Features

UK:  B2 impact – the sound of scraping… With Britain’s B2 ban now formally enacted into law (see below), the first practical signs of impact (beyond PR and lobbying) are starting to be felt. So far, these have been seen in machine contracts, rental pleas, horseracing funding and M&A. This list is likely to grow as April approaches and then …

As the year draws to a close and the betting sector prepares for an exciting 2019, SBC is looking back on 12 months that was filled with innovation, regulation and an abundance of landmark moments. The Gambling Commission released its biannual report for September 2018, detailing the latest statistics in the gambling industry from throughout the year. The report covered …

The World Cup semi-final between France and Belgium came out as the top match in 2018 across the bettingexpert tipster community. The match finished 1-0 at the Krestovsky Stadium, as Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti scored the only goal to take Les Bleus into the final. As part of the Better Collective Spotlight series, SBC News also learned that France’s subsequent victory over …

This week’s 6 of the Best comes from Peter Bassill, Founder of Hedgehog Cyber Security. In this latest edition discover a Ray Mears and George Orwell tussle, a controversial musical choice and island hopping on a 38 foot yacht. Best Holiday Best holiday would have to be my honeymoon. Just my Isabella and I on a 38 foot yacht sailing …

Aly Lalani, Head of Marketing at BetRegal, discusses executing a strategic roadmap for 2018 that had to be ‘realigned considerably’, undertaking a periodic review of performance, and why this practice allows a business to properly facilitate large-scale change. The holiday season. A time of family and friends, fun and celebration and general merriment. Inevitably, the holiday season invokes a sense …

Cryptocurrencies may have taken a battering this year, but there are brighter times ahead according to Cashbet President Ed Brennan, who predicted that 2019 will be the year in which the concept achieves mainstream adoption for igaming. SBC: What movements and tech advances have defined crypto for igaming in 2018?  EB: There were a lot of ICO’s in 2018. The …

In 2012, ECOMMPAY spotted a “gap in the market” for gaming-focused payment service providers by launching a bespoke solution that could be customised to each client’s business needs. Six years on, the firm’s Head of Operations and Customer Relations Arthur Gots sat down with SBC News to discuss the outdated ‘one-size-fits-all’ model, evolving within a tighter regulatory landscape, playing a …

Regulus Partners, the strategic consultancy focused on international gambling and related industries, takes a look at some key developments for the gambling industry in its ‘Winning Post’ column. New Zealand: NZRB – the trouble with monopolies? New Zealand Racing Board’s results to July 2018 demonstrate continued progress online, with 20% growth in customers to 230,000 (nearly 5% of NZ’s population), …

For sector incumbents, 2018 will be remembered as the year of US market liberalisation, continued multi-billion M&A activity, record UKGC penalties, FOBTs reductions and strained relationships between betting and its wider stakeholders (media, the community, politics, governing bodies etc…) Amid all this mayhem, the sector has seen little with regards to fresh blood, delivering much needed new propositions and perspectives. …

Earlier this month, Dave Hammond left his role as B2B Divisions Director at Paddy Power Betfair to take up the reign as COO of SBTech, charged with driving growth through 2019 and beyond. Following the appointment we spoke to Hammond regarding the transition, personal and company-wide ambitions, the future of online sports betting and much more. ____________________ SBC: Why was …