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Two people have been charged and placed in French custody after it was discovered that they might have been running several illegal casino websites. It’s estimated that the gambling ring had generated nearly a billion euros ($1,169,425,000) over the five years that it was running. Investigations came to a head when users trying to withdraw their winnings couldn’t.

Eurojust, a criminal investigation agency for European countries, used judicial cooperation with Cyprus to help with the investigation, as it was found that site managers resided in the country. During the investigation, law enforcement uncovered that more than €100 million was transferred between 2022 and 2025.

During its investigation, those involved met to coordinate searches across Cyprus and Malta. This resulted in two men being brought before the investigative judge in France, who have been charged. The charges include:

Organising prohibited gambling
Operating as part of an organised gang
Offering illegal online gaming
Money laundering

Eurojust orders assets frozen for gambling ring pair

While they’ve been charged, they are now awaiting trial and are in custody. The pair has had their assets ordered to be frozen. However, neither Eurojust nor any of the European authorities involved in the case have named the gambling sites in question.

France and a good majority of Europe allow for gambling, but have strict regulations in place to keep it in check. As such, as soon as an operator falls afoul of the law, investigators will typically act quickly to get to the bottom of it.

As we don’t know the sites in question, it’s always worth double-checking to see whether or not an online casino is licensed. Don’t fall for sites that use false licenses, but make sure to check in with the advertised licensor to see if they’re legit. Some watchdogs will have a dedicated list, like in Malta or the UK.
Featured image: Eurojust

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Earlier in the year, thousands of people in Norway suddenly believed they had won big on the lottery, but it all turned out to be a major mistake.
Now, some months after the incident occurred in June, it has been confirmed that the company involved, Norsk Tipping, has been hit with a massive fine which was subsequently approved by the Norwegian Gambling Authority.
The issue happened for 47,000 people who were notified by the state-owned gambling company that they had won life-changing figures on the Eurojackpot draw. But it was an error in the conversion from Eurocents to Norwegian kroner that caused the prize amounts to be ‘excessively high.’ The notification had come in the form of an SMS or a push notification to the players’ phones. It led to the resignation of the regulator’s CEO, Tonje Sagstuen.
On Wednesday (October 15), the gambling authority issued an update and described it as a “serious breach of trust.” Tore Bell, the director of the Norwegian Gambling Authority, is quoted as saying that “players should be able to trust Norsk Tipping.”
Norsk Tipping already hit with a fine following the error
The regulator also confirmed how it happened, saying that during the conversion process, the sum was multiplied by a hundred instead of dividing by a hundred when converting it into kroner.
“It is critical that the error was not discovered in connection with either testing or controls, but only after the message about the incorrect prize amount had been sent to the players,” says Bell, with the quote originally written in Norwegian.
“It is reassuring that the draw itself was carried out correctly, that the error was quickly corrected and that Norsk Tipping has implemented several measures to avoid similar errors in the future.” At the time, the company CEO, Tonje Sagstuen, apologized and resigned.
Last month, Norsk Tipping was notified of a fine of up to 10 million kroner and the Gambling Authority has now approved the fee.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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The Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has raided three locations in the Florida area, seizing 111 illegal gambling machines and $36,888 in cash. LCSO worked alongside the Narcotics Unit and the Florida Gaming Control Commission to crack down on the illegal gambling operations being run out of Miscue Lounge, Vegas Knights, and Royal Arcade.
The LCSO announced its success on Facebook, with a video showing the seizures. In the post, the Sheriff’s Office said:
“These arcades allowed patrons to play slot machines and receive a cash payout—which is illegal in Lee County. Not to mention, these establishments are a hub for other illegal & violent activities.”
Slot machines and immigration in the latest Florida raid
They also broke down into a brief itemized list what was recovered from each location. The LCSO also included Notice to Appear, which are usually handed out by the Department of Homeland Security. It’s unknown if ICE or other DHS representatives appeared at the raids, but two were issued at Miscue Lounge and Vegas Knights.

Miscue Lounge had 10 slot machines seized, while Vegas Knights lost $21,679 and 48 machines. Royal Palm Arcade lost $15,209 and 53 slot machines. According to a report from Gulf Coast News, the building housing Royal Palm Arcade is now boarded up.
A theory about why these keep popping up, posited by Kevin Jursinski, an attorney with a specialty in gaming and gambling, is that because the biggest punishment is a misdemeanor, the risk is worth it compared to the money being made.
Over the last couple of months, Florida police have seized hundreds of machines in different raids. In September, 11 stores were raided, and in August, nearly 250 machines were seized in a massive gambling bust. Another August raid saw Cape Coral police seize over $500,000, along with another 428 slot machines.
Featured image: Lee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page
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The technology company Sportradar has used its AI-powered simulation of the 2025-26 NBA season to look at who the possible champions could be, with Oklahoma City Thunder coming out on top in the predictions.
A total of 50,000 AI-powered simulations of the regular season schedule has taken place, with the model also suggesting possibilities for the NBA Finals matchups and more despite the outcome of sporting events never able to be properly determined or predicted.

The results are in…
Through 50,000 AI-powered simulations, Sportradar projects the likeliest outcomes to this @NBA season, including the Finals winner, top conference seeds, and more.
View our full #NBA sim results here: https://t.co/olY4Zd8GMw pic.twitter.com/xnxrRhG8ue
— Sportradar (@Sportradar) October 16, 2025

According to Sportradar, it projects “the five most likely NBA Finals matchups, led by the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Thunder at 9.2% probability.
“Of the five scenarios, the defending champion Thunder and Cavaliers appeared in three matchups while the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks were featured in one matchup apiece.”
The simulation project also predicts that the Thunder are the most likely team to win the 2026 NBA Finals, after they were crowned repeat champion in 27.3% of the 50,000 simulations conducted.
“Behind Oklahoma City, the Nuggets (10.3%) and Cavaliers (9.4%) were the next most likely teams to win the NBA Finals, while the Rockets (8.3%) and Knicks (7.0%) each earned strong odds to capture their first championship in 30 and 52 years, respectively.”
How do Sportradar NBA AI-powered simulations work?
The company has outlined how the project has been completed, with tens of thousands of data points having been inputted into its proprietary AI engine to analyze historical data.
It has been built on NBA data and team odds for winning the NBA Finals, with the simulation estimating team strength and expected scoring.
It has also attempted to predict the race to the NBA Playoffs in each conference: “In doing so, the simulation projects three teams that are most likely to return to the playoffs after missing out last season: the Atlanta Hawks (75.1%) and Philadelphia 76ers (70.0%) in the East, and the Dallas Mavericks (60.3%) — led by 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg — in the West.”
This is the latest technology to analyze sports data, but not all sporting events follow the same patterns or trends. The company has added a caveat to its latest article, saying “the above information should not be relied upon for betting purposes.”
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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