Europe

Italian sports calls to halt ‘Decree restrictions’ but government won’t listen

SBC News Italian sports calls to halt 'Decree restrictions' but government won't listen

Leadership of Italian sports has urged the government to restore betting advertising for a 12-month period to support professional leagues, sports clubs, athletes and relevant stakeholders navigate COVID-19 disruptions. The call for a temporary suspension of Dignity Decree provisions on gambling advertising and sponsorship has been led by LEGA Serie A governance. Since July 2019, all Italian sports leagues have …

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Virtual Grand National success sees bookmakers donate over £2.6m to NHS Charities

SBC News Virtual Grand National success sees bookmakers donate over £2.6m to NHS Charities

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has revealed that this weekend’s ‘Virtual Grand National’ (Saturday 4 April) raised ‘over £2.6 million’ in donations for NHS charities. The BGC said the event to replace UK racing’s marquee meeting was as an ‘unbridled success’, and was left delighted with the level of public engagement which saw a reported 4.8 million viewers tune-in to …

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UKGC suspends two licences over failure to integrate GAMSTOP

Sarah Garnder: UKGC consultation conclusions due this summer

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed that it has suspended two operator licences with immediate effect for failing to fully integrate the GAMSTOP self-exclusion scheme. Earlier this year, the UKGC notified all online operators that participating in GAMSTOP by 31 March was a requirement of their licence conditions and social responsibility code provision 3.5.5. The suspended incumbents are Dynamic, …

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1xBet defies COVID-19 disruption to keep 2020 plans in place

1xBet

It is business as usual for 1xBet, said the company, as it continues to deliver uninterrupted online services for both players and its B2B customers in spite of COVID-19 disruption. While admitting that the total number of betting markets had been “significantly reduced” due to the mass postponement of sporting events, 1xBet is confident that customers can mitigate the impact …

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Kindred suspends dividend payouts to protect company’s liquidity

kindred

Stockholm-listed Kindred Group Plc has reported a strong start to 2020 trading as part of a corporate update on COVID-19 developments but has been forced to suspend dividend payments as a result of the outbreak. Despite facing unprecedented circumstances, Kindred has forecasted group gross win revenues within the £247-252 million range, maintaining growth against Q1 2019’s £225 million.  This is …

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Smarkets tips Starmer as new Labour Leader

SBC News Smarkets tips Starmer as new Labour Leader

There’s just one day left until the Labour leadership vote is concluded, and betting exchange Smarkets has said that Sir Keir Starmer is ‘effectively guaranteed’ to be the new leader. Starmer, who is currently trading at 99%, has held the lead in the vote since Jeremy Corbyn announced that he would be stepping down. Meanwhile Rebecca Long-Bailey now stands at …

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DSWV frustrated by sportsbook licensing suspension

SBC News DSWV frustrated by sportsbook licensing suspension

The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) has expressed its frustration after receiving confirmation that the Darmstadt Administrative Court had suspended the nationwide sports betting permit procedure until further notice. The decision came after an Austrian betting operator claimed that the licensing procedure was not transparent and non-discriminatory. Commenting on the news, DSWV President Mathias Dahms said: “The decision of the …

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GVC promotes ‘proven talent’ Hurst to Group Corporate Affairs lead

SBC News GVC promotes ‘proven talent’ Hurst to Group Corporate Affairs lead

GVC Holdings has this morning confirmed the promotion of Grainne Hurst to the position of Group Corporate Affairs Director, becoming a member of the FTSE250’s firm’s executive leadership team. Hurst has formerly served as GVC’s Director of Responsible Gambling, a position she held since the Group’s acquisition of the Ladbrokes Coral Group in March 2017, where she led the company’s …

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Cillian Barry: SportCaller – How FTP is adapting to the new world with soft-touch engagement

SBC News Cillian Barry: SportCaller - How FTP is adapting to the new world with soft-touch engagement

Cillian Barry, SportCaller’s Managing Director, underlines why free-to-play games (FTP games) can help fill in the void for both sportsbooks and their social responsibility initiatives during the untimely hiatus of global sports disrupting all business components… ___________________ When we eventually look back at this time of tragedy and unsettling uncertainty which has defined the coronavirus pandemic, it seems The Great …

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Mikel López de Torre: Jdigital – Spanish gambling has been served an unnecessary blow

SBC News Mikel López de Torre: Jdigital - Spanish gambling has been served an unnecessary blow

Mikel López de Torre, President of Spanish online gambling trade association  Jdigital has fired back at the government fast-tracking agreed measures of Spain’s Royal Decree on advertising. To the surprise of betting incumbents, on Wednesday Spain’s Council of Ministers approved a package of temporary measures supporting health networks and emergency services battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Amongst the measures branded as …

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