Retail

The UK government has confirmed that Eastleigh MP Miriam ‘Mims’ Davies will join the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sports (DCMS) as new UK Sports Minister replacing Tracey Crouch. Crouch, who had served as UK Sports Minister since 2015, resigned last week in protest of the government’s ‘delayed’ FOBTs £2 wagering reduction, which had been confirmed for October 2019 …

Publishing its latest trading update (17-43 week period ending 28 October), FTSE250 William Hill Plc details ‘rapid US progress’, however, the betting group cannot escape its UK woes. Despite progress on its digital agenda, William Hill’s 2018 trading has been impacted by negative sporting results and further group-wide adjustments undertaken to counter a tougher UK regulatory environment. Continuing its digital …

The confirmed departure of Mark Frissora as President & Chief Executive of Caesars Entertainment has triggered fresh rumours regarding the future of the legacy US casino operator. This morning, the New York Post reported that the governance of MGM Resorts had hired Morgan Stanley and law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges to act as corporate advisors, examining a potential $20 billion …

Spanish business news sources report that the Sampedro Family, the enterprise founders of Grupo Codere have filed a US lawsuit against the firm’s private equity debt-holders, claiming unfair dismissal and non-representation from the firm’s corporate governance structures. The filing is led by former Codere President Jose Antonio Martinez Sampedro and brother Luis Javier (former Vice President), seeking to annul Codere …

French luxury hotel and hospitality giant Groupe Lucien Barrière has confirmed that it has developed a ‘Japanese strategic unit’ monitoring the nation’s ‘integrated resorts’ opportunities. The firm’s Japanese movements are confirmed by Barrière Group Casino Development Director Jonathan Strock speaking to the Nikkei Asian Review. Strock has been charged with leading the strategic unit, which seeks to bring European haute …

The leadership of Sky UK has confirmed that it will introduce new rules that will significantly reduce its output of betting/gambling related adverts across its digital TV network. Addressing head-on public and political concerns related to the over-saturation of gambling-related content on UK TV, Sky leadership details that in 2019 it will enforce drastic reduction measures across its programming. Sky …

Nasdaq-listed gambling technology and systems provider Scientific Games Corporation (SGC) has confirmed that it has completed its acquisition of US-centric sports betting data provider Don Best. A transaction first announced on 9 October, SGC moves to significantly strengthen its US sports betting capabilities serviced by its SG Digital division. Don Best assets and operating capabilities have been acquired to bolster SG …

SIS and Tote Media have confirmed an extension to the deal to distribute live pictures and data from the Latin American Racing Channel’s (LARC) racecourses, to operators globally. The two-year rights extension expands SIS’s Latin American racing portfolio to over 4,500 races per year, with races from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru, and includes some of the top racecourses in …

Nasdaq-listed gambling and leisure group Caesars Entertainment Corporation has confirmed that President & Chief Executive Mark Frissora will depart the company in February 2019. Updating investors, Caesars governance details that it has begun its executive search for Frissora’s leadership replacement. Frissora took charge of an embattled Caesars Entertainment in February 2015, guiding the company through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process …

UK Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has resigned from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sports (DCMS), in relation to the government’s delay in implementing its £2 FOBTs stake reduction. Crouch had served as Sports Minister since 2015, leading the government’s relations with the UK betting and gambling sectors. Monday’s 2018 Budget announcement saw the Treasury confirm that it would implement …