Author: Andrew Fletcher

Blask data shows that betting-brand demand for World Cup 2026 peaked before the final in most tracked markets, with the finding holding up across three separate analytical cuts. The Blask Index, a search-driven demand signal for iGaming brands, recorded 24 of 43 tracked countries hitting their single highest day of World Cup 2026 demand during Group Matchday 1, covering the opening round between 11 and 17 June. Belgium and Switzerland both reached the quarter-finals yet never surpassed their opening-week demand numbers again, illustrating how early momentum rarely carries through to later rounds. Where peaks landed later in the tournament, they…

As digital platforms scale across new regions, the operational burden of managing customer communications becomes a serious obstacle to sustainable growth. Viktoriia Yefimenko, Chief Product Officer at CommsHub, has outlined how unifying SMS, messaging apps and voice channels into one environment can strip away administrative friction and accelerate business performance. The core problem, according to Yefimenko, is fragmentation that compounds silently as businesses expand into new markets and onboard new communication channels. “When a company expands into new markets or launches new channels, they end up signing individual contracts with dozens of regional vendors,” Yefimenko explained in a recent interview.…

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an increase in Machine Gaming Duty to help address rising household energy costs ahead of this winter. Brown made the remarks during an appearance on BBC’s Today programme, where he was originally invited to discuss his new book on social inequality and political voting behaviour. The fuel crisis has dominated public debate in the UK for the past year, with rising energy prices sparking continuous political arguments about government responsibility and the available fiscal levers. Brown was quick to identify machine gaming as a viable revenue source, arguing it could generate significant…

Ukraine is pushing forward with a fully automated system to restrict military personnel from accessing gambling services across the country. The country’s gambling regulator, PlayCity, has launched a tender to find suitable development partners capable of building the new verification infrastructure. Once operational, the system will automatically cross-reference individuals against Ukraine’s national list of people restricted from gambling and the military personnel register. The government’s decentralised data exchange platform, known as ‘Trembita’, will serve as the backbone for the system, connecting the relevant government databases needed for compliance. Trembita operates as a state-wide network designed to allow different government bodies…

Sportradar has extended its existing agreement with prediction markets platform Polymarket, adding premium data, streaming, and integrity services across more than 20 sports leagues. The expanded deal gives Polymarket’s US customer base broader access to some of the world’s most prominent sports competitions, including the Bundesliga, European basketball, and tennis Grand Slams. These additions build on an existing relationship that already covered the ATP Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. With the expanded contract now in place, Polymarket gains access to more than 300,000 sporting events annually through Sportradar’s data…

GamCare has secured a £16 million financial buffer designed to protect its frontline gambling treatment services during a turbulent funding transition period. The charity is navigating a major structural shift from voluntary operator contributions to a new statutory levy-funded model for gambling harms treatment. GamCare’s Annual Review covers the final full year of voluntary levy funding before the statutory levy on gambling operators fully takes effect. The transition has been described as representing “unprecedented change in the governance and funding of the sector,” underscoring the scale of disruption facing treatment providers. GambleAware, which historically distributed voluntary operator funding to charities…

Entain is set to be removed from the prestigious FTSE 100 index following a brutal period of share price decline and regulatory pressure. FTSE Russell has indicated that Entain, alongside Persimmon, is expected to leave the index as part of its latest scheduled reshuffle. Entain’s shares have fallen by a painful 39.5% since August last year, reflecting a dramatic erosion of investor confidence in the business. The company’s market capitalisation currently sits at approximately £3.5bn, a figure lower than the top 14 companies in the FTSE 250. The root cause of the decline is a sweeping change to UK gambling…

Five startups have been selected to compete in the 2026 edition of First Pitch, held in partnership with BettingStartups at SBC Summit. The competition will take place on Thursday, 1 October, on the Product Innovation Showcase Stage at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena. Each of the five finalists will have three minutes to deliver their pitch, followed by a three-minute Q&A session with a dedicated judging panel. The winning company will walk away with a prize package valued at €139,400, designed to accelerate growth and support the next stage of their development. Social prediction gaming platform Betsy…

Gambling reform advocates in parliament have written to the Gambling Commission expressing serious concerns about the appointment of Phil Walker as Allwyn UK’s Interim Chief Executive Officer. MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Dawn Butler, both prominent voices in campaigns for stricter gambling regulation, penned a letter describing themselves as “deeply concerned” about the new appointment. The letter, reported by The Guardian, marks the latest confrontation between the two MPs and the broader gambling industry they have long sought to reform. Walker previously held senior executive roles at William Hill for over four years before moving into other high-profile positions across…

Gentoo Media has endured another difficult quarter, with the anticipated boost from World Cup player activity failing to produce meaningful revenue gains for the Malta-headquartered group. Group revenue fell 9% year-over-year during Q2 to €22.9m, down from €25m recorded in the same period last year, continuing a challenging run for the media firm. The decline follows a 5% year-over-year drop already recorded during the first quarter of 2026, suggesting broader structural pressures are weighing on the business throughout the year. Gentoo’s own statement acknowledged that the World Cup “did not generate the anticipated revenue uplift” despite a clear uptick in…