Author: Charles Shephardson

Royal Ascot 2026 has left bookmakers nursing heavy losses following a festival that consistently delivered results in favour of punters across all five days. The prestigious meeting took place from 16 to 20 June at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, with 294,541 racegoers attending across the week. That figure represents exactly 8,000 more attendees than the previous year’s festival, demonstrating that appetite for live horse racing in the UK remains strong. Winners including Ombudsman, Scandinavia and Giovelotto contributed to a punishing week for bookmakers, with 13 favourites in total winning their races. A spokesperson for official Ascot bookmaker partner Betfred confirmed…

A new study has revealed the alarming scale of unlicensed gambling activity in South Africa, with 62% of all gambling taking place via unregulated offshore sites. The YieldSec study paints a troubling picture of a market where the majority of players are being served by operators that fall entirely outside the country’s regulatory framework. The underground gambling market is estimated to siphon off more than $3 billion in gross gaming revenue from South Africa every single year. An estimated 16 million players in South Africa have engaged with unlicensed gambling platforms over the past year alone, highlighting the enormous reach…

The British Gambling Commission has formally invited all licensed operators to submit their views on the most significant burdens currently affecting the sector. The invitation forms part of the Commission’s 2026-2027 business plan, which is designed to encourage innovation while maintaining existing regulatory requirements across the industry. The business plan also incorporates a review of industry proposals that assess the current state of regulations and how effectively they are being communicated to operators. Findings from that review can then be used as a basis for formal advice to the Government, making this consultation an important step in shaping future policy…

Germany has long held one of the worst reputations in European gambling, and the ruling Christian Democratic Union now has a concrete plan to change that. The Economic Council, a business association linked to the CDU, has compiled a reform proposal arguing that the 2021 German State Treaty on Gambling urgently needs legislative change. The document makes the case that the domestic market is in serious trouble and that decisive action from the governing party is now necessary. Germany’s current regulatory framework taxes slot game wagers at 5.3% per play rather than using a gross gaming revenue-based tax model, with…

Prediction market giant Kalshi is reportedly seeking fresh capital at a $40 billion valuation, a figure that would place it among the world’s most valuable private companies. If the round closes at that number, Kalshi’s valuation will have nearly doubled since March 2026, when the company wrapped up a $1 billion Series F funding round that valued it at $22 billion. The growth trajectory has been remarkable, with Kalshi valued at just $2 billion a year ago before climbing to $5 billion four months later and reaching $11 billion by December 2025. Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour confirmed the…

Four senior women at platform provider GR8_TECH have shared their perspectives on what it truly takes to close the gender gap in the iGaming industry. The natural reaction to statistics showing a worsening gender balance in tech might be anger or despondency, but leaders at GR8_TECH are pushing past that instinct. Kate Pozdnysheva, Chief Client Officer at GR8_TECH, built her career across product and technology roles before rising through the ranks to reach the C-Suite. Pozdnysheva argues that when building her teams, she deliberately avoids letting gender factor into her decisions at all, favouring a meritocratic approach instead. “There is…

Gaming1 is shifting its strategic focus toward broader entertainment experiences, aiming to increase player dwell time without driving up overall spending. The company’s approach centres on transforming its platform into a leisure destination rather than a purely transactional gambling environment, drawing comparisons to a physical casino resort. Speaking on the direction of the business, Choffray explained: “We need to move increasingly towards entertainment and away from being solely focused on gambling.” He added that the platform must reflect this shift “through new, gaming-inspired products we are integrating, through free-to-play gamification features, and by increasing the time players spend on our…

Mindway AI has appointed Will Mace as head of strategic programmes, tasking him with leading a major research initiative into effective player harm interventions. The AI-led supplier has long argued that the industry’s attempts to tackle harmful gambling have fallen short, particularly when it comes to acting on identified risk. Mace, formerly group player safety director at evoke, brings nearly two decades of operational, regulatory, and clinical experience to his new role. Mindway AI CEO Rasmus Kjaergaard praised the appointment, saying Will Mace’s “phenomenal track record across major operators, regulatory working groups, and clinical support networks gives us the perfect…

Entain has reportedly been weighing the future of its CEE business, with one prominent analyst offering a clear-eyed view of what a potential sale could mean. David Brohan, head of gaming research at Goodbody, spoke to NEXT.io about the key drivers that could push Entain toward divesting its CEE operations. While the impact of UK tax rises is a significant factor in the wider conversation, Brohan believes it is just one of several motivating forces behind any potential deal. In his assessment, a sale would likely be “quite straightforward” and “well-received” by the market, suggesting investor appetite for such a…

Entain has agreed to sell a 20% stake in its Central and Eastern European joint venture to existing partner EMMA Capital for approximately €425m. The FTSE 100 gambling group will receive €395m upon completion of the deal, with an additional payment linked to business performance arriving in early 2027. The transaction values Entain CEE at around €2.1bn, equivalent to roughly 10 times EBITDA, representing a significant sum for a business largely built around Croatian and Polish operations. Completion is expected during Q4 2026, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals being secured across relevant jurisdictions. The disposal forms part of Entain’s…