Retail

The incoming regulation from the Irish Government to introduce a levy for operators, in order to aide the payment of problem gambling treatment, research and education has been praised by The Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA). Making long awaited progress on the bill that had originally been passed in 2013, the country’s Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan was recently …

Bloomberg News has reported that US telecoms giant Verizon, is monitoring closely the potential opening of the US sports betting market, as the company seeks to diversify its assets. The Fortune500 mobile carrier is reported to have had a number of meetings with industry consultants, assessing the current US gambling landscape, for the potential launch of a ‘sports-centric’ online gambling …

Operators are set to have access to a “market leading” 42 meetings a week, via a new dedicated greyhound channel set to be launched by Sports Information Service (SIS) in March. Through the new offering, SIS has detailed that it is to incorporate exclusive greyhound rights from eight British and three Irish tracks. In addition virtual greyhound racing is also …

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has responded to the government’s consultation on gaming machines and social responsibility proposals, and has called on protection for Category C amusement with prize (AWP) machines, so that they continue to form a vital revenue stream for Britain’s pubs. In a detailed response, the BBPA calls for the government to allow a modest …

The biggest horse racing event in Britain just became more lucrative, as Aintree announced that there would be a £210,000 boost to prize-money spread throughout the 2018 Randox Health Grand National festival. Various races will benefit from the increase in prize money, with The Grade 1 Betway Aintree Hurdle and JLT Melling Chase gaining the most, as the overall prize …

Ladbrokes Coral Chief Executive Jim Mullen has emphasised that cutting the stakes of fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) will not only have negative economic implications, but will also “fail to adequately address any issue of problem gambling”. Mullen was responding to a report in the Sunday Times, which claimed newly appointed culture secretary Matt Hancock is in favour of delivering a …

Kiron Interactive has announced a new distribution partnership with At The Races (ATR) regarding its virtual racing and football offerings. The UK racing broadcaster has entered the agreement with the virtual games specialist, that will see Kiron’s full portfolio of virtual gaming content be supplied to licensed betting operators in the United Kingdom. Steven Spartinos, Chief Executive Officer of Kiron, …

UK news sources have this weekend reported, that highstreet bookmakers are likely to face their ‘nightmare scenario’ as the government will move to impose a £2 limit on FOBTs wagering levels. On Tuesday, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will finish its 12-week consultation period relating to the government’s pending triennial industry review, focusing on FOBTS wagering …

The new executive leadership team of Spanish gambling firm Grupo Codere has dismissed reports that the company is seeking to merge with main Spanish market rival Grupo Cirsa. This January, Codere announced the appointments of Vicente Di Loreto as Group CEO, supported by Norman Sorensen Valdez as Executive Chairman. The new leadership team is supported by Codere’s debt-controlling private equity …

French betting operator Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) has announced that for the first time in five years its annual revenue has increased. Detailing its provisional operating revenue for the year of 2017, PMU reported a 2% rise on the previous year with revenue of €9.92 billion. A significant factor in the growth came from the group’s international racing division, which …