ArchiveIndustry2 min read
Lore Weekly: MonkeyTilt Shuts Down, RuneScape’s Casino Founders and Gamdom’s Hack
This week inside the depths of the gambling world: the RuneScape gambling scene that gave casino founders their start, MonkeyTilt’s closure, Gamdom’s security breach and new products from Rainbet, Roobet and 1win.
Written by Editorial Desk19 October 2026
This Week’s Featured Articles
- MonkeyTilt Shuts Down Despite Millions in Venture Backing
MonkeyTilt stopped taking bets on October 13 ahead of a November 9 closure, after raising approximately $50 million. Customers are directed to Tilt Rips for withdrawals.
Read about the MonkeyTilt closure
- RuneScape: The Sand Casino and the Founders Who Came From It
We look back at RuneScape’s staking, dice games and gold trading, and the founders who went on to build Stake, Gamdom, CSGOEmpire, Duel and CSGORoll.
Read the RuneScape retrospective
Industry News
Security
- Gamdom: Owner Felix Römer confirmed hackers took just over $3 million from its hot wallet system. Other funds were moved to cold storage.
Regulation
- New Zealand: Eleven companies, including Stake, SkyCity and TAB New Zealand, won 15 rights to apply for casino licenses at NZ$15 million each. Regulatory approval is still required.
Read the New Zealand auction report
- Finland: Police stepped up fines and prohibitions over illegal gambling marketing, targeting operators and individual promoters ahead of the shift to licensing.
Read the Finnish enforcement report
- South Korea: Two suspects were extradited from the UAE over an alleged $2.3 billion illegal betting operation linked by investigators to former Swansea City sponsor BETEAST.
Read the South Korea investigation report
Operator Expansion
- Rainbet: Rainbet.US launched a dual-currency social casino for eligible US players, with sweepstakes prize redemptions and state exclusions.
Read the Rainbet US launch report
Products & Games
- Roobet: Roo Jackpots launched with four tiers and an advertised $10 million top prize. Players opt in through an extra contribution on qualifying bets.
Read the Roobet jackpots report
- 1win: The operator announced plans to sell 130 million $1WIN tokens at $0.03 each. No sale opening date was given.
Suppliers & Business
- Hacksaw: Preliminary Q3 revenue rose roughly 11%–12% to €57.5 million–€58.5 million. Softer markets and weaker game performance slowed growth.
