Europe

The Sunday Times has ranked online betting exchange Smarkets as the second fastest growing UK private technology enterprise for its ‘2017 Tech Track 100’ index. The company which reported a 280% annual sales rise over three years was beaten to the top of the Sunday Times tech index by children’s ‘digital personalised book publisher Wonderbly. Led by CEO and Founder …

BtoBet has built on the success of its appearance at the Entertainment Arena Expo (EAE) by preparing to present at two more Eastern European roadshows in Hungary and Cyprus. Having “tightened the link” with authorities in Romania such as the Association of Gambling Organisers ROMBET, the iGaming and sportsbook software provider is now targeting “farsighted local operators” at two more …

Betway has defended the gambling industry’s ability to sponsor Premier league football shirts in the wake of Labour’s proposals to ban gambling firms sponsoring football shirts. Since February 2015, Betway has been the official shirt sponsor of West Ham United, this season’s extension of the partnership, means The Hammers are one of nine Premier League clubs with a gambling company …

Updating the market, FTSE100 sports betting group Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) has confirmed the appointment of Jan Bolz as a new Independent Director. An industry leadership veteran, Bolz served as Chief Executive of European sports betting operator Tipico Sportwetten (2011-2016). Bolz has had a distinguished career focusing on commercial development and marketing disciplines having served as VP of Commerce for …

Sky Bet’s decision to close its affiliate hub has been the hot topic of the week in online betting and gaming and it’s one which will get great scrutiny at next week’s Betting on Sports Conference. The closure of Sky’s affiliate programme has the potential to send ripples throughout the industry on several levels, which is why the issue will …

The UEFA Super Cup, labelled in some sporting quarters as a ‘glorified friendly’, surprisingly came out as August’s top match on bettingexpert. Held in Macedonia on 8 August, European football’s traditional curtain raiser beat off competition from Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Leicester City at the Emirates and Tottenham Hotspur’s Wembley bow against reigning champions Chelsea. 15% of tips on …

At this year’s Betting On Sports conference, which takes place at London’s Olympia on September 13-15, a prestige panel of legal experts will pull focus on the latest regulatory trends affecting the industry in 2017. During the event, lawyer and notary Tal Itzhak Ron, Chairman and CEO of Tal Ron, Drihem & Co. law firm, will discuss Europe’s evolving regulatory …

Five-time world champion Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan found out this week that his unique style of play has forced bookmakers to create a separate predictive algorithm for when he is on the table. The revelation was made at the inaugural SBC Snooker Forum in Marylebone, where O’Sullivan had earlier predicted that 70 to 80% of the sport’s top players will …

European esports tournament organiser Fortuna Esports has announced that it will enter a multi-year audiovisual and integrity partnership with Sportradar. Forming the partnership, Sportradar will act as the exclusive global provider of betting and audio visual streams and transmissions for Fortuna syndicated matches and competitions. Fortuna, one of Europe’s leading esports tournament organisers, hosts events such as the new ‘Esports …

Paddy Power has rewarded the faith of one optimistic Irish fan, who despite seeing his nation’s hopes of qualifying next Summer’s World Cup dampened, backed Ireland to lift the Jules Rimet trophy in Russia. A defeat at the hands of Serbia left Ireland’s qualification hopes hanging in the balance, however this didn’t stop one plucky Irishman taking a gamble on his …