Europe

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has issued a statement welcoming a new feature added to social media platform Snapchat that enables users to opt out of gambling-related advertising. Snapchat developer Snap has been ‘working closely’ with the betting industry trade association over the past year, and intends to use the feature to give its customers greater control over the …

Stats Perform has secured a partnership with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), becoming the exclusive distributor of the sport’s live streams and real-time stats to licenced betting operators. The agreement will cover the elite men’s, women’s and mixed tournaments of the global badminton, including distribution of data concerning 100% of all players on the courts.  Tournaments covered under the terms …

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reported a steady decrease in online gambling activity as UK governments ease their COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.    The Commission continues to monitor online gambling behaviours impacted by COVID-19 and lockdown circumstances, reflecting licensed operator data recorded between March 2020 to May 2021. During May, the UKGC registered a 14% decrease in the number of active …

Eddie Jordan, the Irish businessman who made his name in Formula One management and analysis, is leading a $1 billion bid for Scientific Games’ OpenBet sports betting division, according to The Currency. The planned takeover was reportedly confirmed by former Australian Formula One racing driver Mark Webber in an Instagram post, describing the development as ‘a mega acquisition in gaming’. …

Ukraine stakeholders have cited progress on the deliberation of the gambling tax framework required to finalise the market terms of the federally approved Ukraine Gambling Law. Yesterday, the Verkhovna Rada (federal parliament) approved the first reading of amendments made to the Gambling Law’s ‘tax code’. Alongside outstanding technical certifications, the Rada is yet to settle on the final tax framework …

The BBC has reported that 10 MPs from the two largest political parties received tickets to UEFA Euro 2020 Championship, in addition to other prominent sporting tournaments. Overall, eight Conservative Party MPs and two Labour Party MPs were gifted tickets worth between £1,537.60 and £3,457, with the two members of the latter party serving as members of the Shadow Cabinet. …

Superbet Group will take leadership of Belgium’s gambling marketplace, having agreed to acquire outright Napoleon Sports and Casino. The Romanian gambling group reached a takeover agreement with European private equity fund Waterland PE, with parties choosing not to disclose financial terms of the transaction, which is reported to be valued above €350 million. It is a transformative deal for Superbet, …

The board of Scientific Games Corporation has disclosed its intentions to acquire the remaining 19% equity interest in casual games subsidiary SciPlay.  The transaction has been ordered to advance Scientific Games planned strategic overhaul, which will see the Nasdaq gambling technology group operate a solely focused casino games developer and content supplier.  SciPlay had been independently listed on Nasdaq in …

Sportradar Integrity Services has signed an agreement with Badminton Europe, the continental governing body for the sport, leveraging its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) to monitor fixtures.  Using the ‘advanced and proven’ UFDS – launched in February of this year – Sportradar will provide bet monitoring and reporting for badminton championships across the BEC Championships, BEC International Challenge, BEC International …