Author: Andrew Fletcher

Austria has seen a notable increase in problem gambling activity, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup identified as a key contributing factor to the trend. Major international sporting tournaments have long been associated with spikes in betting behaviour, and Austria appears to be experiencing this pattern acutely this year. The World Cup, one of the most watched and wagered-upon events in global sport, draws in casual bettors alongside seasoned gamblers, expanding the overall pool of people at risk. Regulators and public health advocates in Austria have grown increasingly concerned as gambling participation rates climb during the tournament period. Problem gambling…

1xCare, the responsible gambling initiative affiliated with global operator 1xBet, has formally unveiled the expert members of its new Advisory Committee at iGB Live. Chair Simon Westbury confirmed that the organisation had been more than a year in development before its public launch, describing its emergence as an organic process rather than a rushed announcement. The non-profit initiative is built around four core pillars — research, education, technology and well-being — which 1xCare says are all deeply interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Westbury stated that long-term sustainability should sit at the heart of everything the industry does, arguing that player protection…

LSports, a leading provider of real-time sports data solutions, has partnered with artificial intelligence company gripAI to bring a new Play Insurance product to sportsbook operators globally. Play Insurance allows bettors to protect their wagers for a small, AI-calculated premium, giving players a payout regardless of the final outcome of their bet. The amount paid back to insured players is scaled according to how close the bet came to winning, calculated using live match statistics and real-time data. For sportsbook operators, the product is designed to open an entirely new revenue stream on top of existing handle without sacrificing margin…

The Gambling Survey Great Britain has published its latest findings, reporting a problem gambling rate of 2.4% among adults across the UK for 2025. This marks the third edition of the GSGB, following the inaugural publication in July 2024 and a second release the year after. The survey is based on responses from around 20,000 adults each year, giving it one of the largest sample sizes of any gambling prevalence study in Britain. Despite its scale, the GSGB has attracted sustained criticism over its methodological approach, with claims of sampling bias levelled at the regulator repeatedly since the survey launched.…

The Betting and Gaming Council has backed the UK government’s DCMS consultation on gambling sponsorship while aligning with Entain’s calls for faster, more immediate action. The DCMS consultation, which runs until 9 September, is focused specifically on sports sponsorships and will inform the creation of a wider legislative framework before being presented to Parliament. Meaningful regulatory change is not expected until at least the end of the year, given the lengthy consultation and parliamentary process that must follow. Entain has urged sports and gambling stakeholders to act urgently rather than wait to be compelled by regulation, pushing the industry to…

Evolution has reached a £4.75m settlement with the UK Gambling Commission, bringing to a close a licence review that began in December 2024. The review was triggered by Evolution game content appearing on unlicensed websites that were targeting British consumers without the proper regulatory authorisation. Specifically, the settlement relates to content being made available through two operators across six websites that offered games to UK players in breach of Evolution’s own terms of supply. According to the company, those operators had actively evaded restrictions that were in place at the time, making detection significantly more difficult for the supplier. Evolution…

The merger between Banijay Entertainment and All3Media has officially completed, creating the world’s largest independent production company headquartered in London. The combined entity, valued at $8 billion, is jointly owned by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, each holding a 50% stake in the business. The deal was first announced in March 2026 and has now closed, bringing together two of the most significant forces in global independent content production. The newly formed group spans 25 territories and holds one of the largest independent content catalogues in the entire entertainment industry. That catalogue amounts to more than 265,000 hours of content,…

The UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched a formal consultation targeting unlicensed gambling sponsors operating across British sports. The move comes after licensed operators, most notably Entain, expressed growing frustration over the visibility of black market gambling brands in top-flight sport. Front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships in the Premier League are set to disappear from the 2026/27 season following a voluntary commitment made by a large number of clubs. Despite that progress, the branding of illegal gambling platforms will still appear on kits to some extent, raising serious concerns among regulators and licensed operators alike. Everton has provided…

GamStop has recorded a landmark number of self-exclusions in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reflecting growing awareness of responsible gambling tools across the UK. The tournament, which kicked off on 11 June 2026, has drawn significant attention from regulators and responsible gambling organisations monitoring player behaviour closely. GamStop CEO Katie Reynolds-Jones has been a prominent voice in industry discussions surrounding the surge in registrations to the national self-exclusion scheme. Reynolds-Jones has participated in panels at SBC Summit examining whether stricter regulations strengthen the legal market or risk pushing consumers toward unregulated alternatives. The debate around regulatory tightening…

The UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has formally launched its consultation on illegal gambling in sports, marking a significant moment for British sports integrity. The consultation centres specifically on unlicensed gambling operators and their ability to enter into sponsorship agreements with sports clubs across Britain. DCMS first made its intention to ban unlicensed operators from sponsoring British sport public back in February 2026, signalling the direction of travel early in the year. Following that announcement, the department also engaged directly with the Premier League as part of its efforts to understand how such a ban could be implemented…