Europe

The passage of Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Bill (GRB) has become further muddied, as conflicts emerge on the framework’s rules and determinations related to fundraising activities connected with gambling. Concerns were raised to Minister of State, James Browne, who oversees the GRB’s agenda, to exclude charity draws and schemes from being included in the Bill’s framework. An amendment, carrying a specific …

William Hill has secured a deal to become the Official Betting Partner of the Qipco Guineas Festival. The partnership follows a string of sponsorship deals for William Hill with Lincoln at Doncaster and the Punchestown Champion Chase, as well as the Randox Grand National Festival.  William Hill will sponsor a total of 15 races across the three-day meeting, including the …

The latest report from the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has revealed that football and tennis remain at high risk from suspicious betting.  Data for Q1 2024 showed that out of 56 total alerts, 24 and 18 were from football and tennis events respectively, accounting for 43% and 25%.  Alerts increased overall during the quarter, up 65% on Q4 2023 …

Scientific Games has secured a contract extension to continue to supply Totalizator Sportowy, Poland’s national lottery operator, with its suite of instant-win ‘scratch’ games. The contract has been extended as Totalizator Sportowy has reported an average increase in instant-win games sales of 39%, “recorded over the past three years (2020-to-2023).” The partnership will continue to see Scientific Games provide its …

Betsson AB opens 2024 trading by achieving its ‘highest income generating quarter’, ahead of a busy summer of sports for its global brand portfolio across all geographies.  The Stockholm-listed online gambling group trades with confidence as Q1 revenues stand at a peak €248m – up 12% on 2023 comparatives of €221m.  Headline revenues reflect a record customer activity of its …

Industry reformists at the House of Lords have stated that the Gambling Review’s White Paper falls significantly short on advertising policies and reforms to protect the public from harm. This afternoon, the House of Lords hosted a short debate on the “Impact of gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship on problem gambling”, put forward by Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrats). …

A new bill to amend the Gambling Act has been proposed by Bulgaria’s biggest political party GERB, together with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party (DPS).  Targeting untargeted advertisements  The amendments put forward by DPS’s Yordan Tsonev and Temenuzka Petkova from GERB envision to ban gambling advertisements on the TV, radio, print and online outlets, as well as all …

Craig Felenstein has been confirmed as the latest addition to Sportradar’s C-level leadership team, taking on the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Due to commence his tenure on 1 June, Felenstein will take the leadership role across Sportradar’s global finance, accounting and investor relations teams. He will be charged with leveraging his 30-year experience in finance, including tenures at …

Lottomatica SPA has completed its €640m acquisition of SKS365 to become Italy’s largest omnichannel gambling group. Initiated in November 2023, Lottomatica agreed to terms with Malta365 Holdings to acquire all Italian properties and assets of SKS365. Striking a €640m deal, Lottomatica will take ownership of SKS365’s 1,000 betting shops and points operating across Italian provinces. Boosting its retail presence, Lottomatica …

A new AML package has been brought forward by the European Parliament to further boost money protection across the continent.  The package is yet to be cleared by the Council of Europe (expected to happen in May), but once it goes into effect, it will introduce a wide range of new rules around money transfers, especially regarding high-value transactions.  Various …