Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Bragg Gaming Group announced it has reached an agreement with its lenders, certain entities controlled by Doug Fallon, to repay USD 5 million of its outstanding USD 7 million secured promissory note and to extend the maturity of the remaining USD 2 million until June 6, 2025 (the Note). The company is in the process of securing a new revolving credit facility from a third-party lender. This facility is expected to offer more favourable terms than the existing Note, including lower borrowing costs and improved drawdown flexibility. All other terms of the original Note remain unchanged.

PENN Entertainment Inc announced plans for an expected $180–$200 million project to relocate its Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs (Ameristar) riverboat casino operations to a new, state-of-the-art land-based property to be rebranded as Hollywood Casino Council Bluffs (Hollywood Council Bluffs). The proposal is approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in conjunction with a 15-year extension of Ameristar’s partnership with the nonprofit Qualified Sponsoring Organisation (QSO) Iowa West Racing Association. All commercial operators in Iowa are required to have an operating agreement with a QSO licensed to conduct gaming operations. Under the proposed plan, the new Hollywood Council Bluffs is expected to include roughly 125,000 square feet of new development with approximately 58,000 square feet of gaming space.

PENN Entertainment Inc announced that it intends to nominate Johnny Hartnett and Carlos Ruisanchez for election to its Board of Directors following discussions with HG Vora Capital Management LLC (HG Vora). Ron Naples has informed the Board that he will retire from the Board, effective immediately. Barbara Shattuck Kohn and Saul Reibstein have notified the Company that they will not stand for reelection at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Board now comprises eight directors, seven of whom are independent.

Partnerships

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Genius Sports Limited have announced a significant extension of their long-term partnership, reinforcing their shared commitment to innovation, transparency and the integrity of college athletics. Under the expanded agreement, Genius Sports has been appointed as the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data to licensed sportsbooks for all post-season tournaments, including March Madness, through 2032. This long-term agreement ensures the delivery of fast, accurate and secure data to the regulated sports betting market.

PrizePicks, the largest daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced that it has been named the Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the San Francisco Giants. The new partnership strengthens the DFS leader’s presence in professional baseball and features digital and in-park activations at Oracle Park. As part of the multi-year partnership, PrizePicks branding will be showcased prominently throughout Oracle Park with rotating signage behind home plate and LED signage on each baseline. PrizePicks logos will be featured across the K-Counter in right field, creating an interactive experience for fans in the ballpark. Fans seated on top of the right field wall near the strikeout counter will have the opportunity to flip over the PrizePicks branded signs, revealing a “K” for each strikeout earned by a Giants pitcher.

FBMDS is thrilled to announce the launch of its newest slot game of Asian inspiration – “Panda Treasure – Sublime Series”. This is the inaugural title in its ambitious plan to reinvent its slots portfolio with new, rewarding online casino game releases throughout the year, that speak to different players’ profiles and competitive operator’s demands.

The release of a new slot game aligns with FBMDS’s 2025 narrative, focusing on market expansion, innovation, and leadership in key iGaming segments.

Since the company is deeply committed to delivering high-quality, innovative, and compliant experiences both to operators and players worldwide, Panda Treasure demonstrates the brand’s goals in setting new standards in the universe of online casino gaming.

Panda Treasure: the Slot Game mechanics

FBMDS new slot Panda Treasure is a 3×3 spins game featuring 5 paylines, combining simplicity with an immersive gaming experience. The game boasts visually stunning and Asian-inspired graphics, smooth animations, and gameplay mechanics optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Players will embark on a fascinating adventure through the heart of Asia, guided by the Red Panda Bao, the guardian of luck. Unique symbols celebrating the richness of Asian culture are key to unlocking great rewards, including:

• Amulet: A symbol of protection and good fortune.
• Fan: Representing Asian elegance and tradition.
• Dumplings: A delicacy symbolizing prosperity.
• Asian Lanterns: Symbols of celebration and light, illuminating the path.
• Golden Coins: Indicating the route to wealth.
• Dragon: The mythical creature guarding the most valuable treasures.

A win-win bet for online casino enthusiasts

The game offers a maximum potential prize of 2,500x the bet, available exclusively during the Spin Bonus mode. In the Spin Bonus mode, which can be triggered randomly on any spin.

When this happens, a random paying symbol is selected, and the reels spin to display only that symbol and, if available, WILD symbols.​ The WILD symbol substitutes for any symbol to form combinations and can appear on all reels. In the Main Game, if the WILD symbol fills the entire game screen, the payout will be 250x the bet.

The player receives 3 spins to try to add new symbols of the selected type or WILD symbols to the game area. Whenever new selected symbols or WILDs appear, they remain fixed on the screen.​

The Spin Bonus ends when the player uses all 3 spins. At the end, all obtained combinations are multiplied by a random multiplier, which can be x5, x10, x15, x20, or x25.

Panda Treasure – Sublime Series embodies FBMDS’s dedication to providing engaging and culturally rich gaming experiences. As the casino gaming company continues to expand its slots portfolio and beyond, players can anticipate more innovative and immersive titles in the coming months.

Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, ‍is proud to announce its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Outlook, which found that regulators are cracking down on money laundering weaknesses with severe consequences, totaling over €36m in fines from March 2024 to March 2025 in Europe alone.

Vixio’s AML Outlook examines the challenges of complying with AML requirements in jurisdictions around the world, outlines regulators’ efforts to thwart criminal activity, and considers how payments and gambling firms can prevent being caught up in money laundering scandals.

The report found that in the last year, in the European area alone, there have been around 30 enforcement actions from regulators fining payments and e-money firms for falling short in their adherence to AML/CTF rules.

Financial institutions found to have money laundering weaknesses face profound consequences, with prosecutors and regulators alike generally unwilling to be empathetic on this matter. For example:

• In March 2025, Germany’s regulator, BaFin, fined Ratepay €25,000 over suspected money laundering.
• In February 2025, Estonia’s Money Laundering Data Bureau revoked B2BX Digital Exchange OÜ’s licence for failing to implement proper customer due diligence, transaction monitoring and risk assessments.
• The Bank of Lithuania, meanwhile, revoked Foxpay’s licence in November 2024 for systemic AML/CTF and governance failures, including fund mismanagement and conflicts of interest.

John Gidla, Head of Payments Compliance, Vixio, explains, “Although AML compliance involves significant costs for payments firms –  including investment in transaction monitoring systems, customer due diligence (CDD) processes and ongoing staff training – the consequences of failure can be significant. In addition to financial penalties, failing to prevent money laundering can severely damage a firm’s reputation, leading to loss of customers, partners and investor confidence. Maintaining a strong compliance framework is crucial for preserving trust and long-term business viability.”

Until now, the EU’s AML enforcement has been more fragmented, but the EU’s new Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) could be a significant step towards addressing AML enforcement and closing gaps that criminals have been exploiting for years.

Regulatory scrutiny means that firms need to implement know your customer (KYC) procedures, monitor transactions on their systems for suspicious activity and report concerns through suspicious activity reports (SARs) to the relevant authorities.