Global Sports Betting Roundup: Bally's to Japan? Germany To Strengthen Rules?

Dave Bonderoff

Last Updated: August 28, 2025 7:14 PM EDT • 6 minute read

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The sports gambling world continues to provide headlines across the globe and SBR is keeping you updated on the biggest news. This week saw the long-awaited World Cup draw and the culmination of months of qualification rounds dominate the news cycles.

But news from heavyweight global sports betting providers also garnered its share of newsworthy oxygen, as have reports from a host of sports betting jurisdictions operating in the world’s bustling wagering scene.

Let’s catch you up on a few of the dominant headlines, starting with the World Cup Draw.

World Cup Draw Dominates Late Week Sports Betting Conversation

FIFA World Cup 2022 officially started ramping up to the unprecedented winter tournament in Qatar with the official draw on Friday.

Perhaps the biggest story ahead of the draw is the teams that broke the hearts of their countrymen and failed to qualify. Italy, Mohamed Salah's Egyptian side, Algeria, Columbia, Nigeria, and Norway are a few of the notable countries that won't be suiting up in Qatar in December.

32 teams (29 of which have already qualified with 3 more to go) have been set and will be playing to advance to the elimination rounds of the tournament. The 32 have been separated into eight groups, with the top 2 in each four-team group moving to the knockout stage.

Global Sports Betting Providers Making News This Week

The growth of the global sports betting market cannot be denied. This past week, some of the bigger names in the industry backed up those claims with deals to either build on existing relationships or to take on new territory.

Let’s take a peek at just a few.

888 Holdings Enters African Market

888 Holdings, one of the world's leading online betting and gaming companies has officially grown its global footprint with the announcement that it is ready to enter the increasingly attractive African market, one that Forbes called the fastest growing continent.

According to a press release Tuesday "888AFRICA will launch in four markets on the continent in 2022." 888 Holdings will at first have a minority stake in 888AFRICA, but it is expected the global behemoth will increase that stake to 100%.

The structure of the deal has 888AFRICA paying a license fee to use 888's products with a focus on local markets in Africa. A third-party tech firm will help with those goals.

888AFRICA has managed to set up an impressive management team that includes former chief marketing officer of The Stars Groups Christopher Coyne, who becomes the company's CEO, former sportsbook trading director of The Stars Group Ian Marmion, current chairman of Voxbet Andrew Lee, Alex Rutherford, ex-Editec Online chief product officer, former sportsbook trading director of The Stars Group Ian Marmion and former CFO of Premier Bet, Helen Scott-Allen.

IMG ARENA builds on Euroleague Basketball Relationship

London-based IMG ARENA, a global leader in the sports content and technology business seized on the growing popularity of European hoops and was able to extend an agreement with Euroleague Basketball, a league that has seen an astounding 75% growth in TV viewership the last three seasons.

IMG ARENA maintains rights for live streaming rights for Euroleague Basketball as well as live game data that it will provide to hundreds of global sportsbooks that take action on the growing league.

IMG ARENA has to view the extended relationship as a big win... and one that gives the company some global influence in the race to provide real-time sports betting data for a betting industry that has exploded around the world.

Check out the latest comprehensive and most trusted Sportsbook Reviews by SBR here.

Pinnacle Solution Gets Sports Betting License in Malta

Pinnacle Solution, the B2B wing of global sportsbook brand Pinnacle has officially made good on their desire for global expansion with a long-awaited and desirable license to operate in Malta.

Pinnacle's award-winning B2B product is now utilized with 50 operators around the world. Pinnacle has further growth aspirations into Europe and Latin America but cites Malta as a desired target that should give the company a little more credibility as they try to grow their brand.

Bally's Japan Bound?

Rhode Island-based Bally’s on Wednesday made a surprise announcement of a move into the Japanese market, specifically the city of Fukuoka (Japan's sixth largest city), where the company hopes to open an integrated resort.

Bally's is just the latest heavy hitting gambling operator looking to take advantage of the growing global market. Their move to Fukuoka looks to be just the first move the company will make in Japan. Bally’s has apparently earmarked $3.9 billion for Japanese expansion.

Bally's international desires are a relatively new thing. The company operates in 10 U.S. states with its 14 venues. Japan's attractive market is the first foray for the company outside of American markets.

Bally’s joins MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment as American-based companies hoping to make inroads into Japan.

The Tale of 2 Asian Sports Betting Countries: One Good and the Other Not so Much

Word came out this week about the situation in two Asian sports betting countries. There was some good news and some bad news unfortunately. Cyprus has reported a return to pre COVID-19 levels with respect to their gambling industry and Macau, despite a return to "normalcy" is reporting serious funding issues within their betting scene.

The Republic of Cyprus has reported a strong 2021, specifically its fourth quarter. According to the country's The National Betting Authority (NBA): "In the fourth quarter of last year, bookmakers in Cyprus showed an income of €226.3 million (US$251.8 million), according to the NBA. This is a 16% year-on-year increase that contributed significantly to their overall €738.5 million (US$821.8 million) for the year."

It remains to be seen however, if the Republic will be able to maintain the momentum. The Russia/Ukraine conflict has threatened to start a recession in Cyprus which would obviously impact their economy and ultimately how people spend their entertainment dollars. Russia has been seen as a huge contributor for Cyprus's economy overall.

Over to Macau where familiar issues are facing their gambling industry. Macau was particularly hard-hit by the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and it appears that a familiar cash crunch is rearing its ugly head.

"Survival is key in this stage,” note Morgan Stanley analysts Praveen Choudhary, Gareth Leung, and Thomas Allen. “Of course, companies can raise new debt, but current bond yield suggests it will be expensive.”

Some operators in the country are doing better than others - Wynn Macau and Melco Resorts & Entertainment is one that has been identified as an operator that could weather the storm.

Germany Strengthens Gaming Regulations

Germany made some news this week with its promise to strengthen their gambling rules going forward. New gaming regulator, Glücksspielbehörde will go into effect January 1, 2023, but has already started work on identifying areas it hopes to concentrate on.

Gaming laws in the country will be under review with a “data-based evaluation” of player protection measures. Protecting Against Gambling Harm has also been identified by the body as a focus for Germany's growing gambling industry.

Denmark's Mixed Results for its Gambling Industry

Denmark this week released the numbers for its gambling industry for the first two months of this year. January and February 2022 figures from the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) identified a small 3.7% decline in overall sports betting activity over that span but a GGR increase of 16% over the first two months of this year.

Compared to the same period last year, gambling activity grew 10.5% in January to DKK 428 million. DKK 184 million was reported in February, down 17% from DKK 221 million from February 2021.

Make sure to keep an eye on our Live Odds page throughout the week to get the best lines possible and connect with others in the SBR community on our popular sports betting forum.

Written by:
Dave Bonderoff

Dave Bonderoff and betting go hand-in-hand. Both are characterized by "odds". Dave fancies himself as one of the most dedicated sports and pop-culture junkies around, to the chagrin of his family and friends. Following sports for 50 years and writing about it for 20, Dave hasn't found a sport yet that can't contribute to 2-3 straight hours of couch time. That search remains ongoing. As a good old Canadian boy, hockey is in Dave’s heart, as is curling sadly. But evolution is a real thing and that’s why football, baseball, and just about every sport on the planet has become a passion. Dave isn’t afraid to kill some time obsessing over politics or the far-too-frequent awards shows the consume the airwaves.