UK

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and bet365 have settled on a fine of £582,120 related to anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures of its bingo and casino business.  These failings were discovered during a Commission compliance assessment in March last year. In total, Hillside (UK Gaming) ENC, which holds a licence for bet365’s bingo and casino products, must pay £343,035, …

Entain Plc has informed markets that Chairman Barry Gibson will resign from all corporate governance duties by the end of September 2024. Gibson will be succeeded by current interim Chief Executive Stella David, who may take over boardroom leadership duties earlier depending on the timing of the appointment of a permanent Group CEO. The announcement sees Gibson end his four-year …

Gareth Bale has been named a regional brand ambassador for online bookmaker SBOTOP. The former Real Madrid and Wales football star will help the platform engage with its existing customers whilst also introducing the gaming experience to a ‘new and much larger’ range of sports audiences. Bill Mummery, SBOTOP CEO, commented: “SBOTOP is absolutely thrilled to team up with Gareth …

British racing’s Horse Welfare Board has released the results of the country’s first Thoroughbred Census. It was in December 2023 that the BHA made its final call for owners to complete the Census before the end of the year, with the association ultimately receiving 8,256 registrations – of which 5,566 were previously unrecorded. Undertaken by Hartpury University, the census has …

Genius Sports has informed investors that it will review the membership of the board of directors of the NYSE-listed sports, media, data rights, and technology group following the resignation of Gabriele Cipparrone. Effective from 8 April, Gabriele Cipparrone of the London-based private equity fund Apax Partners will resign, leaving Genius Sports’ board without a representative from Apax. The decision follows …

Bacta’s Technical Standards Group has announced that it will be working in partnership with colleagues from the Bingo Association’s Gaming Machine Working Group. Headed by MERKUR UK’s Alan Claypole, the new mission is to produce a set of industry recommendations on enhancements to existing regulations which will enable the machines sector to remain ‘competitive’ and uphold the ‘highest standards of …

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed that all licence holders must submit regulatory returns on a quarterly basis from 1 July.  The decision follows a ‘consultation response’ to review the frequency of regulatory returns observed by all licence holders. As such, the Commission will amend Licence Condition 15.3.1 to impose mandatory quarterly submissions to improve the “harmonisation of reporting …

888 Holdings has confirmed its strategic exit from the US market, selling all associated B2C assets to Hard Rock Digital (HRD). In March, 888 notified investors that it had initiated a strategic review of its US B2C business, “considering all available options”. The decision saw 888 announce that it had mutually agreed to terminate its Sports Illustrated (SI) Sportsbook and …

Harris Hagan has announced the promotion of Senior Associate David Whyte to Partner at the City of London law firm. The decision follows Whyte’s successful tenure as a Senior Associate, where he supported Harris Hagan’s legal practices and framework within the global gambling sector. Whyte joined Harris Hagan in 2019, having previously worked in-house within the online and land-based sectors. …

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has invited people from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds working in racing to share their views.  A short survey form, funded by the Racing Foundation, has now been opened is completely anonymous and will run until 31 May 2024. The BHA is seeking experiences of the industry via the survey. BHA Chief Executive, Julie Harrington, …