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About Rainforest Magic
Thanks to their hosting of the World Cup, numerous cities across the nation have experienced higher visitor volumes this year.
They include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Austin, Detroit, and New Orleans have also reported higher tourism in 2026.
The record-breaking numbers make clear that Americans haven’t pulled back on travel spending, even amid a challenging economic backdrop. But that demand hasn’t necessarily translated to Las Vegas in 2026, as World Cup host cities absorbed a larger share of domestic trips.
About Rainforest Magic
An issue raised by Giannis Vasiliadis, director of WBAS, was the limited access to recipients’ banking information. This limited data can hint at suspicious activity but cannot conclusively verify gambling transactions.
Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou said her office had reevaluated a 2022 legal opinion and now recognised a potential legal basis for more granular access to banking information.
Various MPs voiced concerns about the risk of privacy violations in accessing this data, and the potential social stigma around the information being shared.
About Rainforest Magic
When asked what responsible gambling measures the ARGN was seeking the implementation of, Akolade said the network wanted to establish minimum player protection standards across African markets and move responsible gambling requirements beyond paper-based rules towards measures that are actively enforced.
“We would like to see stronger player protection measures across African markets,” Akolade adds. “That includes enforcement of effective age and identity verification, meaningful self-exclusion systems, responsible gambling advertising standards, improved access to counselling and treatment services and stronger action against illegal operators.
“The current landscape pays lip service to responsible gaming, and you’d hardly see effective player protection architecture other than messages asking players to gamble responsibly and surface-level awareness campaigns.
