Author: Andrew Fletcher

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland has confirmed that prediction markets are emerging as a significant area of concern for the country’s regulatory framework. Prediction markets, which allow participants to speculate on the outcomes of real-world events, have grown rapidly in popularity across Europe and beyond. Ireland’s regulator has acknowledged that these platforms occupy a complex legal grey area, sitting somewhere between traditional gambling products and financial instruments. The GRAI’s position signals that Irish authorities are paying close attention to how these markets operate and whether existing legislation is sufficient to address them. Regulators across multiple jurisdictions have struggled to…

BetHog, the online crypto casino and sportsbook founded by the creators of FanDuel, is set to permanently close its doors on 31 July 2026. The platform’s parent company announced the shutdown on 20 July, giving players until the end of the month to withdraw any remaining funds. BetHog will cease operations having been live for less than two years, having launched in November 2024 under former FanDuel duo Nigel Eccles and Rob Jones. The closure makes way for the company’s full focus on Sentient Studios, its AI-powered live dealer business that has already attracted significant industry attention. Sentient Studios was…

Vyking, a modular iGaming platform provider, has announced the launch of a fully integrated crypto casino solution across its entire platform ecosystem. The new functionality is available across all three of Vyking’s solutions: Core (White Label), Edge (Turnkey), and Flex (Self-Service Framework), covering operators at every stage of growth. Operators can now activate crypto gaming with minimal friction, no additional platform migration, and without disrupting existing fiat-based operations already running on the system. At the centre of the new offering is K1ngPay, Vyking’s proprietary crypto payment solution, which gives operators full control over wallets and funds management. Players are able…

Entain has confirmed it will cut approximately 500 jobs as part of a broad efficiency initiative led by new chief financial officer Michael Snape. Snape took over as CFO in March following the departure of Rob Wood, and is now overseeing what the company describes as a significant organisational restructuring effort. The programme is focused on improving what Entain calls “operational efficiency and agility”, according to a statement provided to industry publication NEXT.io. Job cuts will span several corporate function areas, including people, finance, governance, product, and technology teams across the wider group. Entain has been keen to stress that…

Evolution reported a 1.2% year-on-year decline in second-quarter revenue, with weakness across Europe and Asia offsetting stronger performances in other regions. For the three months to 30 June, the supplier recorded net revenue of €517.8m, falling from €524.3m during the same period in 2025. Europe and Asia were the primary drag on overall performance, with revenue declining 4% and 8.9% year-on-year respectively across those two regions. Despite the annual decline, Europe posted a 3.5% quarter-on-quarter improvement in net revenue by players’ IP addresses, rising to €173.0m for the period. CEO Martin Carlesund described the European recovery as a significant milestone…

Entain has reversed its earlier position on job cuts, with Bloomberg reporting that the betting giant is preparing to shed 500 roles across the group. The planned redundancies represent roughly 2% of Entain’s total workforce, impacting staff in corporate functions as well as product and technology teams. Earlier this year, Entain Chief Executive Officer Stella David warned that UK tax increases would hit the company’s bottom line by as much as £200m, but insisted job cuts were not on the agenda. That assurance has now been walked back, with Bloomberg citing an internal email sent to Entain staff outlining the…

Betsson has reported record high revenue for the second quarter of 2026, even as the Swedish gambling giant saw its profitability take a significant hit in the first half of the year. The online betting and gaming group recorded total revenue of €595.5m for the January to June 2026 period, with €310.2m of that coming in the second quarter alone. Those figures represented growth of 5% from €597.3m in H1 2025 and 6% from €303.7m in Q2 2025 respectively, signalling continued momentum in top-line performance across the business. However, the revenue growth was not matched by earnings, with EBITDA falling…

Loteria Română is one of Europe’s oldest lotteries, tracing its origins back to 1906 and carrying more than a century of public trust on its shoulders. Chief Executive Officer Ionut-Valeriu Andrei spoke with SBC News ahead of his appearance at SBC Summit Lisbon, offering a rare inside look at what running such an institution truly means. Andrei has experienced the lottery from both sides, first as an ordinary observer and now as the person ultimately responsible for its integrity, legacy, and future direction. “As a player, you naturally focus on the excitement of the draw, the anticipation and the possibility…

SBC has announced a strategic partnership with Conversion Conf ahead of the Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026, set to take place in Lisbon this autumn. The global events and media business is combining its platform with Conversion Conf’s affiliate network and community expertise to strengthen one of the industry’s leading performance marketing events. Affiliate Leaders Summit is SBC’s dedicated event for the affiliate and performance marketing community, expected to bring together 10,000 industry professionals under one roof. The event takes place alongside the SBC Summit from 29 September to 1 October 2026 at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and the MEO…

Evolution has delivered a mixed set of second-quarter results for 2026, with revenue dipping slightly year-on-year despite a return to growth across European markets. The Swedish live casino supplier posted net revenue of €517.8m for Q2 2026, representing a 1.2% decline compared to the same period in 2025, though revenue rose 2.4% at constant currency. EBITDA came in at €341m, down marginally from €345.3m in Q2 2025, while profit for the quarter edged higher year-on-year to €251.4m from €248.3m. For the first half of 2026 as a whole, Evolution reported €1.03bn in total revenue alongside €676.3m in EBITDA, reflecting the…