Author: Andrew Fletcher

The SBC Awards 2026 shortlist has been officially announced, marking the 13th edition of one of the betting and gaming industry’s most prestigious annual ceremonies. The event will take place at Lisbon’s MEO Arena on Thursday, 1 October, closing out SBC Summit 2026 in style. Around 1,200 industry professionals are expected to attend the ceremony, which will distribute 38 awards across a wide range of categories. Those categories span operators, suppliers, payments, compliance, marketing, platforms and data, reflecting the full breadth of the global betting and gaming sector. Kanggiten leads all nominees with nine shortlist appearances, making it the most…

DATA.BET has highlighted the continued strength of bet builder products throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, noting consistent performance across trading operations during the tournament. Bet builders have become one of the most discussed product formats in the sports betting industry, allowing customers to combine multiple selections from a single match into one wager. The 2026 World Cup presented a unique commercial opportunity for sportsbook operators, with the expanded 48-team format generating a significantly larger volume of matches than previous tournaments. More games across a longer schedule meant more markets, more trading hours, and more opportunities for players to construct…

An international betting integrity watchdog has flagged several matches from the 2026 World Cup for unusual gambling patterns detected across global sports betting markets. The Copenhagen Group, an international advisory network linked to the Council of Europe, issued seven yellow alerts in a preliminary assessment of the tournament. The Group specialises in sports integrity and described the alerts as relating to anomalies and atypical financial flows detected on global betting markets during the competition. In total, the Copenhagen Group monitored all 104 World Cup matches, placing 15 fixtures under enhanced surveillance, particularly during the final day of the group stage.…

Polymarket, the decentralised prediction market platform, is facing regulatory pressure in France while also drawing attention in the United Kingdom over politically themed betting activity. France has moved to block access to Polymarket, with the platform indicating it intends to challenge the action through legal or regulatory channels. The dispute marks one of the more significant confrontations between a major prediction market operator and a European regulator in recent memory. Polymarket has grown rapidly as a platform allowing users to place bets on real-world outcomes ranging from elections and economic events to cultural and political developments. French authorities have taken…

The UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has outlined plans to use gambling revenues to provide financial relief for what he describes as “good businesses” on British high streets. Burnham has long been a vocal critic of Adult Gaming Centres, arguing that these venues disproportionately harm the most vulnerable people in local communities across the country. The proposals reflect a broader push to reshape how gambling is regulated at a local level, with Burnham seeking to shift power away from central government and toward councils. Previously, Burnham stated: “These are high-stakes gambling venues, often open around the clock, targeting some of…

SBC Summit and Affiliate Leaders Summit have officially received CPD accreditation, allowing delegates to earn recognised Continuing Professional Development credits across both events this September. The CPD Certification Service has formally accredited the conference programmes for both summits, marking a significant step in the professional recognition of iGaming industry education. Every conference session, academy, and masterclass across both events will now contribute towards recognised Continuing Professional Development for attending professionals. Delegates travelling to Lisbon this September will leave with formal professional development credentials in addition to the industry knowledge and networking opportunities the events are known for. The accreditation reflects…

The UK Gambling Commission revealed it had seriously considered suspending Evolution’s UK operating licence following the discovery of significant anti-money laundering failings. The regulator’s announcement came alongside Evolution’s previously confirmed £4.75 million settlement, adding important new context to the scale of the enforcement action taken. Investigators found that Evolution’s live casino games were being offered through six websites accessible to British consumers that did not hold the relevant UK gambling licence. Those six unlicensed websites were operated by two undisclosed operators who were supplying Evolution’s content to UK players without the required authorisation. The Commission’s central criticism focused on Evolution’s…

FIRST, the international sportsbook technology provider, has made its official debut in Argentina through a new deal with local iGaming tech supplier ONDISS. The partnership has seen FIRST’s sportsbook platform rolled out directly to Argentine operator City Center Online, marking a significant step in the company’s global expansion strategy. Argentina represents a growing regulated iGaming market, with provincial authorities increasingly moving to formalise online sports betting operations across the country. The activation follows Santa Fe Lottery, a provincial regulatory body, launching a licensed online sports betting market in the region. City Center Online became one of the first operators to…

The Gambling Commission has published new research measuring overall levels of consumer trust in the British gambling industry, producing a composite trust index score of 47.9%. The figure was generated using a set of questions incorporated into the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, known as the GSGB, which is the regulator’s primary ongoing research tool. The composite score draws on responses relating to accountability, transparency, corruption, fairness, and the protection of young and vulnerable people across the industry. Participants were presented with eight separate statements and asked to select a number between one and five indicating how strongly they agreed…

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has confirmed that guidelines governing statutory levy recipients are still being reviewed and refined. OHID serves as one of three commissioners responsible for distributing statutory levy funds, with a specific remit covering harm prevention organisations. Earlier this month, reports emerged that charities approved for levy grants had been advised to avoid appearing at industry-funded events. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care, within which OHID sits, confirmed that these arrangements remain in flux. The spokesperson stated: “We will continue to keep these arrangements under review and work closely with partners…