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I moderated a European Update panel session at the annual conference of the International Association of Gaming Advisors, which took place earlier this month in Malta. Predictably, one topic that produced heated debate was the lack of harmonization, or even hope of harmonization, of gambling laws and licensing processes across the EU Member States but this led on to the …

Having agreed to acquire Italian bookmaker Sisal for €1 billion, private equity firm CVC Capital Partners acquires its third gambling operator in less than two years. Having spent + €3 billion on European betting operators, Scott Longley  gauges the impact and motives for this PE giant extending its influence within the sector _________________________ The latest acquisition by private equity house …

Scott Longley breaks down the UK Gambling Commission’s report on UK consumer betting on sport, assessing if there is a clear long-tail of opportunity for bookmakers in markets beyond football and racing. _________________________ The data released in November last year by the UK Gambling Commission for the first time gave an insight into the online betting habits of UK punters …

Eurovision, a live pan-continental pop contest with a viewership of + 250 million which sees national audiences vote on their favourite performers, may well be betting’s most exciting novelty market! Ahead of this Saturday’s live final, SBC’s ‘Bookies Corner’ delves into the market intricacies of Eurovision 2016. Getting the full low-down from: Mirio Mella – Customer Engagement Manager- Pinnacle Sports Ed Nicholson  – Head …

The last month has seen a large number of regulatory developments that will have direct bearing on operators licensed by the Gambling Commission. Although it was not the first in chronological terms, my starting point is a speech given by Sarah Harrison, the Gambling Commission Chief Executive, at the Bingo Association AGM. It represented a summary of: what she called …

In part two of his article on pricing in the betting industry, Jeevan Jeyaratnam of Super Soccer GPS highlights some of the mistakes that occur because of the way trading rooms work these days, and the implications for the customer. Confidence in some large scale price providers is low, and rightly so judging by a couple of ‘early shows’ we’ve witnessed this …

Pricing feeds have become de rigueur in an industry beset by increasing costs, but are they the best way forward for established sportsbooks desperate to retain market share? In a two part article, Jeevan Jeyaratnam of Super Soccer GPS takes a look at how the market has developed. In recent years the growth of online wagering and the, ever-extending, choice of whom to bet …

As the industry pushes forward with a higher emphasis  on omni-channel strategies Scott Longley examines why legacy bookmakers have to look to overturn the ageing demographic of their retail betting customer base. With a view of modernising its shops and retail points what can the industry learn from other sectors… Much of the to and fro in the submissions to …

One of the most fascinating bankruptcy filings in recent US corporate history, Scott Longley examines why so many Caesars stakeholders called its leveraged growth strategy wrongly. _________________________________  The denouement of the case brought against Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CEC) by its creditors in the bankruptcy court in Chicago produced a document that was commensurate with the size of the original buyout’s …

Mark Locke CEO of Genius Sports details why technology aligned with stakeholder cooperation is the greatest asset in combatting match-fixing and sports corruption a subject matter which affects the industry’s  long-term growth, consumer appeal  and integrity.  The unprecedented growth in the popularity of sports betting around the world is due to different factors that include the rising popularity of OTT …