Maestro

How to play Maestro

Prediction markets aside, the absence of crypto on a federal level may have some drag on the regulated industry, especially in the iGaming and sports betting space.

Younger patrons are increasingly familiar with crypto, but the lack of regulatory adoption in the regulated space can push bettors to offshore or unlicensed platforms, most of which do accept it. At the ICE Barcelona conference in 2025, a panel of international sports betting CEOs lamented the fact that they were barred from adopting crypto, while their black-market competitors were not.

A report released in June by payment provider Paysafe said the percentage of online sports bettors who dabble in crypto is 64%, more than double the US average of 30%. Crypto deposits are only legal in two states, Wyoming and Colorado, but crypto withdrawals are not legal anywhere – 85% of respondents said they would welcome withdrawals as an option, Paysafe said.

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The report identifies land-based and online casinos and sports betting as carrying the highest money laundering exposure. By contrast, lotteries and scratchcards present lower risk. 

It finds that online gaming shows more documented terrorist financing activity than gambling, although proliferation financing risks remain limited across both sectors.

Cash, e-wallets, mobile money and virtual assets emerge as the payment methods most vulnerable to abuse. This is particularly true where operators use them to structure deposits below reporting thresholds. 

About Maestro

Holland Casino calls this Next Zone, and as Petra elaborates: “It’s an innovation we made a few years ago to see how we can develop a casino product because I think in the industry, we are very well known for what we have, but how do you innovate?”

Like most operators, slots make up the bulk of Holland Casino’s income, but it’s worth remembering that Holland Casino has a monopoly on table games, poker and bingo. “I would say those are also our hero products that make us attractive because in the Netherlands we are the only one offering land based live table games,” says Petra.

“Maybe they’re not so dominant in the results, but it is dominant in our identity. But figures-wise, slots are bigger than table games.”