Europe

Several changes have been made to the start rules in British racing, after being approved by the Board of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).  Following a review of stalls and starting procedures over a 12-month period, one of the first adjustments focuses on Late Load Requests – defined as raceday privilege requests made by a trainer for their horse to …

Entain Plc has reached an ‘in principle’ agreement with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to resolve its Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) concerning the investigation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) of its former Headlong Turkish business. This afternoon, Entain informed investors of obtaining preliminary judicial approval from Dame Victoria Sharp, President of the King’s Bench Division, to finalise a £585m …

Kindred Group Plc has appointed Bolin Communications to serve as its new public affairs agency for Sweden.  Launched at the start of 2023, Bolin Communications is the new public relations and public affairs agency of Swedish media figurehead Jacob Bolin. Bolin is a former partner of Stockholm-based agency Fuze PR, responsible for campaigns, projects and stakeholder management related to politics …

Marko Ducman, a Slovenian tennis official, has received a ten-and-a-half-year suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). Ducman admitted to four breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), which included engaging in tennis match wagering as well as manipulating match data for betting purposes. He has also been fined $75,000, with $56,250 suspended and – during the suspension – …

Svenska Spel is distributing SEK 35 million to youth sports this year through its Gräsroten initiative.  Shared between 8,654 different associations, the money goes to, among other things, the purchase of new equipment and leadership training, while for some associations it means an opportunity to carry out projects on important issues.    The Gräsroten initiative was launched 11 years ago and, …

The UK government has been warned of technical shortfalls and entry barriers in its path to unlocking an open banking system to reducing SME costs and to change retail banking processes benefitting the consumer. PaymentExpert drills down on the ‘Future of Payments’ report by Joe Garner, former Chief Executive of Nationwide, on how the UK can overcome existing challenges and deliver banking transparency …

Swedish horseracing stakeholders have stated that the governance structure of ATG (Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp) must be addressed in 2024.  The statement was made by Anders Källström, Chairman of Svensk Travsport at the autumn meeting of the Stockholm Harness Racing Society.  ATG, which serves as the totalizer and betting network of Swedish racing, was founded as a government initiative in …

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bulgaria has launched an investigation against the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) President Borislav Mihaylov.  A statement by government officials said that the probe relates to a number of media publications where it is alleged that Mihaylov has been directly involved in manipulating the outcome of football matches, as well as dealing with unlicensed foreign operators – …

The Swedish National Audit Office, Riksrevisionen, has officially begun an audit of Spelinspektionen to assess the effectiveness of the regulator’s authority over the country’s gambling market. In November 2022, the market underwent a significant change after the Riksdag – the country’s highest decision-making assembly – ordered all B2B gambling companies to have a licence with Spelinspektionen by 1 July 2023 …

The Industry People Board’s new report is set to demonstrate views on improving recruitment, skills and retention of staff in the British racing industry. Surveying trainers and stable staff, the report is delivered in partnership with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the National Trainers Federation (NTF) and the National Association of Racing Staff (NARS), with funding from the Racing Foundation. …