Ireland’s draft EU budget left out an online gambling levy, Entain’s UK and Ireland online NGR rose 14%, and Matchbook bought rival exchange Betdaq’s brand.
This week at a glance
- Ireland’s draft of the EU’s 2028–2034 budget lists five new revenue sources, and an online gambling levy is not one of them.
- Triplebet, which operates Matchbook, acquired the Betdaq brand, and Betdaq’s exchange stops trading on 21 October.
- Entain’s Q3 NGR rose 2%, with UK and Ireland online up 14% and Brazil down 36%.
- Hacksaw launched a B2B prediction markets platform alongside a Type 3 extension of its MGA licence.
- Wildz Group says it is the first operator cleared for a Finnish gambling licence.
Five biggest stories of the week
1. Ireland’s EU budget draft leaves out gambling levy
Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU has left an online gambling levy out of its draft of the EU’s 2028–2034 budget. The negotiating box, circulated on 10 October, lists five new revenue sources, including a corporate contribution, tobacco, and electronic waste. The Presidency says they could raise about €55 billion a year, but none of the five has been agreed yet.
The S&D group in the European Parliament first proposed the levy, and the Commission later modelled a 3% levy at around €1.9 billion a year. Ed Birkin, managing director of H2 Gambling Capital, told European Gaming in June that it would raise just under €1 billion on 2026 figures.
Every member state must approve any new EU revenue source, and Malta’s prime minister has said Malta will not accept EU-level taxes to fund the bloc’s spending.
2. Matchbook buys Betdaq brand as exchange closes
Triplebet, which operates Matchbook, has acquired the Betdaq brand. The deal was announced on 14 October, and financial terms were not disclosed. Betdaq, founded by Dermot Desmond in 2000, will stop trading on 21 October.
Betdaq accounts will not move to Matchbook, so customers who want to switch need to open a new account. They have until 4 November to withdraw their balances. Matchbook said combining the brands creates one deeper pool of liquidity, but how much deeper depends on how many Betdaq customers sign up.
3. Entain posts 2% NGR growth in Q3
Entain’s net gaming revenue (NGR) rose 2% in Q3 2026, with online up 3%. UK and Ireland online NGR grew 14%, while Brazil fell 36% in a quarter that ended five days after the country banned online betting. Online sports NGR fell 3%, which Entain put down to customer-friendly football results in August and September.
Entain kept its FY26 guidance and still expects underlying EBITDA, excluding parent fees, at the lower end of its £910 million to £960 million range.
Chief executive Stella David urged the UK Government to carefully consider any further gambling tax increases. Remote gaming duty already rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026.
4. Hacksaw launches B2B prediction markets platform
Hacksaw Group has launched a B2B prediction markets platform that lets operators run peer-to-peer prediction markets under their own brands. Hacksaw supplies the technology, and operators keep their brands and customer relationships. A shared volume framework is designed to pool participation across Hacksaw’s operator network.
The launch, announced on 15 October, came with an extension of the MGA licence held by Hacksaw’s Maltese subsidiary, which now covers Type 3 as well as Type 1. The MGA register lists no separate prediction markets category, and the approval falls under Malta’s existing Type 3 rules. Malta has said it is exploring its own prediction market framework, but no draft law or consultation has been published as of 16 October.
5. Wildz Group says it is the first operator cleared in Finland
Wildz Group says Finland’s National Police Board has cleared it to offer gambling to Finnish players for five years from 1 July 2027, when the licensed market opens. The Malta-based operator says the board issued the letter on 15 October and that it is the first operator to be cleared.
The National Police Board has not yet published any decisions on individual applications, so the claim rests on the company’s own announcement. The board had received 75 licence applications by September, up from 50 in June.
What to watch next
EU leaders discussed the Irish negotiating box at the European Council on 15 October and asked President António Costa to take the talks forward. They said a deal before the end of 2026 would keep EU funding flowing from January 2028. In the UK, the Budget on 28 October will show whether gambling taxes rise again.
Betdaq stops trading on 21 October, and its customers have until 4 November to withdraw their balances. In Finland, the National Police Board has yet to publish any licence decisions ahead of the market opening on 1 July 2027.
