Retail

Ron Hearn of JenningsBet has been crowned the 2017 Racing Post/SIS Betting Shop Manager of the Year. The 57-year-old, who has a betting shop career spanning 40 years, the last six of which have been spent with JenningsBet, beat seven other finalists from Ladbrokes, Coral, Megabet, Paddy Power Betfair and William Hill. Hearn, who told the Racing Post: “It is …

UK National Lottery operator Camelot has today published its 2017/18 strategic review detailing major changes and initiatives for its operations and enterprise. Having undertaken a strategic review seeking to ‘return the National Lottery to Growth’, Camelot governance has confirmed the appointment of Nigel Railton as UK CEO. The appointment sees Railton the former Camelot International CEO, replace Andy Duncan (resigned …

Aiming to reaffirm the status of bookmakers as a hub of local communities, The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) are encouraging people to sign a petition in support of the ‘Back Your Local Bookie’ campaign. Citing the interaction between the staff and the consumers, the campaign aims to assert the belief of the ABB that ‘responsible gambling is at the …

The tortuous progress of the long planned AU$11bn merger between Tabcorp and Tatts has been eased after the Australian Competition Tribunal (ACT) gave the deal the go-ahead, for the second time. The case had been referred back to the ACT for a second review, following opposition to the deal from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and rival betting …

Presenting its latest trading update (unaudited 17-week period to 24 October), FTSE-listed bookmaker William Hill Plc details that its corporate performance is ‘in-line with expectations’, as the company seeks to deliver £40 million in annualised cost efficiencies for group reinvestment. Updating the market, William Hill continues its digital recovery, recording a 13% increase in online wagering, combined with 6% net …

Further to yesterday’s announcement of a shareholder £53 million capital redistribution, London-listed betting systems supplier Sportech Plc has confirmed the appointment of Giles Vardey as independent Non-Executive Director. A 35-year finance executive, Vardey will advise Sportech governance on stakeholder management as the company undertakes a full-scale sale if its business in 2018. In a distinguished career, Vardey has served as …

Updating the market, London-listed betting systems provider Sportech Plc has confirmed that it has completed its ‘capital reduction plan’ attached to the sale of it’s the Football Pools division, completed in June 2017 for £83 million. In accordance with previous transaction objectives, Sportech governance has declared a 29p-per-share distribution for its shareholders, which will see the company complete a cash …

The Hellenic Parliament is expected to pass a series of gambling amendments related to VLTs provisions and land-based casino licensing. Last October, Greek news sources reported that the Syriza government had tabled new reforms on industry taxes, licensing arrangements and games provisions, in order to make its national market more attractive to foreign operators. Parliament further seeks to amend existing …

Publishing its Q3 2017 trading update (period ending 30 September), Greek gambling group OPAP has detailed strong gains in its betting products and video lottery terminals (VLTs) as the firm homes in on full-year corporate targets and expectations. Updating the market, OPAP would detail group gross gaming revenues of €357 million up 12% on corresponding Q3 2016’s €319 million. Improved …

Refinanced Spanish gambling firm Grupo Codere continues its strong corporate recovery, as the company reports KPI and metric growth for its Q3 2017 trading update (period ending 30 September). Primarily driven by growth in its Spanish and Mexican divisions, Codere would record Q3 2017 group operating profits of €401 million up 3% on corresponding 2016’s €390 million. Despite facing adverse currency …