Scott Longley details why industry leaders Philip Bowcock (Group CEO of William Hill Plc) and Richard Flint (CEO of Sky Betting & Gaming) share an aligned vision and solidarity in raising industry social responsibility standards. In 2018, the betting industry has more to lose than just a punishing FOBTs judgement… ______________ William Hill has just endured one of those weeks. …

The degree to which the fortunes of the Stars Group and William Hill have diverged since their failed merger talks 18 months ago provides an interesting counterpoint to the current obsession with sector M&A. A recent note on Stars published by the Canadian analyst team at Canaccord Genuity noted that the company’s share price rose 54 percent in 2017, placing …

The latest statistics from the UK Gambling Commission released at the end of last year contained with them some figures for betting shop closures that might yet be a sign of things to come for UK bookmakers. The total number of shops as of the end of September 2017 stood at 8,502, down 304 from March this year and 412 …

Is the storied Ladbrokes brand approaching the end of its usefulness, being eaten from within by the now stronger Coral? Scott Longley speculates…. ________________ Ladbrokes Coral was understandably keen to accentuate the positives from this week’s third-quarter trading statement saying it represented “another positive period” for the group as a whole and adding that the digital performance was “strong.” This …

The happenstance of bet365 and Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) releasing results on consecutive days earlier this week rammed home an important message about the dominance of the market leaders in the UK online scene. The numbers were mightily impressive. Total net revenues from the gambling business at bet365 comfortably sailed past the £2bn barrier, up a huge 39 percent …

A much-trailed report into fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from the right-leaning think tank ResPublica has been slammed for “parroting” the line taken by the report’s paid sponsors the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG). The report published this week entitled ‘Wheel of Misfortune: the case for lowering the stakes on FOBTs’ called for the reduction of the maximum stake applicable for …

In the realm of sports sponsorship, at least, the online gambling sector is finding a more relaxed attitude to shirt sponsorship in Germany than it is in the increasingly riven UK __________________ Away from the numerous cry havocs and blasts of war echoing in our ears as the debate in the UK around gambling reaches yet another pitch it is …

Scott Longley reports on the potential fallout from the surprise Scientific Games acquisition of NYX Gaming, and its Openbet subsidiary. _________________ It may seem surprising that in a climate of sometime feverish M&A speculation, the potential of a buyout deal for NYX Gaming launched by one of the behemoths of the global gambling provision could have been kept under wraps. …

The report from the gaming analysts at UBS which pulled the rug from under the share price of William Hill this week doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to the near-term future for the high-street bookmakers. The team at UBS suggest that retail operating profits could decrease by an average of 40 percent depending on what the upcoming Triennial …

The Competition and Markets Authority has expanded the scope of its inquiry into the potential breaches of consumer law on the part of the online gambling industry when it comes to bonus offers and free-bet promotions by the online gambling industry to include issues arising from the eligibility conditions of free sports bets. The original probe was announced in October …