in the season.

United States — NBA Conference Semifinals

The NBA Conference Semifinals run through the May 11–17 window with games most nights. US states typically lift on NBA postseason matchdays.

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.