Cyber Heist City

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In recent weeks, German authorities conducted a crackdown on an alleged illegal online gambling operation suspected of facilitating wagers totalling approximately €5.86 billion over a 30-month period.  

The DSWV trade body, representing licensed sports-betting operators, broadly welcomed the enforcement action as a necessary response to the illegal market’s growth and associated risks. 

“This successful investigation clearly demonstrates the scale that the illegal gambling market has now reached,” said Mathias Dahms, president of the DSWV.

What is Cyber Heist City?

In addition, regulated sportsbooks appear to have a vested interested in mitigating the risk of violent threats associated with athlete harassment. Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, told iGB on Tuesday that its members are investing in tools and partnerships that help identify bad actors and share information with leagues and other stakeholders.

Another proposed action from the leagues centres around the creation of a standardised, cross-operator reporting platform that will allow players, unions and leagues to “securely transmit verified evidence of threats” to state regulators.

Maloney leads an association that features sportsbook powerhouses such as DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics and Bet365.

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Both LiveScore and Tombola, who were a part of the original 10 operators to receive a licence, exited the market in 2024. 

Compared to the 2021 licensing round, the KSA adopted a more granular and stringent approach to its licence renewal process. This was expected following new policy rules set out by the regulator in September 2025.

One such rule was for licensees that had faced compliance enforcement during the five years operating in the Netherlands.