Author: Charles Shephardson

Applications are now open for the 2026 edition of SBC First Pitch, giving early-stage betting and gaming startups a chance to compete for a prize package worth more than €80,000. The competition will take place on Thursday, 1 October at 15:00 on the Product Innovation Showcase Stage at SBC Summit in Lisbon. Only five startups will be selected to compete, with each finalist receiving three minutes to pitch live on stage before a panel of investors and industry experts. Each live pitch will be followed by three minutes of Q&A, giving judges the chance to probe the products and business…

West Ham United have confirmed that BoyleSports will continue as their front-of-shirt sponsor despite the club’s relegation to the Championship. The Ireland-headquartered operator’s logo will feature on the men’s and women’s home, away, and training kits, extending a deal that began last season. West Ham were relegated on the final day of the 2025/26 Premier League season, a result that saw Tottenham Hotspur survive at their expense. The partnership is now considered arguably the biggest front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship deal currently active in English football. The timing is significant, as the voluntary front-of-shirt ban for gambling companies on Premier League kits…

The UK government is moving to increase gambling licence fees from October 2026, dealing another significant financial blow to an already pressured betting industry. The Gambling Commission has struggled with budget deficits since operating licence fees were last reviewed in 2021, creating an urgent need for increased funding. Financial reserves at the UKGC have been steadily eroded due to increased investment commitments across the regulator’s operations in recent years. Projections show the Commission approaching its minimum reserve threshold of £4 million by the end of the 2025/26 financial year, a deeply concerning position for the regulator. Without a fee uplift…

Kalshi has emerged as the latest prediction market platform to face scrutiny over its advertising practices on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. The company had previously announced a deal with X, only to retract that statement shortly afterward, raising immediate questions about its marketing strategy. The Better Business Bureau has formally announced it is referring Kalshi to state attorneys general over what it describes as obscure marketing tactics. This referral marks a significant escalation and signals that regulatory bodies are growing increasingly impatient with prediction market platforms operating in grey areas. Kalshi is far from alone in facing this…

Entain’s Australian operations are at the centre of a major legal battle involving anti-money laundering breaches and a separate civil claim over funds. Australia’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against Entain Group Pty Ltd, which operates well-known betting brands including Ladbrokes and Neds. AUSTRAC launched its legal proceedings in December 2024, alleging systemic breaches of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 across a five-year period. The investigation covers Entain’s commercial activities between December 2019 and December 2024, focusing on alleged failures to maintain adequate AML and counter-terrorism financing controls. AUSTRAC’s case…

The UK Gambling Commission has ordered Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, the operator behind Betfred.com, to pay £900,000 following a series of social responsibility failures. The regulator launched its investigation after a compliance assessment uncovered significant weaknesses in Petfre’s safer gambling policies and internal procedures. Among the key failings identified was the absence of sufficient automated processes to detect indicators of harm, including spend levels, time spent gambling, and patterns of betting behaviour. Petfre also failed to ensure that immediate automated action was taken to minimise harm when strong indicators of problem gambling were identified within customer accounts. A particularly concerning flaw…

Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting has moved to restrict social interaction features and engagement mechanisms used by licensed online gambling platforms operating in the country. The decision was communicated to operators licensed under Brazil’s Bets regime through an official SPA notice, issued under the authority of the Ministry of Finance. The ruling was triggered after Kaizen Gaming submitted a query asking whether its flagship brand Betano could implement social interaction features for registered customers on its platform. Betano’s submission outlined plans to activate an “integrated social environment” within its online platform, a feature that would have been accessible exclusively…

Tim Miller, the long-serving Executive Director of the Gambling Commission, has confirmed he will leave the regulator in September 2026 after ten years with the organisation. Miller announced his departure to colleagues before sharing the news publicly on LinkedIn, signalling the end of a significant chapter in British gambling regulation. On LinkedIn, Miller said: “Today I announced to my colleagues that after a decade at the Gambling Commission, I’ve decided it’s time for my next chapter.” Following his exit, Miller plans to work independently, supporting governments, regulators, and organisations around the world that are developing and overseeing gambling regulatory frameworks.…

Former Conservative MP Craig Williams and NHS worker Amy Hind have pleaded guilty to cheating offences under the Gambling Act 2005 at Southwark Crown Court. The guilty pleas were entered on Monday, 29 June 2026, in connection with the UK’s 2024 General Election insider betting scandal. Both defendants were charged under section 42(1)(a) of the Gambling Act 2005, which relates to cheating at gambling. The 2024 General Election date of 4 July 2024 was announced publicly by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 22 May 2024, following weeks of confidential planning. Planning for the election date took place at 10 Downing…

ADI Predictstreet, FIFA’s official prediction market partner for the 2026 World Cup, has been banned from operating in Germany by the country’s gambling regulator. The Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, known as the GGL, launched formal proceedings against the company over its unlicensed offering in the German market. ADI Predictstreet only launched its platform in early April, just days before the World Cup began, after being named a FIFA partner more than two months prior. The company holds a licence from Gibraltar’s regulator as a betting intermediary and operates in the US through regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission via…