Emerging Gambling Markets to Watch in 2026–2027

The map of regulated gambling keeps changing. This page tracks markets that are opening, reforming or debating reform, with their status as of 9 October 2026. Timelines in new markets frequently move, so treat dates as provisional and check each regulator’s own announcements. For country-level detail, follow the links to our regulatory profiles.

At a glance

Market	What is changing	Status (October 2026)
Finland	End of the monopoly for online casino and betting; new licensing system	Applications open; services from 1 July 2027 at the earliest
Alberta (Canada)	Private operators licensed alongside the provincial site	Market opened 13 July 2026
New Zealand	Licensed online casino market, up to 15 licences	Auction scheduled for late September 2026; regime fully in place in 2027
Brazil	First years of a regulated betting and online casino market	Live since January 2025; tax rising to 18% by 2028
France	Possible legalisation of online casino	Debated; not legal
UAE	Commercial gaming framework under the GCGRA	Lottery, first casino resort licence and first online licences issued
Thailand	Entertainment complex (casino) bill	Stalled; no active bill verified
United States	State-by-state iGaming expansion	Maine authorised; other states debating

Finland: from monopoly to licensing

Finland is dismantling the long-standing Veikkaus monopoly for online casino and betting under a new Gambling Act. Key points as reported in August 2026:

• Licence applications opened in 2026. About 50 operators had applied, most of them international.
• Each application carries a non-refundable processing fee of €29,000.
• Licensed operators may begin providing and marketing services no earlier than 1 July 2027, and only after the licence is granted, audits are complete and a mandatory system integration project is finished.
• The National Police Board’s Gambling Administration handles licensing until the end of June 2027. From 1 July 2027, a new supervisory agency takes over.
• Licence categories include a gambling licence for online casino and betting, an exclusive licence (retained by the state operator for areas such as lotteries), and a software licence available from July 2027.

What to watch: processing speed, the details of marketing restrictions, the final tax position, and how the state will enforce against operators that do not obtain a licence. See also Finland’s self-exclusion arrangements.

Alberta: Canada’s second open iGaming market

Alberta became the second Canadian province, after Ontario, to open its online gambling market to private operators, launching on 13 July 2026.

• The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) regulates; a new Crown body, the Alberta iGaming Corporation, manages the commercial framework.
• Around 50 operators expressed interest; the provincial government indicated that roughly 20 would be ready on the first day.
• Operators already serving Albertans without authorisation were required to stop by 13 July, with a possible compliance extension to 13 October 2026 for those that demonstrated they could not meet the deadline.
• The government-run site continues alongside private operators.
• Reported earmarks include a share of gaming revenue for problem gambling programmes and for First Nations, though distribution details were still being settled at launch.

What to watch: first revenue data, enforcement against non-registered sites, and whether other provinces follow. See Canada.

New Zealand: online casino licensing by auction

New Zealand passed the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, administered by the Department of Internal Affairs.

• Up to 15 licences, each covering a single brand, with no more than three per operator.
• Licence rights are allocated through an ascending clock auction, which the Department scheduled for 29 September 2026. We had not verified the auction’s outcome at the time of writing.
• Successful bidders can submit full applications from October 2026.
• From 1 December 2026, providers that have not applied for a licence must stop offering online casino gambling to New Zealanders.
• Licences last up to three years, with possible renewal for a further five. The regime is expected to be fully in place during 2027.

What to watch: auction prices, the levy and fee framework, and enforcement against offshore sites.

Brazil: the first years of a giant market

Brazil opened its regulated fixed-odds betting and online gaming market on 1 January 2025, overseen by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) within the Ministry of Finance.

• Authorisations cost R$30 million and run for five years.
• Payment methods are restricted to domestic electronic channels such as Pix, bank transfers and debit cards; credit cards and crypto are not permitted for deposits.
• Complementary Law 224/2025, signed in December 2025, schedules an increase in the GGR tax from 12% towards 18% by 2028.
• The market has faced intense political scrutiny over household debt, advertising and gambling harm, including a parliamentary inquiry in 2025.

What to watch: tax changes, advertising rules, the effectiveness of blocking unlicensed sites, and consolidation among licence holders.

France: the online casino question

France licenses online sports betting, horse-race betting and poker through the ANJ, but online casino games remain illegal. The government withdrew a proposal to open online casino from its 2025 budget after strong opposition, notably from the land-based casino sector, which argues legalisation would damage casino-town finances. A new ANJ president was nominated in 2026. As of the latest reporting we verified (mid-2026), there was no government bill to legalise online casino, though the subject remains under discussion amid concern about the black market.

UAE: building a commercial gaming framework

The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), established in 2023, oversees commercial gaming at federal level.

• A national lottery was licensed in 2024.
• The first land-based casino licence was granted in 2025 for an integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah, scheduled to open in 2027.
• The first internet gaming and sports wagering licences were issued in late November 2025, with players required to be 21 or over and physically present in the UAE.
• Multiple B2B vendor licences have been issued.

What to watch: whether further emirates host resorts, how many online licences are granted, and the detail of player protection rules.

Thailand: the casino bill stalls

Thailand’s cabinet approved a draft Entertainment Complex Bill in January 2025 that would have allowed casinos within large integrated resorts. Following political upheaval, a Senate committee rejected the bill in September 2025, and the then prime minister said no casino legislation would advance under his government. Parliament was dissolved in December 2025 ahead of an early-2026 election. Based on the reporting we could verify, no casino bill was actively advancing as of October 2026; proposals floated include a referendum or a narrower scheme. Online gambling remains illegal.

United States: slow iGaming expansion

Online casino remains much less widespread than sports betting in the United States.

• Maine became the eighth state to authorise online casino. The governor allowed LD 1164 to become law without her signature in January 2026, and it took effect on 29 July 2026. Each of the four Wabanaki Nations may partner with one commercial operator, and online casino revenue is taxed at 18%. Rulemaking by the state’s Gambling Control Unit must be completed first; launches are expected around 2027.
• Maryland advanced an iGaming bill in the House in 2026 before it stalled in the Senate.
• New York, Illinois, Indiana and Virginia have seen bills introduced or debated without enactment so far.
• Debate is shaped by concerns about cannibalisation of land-based casinos, tribal gaming rights, problem gambling and competition from sweepstakes casinos. See sweepstakes and social casino regulation.

How to follow these markets

Track regulator announcements, legislative calendars and published consultation papers rather than headlines. Our market entry checklist outlines what to assess once a market’s rules are confirmed, and the regulation hub is updated as countries change.