UK

Following Monday’s release of the official Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ trailer, which sent social media into ‘hyperspace’, bookmaker Ladbrokes has placed odds of 6/4 on Lucas Films latest saga instalment to become the highest grossing film of all time. In order to make history, Star Wars Episode VII will have to break James Cameron’s Avatar which …

Mobile games platform and content provider Nektan Plc has announced that it has signed  a content portfolio agreement with European games developer NetEnt. The partnership will see Nektan offer significant content from NetEnt game portfolio to its mobile platform partners, including over 40 mobile gaming titles. NetEnt titles will be rolled out across Nektan’s real money gaming (“RMG”) partner network from November. …

Led by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Britain’s largest racecourse governance groups have joined forces to tackle the issue of ‘underfunding and loopholes’ in the levy system. The joint stakeholders will move to bar bookmakers’ from sponsoring race events, tracks and festivals if they do not pay levy contributions through their online operations. The proposed levy initiative is supported by …

US-based real-time sports data integration, graphics presentation, and video enhancement solutions provider  SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT) has made a strategic investment in sports-betting platform provider FSB Technology (UK) Ltd. The seven-figure sum will allow FSB to further enhance its cutting-edge platform, which supplies tools for CRM, analytics, and mobile development. FSB’s modern technology is aimed at existing casino and sports-betting operators who want …

Ladbrokes long time serving Head of Football Trading David Burgin has left the operator to join competitor Boylesports. Industry news source EGR Magazine reports that Burgin has taken up a senior trading position at the Irish independent bookmaker’s Dundalk headquarters. Burgin departs Ladbrokes following approximately 25 years’ service. The trading expert departure comes just weeks following the announcement that Ladbrokes …

Sport Integrity Monitor (SportIM) has formed a betting integrity partnership with the British Basketball League (BBL). SportIM will  now observe and analyse the worldwide betting markets on British Basketball League events and work directly with the league to prevent any issues. British Basketball League will be able to take advantage of SportIM’s market-leading basketball monitoring system, which tracks over 35,000 …

Publishing its 2015 half year financial results (period ending 26 September), UK National Lottery operator Camelot UK Ltd, announced record prize payouts of £2 billion in prize money. The operator succeeded in growing total ticket sales to £3.6 billion, an increase of £145 million on the corresponding period last year. Total sales in the first six months of 2015, were …

  Last year, when conducting its detailed review of the social responsibility elements of the Licence Conditions & Code of Practice (LCCP). The Gambling Commission announced that it would be consulting separately on crime provisions in the LCCP that would build on its experience gained through its growing body of casework on money laundering and criminal spend. That consultation has …

Only another Leicester City comeback, this time away at Southampton, prevented a harsh weekend for bookmakers getting even worse as all four of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United picked up comfortable wins. According to data from Team FA’s AccaTracker app, Southampton’s match against Leicester was the second most selected match on Saturday in multiple bets, which was fortunate …

Governance of London AIM listed Mobile Gaming specialist Gaming Realms Plc, announced that the firm was confident of hitting its 2015 growth targets, having recorded a 48% revenue increase to £6.2 million for Q3 2015 (Q3 2014: £4.2 million). Gaming Realms management noted that it had seen increased player take up of its mobile games portfolio, detailing that in-house developed …