Tag Archives: COVID-19

Italy’s 6,000 betting shops reopened this Monday (15 June) to yet another ‘new dawn’ facing the government’s additional 0.5% wagering tax applied across all betting-related verticals (retail, digital and virtual sports). The temporary GGR tax is calculated on betting turnover and will be combined with existing net betting duties of 20% for retail, 22% for virtual games and 24% for …

GVC Holdings CEO Kenneth Alexander has issued a public statement to Parliament, as sportsbooks return to trading on the majority of major sports betting markets. Writing for Politics Home, Alexander emphasised that while a post-lockdown period brings with it an opportunity to promote a wide range of betting markets, gambling companies must not become ‘complacent’ in its responsible gambling measures. …

Chetan Pandya, Chief Product Officer at Pragmatic Solutions (pictured), discusses the importance of strengthening its regulatory compliance standing in Malta, before explaining the evolution of the ‘Onboarding Hub’ resource to deliver more transparency to its partners, and why it is sticking to the “circle of competence” to avoid compromising on quality.  SBC: How would you describe the Pragmatic Solutions business …

Athens-listed gambling group OPAP SA has returned to full operational capacity after reopening its ‘PLAY’ gaming hall venues across Greece. OPAP has reopened its gaming venues following last week’s approval by the Greek government to allow all leisure enterprises (hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, etc) to return to business after it eased COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. The decision has allowed OPAP to …

Tabcorp Holdings has reached an agreement with its US debt holders which will allow the ASX gambling group to defer payments on its debt covenants.  Last month, Tabcorp communicated that it had entered negotiations with US debt holders to obtain new ‘covenant terms’ on its corporate debt tranche of AUS $2.1 billion, maximising financial flexibility as it looks to navigate …

As governments around the world begin to lift lockdown measures and social distancing becomes the new normal, companies around the world have had to adapt to the new measures in place. Speaking to Charlie Rowe, Head of Industry – iGaming at NMPi by Incubeta, he told SBC that he predicts more land-based companies will shift their operations online and that …

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has urged Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to ‘keep being flexible’ following the latest update to the Government’s COVID-19 furlough scheme. Welcoming Sunak’s extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the standards body acknowledged that a number of its members ‘will be forced to operate at a reduced capacity for the foreseeable future’. …

In accordance with the Scottish Government’s route map for exiting lockdown, Scottish racing has been given the green light to resume behind closed doors from Monday 22 June. Discussions are currently taking place between Scottish Racing and the Scottish Government to support the resumption of race day fixtures. Scottish Racing’s Manager, Delly Innes, said: “The public can have confidence in …

Hosting the UK government’s COVID-19 update yesterday evening, PM Boris Johnson announced the government’s provisional plans to re-open all non-essential retail businesses on 15 June. PM Johnson laid out the UK government’s plans to reopen England’s highstreet stores, obeying strict social distancing orders and ensuring that businesses can maintain employee safety. The government will manage a ‘staged reopening’, allowing outdoor …

Expanding into the US and elevating its core education programme have been some of the key changes that have taken place at EPIC Risk Management since its inception in 2013. EPIC Owner and CEO Paul Buck spoke to SBC News about how the company evolved, and outlined some of the key ways that its recent ISO 9001 accreditation will support …