Scottish bookmakers have warned First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that hundreds of jobs could be at risk if the government does not implement a business rates relief to help them cope with the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike in England, Holyrood opted to exclude betting shops from its business relief scheme, which was designed to support businesses which had seen …
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Camelot Group, the operating company of the National Lottery, has faced media and political backlash following reports that 16 and 17-year-olds have spent £47 million on National Lottery games. The Sunday Times accused Camelot of ‘exploiting a loophole’ in UK gambling laws, allowing children to wager on National Lottery instant-win products without any form of intervention. Quoting ‘latest figures’, the …
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CIS gambling developments continue to gather further pace, as Uzbekistan’s government has formed a ‘composition on the selection of a single lottery operator for the Republic of Uzbekistan’. Last week, the office of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev revealed that it had sanctioned a demand to be led by the Capital Markets Development Agency in developing a decree on the appointment of …
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Spanish gambling and leisure firm Grupo CIRSA SA has confirmed the inbound appointment of Antonio Grau as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Grau will join the CIRSA executive leadership team this October replacing incumbent CFO David Royo, who during Q2 trading announced that he had chosen to end his 13-year tenure leading CIRSA financial units. An expert in corporate financing, …
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The government has this morning confirmed that casinos in England will be allowed to reopen on 1 August, adhering to strict rules on social distancing and public safety. Casinos in Wales and Scotland will have to wait for their own reopening dates to be confirmed. In a move that has been highly praised by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which has …
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Roar Digital, the joint venture between GVC Holdings and MGM Resorts in the USA, has promoted Glynn Carroll to head up its sportsbook operations. Carroll has taken on the role of Vice President of Sportsbook Operations and will be relocating to the States once the COVID-19 outbreak subsides. Carroll originally joined Ladbrokes in 2015 as Director of Trading Operations and …
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Tote Ireland has built upon its strategic partnership with UK Tote by launching a new website, allowing a ‘single unified online betting pool for Irish and UK Tote customers’. From next month, Irish Tote customers will gain access to new products such as an instant Tote Guarantee (Best Price Guarantee) on all Irish racing, with the Tote due to pay …
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MacAndrews & Forbes, the investment fund of American billionaire Ronald Perelman, has filed an SEC note informing that it is exploring a full divestment of its shareholding in Scientific Games Corporation (SGC). The wholly-owned fund of finance tycoon Perelman has placed its 39% shareholding in SGC under review, but underlined that it has yet to determine a future outcome for …
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The Hong Kong Jockey Club has ended its season at Happy Valley, having reported a ‘record’ turnover of HK$1.6 billion (£160 million) for the track following what it described as a ‘season like no other’. Despite the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, total turnover for 2019/20 season had only dropped by 2.6% when compared to the previous season, …
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Buzz Bingo has revealed plans to close 26 of its UK venues in a move that will place 570 employees at risk of losing their jobs. The UK’s largest bingo hall operator stated that it had undertaken the drastic actions to ‘protect the future of its business’ as it seeks to mitigate pandemic circumstances affecting the entire leisure and hospitality …
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