Author: Andrew Fletcher

Seven individuals have appeared before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court facing serious fraud allegations connected to the UK betting operator bet365. The group, made up of six men and one woman, allegedly abused bet365’s free introductory betting offer designed for new customers joining the platform. Prosecutors claim the defendants used the welcome offer to obtain free betting credit and move illicit funds into other accounts. The Institute of Licensing has reported that the group relied on personal data, false representations, and criminal transfers to carry out the alleged fraud. Guisseppe Sangiovanni, 35, has been identified by prosecutors as the alleged ringleader of…

CreedRoomz, a global gaming solutions provider under the SoftConstruct group, has officially launched its latest product, Crypto Market, targeting high-frequency live casino environments. The new game is designed to replicate the excitement of speculative financial markets while operating within the regulated framework of iGaming platforms worldwide. Built for speed, Crypto Market runs on 10-second game cycles, engineered to maximise hourly betting volume and keep players engaged throughout each session. The game is hosted by a live dealer, giving it the authentic casino floor atmosphere that modern players increasingly expect from premium live gaming products. CreedRoomz has also built an elastic…

Brentford FC has confirmed a new five-year partnership with South African gambling firm Hollywoodbets, continuing a relationship now entering its seventh year. The renewal keeps Hollywoodbets as the club’s official betting partner, though the deal comes with one notable change to their previous arrangement. The 2026/27 Premier League season will be the first since 2021/22 in which Hollywoodbets does not appear on the front of Brentford’s shirts. The change is a direct result of the Premier League’s incoming voluntary front-of-shirt sponsorship ban, which has reshaped commercial arrangements across the division. Despite losing the shirt front placement, the deal demonstrates that…

Andy Burnham has dealt a significant blow to the UK’s high street betting industry with a pledge to revoke the Aim to Permit rule around gambling licensing. The Aim to Permit rule currently limits the ability of local authorities to prevent betting shops and 24-hour slot machine venues from opening in their areas. Burnham, a long-time sceptic of the gambling sector, wants to scrap the rule in favour of supporting community spaces over businesses that he believes cause social harm. A large number of UK local governments have been calling for the Aim to Permit rule to be abolished for…

Entain has reported a 13% year-on-year increase in online net gaming revenue across the UK and Ireland during the first half of its 2026 financial year. The strong UK and Ireland performance came despite Remote Gaming Duty rising sharply from 21% to 40% in April, representing a significant new cost burden for the business. Entain said its NGR growth had more than offset the impact of the higher tax rate, demonstrating the underlying strength of its domestic online operations. For the six months ending June 2026, reported group NGR for the whole Entain business reached £2.55bn, representing a 7% year-on-year…

1win has welcomed global reggaeton icon Nicky Jam to its 1win VIP community, adding one of Latin music’s most recognisable names to its ranks. To mark the occasion, the crypto entertainment platform presented Nicky Jam with an exclusive champion’s ring, delivered directly to his door as a formal welcome gift. The artist wasted no time sharing the moment publicly, unveiling his new VIP status on social media alongside footage of the exclusive ring. His followers were given a direct glimpse into the welcome experience, with the post generating significant attention across his Latin American fanbase. Nicky Jam is known to…

GR8_TECH has officially launched its new Managed Trading Services, known as MTS, targeting sportsbook operators seeking stronger trading performance and smarter risk management. The product is designed to help operators reduce operational costs while maintaining full control over their existing frontend, platform, and brand experience. MTS brings together GR8_TECH’s trading team of more than 200 professionals alongside a proprietary odds engine, mathematical models, and advanced risk management capabilities. The service builds on GR8_TECH’s existing sports feed, which already delivers live odds, probabilities, and settlement data across both pre-match and live events. MTS extends GR8_TECH’s role beyond simple data delivery by…

Tech Race Summit has confirmed SiGMA as its official media partner for the inaugural event, scheduled for 10 September 2026 in Warsaw, Poland. The partnership sees SiGMA join an initiative created by SOFTSWISS to give engineering and technology leaders a dedicated space for exchanging practical knowledge. Traditional conferences have rarely placed engineering and technology leadership at the centre of iGaming discussions, leaving a clear gap in the industry’s professional development landscape. Tech Race Summit was built specifically to address that gap, moving away from commercial announcements and product showcases toward substantive technical dialogue. The event will bring together specialists from…

Ukraine is pushing forward with a data-driven approach to gambling oversight, anchored by the launch of the State Online Monitoring System, known as SOMS. The system was developed under the leadership of Hennadii Novikov, who was appointed Head of PlayCity in April 2025 to lead a major overhaul of Ukraine’s gambling governance. PlayCity serves as Ukraine’s state agency for gambling and lottery oversight, established to address what the Council of Ministers viewed as an economic and security threat. Novikov’s appointment came with a clear mandate to modernise a stalled sector and bring greater transparency to a market operating under significant…

The EFL Championship season has kicked off with Wolverhampton Wanderers meeting Blackburn Rovers, marking the start of what promises to be a busy campaign for betting sponsors. Gambling firms are increasingly viewing the Championship as prime marketing territory, with two new deals signed ahead of the 2026/27 season getting underway. Kwiff and Mr Q have become the latest betting brands to secure partnerships in the second tier of English football, highlighting a significant shift in how gambling companies approach UK sports marketing. The shift has been driven in large part by Premier League front-of-shirt sponsorship restrictions, which have pushed betting…