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Reporting on its half year 2015 performance (period ending 30 June), FTSE250 betting operator Ladbrokes Plc posted group operating losses of £41.4 million (after tax). As expected by business analysts Ladbrokes’ retail betting division had been hit by a £51.8 million impairment charge, following a strategic review of its 2169 betting shop portfolio. The write-down of retail assets, would form …

Having created this season’s fantasy football game for The Mirror, as well as the recently announced partnership with Goal.com, it’s a busy time over at Fantasy iTeam (FiT) HQ. Commercial Director, Phil Shaw, took some time out of their hectic schedule to discuss all things fantasy football with SBC. ________________________ SBC: The Mirror’s iTeam Premier League Fantasy Football game is …

As the two industries’ of gaming and betting merge ever closer, one company based in the Czech Republic are taking advantage of this situation by focussing their efforts on a particularly niche area of these aligning markets. Gamblified recently released Dead Trigger 2: eSports Tournament in alliance with Cashplay. This is a gamblified version of the popular Zombie shooter game, …

After last month’s proposed £2.3bn (€3.23bn) merger between Ladbrokes and Coral was amicably agreed last week – subject to approval by the UK Competition and Markets Authority – the industry moves onto what could become a more bitter battle. Ten days ago, 888.com’s £900m (€1.27bn) offer to acquire its larger e-gaming rival Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (Bwin) was accepted, announced and …

Scott Longley discovers how innovation may be being stifled by regulation and how some entrepeneurs are looking to encourage the formation of new ideas. Online gambling would appear to have a problem with innovation. Such at least would be the conclusion from the activity we have witnessed recently extolling the virtues of nurturing entrepreneurs and start-ups within an industry which, …

The boards of Ladbrokes and Coral have managed to agree on a merger deal which will create ‘a leading multi-channel and internationally diversified business with a compelling strategy to accelerate online growth, deliver substantial synergies and drive value’. Ladbrokes Coral plc will have net revenue of £2.1 billion and £392 million of EBITDA (excluding cost synergies of at least £65 …

FansUnite was started by three sports fans in Canada, and intends to be a site for fellow fans offering transparency, fun, and top wagering advice via its social betting platform and community. FansUnite  utilises virtual currency meaning, should they opt to, users are able to bet on sports without the risk of losing any actual money. A place for gamblers of …

Introducing eSports to the gambling sector will be a key theme at EIG 2015 (Berlin  Arena Halle 20-22 October). The rise of competitive platforms in eSports has seen a number of questions being asked of this contemporary industry SBC caught up with Rahul Sood Co-Founder and CEO of Unikrn, an eSports competitive platform that plans to lead this exciting and …

PokerStars appears to be gearing up for the launch of its US daily fantasy sports (DFS) product in time for September’s start of a new NFL Season. Last week the Amaya Inc owned poker brand contacted former US players to participate in a DFS survey as it tried to gather market information. At present the operator has not outlined any …

Multiple London business news sources have disclosed that Gala Coral and Ladbrokes are close to agreeing terms on a £3.5 billion merger, which would create the UK’s biggest bookmaker with over 4000 betting shops. Ladbrokes who are being advised on the merger terms by investment banks’ Greenhill Capital and UBS are expected to issue new share placements in order to …