The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has handed out its latest penalty for social responsibility and anti-money laundering breaches, charging online operator Smarkets. A penalty of £630,000 was dealt to the Malta-based firm, which operates the SBK sportsbook, for failing to carry out ‘adequate’ source of funds checks as well as identifying or interacting with at-risk customers. Of significance to the …
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Setting yourself out from the competition is one of the core goals of any marketing campaign, but Smarkets’ SBK sportsbook took this a step further last month by directly calling out its business rivals. Explaining the method behind the madness, Jason Trost, Smarkets’ Founder and CEO, argued that customers are becoming disillusioned with the experience offered by some of bettings’ …
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Smarkets has declared a ‘full assault’ on all UK bookmakers launching its new nationwide multi-channel campaign promoting its SBK sportsbook. Launched this Monday, under the title of “SBK – The ad we weren’t allowed to make, but we made it anyway” – the campaign sees Smarkets CEO Jason Trost ‘take direct aim at SBK competitors’. The campaign was developed by …
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Last night, the long-awaited conclusion of the UK government’s review of the gambling industry was put under the spotlight by Newsnight – the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs review programme. Dedicating a 30-minute segment to “the government’s rethink of gambling laws”, Newsnight reported on the “cost of gambling addiction and opportunities for reform”. Led by BBC correspondent Anna Collison, …
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Smarkets has reorganised its executive leadership team following a series of internal promotions and new hires, bolstering the day-to-day management of its organisation. Former Communications Officer Celine Crawford has been promoted to the c-level leadership role of Chief People Officer (CPO). Recognised as a ‘proven talent’, Crawford has served as Smarkets communications lead since 2015, joining the company from the …
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Executives from major international sportsbook operators are set to gather in London for Betting on Sports Europe 2022 on 7-9 June, when preparations for the Qatar World Cup will be central to the discussions. The conference and exhibition moves from its long-term home at Stamford Bridge and will instead be staged at nearby Twickenham Stadium, the home of English rugby. …
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Next week’s SBC Summit Barcelona will mark the long-awaited return of major international business events for the sports betting and igaming industry with a high-level conference and exhibition attended by the sector’s major players. With Barcelona open for large-scale events and free from quarantine requirements for visitors, the 2021 edition of the Global Betting and iGaming Show will go ahead …
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Smarkets has confirmed the appointment of Ladbrokes veteran Matthew Shaddick as its new Head of Political Markets. Shaddick led Ladbrokes Politics trading for 18-years, and is replacing former Smarkets political lead Sarbjit Bakhshi, who left the company at the start of the year. Smarkets backed the appointment of highly regarded Shaddick, who will be tasked with maintaining politics as a …
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Smarkets has entered a new enterprise and innovation phase, having completed a Series-B funding round by securing a new investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE). The transaction marks the first capital raise by Smarkets since the firm’s inception in 2008, which saw it raise to £3.8 million to establish itself as a leading online betting exchange. Subsequent year-on-year growth has …
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Smarkets has announced that its ‘SBK’ sportsbook app has gone live on the Oddschecker grid. SBK’s market odds, directly indexed from the Smarkets betting exchange, will now be displayed across Oddschecker’s market-leading comparison site which attracts a reported three million unique users per month. The SBK sportsbook was launched in the summer of 2019, as Smarkets’ proprietary built sportsbook app …
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