Ontario is reportedly seeking up to three new casino operators for the Niagara region. Each would pay a C$100m entrance fee and a 9.75% gaming tax, ending MGE’s regional exclusivity.
Potential entrants would face a stated C$100m fee and 9.75% gaming tax as Niagara exclusivity ends.
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The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians opened its casino near Madera, California, on 27 October, while a federal lawsuit seeking to stop gambling at the site remained unresolved. The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians challenges federal approval of the management agreement with Station Casinos, arguing that the state’s concurrence was required. A federal judge had heard arguments on an injunction request and dismissal motions, with no decision to halt operations reported.
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians is the owner of the $750 million North Fork Mono Casino, which sits off Highway 99 near Madera in California's Central Valley. Gambling began there at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, ahead of the planned date, even though a federal lawsuit aimed at halting play at the property had not been resolved. Las Vegas-based Station Casinos, a subsidiary of Red Rock Resorts, handles management of the venue. According to the source account, no ruling stopping operations had been issued as of Thursday.
Kenya’s Gambling Regulatory Authority plans to create a licence category for prediction markets, according to its director general, Peter Karimi, as reported. The authority has opened its 2026–2027 licensing period, and companies have contacted it about the proposal; implementation timing and application requirements remain undisclosed.
Peter Karimi, director general of Kenya's Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), has said the regulator intends to set up a dedicated licence class for prediction markets. The GRA has begun accepting applications for the 2026–2027 licensing cycle, and several firms have already asked the authority about the planned category. The regulator has not yet made public when the category would take effect or what applicants would need to provide.
France’s ANJ authorised Betsson’s French business to launch online poker on 15 October, according to the company’s statement as reported. The authorisation also permits international liquidity sharing, and Betsson said it plans to use Playtech’s iPoker platform. The company said its decision reflects the French poker market as it stands, not anticipated regulatory changes.
On 15 October the ANJ, France's gambling regulator, gave the green light to the French arm of Betsson, the iGaming operator led by Pontus Lindwall. The approval covers online poker and allows the company to share liquidity across borders. According to Betsson, it is now the ninth business cleared to offer online poker in the country.
Finland’s National Police Board (NPB) said it had received 81 applications for licences in the upcoming regulated market and approved 18. The board estimated processing times at six to eight months, with applicants often asked for additional documents or explanations. Licences will allow operators to launch from 1 July 2027, and the NPB expects further applications.
Finland's National Police Board (NPB) has received 81 applications for licences in the country's upcoming regulated gambling market and has approved 18 of them so far, the regulator said. The figure is up from 70 applications in September. Licences will allow operators to launch in the market from 1 July 2027.
La Gabonaise des Jeux (GDJ), Gabon’s public gaming operator, launched its operations and online platform at a ceremony in Libreville on 22 October. Interior Minister Edgar Moukoumbi said the state took over the gambling industry because of concerns about clarity and transparency; the platform offers sports betting, lotteries, virtual games, scratch cards, casino games and horse racing.
La Gabonaise des Jeux (GDJ), Gabon's public gaming operator, has opened its operations and its online platform, gdjbet.com, the company said. The operator set out its online gambling products at a ceremony in Libreville on 22 October. Vice-President of the Government Hermann Immongault, Interior Minister Edgar Moukoumbi, government officials, representatives of foreign organisations, local authorities and stakeholders from the economy and civil society attended the inauguration, according to the report.