Author: Charles Shephardson

Star Entertainment Group has reported a significantly reduced EBITDA loss for Q4 FY26, as cost-cutting measures helped offset continued weakness at its Sydney casino. For the three months to the end of June, Star posted reported revenue of A$265m, broadly in line with the previous year’s comparable period. The operator’s EBITDA loss narrowed from A$27m to A$8m, marking a notable improvement despite persistent trading difficulties at its flagship Sydney venue. Star described trading levels at its Sydney casino as sitting at “historical lows,” a situation driven largely by the introduction of mandatory carded play and A$5,000 daily cash limits. Those…

The Gambling Commission has clarified its position after GamblingNews.uk asked whether operators are permitted to trigger financial and mental health checks specifically once a customer requests to withdraw winnings, rather than earlier in the customer relationship. A Gambling Commission spokesperson has told GamblingNews.uk that additional checks on withdrawal requests can be legitimate in certain circumstances, particularly where anti money laundering concerns arise. However, the regulator draws a clear line on timing. “There can be legitimate reasons why some withdrawal requests require additional checks, such as Anti Money Laundering checks,” the spokesperson told GamblingNews.uk. “But we are clear that operators that…

Lottoland employees based at the company’s Gibraltar head office are currently being consulted on a proposed round of redundancies affecting the site. Nigel Birrell, group CEO, confirmed the development, describing the process as a proposed “organisational restructure.” The potential job cuts have been linked to what the company calls “significant regulatory and commercial developments” that are having a “material impact on the company’s profitability.” No timeline has been established for when the consultation process is expected to conclude, leaving staff in a state of uncertainty. Lottoland operates offices across multiple locations worldwide, but its primary markets are concentrated in Europe,…

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling has published a new paper urging New Jersey lawmakers to ban online micro-betting, calling it an “urgent public health threat.” The paper, titled Why New Jersey Must Ban Online Microbetting, argues that compressed betting cycles strip away reflection time and encourage repeated staking during a single match. The CFG draws a clear distinction between micro-bets and broader in-play wagers that are tied to a match’s eventual result. The Lancet Public Health Commission in 2024 classed micro-betting among the highest-risk sports betting formats, citing its near-instantaneous resolution as a key concern. A 2023 Journal of Behavioral…

The accumulator has defined modern sports betting for decades, offering punters the chance to turn small stakes into massive returns across multiple events. Despite their enduring popularity, accumulators have faced remarkably little competitive pressure since they were first introduced, remaining largely unchanged in structure and concept. That could now be changing, as prediction markets rapidly evolve beyond single-event contracts into multi-event trading products that bear a striking resemblance to the parlay format. Prediction markets have surged in popularity since 2024, initially driven by a large US audience in markets where traditional legal sports betting remains only partially available. Multi-event trading…

Bragg Gaming has a new chair in Matt Davey, the Tekkorp Capital figurehead who believes the market has fundamentally misjudged the Slovenian B2B supplier’s potential. Davey’s firm Tekkorp Capital now owns 10.09% of Bragg following its all-stock acquisition of US B2B business Drayton International, making him a significant force in the company’s direction. Speaking from his ranch in Montana, the Darwin-trained electrical engineer argued that Bragg’s technology and product offering are of very high quality, despite persistent negative market sentiment. Bragg has endured 11 consecutive quarters of losses, and a 2024 strategic review aimed at improving the company’s low share…

The prediction markets industry has exploded into mainstream finance, but its two biggest figures are engaged in a rivalry that has grown deeply personal. Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan and Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour have transformed what began as healthy competition into something resembling outright obsession, according to a New York Times investigation. The pair have traded public insults, competed for the same investors, sponsors and staff, and filed competing trademarks while cultivating the same political allies. Kalshi’s lawyers reportedly met federal prosecutors to raise concerns that Polymarket was continuing to serve US customers despite being barred from doing so. Polymarket…

Blask tracked casual casino games across 28 regulated markets over the last 30 days, ranking each genre by the number of distinct operator casino brands carrying a given title. The analysis also measured how many of the 28 countries each game reaches, giving a clear picture of lobby presence at scale. Results reveal which single games have won the widest distribution, and how quickly the competitive gap narrows once a genre fills with rivals. Aviator leads the entire dataset, not just the crash category, with its 748 brands topping every other casual title tracked in the study. Pragmatic Play holds…

Boyd Gaming has lifted its full-year online earnings guidance following stronger-than-expected growth from its Boyd Interactive business throughout the second quarter of 2026. The operator now expects its 2026 online EBITDAR to land between $35m and $40m, representing an upward revision of around $5m from previous guidance. Boyd reported total revenue of $1.03bn for the three months to 30 June, marginally ahead of the same period last year despite continued softness in its Las Vegas destination business. Growth across the Midwest and South operations, the online segment, and the managed business helped offset the weakness seen in Las Vegas during…

Las Vegas Sands has reaffirmed its long-term target of generating $700m in quarterly EBITDA from its Macau operations, even as the 2026 FIFA World Cup weighed on second-quarter results. The company posted net revenue of $3.15bn for the three months to 30 June 2026, representing a 0.7% decline compared to the same period last year. Casino revenue remained the dominant income source at $2.34bn, though that figure represented a 3.1% year-on-year drop that dragged overall results lower. Revenue from rooms, food and beverage, mall, and convention, retail and other activities all moved in the opposite direction, recording growth across the…