Author: Charles Shephardson

ICONIC21 has announced a sponsorship agreement with Vilnius-based ice hockey club Hockey Punks – MOTOTOJA, marking a significant step in the company’s expanding presence in Lithuania. The deal arrives alongside the opening of ICONIC21’s new operational hub in Vilnius, a facility spanning more than 1,400 square metres of office and studio space across two floors. The new hub is designed to support ICONIC21’s growing European operations, with the company signalling clear ambitions to establish Vilnius as a key centre for its business activities. New employment opportunities are being created at the site, with recruitment already underway for roles including game…

Enteractive has appointed Stephen Parry as its new group CEO, tasking him with driving greater international scale and integrating proprietary AI solutions across the business. Parry joins from FDJ United, where he served as managing director of operations, bringing a wealth of experience working at senior levels across the European gambling industry. Before his time at FDJ United, Parry held COO positions at both Superbet and William Hill, and also served as CEO of William Hill’s international business. His background extends further into major corporate integrations, having been explicitly responsible for incorporating The Stars Group into Flutter Entertainment during his…

Trinidad and Tobago is making a significant push to become one of the Caribbean’s leading offshore online gambling jurisdictions. The island nation’s parliament voted unanimously to approve a ministerial order that would create a legal framework for offering online gambling services to international markets. The order, put forward by finance minister Davendranath Tancoo, was approved on Wednesday, September 30, marking a major step forward for the country’s gambling ambitions. If the Senate also approves the order, the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led government would guide Trinidad and Tobago into becoming the fourth Caribbean nation to operate an offshore gambling regime. Previously, operators faced…

Betsson Group has announced the creation of the Betsson Foundation, a new registered public benefit foundation designed to centralise its social impact activities. The foundation will bring together the group’s charitable, community and sports-related initiatives under one shared organisational framework, consolidating efforts that were previously spread across multiple programmes. Betsson says grouping its charitable activities together will “strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing” and increase the long-term impact of its work across different markets. The group’s existing schemes, including employee-led fundraising, grassroots projects and broader community and CSR initiatives, will all be incorporated into the new structure. Jonna Danlund, Director of…

First.Bet executives Tom Light and Victor Arias have opened up about their ambitions to challenge the dominant forces in Latin America’s B2B sportsbook market. The company is positioning itself as a serious competitor in the region, with a disciplined focus on a single product rather than spreading resources across multiple verticals. Victor Arias, who brings three decades of industry experience to the role, says he was carefully evaluating his options before joining First.Bet after following the company for a couple of years. “I had been following it for a couple of years while they were preparing to enter the market,”…

Brazil is heading into one of its most consequential general elections on Sunday, with the country’s regulated betting market hanging directly in the balance. Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva published Provisional Measure 1.394 just nine days before the election, effectively ending Brazil’s regulated betting market after less than two years of operation. Every licensed operator in the country must shut down its platforms by the end of the day following the first-round vote, leaving businesses scrambling to comply. Operators that paid R$30 million each for licences, built compliance teams, and signed multi-year sponsorship deals now have just days…

Brazil’s controversial betting ban, introduced by President Lula, has already attracted 42 amendments since reaching Congress, according to the Congress website. The Provisional Measure banning online betting in the country officially came into force on 25 September, marking a significant shift in the country’s gambling landscape. The ban will eventually lapse if Congress does not convert it into formal law, making the amendment process a critical battleground for the industry. The 42 proposed amendments represent the first real signal of how lawmakers intend to handle the legislation going forward. Proposals range widely in scope and intent, with some seeking to…

Brazil’s licensed betting sector has been thrown into turmoil following a sweeping government measure that forces operators offline and leaves thousands of workers unemployed. Provisional Measure 1,394/2026, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 25 September, bans the operation, offering, intermediation, and advertising of fixed-odds betting across the country. The measure required the 85 companies that each paid R$30 million for a federal licence to take their sites offline on 6 October, triggering immediate workforce reductions across the sector. Professionals working in VIP account management, CRM, marketing, and customer service are now finding themselves out of work and…

Brazil’s sweeping ban on online betting and casino operations may trigger a significant reshaping of gambling investment flows across Latin America. Juan Camilo Carrasco, managing partner at law firm Sora Lawyers, says other regional markets stand to benefit if the Brazilian restrictions remain in place. Carrasco made the remarks in an interview with NEXT.io, highlighting Colombia and Peru as the likeliest destinations for redirected gambling capital. “Established markets such as Colombia and Peru appear to be the main candidates to absorb some of the growth the sector had originally projected for Brazil,” Carrasco said. The legal expert was clear that…

SOFTSWISS hosted an exclusive event near Lisbon ahead of the SBC Summit, bringing together international media, influencers, technology experts and industry leaders. The gathering was dedicated to the key ideas behind the company’s 2027 iGaming Trends Report, which examines the future of the digital economy through an iGaming lens. Elliott Gotkine, an Emmy-winning journalist and former CNN and Bloomberg TV presenter, moderated the event discussions. Experts from SOFTSWISS, Amazon Web Services, Pentasia, WorldGaming and Google were among those who took part in the conversation. The event centred on a central question shaping the digital economy: what iGaming can teach other…