UK

British bookmaker Fitzdares has announced the hiring of Nick Dutton as its new Chief Operating Officer. With 36 years’ experience in IT & technology roles largely within the gaming sector, Dutton joins Fitzdares with immediate effect, where he will oversee technological improvements that will drive brand growth and provide an unrivalled user experience for all Fitzdares members. The company has …

Bet365 has declared an underlying loss of £60m for the financial year of 2022/2023, attributed to expanding its technology resources and growing its corporate headcount to over 7,600 global staff. The loss was detailed in the private company’s 2022/2023 accounts, which were published on Companies House, spanning a 52-week period up to 26 March 2023. Despite the loss, Bet365 reported …

SIS (Sports Information Services) has extended its partnership with Playtech to continue supplying its end-to-end esports betting product, Competitive Gaming. The deal will now see the entire library of SIS’ Competitive Gaming content – with over 150,000 annual events provided across ebasketball and esoccer contests – be accessible to Playtech’s extensive global network. Andy Kelly, Head of Commercial Partnerships at …

Betfred has strengthened its support of The Derby Festival by extending its partnership with The Jockey Club to at least 2026. Staged at Epsom Downs, the operator has taken the naming rights to the famous two-day flat race. Fred Done, Betfred Owner, said: “Following on from a memorable two days at Epsom last year we are delighted to further develop …

888 Holdings has hired Ian Gallagher as its Chief Product Officer. Starting the role back in December, Gallagher will be in charge of 888’s product vision, strategy and development of its global brands and business units such as 888, William Hill, Mr Green and Sports Illustrated. Gallagher will be directly responsible for the LSE gambling group’s teams of product managers, engineers, designers, and …

Betting activity during the World Darts Championship final between Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler and ‘Cool Hand Luke’ Humphries broke records for Kambi group.  The operator revealed that activity was up 45% compared with the 2023 final between Van Gerwen and Smith – making it the most gambled-on darts event in Kambi’s history following 16-year-old Luke Littler’s outstanding debut.  Simon Noy, …

The PDC has announced that online sportsbook BetMGM is this year’s title sponsor for the Darts Premier League, taking over from Cazoo. The three-month event, now branded the BetMGM Premier League, will be held from February to May as eight players compete for £1m in prize money across 17 nights in various European cities. PDC Chief Executive, Matt Porter, commented: …

After Paddy Power pledged £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every 180 thrown at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championships, the operator has revealed its final donation.  Although a total of 914 180s were hit, the Irish bookmaker is generously rounding the figure up to whopping £1m. Prostate Cancer UK CEO, Laura Kerby, commented: “A massive thanks to Paddy Power …

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a ruling on a Buzz Bingo Group advert which included cartoon Halloween imagery that was “likely to appeal to children”. In challenging whether the ad breached the CAP Code, Buzz Bingo emphasised that the material was featured on its social media page which was restricted to Facebook users aged 18 years and above.  …

More reform is now needed within the UK casino industry, according to David Williams, Director of Public Affairs at Rank Group. Highlighting that several improvements “cannot come a moment too soon” in a blog post on the Betting & Gaming Council’s (BGC) website, Williams added that while the changes are needed quickly, casinos in the UK are not blessed with …