Retail

Bacta will look to strengthen its membership engagement commitment with the industry body’s next meeting in Glasgow on 2 May. The event will welcome Scotland-based members, and will be attended by Bacta’s National President John Bollom, Vice President Joseph Cullis and Executive Director George McGregor. This is part of the trade organisation’s restructure programme, and follows the recent National Council …

William Hill has secured a deal to become the Official Betting Partner of the Qipco Guineas Festival. The partnership follows a string of sponsorship deals for William Hill with Lincoln at Doncaster and the Punchestown Champion Chase, as well as the Randox Grand National Festival.  William Hill will sponsor a total of 15 races across the three-day meeting, including the …

Scientific Games has secured a contract extension to continue to supply Totalizator Sportowy, Poland’s national lottery operator, with its suite of instant-win ‘scratch’ games. The contract has been extended as Totalizator Sportowy has reported an average increase in instant-win games sales of 39%, “recorded over the past three years (2020-to-2023).” The partnership will continue to see Scientific Games provide its …

New rule changes brought to UK racing will allow stewards to declare “a non-runner in any race beginning from the starting stalls.” The rule will be implemented from 1 May 2024 onwards, granting extended powers to race stewards to decide whether a participating horse has “been denied a fair start”. Granted by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), stewards will be …

The fallout for Svenska Spel of its Casino Cosmopol closures has reflected on the Swedish operator’s Q1 2024 results.  Smaller net revenue and profits were felt throughout the first four months of the year, but the operator remained positive that its business remains stable – with most notable results seen in its Tur lottery division.  Tur revenue improved by six …

René Jansen, outgoing Chairman of Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands Gambling Authority, has highlighted the changing political sentiments and discord related to the governance of Dutch gambling. Observations were detailed by Jansen addressing delegates of the Casino Operations Summit in Amsterdam (23 to 25 April). Jansen, who will stand down as Chairman of KSA on 1 October, will be succeeded by …

SIS (Sports Information Services) has promoted Conall McSorley as its new Head of Racing. The supplier has put McSorley in charge of its racing product proposition with the aim of ‘shaping the strategy and direction’ across retail and digital channels.   McSorley commented on his new title: “Our 24/7 racing offering delivers great value to operators all over the world, so …

At a colloquium held in Belgium, European Lotteries (EL) underscored the importance of lotteries for Europe’s society and its ‘cultural heritage’. The conference was organised with the help of Belgium’s national lottery under the auspice of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and hosted Her Royal Highness Princess Claire of Belgium. A key highlight from the platform …

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has welcomed lawyer Wilma Eisma as its new President and Chief Operating Officer (COO).  Eisma took her oath as the first woman to hold these roles in a ceremony held in Malacanang in front of PAGCOR’s Executive Secretary, Lucas Bersamin.  PAGCOR Chairman, Alejandro Tengco, commented: “We are happy to welcome Atty. Wilma Eisma …

The board of Svensk Travsport, the organiser of Swedish trotting, will present a counter-proposal on gambling taxes to safeguard the future of horse racing in the country. The statement was made by Travsport Chairman, Anders Källström, who detailed anxieties about Swedish racing being lumped into a generic tax band for gambling in 2024. As announced at the end of 2023, …