Europe

POC needs to be ‘properly enforced’

SBC News POC needs to be 'properly enforced'

Ladbrokes have called for ‘proper enforcement’ of the point of consumption (POC) licensing of online gaming when it is introduced in the UK later this year. The firm estimate that the new tax, despite being planned for December this year, will hit their 2014 revenues by £2m and they want to see some benefit for this expense. They said: “How …

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New mobile sportsbook boosts Ladbrokes

SBC News New mobile sportsbook boosts Ladbrokes

Some good news for Ladbrokes in the bookmaker’s poor annual results has come in the shape of its mobile strategy. The firm launched its new mobile sportsbook in December and has seen amounts staked and sign ups up by more than 50% and active players growing by more than 30% year on year since the launch. Over the 2013 mobile …

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Increase in costs wipes out retail gains

SBC News Increase in costs wipes out retail gains

A 6.6 per cent increase in operating costs and a 20 per cent increase in gaming machine taxation saw Ladbrokes’ UK retail division post a 25.9 per cent drop in operating profit for 2013 to £133.9m. While gaming machines saw a net revenue increase of 20.2 per cent to £408.4m (mostly driven by growth in £2 stake B3 content), over …

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‘Disappointing’ results from Ladbrokes

SBC News 'Disappointing' results from Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes chief executive Richard Glynn has labelled his firm’s annual results for 2013 as ‘disappointing’ but maintains that the bookmaker has made ‘real operational progress’ during the year. The figures were never going to be good after a series of profit warnings during the period, but the company has posted a 32.9% drop in group operating profit to £138.3m with …

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Ladbrokes pay to be linked to social responsibility

SBC News Ladbrokes pay to be linked to social responsibility

Ladbrokes have reacted to the prevailing concerns over problem gambling in betting shops by altering the pay structure of its executives to take social responsibility targets into account. With the campaign against bookmakers, and B2 gaming machines in particular, in full force since the turn of the year, Ladbrokes have taken the smart move to underline how important the firm …

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Bodugi get licence suspended

SBC News Bodugi get licence suspended

Social betting operators Bodugi have had their licence suspended by the UK Gambling Commission after complaints that users could not access their money. Bodugi’s lack of dialogue with the regulator has forced the Commission to suspend the operating licence. In a statement, the regulator said: “The Gambling Commission has commenced a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 …

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UK Gambling Commission ‘concern’ on social

SBC News UK Gambling Commission 'concern' on social

Gambling Commission chairman Phil Graf has admitted that the UK regulator is concerned about some aspects of social gaming and has called on the sector to use the information it collects on its players to protect against any risks. Speaking at the World Regulatory Forum earlier this month, Graf commented: “While we have always maintained that we have no desire …

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Millionth Cash Out customer for Betfair

betfair

This week Betfair Sportsbook celebrated their millionth Cash Out. The mark was broken by Jason Parmar, of Leeds, who had placed a £5 bet on a treble of Athletic Madrid (11/10), Bayern Munich (7/10) and Leicester (8/5) all to win. Despite Madrid and Munich winning Forest led Leicester for much of the game and Jason decided to Cash Out of …

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Boylesports enhances age and identity checks

SBC News Boylesports enhances age and identity checks

Boylesports, Ireland’s largest independent bookmakers and online betting company, have extended theircontract with Experian to provide age and identity checks for its users. Experian’s service will help prevent underage gaming and protect against the risk of identity fraud. Experian’s automated identity verification tools, Prove-ID, has been integrated into the Boylesports’ online platform, enabling operators to quickly and easily check player …

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