Comment

Two developments have occurred over the last month that have provided some considerable insight into the Gambling Commission’s present and future regulatory priorities. The first is publication of the Commission’s Annual Report for 2015/16. The second is a speech entitled “Gambling: Getting the balance right” given by Philip Graf at the Royal Society of Arts as he comes to the …

New sports betting website Sun Bets believes that there is plenty of room for an operator that carries The Sun newspaper’s distinctive voice, and that it won’t simply be rubbing up against Paddy Power’s position in the market. News UK’s Betting & Gaming Marketing Director Kate Bird explained that comparisons could be made between the two brands because of the …

Lee Richardson MD of Gaming Economics, tells sports betting industry stakeholders why they should be concerned by the declining TV audience figures of major sporting events. With a proliferated TV schedule and changing viewer habits, will sporting events ever gain the broadcasts figures and viewer engagements of years gone by?  Despite one of the most fascinating final-day championship golf duels in …

As the Ladbrokes-Coral merger enters its twelfth month since its initial deal agreement , the new enterprise was dealt a blow as the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) raised its racing industry concerns to the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Scott Longley details a new conflict in one of the UK gamblings longest running sagas.    ____________________ The BHA would …

The Euro 2016 final is nearly upon us, as France prepare to take on Portugal in Paris. SBC News has been keeping an eye on the best offers throughout the tournament, as bookmakers across Europe have implemented marketing strategies to acquire and retain the most customers. SBC has conducted interviews with Oddschecker, Square in the Air and BetVictor as part of our …

An article has already been published by SBC News about the latest gambling industry statistics, recently published by the Gambling Commission and covering the period April 2011 to March 2015 (but updated to include October 2014 to September 2015); (see http://www.sbcnews.co.uk/retail/2016/07/04/gambling-commission-reveals) However, I am going to drill down a bit deeper into those figures with a particular focus on the …

Last Thursday’s ‘BREXIT’ vote sent shockwaves throughout all global stock markets. Scott Longley details the impact of the ‘Leave’ vote on UK-listed betting firms’ and their operations. An industry that has undertaken recent multi-billion £ consolidation and M&A activity, betting governance will be weary of economic uncertainty and regulatory impacts to operational hubs in Gibraltar.  __________________________ The leading UK-listed gambling …

I moderated a European Update panel session at the annual conference of the International Association of Gaming Advisors, which took place earlier this month in Malta. Predictably, one topic that produced heated debate was the lack of harmonization, or even hope of harmonization, of gambling laws and licensing processes across the EU Member States but this led on to the …

Having agreed to acquire Italian bookmaker Sisal for €1 billion, private equity firm CVC Capital Partners acquires its third gambling operator in less than two years. Having spent + €3 billion on European betting operators, Scott Longley  gauges the impact and motives for this PE giant extending its influence within the sector _________________________ The latest acquisition by private equity house …

Scott Longley breaks down the UK Gambling Commission’s report on UK consumer betting on sport, assessing if there is a clear long-tail of opportunity for bookmakers in markets beyond football and racing. _________________________ The data released in November last year by the UK Gambling Commission for the first time gave an insight into the online betting habits of UK punters …