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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is introducing new tools to allow the public to self-assess their gambling habits. It’ll be available in both English and Maltese, and it’s available right now. MGA, along with other watchdogs and companies, has begun to up the frequency of launches around self-assessment tools. For example, in July, DraftKings launched its own tool, and later that same month, Sportradar followed.
The MGA has worked with several organisations from Malta to build the tool, which will leave the person taking the assessment anonymous. It provides a questionnaire made up of nine questions, which will then determine the well-being of the gambler taking it.

Our self-assessment tool is now live. Available in English and Maltese, it helps players reflect on their gaming activity and make informed decisions.
Read more here: https://t.co/B1Q6njujdo pic.twitter.com/06ezxZiVIy
— MaltaGamingAuthority (@MaltaGamingAuth) October 7, 2025

According to the MGA, it’ll allow problem gamblers to have a moment of “self-reflection” by encouraging users through its “professional guidance”. That guidance has been put together through the MGA’s collaboration with Sedqa, Caritas Malta, the OASI Foundation, and the Responsible Gaming Foundation.
The self-assessment is “rooted” in the Problem Gambling Severity Index, which is used widely thanks to its “evidence-based” methodology.
MGA launches new tool as gambling rises worldwide
The rise in self-help or other gambling addiction prevention tools coincides with the gambling industry beginning to expand rather rapidly. Gambling revenue in the US, for example, has risen as more states regulate or make it legal, with a definitive rise in sports gambling. Malta, Europe, and the UK have also seen a steady rise as gambling becomes far more available and easier to access.
Last month, in September, the Brazilian watchdog, the Institute of Responsible Gambling (IBJR) launched its own tool to help gamblers determine whether or not an online site is regulated. As we’ve reported before, as gambling becomes more prevalent, so does offshore or illegal gambling, where operators aren’t regulated in countries where they’re not supposed to be operating.
The MGA has been embroiled in similar schemes, with websites like PHLove allegedly providing false regulation assurances on their website.
Featured image: Malta Gaming Authority
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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has slapped theScore with a $105,000 fine after it failed to meet responsible gaming standards. Ontario’s gambling regulator enforces its rules and standards rigorously, describing its player protection measures as “strict” in its own press release.

AGCO found three main points that deemed it worthy of the $105K fine. theScore, owned by Score Media and Gaming Inc., was found to have violated player safety standards through what appeared to be a general disregard for them. This includes failing to see red flags of a patron who “repeatedly requested bonuses” and was “loss-chasing”, the act of trying to recoup losses. The same person also showed “signs of distress” to a VIP host, all of which theScore failed to act on.

AGCO issues $105,000 in penalties to theScore for alleged failure to address patron’s high-risk gambling: https://t.co/THAJtIm1oT pic.twitter.com/3aL0TOpShQ
— Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (@Ont_AGCO) October 7, 2025

Another patron reportedly wagered $2.5 million CAD ($1,792,312.50), losing an estimated $230,000 ($164,892.75) over eight months. AGCO has reported that the individual gambled away $100,000 ($71,692.50) in just the first month, and displayed clear signs of “potential gambling-related harm.”

Another point that caused the AGCO to issue the $105K fine is that the operator “relied on” patrons to self-assess without doing any further checks into their backgrounds.
AGCO maintains strict enforcement of gaming regulations in Ontario

AGCO launched Ontario’s regulated iGaming market in 2022, and since then, has been quite active. We’ve reported on several stories that have come out of AGCO fines, with the Ontario watchdog issuing several in 2025 alone. In June, it issued a $350,000 ($251,013) fine to the Great Canadian Casino Resort in Toronto.

Speaking in the press release, Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, AGCO, said:

“Player protections are a fundamental requirement for any gambling operator looking to conduct business in Ontario. When operators fail to uphold these critical safer gambling standards, they not only betray the trust of their players but also undermine the integrity of Ontario’s regulated igaming market.”
Featured image: theScore

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Crazy Time is the flagship live game from gambling giant Evolution. It’s now launching for players in Connecticut, after already achieving reported success in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Delaware.
Crazy Time is a variety show, featuring four interactive games that Evolution describes as setting “the standard” for this type of live entertainment. Despite only now just getting airtime in Connecticut, the show actually debuted in 2020, during the pandemic.
How does Crazy Time work?

It’s showtime, Connecticut! Evolution’s Crazy Time, the world’s #1 live game show, is now live from our Connecticut studio. Read more about the launch: https://t.co/wD5o0qP5BK#Evolution #CrazyTime #LiveCasino #Connecticut21+ | If you or someone you know has a gambling… pic.twitter.com/JB0esnbfvs
— Evolution (@Evo_global) October 6, 2025

It features different hosts, and like live card games that are broadcast online, it features interactive elements to participate in the gambling. The main game functions similarly to roulette, but on a giant classic-style spinning wheel. You bet on different “areas” and what might happen, including whether or not there will be a mystery game.
Outside of the general gambling element, Cash Hunt, Pachinko, Coin Flip, and a bonus round also make up the show, with the bonus round giving “multipliers of up to 10,000x” for larger prizes.
The show is incredibly elaborate, and really does look like a typical game show you’d see on TV. However, it’s been bringing in enough viewers to expand further across the US as gambling laws are reevaluated countrywide.
Evolution North American CEO comments on the show’s success
Speaking in the press release, Jacob Claesson, Chief Executive Officer of North America at Evolution, said: “Crazy Time has captivated players across the globe with its immersive format and high entertainment value. Bringing it to Connecticut is an exciting step as we continue to expand across the US and deliver our world-class live casino portfolio to an even wider audience.”
Evolution has been in the news recently, as an ongoing case surrounding its potential operations in US-sanctioned countries was all but confirmed. In a Bloomberg report, an executive was caught on an audio recording saying that the company provided gambling to areas it wasn’t supposed to.
Featured image: Evolution
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A new study from the University of Bristol found that fans saw more than 5,000 gambling ads during just one Premier League soccer match this season, even though there’s supposed to be a voluntary “whistle to whistle” ban to cut down on that kind of exposure.
The report, titled “Gambling Marketing and the Premier League: Continued Saturation and Failed Self Regulation,” showed that the Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Manchester City game showcased 5,262 gambling messages, the most of any broadcast study. Over the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season, researchers counted more than 27,000 gambling messages across live matches, sports news, and social media.
According to the report, the Premier League has become “a saturated marketing environment where ever more brands are now competing for the same limited spaces – driving intensity rather than reducing exposure.
“Over 13,000 gambling messages appeared during the so-called ‘whistle to whistle’ ban, showing that self regulation has clearly failed in reducing the volume of gambling marketing during football matches,” the authors added.

Research found 27,000 gambling ads during @premierleague’s opening weekend, with 91% visible during live play. Banning gambling shirt sponsors won’t work if companies can just shift ads elsewhere. It’s time to kick gambling ads out of sport. #GamblingHarmhttps://t.co/tpsFpfhF4G
— Reducing Harm Related to Gambling APG (@GamHarmAPG) October 8, 2025

The study found that over 60% of gambling promotions appeared during the period when they were supposed to be restricted, which goes against the whole point of the voluntary ban. Introduced by the industry in 2019, the whistle to whistle rule was designed to stop gambling ads from showing during live play and for five minutes before and after matches broadcast before 9 p.m.
Lead researcher Dr. Raffaello Rossi said the results point out how poorly self-regulation is working. The team also found that about 8.6% of televised ads came from unlicensed gambling operators, while only 12% included harm reduction messages. This was well below the industry’s own goal of 20%.
Even upcoming changes aren’t expected to have much impact. Set to start in 2026, the Premier League’s front-of-shirt sponsorship ban won’t make a big difference since shirt sponsorships account for less than 10% of total gambling exposure during matches.
The researchers are calling for a full whistle to whistle ban across all platforms, mandatory harm reduction messages, and tighter rules on unlicensed or misleading sponsorships. “Given the continued pervasiveness of gambling marketing in the Premier League, and the persistent failure of self regulation to reduce exposure, we call for tighter legislation that establishes comprehensive rules on gambling marketing,” the report said.
Global trends show mixed shifts in sportsbook gambling ads across major sports
The findings in the UK mirror a wider global shift in how gambling operators are targeting sports fans. New data shared with CasinoBeats by iSpot suggests that while sportsbook advertising is declining in some sports, it’s expanding rapidly in others. In the United States, sportsbook ads during NFL games dropped by almost 8% during the 2024–2025 season, with total impressions falling nearly 15%.
But the NBA went the other way, with a 23% jump in ad airings and a 9% increase in impressions. MLB advertising activity fell slightly overall, but impressions rose 12% as brands experimented with new placements.
At the same time, the University of Bristol team also looked beyond football. During the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, fans were exposed to almost 6,000 gambling related messages, which was far more than the 369 recorded during the NBA Finals.
Speaking to CasinoBeats, Joe Maloney, SVP of Strategic Communications at the American Gaming Association, said: “A low single-digit percentage of ads during pro sports broadcasts from regulated operators sets the record straight against lazy narratives, and further shows how critical these ads are to platform legal sports wagering, and continues to shrink the size of predatory illegal operators.”
Featured image: Canva
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A New York man will serve between two to six years in prison on an indeterminate sentence after it was found he’d stolen nearly $450,000 from a volunteer fire company, which was then used to fuel his gambling habit.
The 42-year-old James Hoffman from Depew, New York, stole a grand total of $446,118.42 between January 1, 2019, and January 31, 2025. To steal the money, Hoffman made unauthorized withdrawals, as well as pocketed fundraiser cash.

James Hoffman, 42, #Depew, was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to felony charges for stealing $446k+ while serving as treasurer of the Sheridan Park Fire Company as well as repeated failure to file his personal income taxes. https://t.co/DXte7OWqsl
— Erie County District Attorney’s Office (@DAErieCountyNY) October 6, 2025

In court, he pleaded guilty to the crime, set as Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, making it a Class C felony. He also pleaded guilty to tax avoidance, as he had repeatedly failed to properly file it. This has resulted in one of three conditions focused on the money stolen, where Hoffman will have to pay back $26,706 in restitution to New York’s tax office.
The other two cash-based conditions out of the case’s guilty plea also meant handing over $55,000 to the defense attorney. A Confession of Judgement was also signed, where Hoffman will need to pay back $391,118.42 of the money he stole back to the fire company.
New York volunteer fire company gets its payback after gambling-fueled theft
Working on the case was Mike Keane of the Erie County DA, who commended Detective Eric Schmidt of the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for working the case.
Speaking in the press release regarding the court’s results, Keane said:
“For many years, this defendant abused his position as treasurer to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from a fire company that helps and protects the residents of Tonawanda.
“He knowingly violated the trust placed in him by firefighters, dedicated volunteers, and the community. I hope that the Sheridan Park Fire Company will be made whole through his restitution payments and continued support from our community.”
Lately, there have been several cases of people getting sentenced for crimes tied to their gambling habits. Just last month, ReadWrite shared the story of a 48-year-old man from Olympia who was given 18 months in prison by a US District Court in Tacoma for wire fraud after he embezzled money to support his gambling addiction.
Featured image: Heather Gill, Tim Wildsmith
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