Tag Archives: Tom Watson

Flutter appoints Steve Hawkes as Director of UK Public Affairs

SBC News Flutter appoints Steve Hawkes as Director of UK Public Affairs

Flutter Entertainment has announced the appointment of Steve Hawkes as Director of Reputational and Public Affairs for the FTSE100 betting group. A Fleet Street veteran, Hawkes is a former senior reporter covering business and political affairs for The Sun, The Times and The Daily Telegraph newspapers.  Hawkes joins Flutter from leading public affairs agency BCW Global, where he served as …

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September to October 2020 in Review: Autumn signals a ‘generational change’

SBC News September to October 2020 in Review: Autumn signals a 'generational change'

2020’s Autumn months held no respite for betting leadership, as the sector was placed at the forefront of global business headlines reporting on inbound changes be it through regulatory challenges, M&A or leadership changes… SBC – Politics and M&A make global betting the headline maker…  The betting industry’s autumn proceedings begun with further political maneuverers centred around the UK government’s …

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Tom Watson joins Flutter as CSR advisor

SBC News Tom Watson joins Flutter as CSR advisor

Flutter Entertainment has confirmed the appointment of former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson as its new corporate advisor on safer gambling and further corporate social responsibility directives. Watson, who resigned from the Labour Party last November ahead of the UK’s Snap Election following a public fallout with former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, is recognised as a leading reformist of …

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Cross-party think-tank calls for £100 monthly limit on gambling

SBC News Cross-party think-tank calls for £100 monthly limit on gambling

Cross-party think-tank The Social Market Foundation (SMF) has called for further ‘protective regulation’ of wagering limits to be rolled out, advising regulators that gamblers should be limited to betting ‘£100 each month until they pass more stringent checks‘. Reported by the Financial Times, the think tank claims that it is ‘inevitable that gamblers will sometimes spend more than they can …

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Winning Post: Political flip-floppery leads to uncertainty for casinos

SBC News Winning Post: Political flip-floppery leads to uncertainty for casinos

Industry strategic consultancy Regulus Partners looks at the government u-turn to postpone the reopening of casinos in England, the growing support for a ban on online gambling and the upcoming publication of Social Market Foundation’s report on the Gambling Act 2005. UK: regulation – new poll finds growing support for online gambling ban The polling firm Survation this week released …

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David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Consensus cannot be the hardest word

SBC News David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Consensus cannot be the hardest word

If the gambling industry buzzword for the last two years has been “collaboration”, it looks as if this year’s might well be “consensus”. Speaking personally, I am all for that. It’s a word that featured prominently in speeches by former Labour Party Deputy Leader, Tom Watson, and Gambling Commission CEO, Neil McArthur at ICE on 4 February. Watson used it …

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David Clifton: Licensing Expert – The future is within the industry’s power!

SBC News David Clifton: Licensing Expert – The future is within the industry’s power!

For the first time that I can recall, all four major UK political parties have featured gambling reform within their respective General Election manifestos. As a result, it’s clear that, regardless of the outcome of Thursday’s voting, the industry’s regulatory landscape will experience some fundamental change in the not too distant future. Online is the clearly declared focus but the …

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Winning Post – Turbulence ahead for The Netherlands?

SBC News Winning Post - Turbulence ahead for The Netherlands?

Industry strategic consultancy Regulus Partners examines a week full of regulatory warnings in the Netherlands, further political disruption in the UK, and gaming reform in Ireland. Netherlands: online regulation – orange warning signals? The implementation of the Netherlands Remote Gaming Act faced more parliamentary scrutiny this week, with a theme of questioning from the Justice and Security Committee being ensuring …

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Winning Post – US regulation… Are we California Dreamin?

SBC News Winning Post - US regulation... Are we California Dreamin?

Industry strategic consultancy Regulus Partners examines a week of tribal movements on Californian wagering legislations, and potential impacts on how the US’ biggest and richest state will move to implement its sports betting frameworks… Last week a group of 18 Indian tribes in California, including some of the most powerful, moved to put sports betting on the ballot of the 2020 …

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