Techme101.com

Swiss regulator Gespa has filed a criminal complaint into the actions of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and its digital collectable market FIFA Collect.
Gespa argues that the products offered by the collectable site fall under illegal gambling as per the nation’s strict rules on licenses to operate any similar services.
This would require the blockchain-based image or non-fungible token (NFT) provider to go through the same registration and application process as a betting site.
FIFA comes under scrutiny of Gespa
In an official post via the regulator’s site, it was made clear that FIFA collect had been investigated and investigators had found in early October 2025 that “unlicensed and therefore illegal gambling activities,” were taking place via the site.
Gespa made prosecutors aware of the “drops” and “challenges” that were available on the FIFA platform for a price. Swiss gambling law regards any monetary stake involving a game of chance resulting in asset-based rewards or monetary value must then be regulated and operated by a licensed “money game” provider.
This “monetary stake” is key to the argument that FIFA collect falls under the lotteries or sports betting category in Switzerland.
FIFA on the other hand categorizes the media as a digital collectable rather than something related to gambling. With the official site stating users have a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a personal digital collection and be part of the richest and most authentic football legacy of all time – The FIFA World Cup.”
The language used by FIFA in the collectable arena centres around “challenges” and an official leaderboard that tracks points based on the number of the digital collectables that are redeemed for different rarities.

Both Gespa and FIFA seem to be on opposite sides of the line on the legality of the alleged lottery-style nature of the paid image drops.
Gespa have stated that FIFA’s product falls under Article 135(1) of the Swiss Federal Gambling Act and must be progressed by prosecutors.
As a result of the regulator flagging the illegal activity it has decided “not issue further comments while the criminal process is ongoing, out of respect for prosecutorial jurisdiction.”
Featured image: FIFA official
The post Gespa files criminal complaint in connection with FIFA Collect appeared first on ReadWrite.

A federal court in Nevada has changed course and granted Aristocrat Technologies’ renewed request to access the mathematical models used in certain Light & Wonder “Hold & Spin” slot games released since 2021.
This discovery order is part of an ongoing lawsuit where Aristocrat claims that Light & Wonder used its trade secrets to create the “Dragon Train” and other similar games. The timeframe covered by the order lines up with the period when former Aristocrat game designer Emma Charles worked at Light & Wonder. She joined the company in 2021 and was later let go after a preliminary injunction found it was “extremely likely” that Light & Wonder had relied on Aristocrat’s proprietary math models to develop its popular titles.
Light & Wonder confirmed the court’s latest decision in a statement issued Friday (October 17): “The Nevada Court heard argument today and granted Aristocrat’s renewed motion to obtain discovery of math models for certain Light & Wonder hold and spin games released since 2021, when Emma Charles joined the company.
“The Court previously denied a similar motion. While we are disappointed with the Court’s ruling, we remain confident, based on the expert review we previously disclosed, that there is no evidence of Aristocrat math being used in any commercially released games other than Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon.”
The statement added that “the U.S. litigation process continues with fact discovery set to close on December 15, 2025 and expert discovery closing on March 16, 2026.”
Light & Wonder attempts to protect its materials amid Aristocrat case
Court filings reviewed by ReadWrite show Light & Wonder is still pushing to protect its internal design materials. In a September filing supporting Aristocrat’s request to keep certain exhibits sealed, the company argued that revealing its proprietary game information could cause significant commercial damage.
According to the document: “Redacted portions of the reply contain nonpublic details relating to the development and math of several L&W games, including certain unreleased games and L&W’s internal processes for game development. The unprotected disclosure of L&W’s internal game development processes to competitors would result in economic or competitive injury to L&W.”
Light & Wonder further warned that “even a ‘glimpse’ into business and development strategies could harm L&W’s ‘competitive standing,’” citing previous Nevada and federal rulings that justify sealing such information.
Light & Wonder logo alongside Jewel of the Dragon Red Phoenix slot game artwork. Credit: Light & Wonder
The dispute centers on whether Light & Wonder’s newer “Hold & Spin” games use mathematical algorithms based on Aristocrat’s proprietary systems. The titles under review reportedly include games released after Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon, both of which performed well commercially before legal challenges led Light & Wonder to adjust its lineup.
In April, the company announced it would stop selling Jewel of the Dragon and said that another unreleased game would not move forward because of similar intellectual property concerns.
Then in June, Light & Wonder reorganized its in-house legal team as it continued to face multiple copyright lawsuits. Industry observers say the move is part of a larger effort to strengthen compliance and better manage ongoing litigation.
Featured image: Light & Wonder / Aristocrat
The post Nevada court grants Aristocrat discovery access in Light & Wonder lawsuit appeared first on ReadWrite.

Nevada regulators have filed a motion to dissolve a previously held injunction that allows Kalshi LLC (Kalshi) to continue offering event contract lines in the state.
This could be a significant threat to Kalshi, as the predictions provider has been utilizing this injunction and the federally regulated Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a defense against court action in Nevada, Maryland, and numerous other states.
Nevada regulators seek dissolution of Kalshi injunction
The injunction was upheld by US District Court Chief Judge Andrew P. Gordon earlier this year against the Nevada Gaming Commission. Though the motion was not a bulletproof solution for Kalshi, as other prediction providers would then move in to offer similar services and be scrutinized by state officials.
One of those competitors, Crypto.com, would then fall short of the Nevada courts and gaming commission, which brought Kalshi’s defence into question on the subject of sporting lines and event contracts.
The key reason for Crypto.com’s bid failing centred around occurrences and outcomes, with Judge Gordon again presiding, saying “I see ‘outcome’ as different than ‘occurrence, non-occurrence, or extent of contingency of occurrence.”
This meant the certification of an “outcome” on sports event contracts was now under serious scrutiny in the state of Nevada, leading to this most recent action by regulators to dissolve the existing injunction.
Kalshi’s federally regulated status under fire
Eagle-eyed gambling commentator and legal expert Daniel Wallach has spied the possible threat to Kalshi’s event contract security.
He posted the case details to social media, saying Kalshi “is not likely to succeed on the merits,” in its battle to avoid pre-existing sports gambling regulations by using the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).

BREAKING: Nevada files an emergency motion to dissolve the preliminary injunction that was granted to Kalshi six months earlier, says that Judge Gordon’s denial of a PI in Crypto “now makes clear that Kalshi is not likely to succeed on the merits.” pic.twitter.com/zaEofCqgax
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) October 18, 2025

This means that event contracts, if they fall under a sporting prerequisite, would be subject to already-in-force sporting and gambling regulations.
Wallach commented that this is the case of Kalshi’s competitors, as the court in Crypto.com’s case concluded that the sports event contracts are not swaps under the CEA.
“Kalshi’s event contracts have the same key features as Crypto’s event contracts. They are wagers on the outcomes of sporting events—for example, whether a particular team will win a particular game,” said Wallach.
The state of Maryland has a near-identical argument against Kalshi, which Wallach cites as another thorn in the predictions provider’s side.
Since the time of the injunction, state regulators have also argued that Kalshi have used this extensive amount of leniency to offer new products and sports lines.
The Nevada Gaming Commission states these are “new types of sports event contracts that are indistinguishable from traditional sports betting,” means there could be a possible domino effect about to hit Kalshi in other states on the back of the injunction’s possible dissolution.
According to the court report, Kalshi has until October 27, 2025, to file a response brief, with a window for state respondents set initially for November 3, 2025, in this battle between state and federal oversight.
Featured image: Canva
The post Nevada regulators file motion to dissolve Kalshi injunction appeared first on ReadWrite.

The sports betting operator, BetMGM, has confirmed that its partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be extended through the 2029 season.
The renewed agreement means BetMGM will be the Official Sports Betting, Online Casino and Gaming Partner, with its presence to be deepened across Steelers platforms.

Read the full release: https://t.co/GxecWhL8Y2
— BetMGM News (@BetMGMNews) October 17, 2025

While the two have already been a duo, new fan-focused experiences will be introduced and the Decade of Black & Gold Sweepstakes will be continued for each year of the partnership. It’s through these sweepstakes that a fan in Pennsylvania or West Virginia can win 10 years of lower bowl season tickets and hospitality tent passes for all Pittsburgh Steelers home games.
“This partnership extension allows BetMGM to continue delivering experiences that reflect the energy and passion of Steelers Nation,” said Casey Hurbis, BetMGM Chief Marketing Officer. “From game day activations to exclusive Steelers-branded casino games and the amazing opportunity to win 10 years of season tickets, we’re focused on creating memorable moments for fans.”
Will the BetMGM and Pittsburgh Steelers partnership bring anything new?
This season will see ‘Steel City Slingo’ to be introduced to BetMGM’s Steelers-branded games on its casino, with in-stadium promotion having already been launched.
Other key features of the agreement include hospitality and ‘exclusive’ VIP events, co-branded digital and social media content, in-stadium field goal and extra point takeovers presented by BetMGM, year-round media integrations, and enhanced responsible gambling messaging.
Ryan Huzjak, Senior Vice President of Business Operations, Pittsburgh Steelers, said, “We are very excited to build upon the success of our partnership with BetMGM. Fans will notice new in-game elements and opportunities in addition to the existing Steelers-branded casino games and fan favorite Decade of Black & Gold promotion.”
In its announcement, BetMGM reiterated how responsible gaming remains a key focus, even as it continues to expand into new markets and introduce new features. When discussing the enhanced responsible gambling messaging, the company says there will be a videoboard takeover before every Steelers home game.
Featured Image: Via BetMGM article
The post BetMGM and Pittsburgh Steelers confirm partnership through to 2029 season appeared first on ReadWrite.