Author: Charles Shephardson

The Gambling Commission has confirmed plans to implement Financial Risk Assessments on UK gambling operators, triggering widespread condemnation from across the industry. The first phase of the FRA programme will target the largest operators, focusing on high-spend customers with a threshold set at £5,000 net deposits accumulated over a 24-hour period. Sophie Kemp, Partner and Head of Public Law at London-based law firm Kingsley Napley, warned that “there may be strong grounds for bringing a judicial review challenge” about the approach taken by the Commission. Kemp stated that “many in the industry view the Gambling Commission’s decision to proceed with…

AK Bets, the Dublin-based bookmaking firm, has completed a major acquisition that significantly expands its footprint across UK and Irish racecourses. The company has purchased 45 racecourse pitches from Pat O’Hare Bookmakers, a historic Irish betting operation founded in the 1950s by the late Newry businessman Pat O’Hare. Anthony Kaminskas, Chief Executive Officer of AK Bets, announced the deal publicly via LinkedIn and the company’s official X account. AK Bets paid €3.1m, equivalent to approximately £2.5m, for the pitches, according to a Business Post article shared in Kaminskas’ social media posts. The acquisition grows AK Bets’ total racecourse pitch count…

The European Gaming and Betting Association has taken direct aim at a Lithuanian payments provider, alleging it facilitated transactions to illegal online gambling operators. The EGBA filed a formal complaint with the Bank of Lithuania after identifying that locally licensed fintech firm Walletto had allegedly processed payments destined for unlicensed gambling platforms. The case has reignited a long-running debate about whether illegal gambling can ever be effectively stopped without targeting the financial infrastructure that supports it. The EGBA has long argued that payment providers represent a critical vulnerability in the illegal gambling ecosystem, and this investigation appears to back that…

England’s upcoming clash with Norway has captured the attention of sportsbooks worldwide, with betting patterns revealing a striking international consensus against the Three Lions. Data from global sportsbook markets shows that punters outside the United Kingdom are overwhelmingly favouring Norway to cause an upset against England in this high-profile fixture. The trend is a familiar one for England supporters, who have grown accustomed to their side being written off by international observers despite periods of genuine promise on the pitch. Norway enter the match as a side capable of causing serious damage to any opponent, boasting a formidable attacking threat…

Liverpool City Council has joined the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), becoming the largest city outside London to support the campaign. The council’s membership marks a significant expansion of CEGA’s reach, adding one of England’s most prominent cities to an alliance already counting 16 local authorities among its members. Liverpool’s decision builds on its Reducing Gambling Harms Action Plan, launched earlier this year, which outlines a citywide strategy to tackle gambling-related harm through prevention and early intervention. Around one in six young adults in Liverpool experience gambling-related harm, with men and those facing financial disadvantage identified as being at…

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has written to the Gambling Commission demanding clarity on its decision to proceed with Financial Risk Assessments. Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the CMS Committee, addressed the letter directly to Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Commission. The letter, dated 10 July 2026, outlines five areas requiring answers ahead of the staged implementation of Financial Risk Assessments across the UK gambling industry. Baroness Twycross, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the DCMS, was copied into the letter sent by Dame Caroline Dinenage. The Committee has asked whether the Commission will publish…

Jumbo Interactive has lowered its FY26 EBITDA guidance for UK prize draw business Dream Car Giveaways, known as Dream UK, citing increased investment costs and market testing initiatives. The digital lottery specialist originally acquired Dream UK in October last year as part of a deal valued at A$109.9m, with the move designed to establish a B2C footprint in the United Kingdom. Jumbo had initially forecast Dream UK would generate underlying EBITDA of between £8m and £8.3m across the final eight-and-a-half months of FY26, but has since revised that figure down to £7.0m to £7.3m. Despite the downgrade, Jumbo insisted the…

Zeal Network, the German online lottery broker, has agreed to acquire the remaining 96.5% of shares in UK prize draw platform operator SevenCanyon. The company already held a minority 3.5% stake in SevenCanyon, making this deal a significant escalation of its existing relationship with the business. The transaction comprises an approximate cash payment of £33.8m, subject to post-completion adjustments, plus further payments of up to £4.8m over a six-month period contingent on hitting certain financial targets. Zeal intends to finance the acquisition with a €40m term loan, giving the company a clear and structured path to completing the purchase. Once…

The upcoming SBC Summit will feature a dedicated Fintech conference track, placing payment innovation, fraud prevention, and responsible gambling under the industry spotlight. Scheduled for Tuesday, 29 September, the track will bring together operators, payment providers, fintech specialists, and compliance experts to address the sector’s most pressing challenges. The Fintech track sits within the broader Payment Expert Summit stage, alongside specialist tracks covering AML and Compliance on 30 September and Crypto and Blockchain on 1 October. Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, outlined the significance of the programme, stating that “fintech is now influencing almost every stage of the…

Throughout July 2026, gaming supplier Amusnet is channelling the invoiced value of one of its most popular titles toward earthquake disaster relief in Venezuela. The initiative follows devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela, leaving thousands of families displaced and countless animals injured, abandoned, or separated from their owners. Amusnet will dedicate an amount equivalent to 100% of the invoiced value of its Caramelo Sortudo title to support ongoing relief efforts across the country. The company is granting operator partners across Venezuela a full discount on the game’s invoicing, encouraging each partner to donate the equivalent amount to local rescue organisations. Those…