Author: Charles Shephardson

QuinnBet (Gibraltar) must pay a regulatory settlement of £609,104 after the UK Gambling Commission uncovered significant anti-money laundering and social responsibility breaches. The Commission identified multiple failures in how QuinnBet identified, assessed, and managed customer risk across its operations over a period spanning several years. Failings were discovered after the regulator conducted a formal compliance assessment of the operator, revealing breaches of Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice requirements and Social Responsibility Code Provisions. Between March 2023 and August 2025, QuinnBet did not have adequate measures in place under LCCP 12.1.1 paragraphs 2 and 3, which relate to risk assessments…

Allwyn UK has confirmed that Andria Vidler is stepping down as chief executive, with Phil Walker appointed to lead the organisation on an interim basis from 7 September. Walker brings extensive industry experience to the role, having previously served as chief commercial officer at 888 and also held the position of UK and Ireland managing director there. Before his time at 888, Walker spent four years at William Hill, where his roles included UK managing director and online managing director, giving him a strong operational background. He has spent the past two years working as a consultant after stepping away…

Africa’s online gambling sector is expanding rapidly across borders, but the responsible gaming frameworks needed to support sustainable growth are struggling to keep pace. Ladipo Abiose, founder of Nigeria-based non-profit GamblePause, says that across the continent “operators are stronger than the regulators,” creating a dangerous imbalance for players. GamblePause has this week launched its dedicated app, putting responsible gaming tools directly into the hands of players who may not otherwise be protected by their local regulator. The app supports more than 40 languages, reflecting a deliberate effort to deliver tailored, localised protection to players across vastly different regions and communities.…

George Daskalakis, the co-founder and chief executive of Kaizen Gaming, is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire a minority stake in Bristol City. Daskalakis is working alongside co-investor Sandford Loudon, a financier and banker with significant experience across sports and gaming deals. Loudon’s advisory firm, Oakvale Capital, has been involved in a string of transactions spanning both the sports and gaming sectors in recent years. Kaizen Gaming is the parent company behind gambling brands including Betano, which served as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Premier League club Aston Villa until last season. Aston Villa, it should be noted, were Europa League…

Australia’s Labor government has secured Coalition backing for a significant overhaul of gambling advertising rules, marking a major step forward in the country’s long-running reform debate. The two major parties have agreed to establish a single national register that would allow Australians to opt out of wagering advertisements across online platforms. The opt-out register represents one of the most consumer-facing elements of the proposed legislation, giving punters direct control over the gambling marketing they are exposed to. The reforms would also place strict new restrictions on inducements targeting vulnerable gamblers, a practice that has drawn sustained criticism from welfare advocates…

Allwyn UK, the operator of the National Lottery, has announced that Andria Vidler is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer after two-and-a-half years in the role. Vidler’s departure follows a tenure defined by significant milestones, including Allwyn’s formal assumption of National Lottery management in February 2024 under the fourth 10-year licence. Phil Walker has been appointed Interim CEO of Allwyn Entertainment Limited with effect from 7 September 2026, succeeding Vidler in the top position. Walker brings extensive iGaming and betting industry experience to the role, having held senior executive positions at some of the UK’s most recognisable gambling brands. He…

New Gallup polling shows that just 45% of US adults reported gambling in the past year, a significant fall from 64% recorded in 2016. The decline spanned every major demographic group measured in the poll, suggesting the trend is broad rather than concentrated in any single segment of the population. Lottery ticket purchases saw one of the sharpest drops, with only 31% of respondents saying they bought a state lottery ticket, compared to 49% a decade ago. Traditional lottery sales fell 5.1% in FY2025, largely because Powerball and Mega Millions produced fewer blockbuster jackpot runs during that period. Mega Millions…

RocketPlay has launched an experimental summer campaign designed to measure something the iGaming industry rarely quantifies directly: how entertainment actually feels to players. The Cosmic Department of Joy campaign moved beyond standard product metrics to explore the emotional language players use when describing why they play and what makes them return. iGaming brands routinely track RTP, volatility, bonuses, conversion, retention, deposits, clicks, and churn, all of which reveal how products perform and how players move through them. However, none of those numbers fully explain why a player says “That was fun,” or why they come back to a particular type…

BiggerZ is positioning itself as a transparency-driven betting platform, combining casino gaming, sports betting and prediction markets under a single account and balance. The platform’s philosophy centres on four core principles: transparency, clarity, verifiability and defined rules, applied at every key decision point a player encounters. Rather than simply claiming fairness, BiggerZ is focused on making the mechanisms behind outcomes and settlement rules understandable and accessible to players before they commit funds. One of the platform’s most distinctive offerings is BiggerZ Touch, an exclusive collection of short-format games including Mines, Dice, Plinko, Hi-Lo, Keno, Baccarat, Limbo and Soccer. Eligible BiggerZ…

Metaspins, the crypto-based online gaming platform, has added prediction markets to its expanding portfolio of products available to its community. The new feature allows users to trade on the outcome of real-world events through simple, market-driven experiences that reflect shifting public sentiment. The launch represents another step in the company’s broader strategy to diversify its offerings while giving its loyal user base fresh ways to engage with global markets. Prediction markets have evolved from purely financial tools into one of the fastest-growing segments in the wider digital ecosystem. By turning opinions into tradable markets with financial incentives, participants can now…