Your commercial news round-up: FIFA World Cup, UK social media ban, illegal shops, weight-loss drugs

Dimitar Dimitrov is a content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net

Reading time: four minutes

The scale of global betting is set to surge to a record high as the next FIFA Men’s World Cup approaches. Meanwhile, the UK government is pressing ahead with contested plans to tighten restrictions on tech platforms, ministers are ramping up efforts to tackle organised crime on high streets by targeting illicit shops and the rapid rise of weight-loss drugs is already reshaping consumer behaviour and grocery spending. Read on for LawCareers.Net’s pick of this week’s top commercial stories.

• The FIFA Men’s World Cup is expected to become the largest betting event in history, with global wagers projected to exceed $50 billion (£37.4 billion), according to financial services firm Macquarie. This would mark a significant rise from the $35 billion bet during the 2022 tournament in Qatar, with around $500 million forecast to be staked on each match. The increase is attributed to several factors, including the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, resulting in more than 100 matches compared with 64 in 2022. Favourable time zones across host nations the US, Canada and Mexico are also expected to boost global viewership and betting interest, particularly in Europe, Latin America and Africa. In addition, the growing US sports betting market is contributing to the surge, with approximately 65% of the population now able to gamble, up from 40% in 2022. National director of Stop Predatory Gambling, Les Bernal, warned that “hundreds of thousands of people across the world, especially young men, will suffer life-changing debt and financial distress" and called for politicians globally to take action.
   
• The UK government will proceed with plans to crack down on tech platforms, despite opposition from the US, according to the British government. Proposals include some form of a social media ban for under-16s, with an announcement expected next week alongside other potential restrictions. The US government has argued against “one-size-fits-all” restrictions, warning in a notice by the US embassy in London that age-verification measures for younger users may not be effective. The Trump administration instead urged the UK to equip parents with strong controls over their children’s privacy settings and accounts, and to require platforms to create safer online environments, rather than introducing “outright bans”. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she wasn’t concerned by intervention from the Trump administration, which has criticised the plans. Kendall emphasised that the government’s priority is “British young people” and noted that nine in 10 respondents to a government poll supported an under-16 ban. Kendall also rejected suggestions that stricter regulation could deter US investment in the UK.
   
• Illegal mini-marts, barbers and vape shops could be closed for up to 12 months under new government powers, following BBC investigations linking such businesses to organised crime on UK high streets. BBC reporting has uncovered connections between these shops and drug gangs, child sexual exploitation, money laundering and immigration crime, often involving the sale of illegal cigarettes, vapes and drugs. Under current law in England and Wales, premises can be shut for three months, extendable to six months; the proposed changes would double the maximum closure period. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government was “not prepared to tolerate” criminality that makes people “lose faith” in their communities and institutions. The Home Office said longer closures would allow more time to gather evidence, pursue prosecutions and identify business owners, while preventing operators from reopening quickly. Meanwhile, Chartered Trading Standards Institute CEO John Herriman also welcomed the move, noting that closure orders are a “key enforcement tool” and that there’s “almost universal support” from his profession for extending them.
   
• Weight-loss drug use in Great Britain has risen sharply, with 1.9 million adults now taking GLP‑1 medications, and this growth is linked to significant reductions in household grocery spending, according to research by Worldpanel by Numerator. The study found that more than 6.3% of households include at least one GLP‑1 user, up from 4.1% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024. Households with at least one user spent £780 million less on groceries in the year after starting the drugs, with spending around £418 lower per household compared with non-user households. The findings are based on a survey of more than 11,600 households and indicate that users are buying less food, partly due to reduced cravings. Head of public sector and nutrition GB for Worldpanel by Numerator, Chantel Kennaugh, commented: “These drugs are fundamentally disrupting how people engage with food and drink, with ripple effects already being felt across grocery and lifestyle, forcing brands and businesses to adapt at pace.”

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