Sweet Alchemy

About Sweet Alchemy

Thanks to the “rapid growth of crypto currencies” and globally recognisable branding through marketing and sponsorships, this handful of operators are generating the majority of illegal gambling traffic across Europe.

The report also cites brands targeting a specifically banned vertical or product within a jurisdiction as driving black market activity. While markets across Europe have many examples, one such flagged in the report is that iGaming remains illegal for licensed operators in France.

“The largest black market operators have scaled to create recognisable brands with traffic that can compare to domestically licensed operators,” the report’s authors wrote. “The top group of sites by common owner has a 12% share of traffic, while the largest single brand has 10%.”

What is Sweet Alchemy?

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Following a down year in Las Vegas, where visitor volume slowed 7.5%, the casino town has stabilized and rebounded in 2026, albeit only slightly. The LVCVA says visitor volume was up 0.5% through July.

Room rates for Strip properties have increased 3.5% in 2026. Strip occupancy is flat from a year ago.  

About Sweet Alchemy

I want to thank Calvin for creating a platform that speaks to the gambling industry in a unique voice. He’s a guy who is not afraid to back his creative team, even in the face of a tough industry story. While Calivinayre.com is evolving, I will be following how he brings the same passion for business to the world of Bitcoin SV.

Calvinayre.com Editor-in-Chief, Bill Beatty – the Michael Kinsley of the gambling world. Bill just possesses that same rare gift of creating great writers. You won’t meet a more genuine guy that Bill, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities to learn so much about the casino business, writing and how I see the world.

Lead reporter Rebecca Liggero Fontana for taking me under her wing. You won’t meet a more generous soul than Becky. She shares this unbridled passion for the casino and tech space, that is just contagious and I’m glad I got to experience that unabashed joy for the gambling industry.