Author: Andrew Fletcher

The conflict between the UK iGaming industry and its primary regulator has reached its most critical moment yet, with the Betting and Gaming Council issuing a direct legal threat to the Gambling Commission ahead of a pivotal board meeting taking place today, Thursday, May 21 2026. The BGC has warned that if the Gambling Commission pushes ahead with the current iteration of Financial Risk Assessments without addressing the industry’s objections around data accuracy and the risk of driving players to unlicensed operators, a judicial review will follow. At the centre of the dispute is the Gambling Commission’s proposed framework for…

Evoke plc has declined to comment on reports that chief executive Per Widerström is facing mounting internal pressure and could be forced out of the role, deepening the uncertainty surrounding the leadership of one of Britain’s largest gambling groups. GamblingNews.uk reported last week that sources close to the William Hill and 888 parent company indicated the situation around Widerström’s position is fluid, with patience within the organisation not unlimited. When approached for a response to this publication’s enquiries, Evoke offered no comment, a stance that does little to quell the speculation now swirling around the Gibraltar-headquartered group. The silence is…

DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) delivered first-quarter 2026 results that beat revenue expectations by 1% and cash flow expectations by 8%, prompting Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon to reiterate his view that the company represents “one of the most compelling structural growth stories in gaming.” US revenues reached $1.6 billion, up 17% year-on-year, while adjusted EBITDA of $168 million surged 64% compared to the same quarter in 2025. The company achieved positive net income for the second consecutive quarter, marking a meaningful milestone in a business that spent years investing aggressively in customer acquisition ahead of profitability. Sportsbook revenue drove the headline numbers,…

Flutter Entertainment, the gambling giant behind FanDuel, Paddy Power, and Betfair, is conducting a formal review of its secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange and has indicated the outcome may result in a complete delisting from the exchange. The disclosure, buried in the company’s first-quarter 2026 earnings materials published on May 6, committed to an update for shareholders by the end of June 2026. Flutter had already moved its primary listing from London to the New York Stock Exchange in May 2024, leaving only a secondary presence on the LSE. The timing tells a coherent strategic story. Flutter now…

The United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy has scheduled a landmark hearing for Wednesday, May 20, that will mark the first time any Senate body has directly addressed the proliferation of prediction markets and their intersection with professional and amateur sports wagering in America. Subcommittee Chair Senator Marsha Blackburn announced the hearing, titled “No Sure Bets: Protecting Sports Integrity in America,” framing it as a direct response to a string of match-fixing and insider betting scandals that have touched the NBA, MLB, UFC, MLS, and NCAA over the past 18 months. The hearing’s witness…

The UK Gambling Commission is approaching a decision on its mandatory financial risk assessment framework that the industry has been anticipating with a mixture of anxiety and frustration for the better part of two years, with the commission’s board expected to formally approve the checks imminently after a pilot scheme that launched in September 2024 produced no published final report and no substantive public update since spring 2025. The framework would embed affordability assessments into routine player monitoring at all licensed online casinos and sports betting platforms, fundamentally altering the compliance burden and customer experience for the largest regulated gambling…

PayModum, an online payment gateway providing access to over 150 online payment methods, today announces the completion of its acquisition of Floid Inc., a Delaware-incorporated entity that holds direct relationships enabling local, instant bank payments for merchantsJake Dovey, CEO of PayModum, commented:“The acquisition represents a significant step forward for PayModum, strengthening its position in the growing market for instant bank payments in the US.”With the increasing demand for instant payment rails, particularly those providing account information services such as date of birth, name, and address for payee verification, the acquisition represents an improvement to current payment processes, which often lack access…

Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Iowa have each advanced legislation targeting sweepstakes casinos through their state legislatures within the space of a few weeks, delivering the most concentrated burst of anti-sweepstakes legislative action since the crackdown began in earnest in 2025 and raising fresh questions about how long the industry’s dual-currency model can survive in the United States. Oklahoma Senate Bill 1589 cleared the state House on May 4 by a 65-21 vote, having already passed the Senate unanimously in March. The bill, authored by Senator Todd Gollihare, expands Oklahoma’s gambling statute to include online casino-style games and targets the dual-currency…

The US Senate has scheduled a major hearing on sports betting and gaming integrity for May 20, titled “No Sure Bets: Protecting Sports Integrity in America,” marking the most significant federal legislative moment for the American gambling industry since the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that opened the door to state-by-state legalisation. The hearing, chaired by Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, brings together a witness list that signals the government is beginning to treat this as a structural public policy problem rather than a state-level curiosity. The catalyst is an accumulation of high-profile scandals that have arrived in rapid succession. In…

Rush Street Interactive delivered its best financial performance in company history during the first quarter of 2026, with record results across revenue, net income and adjusted EBITDA that validated the company’s deliberate bet on online casino over sports betting as its primary growth engine. Revenue reached $370.4 million, a 41% year-on-year increase that was the fastest growth rate in four years. Net income of $26.2 million was up 134%, while adjusted EBITDA of $60.2 million jumped 81% compared to the same period last year. Monthly active users totalled approximately 839,000 across North America and Latin America, up 51% year-over-year. Growth…