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Greyhound racing has emphasised its plan to be ‘the first to return’ to racing behind closed doors after the current restrictions placed on sporting events are relaxed. Through its industry-led working group, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has been working towards restarting the sport in ‘a responsible but efficient manner’. GBGB Managing Director Mark Bird said: “We were …

Restructuring its leadership frameworks, the Belgian Gambling Commission (BGC) has confirmed the appointment of Magali Clavie as new President. A former Brussels High Court Judge specialising in adjudicating criminal convictions, Clavie takes charge of the BGC having previously served as President of Belgium’s Supreme Council of Justice. Updating stakeholders, the BGC underlined that it has secured one of Belgium’s top …

In support of both staff and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Denise Coates Foundation has given a £10m grant to the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) charity. The funds will be used to support a number of schemes aimed at enhancing patient care and supporting staff at both Royal Stoke Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford. bet365’s global …

Française des Jeux (FDJ) has secured access to a €380 million syndicated loan, in which funds will be utilised to repay the French state’s agreed 25-year national lottery operating concession. Prior to becoming a publicly listed enterprise by floating on the Paris Euronext Exchange last November, the French government had granted FDJ a 25-year extension on its existing national lottery …

UK gambling standards association The Senet Group has this afternoon confirmed that it will transfer its responsibilities outright to the newly formed Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). Established in 2014, the Senet Group was initially formed by the UK’s legacy ‘Big 4’ high-street bookmakers’ Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill and Betfred in a move to streamline industry responsibility standards. Significant achievements …

Norway’s government has confirmed that state-owned racing operator Rikstoto will continue to function as an independent entity.   Last November, the Norwegian government ordered the Ministry of Culture to undertake a review of state-owned gambling assets, assessing whether its larger Norsk Tipping lottery and wagering franchise should absorb Rikstoto services. The Ministry’s review further evaluated whether Rikstoto’s state racing monopoly and …

Leadership of Italian sports has urged the government to restore betting advertising for a 12-month period to support professional leagues, sports clubs, athletes and relevant stakeholders navigate COVID-19 disruptions. The call for a temporary suspension of Dignity Decree provisions on gambling advertising and sponsorship has been led by LEGA Serie A governance. Since July 2019, all Italian sports leagues have …

The Jockey Club has confirmed that it will donate 10,000 tickets to the NHS and social care sector in Merseyside for the first day of the 2021 Randox Health Grand National Festival at Aintree. The racecourse group, which owns Aintree racecourse, has also revealed that the first day of next year’s Festival will be renamed as Liverpool’s NHS Day in …