Cyprus Betting Industry Sees 7% Revenue Growth In Q3 2025 Amid Digital Surge

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 14, 2026

Robust Market Expansion In Cyprus

The Cyprus betting market continued its upward trajectory in the third quarter of 2025, with aggregate gross revenue from Class A and Class B operators climbing 7% year-on-year to €312.5 million, according to figures released by the National Betting Authority (NBA). This represents a significant 20% increase from the corresponding period in 2023, underscoring robust momentum within the sector.

Online Betting Dominates

During the July to September quarter, online betting remained the primary driver of sector activity. The digital transition reflects broader industry trends, where enhanced technological platforms and a shift in consumer behavior continue to redefine the competitive landscape.

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Detailed Revenue Breakdown

Within the market, Class B operators led revenue generation with €235.7 million, while traditional Class A land-based establishments contributed €76.8 million. Notably, although gross revenue for Class A operators slightly dipped 1% compared to Q3 2024, it still posted a 7% improvement over two years. In contrast, Class B revenue surged 10% year-on-year, marking a 25% increase from the same period in 2023.

Player Payouts And Earnings

Player payouts collectively reached €277.5 million, a 9% increase over the previous year and a 20% rise over 2023, with online bettors receiving the lion’s share of €214.3 million. Despite this growth, overall betting earnings—defined as the net difference between pay-ins and pay-outs—declined by 5% to €35 million. This downward trend was reflected across both segments, with Class A earnings falling by 1% to €13.6 million and Class B earnings decreasing by 8% to €21.4 million.

Market Dynamics And Operational Adjustments

The number of licensed Class A betting premises experienced a slight contraction, dropping 2% year-on-year to 465 outlets. The distribution of these premises included 165 in Nicosia, 133 in Limassol, 83 in Larnaca, 48 in Paphos, and 36 in Famagusta, accompanied by a parallel 2% reduction in employment figures among betting shop staff, which now stands at 1,495.

Enhanced Regulatory Compliance

The NBA also reported improvements in regulatory compliance. Licence cancellations and withdrawals fell by 28% compared to Q3 2024, demonstrating a tightening of oversight. Simultaneously, efforts to curtail unlicensed activities intensified, with the list of blocked unlicensed betting websites expanding to 21,825 by the end of September – including 192 new additions during the quarter, a 5% annual increase.

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Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

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Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

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