Retail

The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gambling Authority, has detailed that levels of sports betting in the country were on the rise for some time before the launch of the regulated online market last year, but were dealt a blow by the COVID-19 pandemic. Publishing its periodical Market Scan for country-specific games of chance 2022, the KSA detailed that ‘years of …

UK racing has formed ‘a cross-industry working party’ that will establish an action plan that aims to breed a culture of respect across all components of the sport. The directive was originally announced last December, as racing stakeholders issued a joint-statement “regarding the conduct of those who work in the sport, and a commitment to take wide-ranging action to offer …

Playtech and the Jockey Club have entered into a new strategic partnership, centred around the development of cross-product content.  The five-year deal will see Playtech produce content based on the Jockey Club’s network of racecourses and fixtures, with the firm having secured the rights to develop the features across its casino, live casino, poker, virtual sports and bingo verticals.  Brokered …

Spotlight Sports Group (SSG) has introduced a Swedish language interactive Winter Olympics microsite for state-owned gambling company, Svenska Spel.  The enterprise has stated that it will build, host and manage the site which will include SSG’s independent previews, giving Svenska Spel customers betting odds as well as expert analysis. Dan Korhonen, Svenska Spel Head of Sports Betting Product, shared how …

DAZN is closing on a deal to buy BT Sport, as the streaming service has now opened talks with the Premier League to seek its approval, according to The Times. With a deal in place until 2025, England football’s top-flight league is currently the broadcasters main TV rights partner, and therefore must give consent to the acquisition whilst also gaining …

The board of Playtech Plc has this morning communicated that its designated £2.7 billion sale to Aristocrat Leisure will likely be rejected by shareholders. The statement follows proxy votes ahead of today’s official vote on Aristocrat’s bid, that have failed to meet the minimum threshold 75% of votes cast needed for Playtech governance to approve the transaction. ASX-listed Aristocrat began its …

Zoe Osmond Chief Executive of GambleAware has restated that UK gambling’s existing voluntary agreement to fund problem gambling research, education and treatment (RET) programmes is no longer fit for purpose. GambleAware’s CEO has issued a response to weekend news reports that the NHS will announce that it will no longer accept funds/donations from gambling-associated charities.  A decision taken to protect …

l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) France’s unified gambling regulator has instructed all licensed operators to submit a yearly ‘Action Plan’ outlining their responsible gambling controls as a licensing duty.   The direct command follows recommendations made by an ANJ-sanctioned study on ‘the prevention of pathological gambling and gambling by minors’. Operator submissions will be scrutinised by the ANJ’s policy team, with …

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has clarified its regulatory oversight on ‘Free Draws’ and ‘Prize Competitions’, following an increase in public enquires related to ‘win a house’ or ‘win a cash prize’ competitions. Free Draws and Prize Competitions are not regulated by the 2005 Gambling Act. However, the Act provides a distinction in how Free Draws and Prize Competitions should …

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has revealed its 2021 year-end figures which reported an on-course betting bookmaker turnover of €12.9m, showing an increase of 67.5% on the previous year. Results suggest that the industry has ‘bounced back from a difficult 2020’, with most figures far ahead of both the previous 12 months and the pre-pandemic figures of 2019. Suzanne Eade, CEO …