Author: Charles Shephardson

TheScore.Bet has been issued a C$200,000 monetary penalty by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for presenting cash-out offers that were never honoured. The regulator determined that the operator’s conduct breached strict player protection standards established for licensed iGaming operators in the Canadian province. The case centred on a C$1,000 multi-leg parlay bet placed on March 14, 2025, involving games across the NHL, NBA and NCAA basketball. Had every selection in the parlay proven correct, the potential payout would have exceeded C$1 million, making the stakes of the cash-out dispute particularly significant. When all but one leg of the…

Paris Saint-Germain travel to Manchester for a highly anticipated Matchday 2 Champions League fixture against City at the Etihad on October 14. The Parisians arrive at this contest as two-time UCL winners, having beaten Arsenal in the May final and now targeting a historic third consecutive title. PSG kicked off their campaign in dominant fashion, demolishing Slovan Bratislava 6-1 with contributions from Dembélé, Fabián Ruiz, and a hat-trick from Ferran Torres. That emphatic result extended PSG’s unbeaten Champions League streak to 11 matches, a remarkable run that underlines their status as the competition’s most formidable side. Torres, who joined PSG…

The UK Tote Group has confirmed James Coxon, currently chief operating officer at GiG, as its incoming chief executive officer. The announcement came after NEXT.io contacted the Tote for comment on reports that Coxon would be stepping into the top role. Coxon is a long-term industry veteran whose appointment marks a significant moment of transition for one of British racing’s most storied betting institutions. Current CEO Alex Frost will be stepping down after nine years leading the organisation, with Coxon set to enter the role before the end of the year. Frost commented on his departure, saying: “The Tote is…

Brazil’s government has made its first formal concession to the sweeping betting ban signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva just one week ago. Football shirts already manufactured bearing betting operator logos can continue to be sold across Brazil, according to new government guidance. The allowance is contained in a technical note from the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency, known as Secom, signed on 2 October 2026. The note follows the betting restrictions set out in Medida Provisória 1.394/2026, which President Lula da Silva formally signed into effect on 25 September 2026. Secom’s position is that selling…

Informa PLC has announced the acquisition of rival events company Clarion Events from private equity firm Blackstone in a cash deal worth £2.24bn. Clarion, which organises major gambling industry events including ICE and iGB, will be absorbed into the wider Informa portfolio under new ownership. Clarion’s WorldGaming arm is responsible for running ICE, iGB, and the Indian Gaming Tradeshow, all of which will now sit under a FTSE 100 company. Blackstone originally acquired Clarion back in 2017 for £600m, meaning the sale represents a significant return on investment for the private equity giant. Founded in 1947, Clarion owns more than…

The UK Gambling Commission’s acting CEO Sarah Gardner has urged Allwyn UK to set the benchmark for player protection across the entire gambling sector. Gardner made her remarks at Allwyn UK’s Participant Protection Conference, pushing the lottery operator to boost its returns to good causes alongside higher consumer safety standards. The UKGC boss was broadly positive in tone, acknowledging the significant challenges Allwyn UK has faced over the past couple of years as it works to stabilise its operations. Gardner welcomed William Hill’s former UK and Ireland chief Phil Walker as the operator’s interim CEO, signalling cautious optimism about the…

Three years after the UK government published its landmark gambling white paper, plans for a dedicated gambling ombudsman have still not moved forward. The Independent Betting Adjudication Service, known as IBAS, used its 2025 annual report to publicly highlight the continued and frustrating delay surrounding the planned body. IBAS argued there had been “no progress” in the three years since the white paper first outlined the government’s intention to establish the ombudsman. The alternative dispute resolution service acknowledged it had hoped it might be able to take on the ombudsman role itself, adding a layer of institutional interest to the…

Jennings Bet managing director Greg Knight has warned that a proposed machine gaming duty hike could force the closure of 104 of the bookmaker’s shops. The UK government is considering increasing machine gaming duty from its current rate of 20% to 40%, a move backed by the Social Market Foundation. Knight says applying the new tax rate to the last 12 months of trading figures reveals clearly which stores would survive and which would not. He explained: “We just apply the new tax to the last 12 months’ figures. And then you can see store by store, which ones are…

Brazil’s gambling market did not collapse under an unprovoked government attack — the industry spent years handing its critics the ammunition they needed. President Lula’s decision to make online betting illegal sent shockwaves through a sector that had been considered one of the world’s most exciting emerging markets. It is tempting to frame the ban as a populist decree that wiped out a healthy, fast-growing industry before it had a chance to mature properly. There is genuine truth in that reading, but NEXT.io lead researcher Sonja Lindenberg argues it is far from the complete picture. Brazil’s gambling market grew faster…

Flutter Entertainment plc has announced that Chief Legal Officer Don Liu notified the Board of his intention to resign, with his departure taking effect on September 30, 2026. The global gambling and entertainment group moved quickly to manage the transition, naming Group Company Secretary Edward Traynor as interim Chief Legal Officer effective October 1, 2026. The appointment signals a managed approach to legal leadership succession at one of the world’s largest online betting and gaming companies. Traynor brings considerable legal and governance experience to the interim role, having served as Group Company Secretary at Flutter for a significant period prior…