iGaming Regulation 2026: The Great Clean-Up

🗝️ Key Takeaways

• See how Great Britain capped online slot stakes at £5 in April 2025, with a lower £2 limit for under-25s from May 2025.
• Learn how bonus wagering in Great Britain was capped at 10x from 19 January 2026, and why financial risk checks rely on credit reference data.
• Follow Brazil's route from Law 14,790 and mandatory facial recognition to a nationwide betting ban by provisional measure in September 2026.
• Understand the EU anti-money-laundering package, which applies from 10 July 2027 with a €2,000 threshold for gambling transactions.
• Discover EN 18144, the voluntary European standard on markers of harm published on 31 May 2026.
• Check the advertising and sweepstakes rules that took effect in Ontario and California, with an official source for every date.

Between 2025 and 2026, several of the biggest gambling markets stopped talking about reform and put new rules into force. Stake limits, bonus caps, identity checks and advertising bans all moved from consultation papers to live requirements.

This guide sets out what actually changed, market by market, in the order it happened. Every dated claim names the official government or regulator source behind it, so you can check it for yourself.

🇬🇧 Great Britain

The Gambling Commission and the government delivered the biggest set of changes since the 2023 white paper. Four of them directly affect what you can stake, claim and pay.

🎰 Online Slot Stake Limits

A maximum stake of £5 per spin on online slots took effect for adults on 9 April 2025. A £2 limit for 18 to 24 year olds followed on 21 May 2025, as set out in the Gambling Commission's stake limit guidance.

Before these limits, online slots in Great Britain had no maximum stake at all. Land-based gaming machines already had caps, so the change brought online play closer to the high street.

🎁 Bonus Wagering Capped at 10x

From 19 January 2026, wagering requirements on gambling bonuses were capped at 10 times the bonus. The same change banned promotions that require players to take part in more than one type of gambling, such as betting and slots, according to the Gambling Commission's announcement.

The Commission's own example shows the scale of the change. A £10 bonus with 50x wagering meant playing through £500 before a withdrawal, while under the new cap the most an operator can ask is £100.

🔎 Financial Risk Checks

Financial risk checks are often described as "affordability checks via Open Banking", but that is not how they work. The Commission's pilot ran the checks on data held by credit reference agencies, with no bank log-in required from the player.

In May 2025, the Commission reported that the second stage of the pilot had covered about 1.7 million assessments across three credit reference agencies. By April 2026 it had still not decided whether to introduce the checks, as its pilot update explained.

💷 Higher Online Gambling Duty

Remote Gaming Duty, the tax operators pay on online casino profits, rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. A new 25% rate for most remote betting is due from 1 April 2027, according to the government's gambling duty changes.

The duty is paid by operators, not players. Even so, a tax rise of this size squeezes bonus budgets, which can mean smaller promotions for players.

🇧🇷 Brazil

Brazil went from an unregulated market to a licensed one, and then to a ban, in under three years. Each step came with a clear legal basis.

📜 Law 14,790 and Licensing

Law 14,790, signed on 29 December 2023, created a licensed market for fixed-odds betting, covering both sports betting and online games. It placed authorisation, advertising rules and player protection under the Ministry of Finance.

The law required operators to monitor player behaviour and to offer a tool that lets players block themselves for a set time. It did not set any standard stake or deposit limits, and neither did the ordinances that followed.

🙂 Ordinance 722/2024 and Facial Recognition

Ordinance SPA/MF 722, issued on 2 May 2024, set the technical and security rules for betting systems, as announced by the federal government's news agency. Its annex required facial recognition to verify every player's identity before an account could be activated.

Facial recognition was also required to change passwords, bank details or personal data, and to recover or unlock an account. Together, these rules meant every licensed account in Brazil started with a live face check.

🚫 The September 2026 Ban

On 25 September 2026, Provisional Measure 1,394 banned the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of fixed-odds betting across Brazil. It also revoked most of Law 14,790, as shown on the National Congress record of the measure.

A provisional measure takes effect immediately but must be approved by Congress to become permanent law. In October 2026, the measure was still awaiting its review committee, so its final form was not yet settled.

🇪🇺 European Union

The EU's changes came from two directions, one binding and one voluntary. New anti-money-laundering law set legal duties for gambling providers, while a European standard gave operators a shared way to spot signs of harm.

💶 The AML Package: AMLR and AMLD6

The EU adopted a new anti-money-laundering package in 2024: the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR) and the Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6). The rules apply from 10 July 2027, so they had not yet taken effect by the end of 2026.

For gambling providers, the regulation sets a single EU-wide threshold. Customer due diligence must be carried out on transactions of €2,000 or more, whether that is a stake, a win or both.

📏 EN 18144: The Markers of Harm Standard

The European Committee for Standardisation published EN 18144, the European standard on markers of harm in gambling, on 31 May 2026. It is voluntary, so no operator is legally required to follow it.

The standard lists nine behavioural markers that can signal risky play. They cover stake changes, speed of play, deposits and failed deposits, withdrawals, player contact, session length and time of day, use of several products, net losses, and changes to safety tools such as limits.

🇨🇦 Ontario

Since 28 February 2024, Ontario's licensed online operators have been barred from using active or retired athletes in their advertising, except to promote responsible gambling. The rule was set by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Celebrities, influencers, entertainers and cartoon characters were not banned outright. They can only be used if they would not be likely to appeal to minors, which widened the earlier rule that covered only content with a primary appeal to minors.

🇺🇸 California

California's Assembly Bill 831 made it unlawful to operate, conduct or offer an online sweepstakes game in the state. It was signed in October 2025 and took effect on 1 January 2026.

Sweepstakes casinos had relied on a dual-currency model to operate where real-money online casinos were not licensed. California's law removed that option in the most populous US state.

📊 Summary of the Changes

This table brings the main changes together, with the key date for each and its official source. The EN 18144 standard has no government source, as it was published by a standards body rather than a regulator:

🧭 What It Means for Players

For most players, the changes show up in a few practical ways. These are the ones worth knowing before you sign up or claim an offer:

• Lower slot stakes in Great Britain: you cannot spin above £5, or above £2 if you are under 25.
• Simpler bonuses in Great Britain: wagering is capped at 10x, and offers can no longer require you to mix betting and casino play.
• Credit data, not bank log-ins: if a British operator asks about your finances, a financial risk check uses credit reference data rather than Open Banking.
• No licensed betting in Brazil for now: the September 2026 ban stands unless Congress changes or rejects it.
• Stricter EU checks from 2027: transactions of €2,000 or more will trigger customer due diligence across the EU.

Our Brazil casinos page and our welcome bonus guide are updated as these rules develop.

🌟 VistaGamble's Honest Assessment

The changes of 2025 and 2026 made gambling safer in several markets, but they also took choice away from players. Here is how the two sides compare.

➕ The Positives

• Clearer bonus terms: a 10x wagering cap makes British offers far easier to compare and complete.
• Stronger identity checks: facial recognition in Brazil tied every licensed account to a real, verified person.
• Common EU rules: one €2,000 threshold from 2027 replaces a patchwork of national rules.

➖ The Negatives

• Less choice for players: Brazil's ban and California's sweepstakes law removed whole markets almost overnight.
• Smaller promotions: higher British duty and bonus caps put pressure on the size of offers.
• Uncertainty in places: financial risk checks in Great Britain and the Brazilian ban were both still undecided in late 2026.

🔒 Conclusion

iGaming regulation in 2025 and 2026 was defined by rules that actually took effect. Great Britain capped slot stakes and bonus wagering, Brazil moved from licensing to a ban, and the EU set its AML rules for 2027.

Standards also moved forward, with EN 18144 giving operators a voluntary set of harm markers. Check the official sources in our table whenever you need the exact rules, because several of these changes were still developing at the end of 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions❓

What changed in iGaming regulation in 2026?

Great Britain capped bonus wagering at 10x from 19 January 2026 and raised Remote Gaming Duty to 40% from 1 April 2026. Brazil banned fixed-odds betting by provisional measure on 25 September 2026, and California's sweepstakes ban took effect on 1 January 2026.

What are the UK online slot stake limits?

The maximum stake is £5 per spin for adults, in force since 9 April 2025. Anyone aged 18 to 24 has a lower limit of £2 per spin, in force since 21 May 2025.

Do UK financial risk checks use Open Banking?

No, the Gambling Commission's financial risk checks use data held by credit reference agencies. Players do not need to log in to their bank for them.

Does Brazil have stake or deposit limits?

No, Brazil's betting rules never set standard stake or deposit limits. Instead, the regulations focused on identity checks such as facial recognition and on tools that let players limit their own time.

When do the EU AML rules apply to gambling?

The AMLR and AMLD6 apply from 10 July 2027. Gambling providers must then carry out customer due diligence on transactions of €2,000 or more.

What is EN 18144?

EN 18144 is the European standard on markers of harm in gambling, published on 31 May 2026. It is voluntary and lists nine behavioural markers that can signal risky play.