iGaming Market Weekly Report: May 11-17, 2026
In Turkey, only enforcement-related news resulted in growth, as the Paymix−3 investigation revealed 3.17 million users with illegal betting records; this kept activity around gambling active throughout the week.
In Singapore and South Korea, both saw a return to their previous week’s levels of activity, as the major lottery win and law enforcement actions taken against illegal poker rooms in both jurisdictions lost momentum without any follow-up developments. Morocco experienced a decline in activity following last week’s Casablanca Derby, which created an extreme level of baseline for this week. There was no comparable domestic event this week for Morocco, so activity normalized; there has also been decreased interest in Ecuador with no Copa Libertadores matches scheduled by Ecuadorian clubs during the group stage, and in El Salvador, the same pattern of volatile levels is continuing without a clear reason for these fluctuations.
Top 5 Gainers of the Week
Czech Republic (+19.8%)
The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship opened in Switzerland on May 15. Czechia opened with a win over Denmark before an overtime loss to Slovenia on May 16. As one of the country’s key annual betting events, the tournament (running through May 31) kept engagement elevated.
Turkey (+18.6%)
The Paymix-3 investigation revealed that more than 3M Turkish users appeared in illegal betting records tied to national ID data, with potential fines reaching up to $8.8K per individual. The scale of the case turned it into a nationwide media story and sustained gambling-related attention throughout the week.
Slovakia (+16.4%)
Slovakia opened the IIHF tournament with two consecutive wins (Norway on May 16, Italy on May 17), matching early leaders in Group B and driving strong betting interest.
Lithuania (+10.7%)
Žalgiris Kaunas’ EuroLeague playoff series against Fenerbahçe reached a decisive Game 5 on May 13 in Istanbul, where Fenerbahçe won in overtime to advance to the Final Four, closing Lithuania’s postseason run.
Finland (+8.6%)
Finland started the IIHF World Championship with two wins and also entered the Eurovision Grand Final weekend as a betting favorite, ultimately finishing 6th while Bulgaria took the title.
Top 5 Decliners of the Week
Singapore (-28.5%)
Reversion effect. Last week’s spike was driven by a single $10M lottery jackpot win on May 4; without a comparable trigger, activity normalized.
El Salvador (24.2%)
Domestic football semifinals continued across May 13–17, but lacked the intensity of earlier rounds. The market remains volatile, oscillating without a consistent driver.
Ecuador (21.6%)
No Copa Libertadores fixtures involving Ecuadorian clubs this week; attention is expected to return with the next group-stage round starting May 19.
South Korea (20.2%)
A full reversal of last week’s enforcement-driven surge, which was tied to nationwide raids on illegal poker clubs. With media coverage fading, activity normalized.
Morocco (19.3%)
Post-derby cooldown. The Casablanca Derby on May 9 set an unusually high base, followed by a quiet domestic weekend. The CAF Champions League final first leg (AS FAR’s 1–0 loss in Pretoria on May 17) did not generate equivalent domestic engagement.
Market Spotlight: Turkey (+18.6%)
In the last week Turkey outpaced other parts of the region with very positive growth, primarily due to the recent Paymix-3 joint operation, which focused primarily on illegal betting. According to an official report about the enforcement operation, approximately 3.17M individuals were on record at illegal betting sites and have penalties starting from $2.2K to $8.8K per individual. Also, during this operation, more than 49 illegal betting sites were shut down and over 67K bank accounts were scrutinized.
As opposed to an arbitrary enforcement announcement, the Paymix-3 operation received ongoing coverage from Turkish media throughout the week due to either the scale of the enforcement operation or personalisation of the data presented. Most gambling operations are government-run, including state-sponsored sports betting, lottery, and Horse racing; thus, there will likely be an increase in searches for future illegal gambling enforcement activity depending on how heavily the government enforces the fines imposed as a result of illegal betting.
This marks the third major Paymix-related enforcement operation of the year in 2026, coinciding with the increased government enforcement of illegal online gambling as they prepare for the 2027 election cycle. Other previous operations created temporary spikes in search traffic, which subsequently level off. However, if the government continues to enforce penalties from enforcement operations at a high level, then a rise in search traffic will very likely happen as a result.
Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.
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