As UK businesses wait for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to issue his ‘summer statement’ tomorrow, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has continued to pressure the government to reopen casinos this July. Branded as a ‘critical mini-budget’, Sunak’s statement will underline vital business grants, industry subsidies and workforce schemes to help boost the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19’s aftershocks. Writing to …
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Playtech BGT Sports (PBS) has confirmed that it will be launching its first proprietary virtual sports portfolio for self-service betting terminals (SSBTs). The launch will allow punters to access simulation-based odds for virtual products, with the product due to go live in four weeks. Commenting on the launch, Richard Andrew, Director Virtual Sports at Playtech BGT Sports stated: “Operators demand …
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OPAP has completed a major corporate social responsibility initiative after announcing the renovation of Athens’ Aghia Sofia children’s general hospital. The modernisation of Aghia Sofia’s children’s ward was first announced as a core CSR project by OPAP in 2018, with the betting group taking full responsibility for the funding of the renovation of Athens largest paediatric unit from Athens municipal …
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France’s newly formed L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has announced a number of new appointments to its senior leadership team as it looks to govern a new ‘unified era for French gambling’. Officially launched this June, the ANJ will serve as France’s ‘single regulatory agency’ for gambling, replacing ARJEL and further industry oversight responsibilities of the French Treasury and the …
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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has demanded that the Scottish Government lift ‘draconian restrictions’ that are wrecking the viability of Scottish bookmakers making a business comeback from lockdown. Closed since mid-March, Scotland’s 900 betting shops were allowed to reopen on Monday 29 June. However, Scottish National Party (SNP) ministers applied last-minute requirements demanding betting shops remove chairs and switch …
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Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), has approved the re-election of Stephen Cohen as a Commissioner of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). This week, DCMS confirmed that Cohen’s tenure as UKGC commissioner would be extended for a further four years until November 2024. Described as an expert in corporate finance, auditing and governance of …
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Rank Group Plc has issued a market update as it begins to reopen its Mecca Bingo venues across England from Saturday 4 July. Absorbing COVID-19 impacts and costs, Rank stated that its group underlying profits will fall at the lower end of its provided £48-58 million guidance for the year ending 30 June 2020. Despite the closure of its entire …
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Spanish gambling group Codere SA has launched ‘CODWIN’, its new Italian market AWP games (fruit machines) distribution unit, formed by the merger of its shareholdings in subsidiaries Gap Games Italia and FG Slot. Italian industry news sources report that the launch of CODWIN, had been formally approved by Gap Games and FG Slot investors at an April shareholder meeting, allowing …
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Danske Spil has named Nikolas Lynhe-Knudsen as its new Chief Executive Officer, who will begin his new role from 1 October 2020, taking over from Susanne Mørch Koch. Lynhe-Knudsen currently holds the position of executive board member and director of economics, technology and media production at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), having also held a number of high profile business …
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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has called for ministers to guarantee the reopening of UK casinos in July to avoid industry job losses. BGC CEO Michael Dugher re-emphasised that UK casinos had undertaken all necessary steps to ensure that venues are ‘covid proof’ and able to reopen safely in July, with the majority of UK leisure and hospitality businesses. …
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