Retail

Charities throughout the UK have benefited from large sums of money donated by bookmakers after MPs from around the country joined in on the Grand National action by placing charity bets. The UK’s biggest betting operators had vowed to hand over any winnings on MP charity bets to their charity of choice. The eventual winner was 50/1 shot Noble Yeats, …

Sir Iain Duncan Smith has hit out at the “appalling” decision by the UK Gambling Commission to pocket £154.8m from National Lottery ticket sales meant for charities. The former Leader of the Conservative Party, who is also Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling-Related Harm (APPG), delivered his reaction after The Mail on Sunday revealed the UKGC awarded itself £50m more than budgeted in order to cover administrative …

Fakenham Racecourse has become the latest British racing venue to join the Racecourse Media Group (RMG), bolstering the latter’s output of UK content.  The deal – in place from 1 May 2022 to 31 December 2028 – now means that RMG will broadcast live racing from 36 British racecourses and all 26 Irish tracks, via the Racing TV network, with …

Intralot SA has branded 2021 as a breakthrough year for its business, as the Athens-listed gambling technology group accomplished its structural reorganizational directive, that secured financial benefits beyond previous expectations.  Publishing its full-year 2021 financial report, Intralot declared a group underlying EBITDA of €110 million up 67% on comparative FY2020’s results of €66 million. Group earnings were bolstered by a …

Sports technology solutions provider Sportradar has integrated its internet-based Self-Service Betting Terminal (iSSBT) software into 245 retail outlets across Norway. The move is part of an expanded agreement to support the growth of Norwegian state gaming operator Norsk Tipping.   The 500-plus estate of iSSBT points of sale provides bettors with a similar user experience and features to Norsk Tipping’s online …

Coral has begun to trial a 360° Virtual Reality (VR) Horseracing Experience, developed by Entain Plc’s in-house technology studio.  The first of its kind VR experience has been created in partnership with JockeyCam, a technology that captures the best live footage of racing action, providing audiences with the experience of what it is like to be a jump jockey.     Entain’s …

Grupo CIRSA has announced the appointment of Antonio Hostench as new Chief Executive of the Blackstone-owned Spanish markets gambling group. Yesterday, the board of CIRSA informed stakeholders that it had decided to split the duties of CEO and Chairman that Joaquim Agut had served since 2018, following US PE fund Blackstone’s buyout of the company. Agut will now solely act …

Groupe FDJ has announced that its management committee (leadership and corporate governance) has joined the corporate charter of #JamaissansElles (#NeverWithoutThem) – a French business directive aimed at promoting gender diversity across all workplaces. The operator of France’s national lottery and betting agencies, FDJ becomes the first company listed on the Paris Euronext SBF-80 to commit to its entire corporate leadership …

The life of legendary Red Rum, the only racehorse to win three Grand Nationals, has been celebrated by Coral. The bookmaker commissioned Irish artist Sean Corcoran, to create a unique 50x50m portrait of Rummie on Ainsdale Beach (Southport, Merseyside), the seafront on which the horse was famously trained. Red Rum who won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977 …

Newly established, Light & Wonder the new business entity of Scientific Games Corporation (SGC) has accomplished a major corporate objective by completing the sale of its global lottery unit to private investment fund Brookfield Business Partners for $5.8 billion. Terms on a deal have been finalised, following negotiations between Light & Wonder and Brookfield Partners that began in October 2021. …