Europe

Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has undertaken its first investment since refocusing its commercial outlook and strategy to orient around B2B operations back in April. The company has signed a binding letter of intent with Drafted.gg to secure a 30% minority stake in the Czech Republic-based esports content producer. This will be followed up by a revenue share agreement and continuing …

Irakli Gharibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, has instructed ministerial agencies to proceed with increasing taxes on gambling businesses.    The PM declared the command as a primary directive of the Budget Speech, citing concerns that gambling had reached “catastrophic levels”, as Georgians are reported to have wagered GEL 52bn (€17bn) in 2022. As a direct response to growing concerns, Gharibashvili has …

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has emphasised the importance of the UK horse racing sector as a global sport, but also acknowledging an urgent need to maximise engagement in the domestic market. The British Racing’s Sports Economy Breeders’ Cup Trade Mission on 1 November began with a welcome reception held in California, which BHA CEO, Julie Harrington, addressed with an …

The UK is becoming an increasingly important market for heritage US gambling group Bally’s Corporation,  as cited by the company’s third quarter trading report. Updating investors, the NYSE firm outlined group-wide revenues of $632.5m, an increase of 9.4% year-on-year against Q3 2022 comparatives of $578.3m, with a strong performance enjoyed by its international unit. Bally’s International Interactive revenue stood at …

Better Collective has named Pernille Holbøll as its new Senior Director of AI Editorial Content & Editorial Innovation. As the former Managing Editor-in-Chief of Danish news media companies, Ekstra Bladet and BT, Holbøll joins the firm to lead the strategic development of AI-generated editorial content across its sports media brands.  SVP Group Media & Core Sites & CEO South America, …

Horse racing has had some big news lately at two very different levels, with organisers announcing changes to the format of the Grand National whilst one of its most high-profile jockeys revealed an extension of his career. Amidst concerns for animal welfare and general safety, the Jockey Club took the decision to reduce the number of runners in the UK’s …

Groupe FDJ has finalised its €380m acquisition of Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), a transformative deal that will see the Paris Euronext lottery group take stewardship of the Irish National Lottery.  This morning, FDJ announced that it had acquired 100% of PLI share capital, taking control of the exclusive rights to operate the Irish National Lottery until 2034.  As declared on …

A public petition has been launched by British racing stakeholders to ‘stop the implementation of betting affordability/financial risk checks‘. The petition, which has currently amassed over 40,000 signatures, was initiated by Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club – the UK’s largest racecourse operator. Led by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), racing stakeholders have openly stated their opposition to …

Sweden’s Gambling Inspectorate, the Spelinspektionen, has responded to a consultation initiated by the country’s government examining how gambling induced debt can be countered, offering its view on a credit card ban. In a proposal published today, the regulator’s Director General, Camilla Rosenberg, stated that ‘there may be reason to reconsider’ whether a ban on credit card use for gambling payments …