Gambling Commission programme director Ian Angus has emphasised the need for “a proper and constructive debate about gambling marketing and advertising, including sponsorship arrangements in sport”. Angus’ recommendations come after Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson mapped out the party’s policies on heightening gambling marketing restrictions, aiming to replicate the ‘whistle-to-whistle advertising ban’ introduced in Australia at the start of …

The All-in Diversity Project has strengthened its Advisory Board with the appointment of respected American gaming voice, Susan Hensel. Hensel is currently the Director of Licensing for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, her role is to oversee licensing of the state’s casinos and other gaming and sports wagering related companies as well as the employees working in and supporting the …

A Nielsen Sports study has detailed that the annual revenue of the National Hockey League (NHL), could be increased by $216m, as the sport nets the benefits of widely available, legal, regulated sports betting in the US. The report, which was commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA) emphasised that heightened levels of fan engagement and viewership are set to …

Sports betting platform provider DraftKings has confirmed the appointment of Johnny Avello as a director on its rapidly growing sportsbook operations team. Avello boasts over three decades of experience in gaming and is widely respected throughout the sportsbook industry as an innovative, forward-thinking leader and an early proponent of mobile sports betting. He becomes the latest key acquisition for DraftKings, having joined from Wynn …

PRO14 Rugby has deepened its commitment to protecting the integrity of the Guinness PRO14 by confirming a partnership with Sportradar Integrity Services. The multi-year agreement means all 152 games each season from the Guinness PRO14 will be monitored by Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System (FDS), which is widely regarded as the most technically advanced bet monitoring system available. The FDS is …

Championship promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough FC and principal partner 32Red are getting behind next month’s Responsible Gambling Week. The club has become the first the English Football League side to sign up to the cross-industry initiative, with both partys emphasising that they are “keen to show their support in delivering the message”. The show of support comes after the pair unveiled …

BetVictor has deepened its commitment to safeguarding players by introducing a two-factor authentication as it looks to protect all new and existing customer accounts. The in-house-developed ‘multi-factor authentication’ will safeguard against compromised account details and significantly reduce the risk of a customer becoming the victim of fraud or identity theft. With 81% of hacking-related data breaches resulting from weak or …

Regulus Partners, the strategic consultancy focused on international gambling and related industries, takes a look at some key developments for the gambling industry in its ‘Winning Post’ column. US: regulated sportsbetting – e pluribus confusionem? The US Federal government formally considered sportsbetting for the first time since the overturn of PASPA, in the form of a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing …

After 11 successful years in the role, Bruce Millington has announced he is going to stand down as the editor of the Racing Post. Earlier this month, Millington moderated a hugely enjoyable panel at the Betting on Sports Conference, which discussed how horse racing can appeal to a wider audience and whether the sport is becoming too elitist. Also speaking …

This edition of ‘On The Ball’ looks at the digital growth of Manchester United, the potential sale of Wembley stadium moving a step closer and a significant rule change for next season’s Champions League. Uninspiring performances not hampering Manchester United’s digital growth Despite a turbulent period on the pitch, Manchester United reported record revenue of £590m for the 12 month …