Retail

The Tote consortium and Britbet have reached a £50 million seven-year agreement to significantly elevated pool betting in the UK. The deal which will commence immediately, follows constructive discussions between the Tote consortium, made up of Betfred and Alizeti who are the current owners of the UK Tote, and Britbet, marks a significant landmark in progress for Tote betting within …

London-listed racing and wagering systems provider Sportech Plc has confirmed the resignation of Richard Cooper as a Non-Executive Director, effective from 31 October. Cooper, the former Group Director of Finance for FTSE gambling group GVC Holdings (2008-2016), had served Sportech Plc as a governance advisor since 2017. As a corporate advisor, Cooper further held the position of Sportech’s Chairman of …

The UK government has released its policy paper supporting the 2018 Budget, detailing the Treasury’s fiscal planning, monetary policies and industry/commercial duties. The update confirms that the government will implement its long-awaited FOBTs £2 stake reduction from October 2019, a directive that will cost the Treasury £270 million in lost tax revenues by 2023/24. Making up for tax shortfall, the …

Four European gambling operators have demanded that the Andorran government suspend its pending casino licence, granted to regional enterprise Jocs SA. Citing a number of ‘grave tender process indiscretions’, Casinos Austria, Genting Group, Partouche France and Grupo CIRSA have ordered that Andorra’s government fully nullify its casino licence approval, awarded to Jocs SA last May. Seeking to support its tourism …

FTSE bookmaker William Hill has announced the seven finalists that will compete for its 30th ‘Sports Book of the Year’ (SBOTY) award, hosted at BAFTA London on 27 November 2018. The final seven examine the sports of boxing, darts, football, golf, rugby, swimming and competing at the Olympic Games. The diverse shortlist sees a historian, a gonzo writer, two investigative …

William Hill US announces another ‘landmark agreement’, becoming the first official betting partner of the New Jersey Devils’ NHL franchise. Visibly furthering its presence within the Garden State, William Hill has agreed a multi-year partnership with US sports conglomerate Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, becoming a lead partner of the Devils and its Prudential Newark Center arena. Updating the media, William Hill …

The Guardian newspaper has this morning reported that the UK government is set to delay implementing its mandatory £2 cut on FOBTs stakes until October 2019. Since the Department for Digital, Media, Culture & Sport (DCMS) confirmation that FOBTs machine wagering would be drastically reduced from £100 to £2, the UK government has faced mounting criticism for delaying its directive. Cross-party consensus …

Pointing to research undertaken by Italy’s National Institute of Health (ISS), Italian online gambling trade body LOGiCO has stated that digital incumbents are better prepared than land-based counterparts to protect national consumers from gambling harms and addiction. “ISS’ evidence and statistics, confirms what LOGiCO has maintained for some time, online gambling verticals offer better procedures for identifying problem gamblers and …

William Hill US has opened legal proceedings against competing sportsbook operator FanDuel, over alleged copyright infringement relating to a betting guide at the Meadowlands racetrack. The civil complaint filed by William Hill has outlined that the ‘How to Bet Guide’ distributed by FanDuel was identical to the Hill’s guide. One of the key passages in FanDuel’s guide features the wording …