Author: Andrew Fletcher

BetConstruct AI, the global iGaming technology and services provider, has announced the appointment of Lena Yasir as its new Chief Executive Officer. Yasir arrives at BetConstruct AI with two decades of experience spanning international markets, B2B commercial strategy, and building high-performing teams across regulated and emerging sectors. Her career history reads like a tour of the industry’s most prominent names, having held senior leadership positions at Play’n GO, Evolution, and OnGame Network. Most recently, Yasir served as Chief Commercial Officer at Pragmatic Play, where she was central to driving the company’s global B2B growth strategy. That commercial background positions her…

WagerWire’s parent company, Wire Industries Inc., has received approval in principle from Gibraltar’s regulator for its prediction market subsidiary, Wire Markets Ltd. The approval positions Wire Markets Ltd. to establish a regulated international base for prediction market operations in the well-regarded jurisdiction. WagerWire, which pioneered the world’s first secondary marketplace for online sports bets, has long focused on market-based participation, price discovery, liquidity, and consumer control. The company stated that the approval in principle positions it to support future expansion into other jurisdictions globally, signalling clear ambitions beyond Gibraltar alone. Gibraltar’s first prediction market licence was granted to ADI PredictStreet,…

SOFTSWISS, a global iGaming software provider, has expanded the segmentation feature within its Casino Platform, giving operators more precise control over player engagement. The updated tool allows operators to group players based on deposit activity, betting behaviour, loyalty data, tags, payment methods, sportsbook activity, and a range of other criteria. Multiple filters can be combined simultaneously, enabling brands to build more detailed player groups tailored for specific retention and engagement campaigns. Player lists refresh automatically as conditions change, meaning operators can respond far more quickly to shifts in player behaviour without manual intervention. According to SOFTSWISS internal data, 99.5% of…

GamCare has issued a stark warning that this summer’s FIFA World Cup poses a significant risk of increasing gambling-related harm across the United Kingdom. The tournament kicks off on 11 June and runs through 19 July, with matches spread across host nations the United States, Canada and Mexico. This edition of the World Cup is the largest in history, featuring 48 competing nations rather than the previous field of 32, meaning more matches are available to bet on than ever before. GamCare pointed to the 2022 World Cup as a clear indicator of what could follow, noting that tournament led…

Finland’s regulated gambling market is generating significant industry interest, with the country’s National Police Board confirming that 50 licence applications have now been filed. The applications have been submitted ahead of the market’s scheduled launch on 1 July 2027, which will bring an end to the long-standing Veikkaus monopoly in the country. The National Police Board is currently serving as a temporary regulator until the new market officially opens, overseeing the entire licensing and application process in the interim. Licence applications first opened in March 2026, and analysts at the Global Markets Hub at NEXT Summit Valletta 2026 estimated around…

New Zealand has published its completed regulatory framework for online casino gambling, giving the industry its first clear picture of how the new licensed market will operate. The Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 were made by Order in Council on 2 June and are scheduled to come into force on 3 July this year. The regulations sit beneath the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 and establish the operating rules covering harm prevention, consumer protection, advertising, reporting, audits, fees and levies. The framework marks a significant departure from New Zealand’s long-standing position, as domestic operators have historically been unable to obtain…

DraftKings shares climbed 7.59% to $26.66 on June 9, 2026, following a strong update on the company’s growing prediction markets platform. The US sports betting operator revealed that annualised total volume traded on its predictions platform reached $3.1bn in May, a 34% increase month-on-month. Consumer volume on the predictions platform specifically hit $1.3bn on an annualised basis in May, representing a 24% month-on-month rise. The company attributed part of that growth to recent app improvements made ahead of the NBA Finals, which helped streamline access to its unified sports platform. These figures reinforce DraftKings’ broader ambition to construct a single…

GamScore is a new startup positioning itself as the first consumer-facing tool to give bettors full visibility over their own gambling health and spending. The company was founded by a team of industry veterans including racing veteran and chair Josh Apiafi, CEO Phill Adams, responsible gambling expert Mark Potter, and specialists in banking and technology. The product uses open banking data fed through an AI engine to produce a simple traffic light score, giving users a cross-operator view of their deposits, spending, and budgeting habits. The concept draws a direct parallel to ClearScore, the financial platform that gave consumers easy…

Wager Games has grown from a consumer-facing startup into a recognised B2B force within the North American sports betting and iGaming industry. Founded in 2020, the company was built by a trio of executives including CEO Kelson Quan, CTO Anuj Tomar, and a third co-founder identified as Levitt in company materials. The business originally launched as a B2C platform before pivoting its entire strategic focus toward serving operators and sportsbook providers directly. Today, Wager Games operates as a social sports betting software provider, supplying clients with content designed to boost engagement and long-term customer retention. Its products are built to…

France’s World Cup preparations have been disrupted by a fresh dispute over gambling advertising, with senior players raising objections to the use of their images by a licensed bookmaker. French sports daily l’Équipe reported this weekend that players including Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki are unhappy with how Betclic has used their likenesses in promotional material. The controversy centres on a “collective image rights package” that Betclic acquired in 2023, granting the operator the right to use images of French national team players. Tensions came to a head on Thursday, ahead of France’s 2-1 defeat to the Ivory…