MEGA

About MEGA

“As a trade organisation we are trying to work together with our regulator because we feel that we have a shared interest of getting a good legal market. And of course we’re talking to politicians to do something about putting illegal operators on notice. I think it is really positive at the moment in the Netherlands that the operators have really teamed up,” Petra continues.

Notably, she says competing with each other is not important at the moment, as working to fight the black market serves a bigger purpose.

Finally, after four years in the hot seat, is Petra still enjoying the job? “Absolutely. It’s challenging, it feels like you’re playing in the Champions League sometimes because a lot is asked of the people in the sector. You’ve got responsible gambling, anti-money laundering and, at the same time, you have to offer a fun experience. But it’s nice to be challenged,” she concludes.

What is MEGA?

August’s totals set a new record for ARC-reported and settled sales, reflecting the continued strength of the U.S. travel market and continued demand,” said Steve Solomon, ARC’s chief commercial officer. “The strong summer trends from June and July carried into August, with travel to both U.S. domestic and international destinations remaining steady from the prior month and above 2025 levels.”

Air travel is booming, but Las Vegas isn’t seeing the same lift, as tourism numbers remain turbulent.

Through July, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reported that visitor volume has rebounded only 0.5%. 2026 followed a difficult 2025, where visitation crashed 7.5%.

How to play MEGA

According to KVA, KT van Bruggen, the current state secretary for Justice and Security, has pointed out the urgency of implementing effective countermeasures to limit access to such illegal platforms.

Last week a committee made up of MPs from across the Netherlands’ political spectrum also raised concerns around the role of Meta and Google in supporting the black market.

Candidates from the VVD party urged the government to take a “harder stance” against these big tech platforms.