Nebraska online sports betting ballot drive, Bulgaria affiliate licensing, Lithuania’s gambling revenue up 16.8 per cent, and Finland’s spin-by-spin tax overturned

Four separate stories, all relevant if you touch payments around gaming: Nebraska may put online sports betting on the November 3 ballot, Bulgaria’s affiliate regime is now live, Lithuania posted a strong first half, and Finland’s tax administration just lost a case over its spin-by-spin levy on offshore-hosted online slots. The common thread is predictable enough: when regulation moves, payment flows, compliance costs, and merchant viability move with it.

1. Nebraska could vote on online sports betting on November 3. Tax Relief Nebraska is collecting signatures for two petitions, with WarHorse Casinos backing the effort. The pitch is straightforward: keep betting spend inside Nebraska instead of sending it to neighboring states, and bring in tax revenue while trying to protect sports integrity. Opponents are arguing the familiar counterpoints: gambling harm, especially for young people, and the addictive nature of mobile betting. There is also an operational question hiding in the politics here — how tax would be collected and how revenue would be allocated across counties.
2. Bulgaria’s gambling affiliate framework is now in force. Affiliates promoting gambling in Bulgaria must obtain a license from the National Revenue Agency (NRA). Existing affiliates had until August 15 to apply, and the licenses run for five years. Overseas operators also need a local representative. Affiliates must declare every channel they use for promotion and pay an annual fee of €6,000 plus a variable levy. The NRA says it will process applications within seven days. The enforcement side is not subtle: unlicensed activity can draw penalties of €5,000 to €20,000, plus website and app blocking.
3. Lithuania’s gambling market grew 16.8 per cent in the first half of 2026. Total gambling revenue reached €153.6m, with remote gambling accounting for 78 per cent of the total and growing 25 per cent year on year. Tax receipts from gambling rose 11.4 per cent, helped by casinos and lottery operators. Category A slot machines and remote table games performed well, while Category B slot machines posted a revenue decline. The Ministry of Finance has also proposed mandatory player cards for gambling in Lithuania to monitor player behaviour across operators, which is the sort of measure that quickly turns into a compliance and data-handling issue for anyone processing payments into the sector.
4. Finland’s spin-by-spin online casino tax has been overruled. The Finnish Tax Administration’s spin-by-spin tax on online slot games hosted outside the Euro was overturned by the court. For payment teams, the immediate point is not the courtroom drama; it is that the tax treatment of remote gaming can change the economics of specific product flows, especially where the operator, game hosting, and player jurisdiction do not line up neatly.

For high-risk PSPs, these four updates point in the same direction: local rules are getting more specific, not less. Bulgaria is formalising affiliate licensing, Lithuania is tightening oversight with player cards, Nebraska could expand regulated betting through a public vote, and Finland has just put a tax mechanism back in play through the courts. If you price risk, underwrite merchants, or decide where to keep coverage open, this is the part of the week worth watching.