Category Archives: Betting

Finland: half measures only hurt true liberalisation

Nordic leaders want Finland to set its own course to liberalise its online gambling market in 2027. Yet entrenched camps and diverging opinions remain on how regulatory proceedings will be determined. On paper, the opening of Finland’s online regime should be championed as a proven, high-value market being reborn for competition. However, the country’s journey …

EveryMatrix: BetTOM turnkey deal success reflects lofty UK&I ambitions

The UK and Irish betting markets are notoriously competitive, perhaps saturated. But that also means that, for those who get it right, they are also lucrative markets. That’s why EveryMatrix has placed a renewed vigour on these markets. The global gambling platform provider, founded in London in 2008, opened a brand new office in Shoreditch …

Kalshi gunning for global growth but predictions markets cannot escape controversy

Predictions markets have exploded in popularity in the US over the past year, and the biggest of the bunch, Kalshi, is now planning on taking its product international. The firm revealed last week that it has transitioned to a global model that will be made available in over 140 countries including much of Europe, with …

Legal Dutch market loses ground under its feet

The plateauing of the licensed online gambling market in the Netherlands has now been confirmed by the regulator itself. In its Autumn Market Report, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) revealed that total iGaming GGR for the first half of the year came at roughly €600m – 16% lower than the €697m in H2 2024. And while the number …

Number of Italian online betting sites to shrink from 407 to 52

The number of domains in the Italian online betting market is set to drastically reduce following a decision made by the ADM, Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency. Italy is about to welcome a new regulated online gambling framework with 46 different companies holding 52 licences, with some firms managing more than one brand. Flutter Entertainment, …

Allwyn-OPAP merger creates world’s second largest listed gaming business

The respective Boards of Directors of multinational lottery firm Allwyn and Greek betting and lotteries group OPAP have approved a merger of the two companies, which will carry the former’s name. Allwyn is already a 51.78% shareholder in OPAP and will remain the majority shareholder in the newly created enterprise – holding a 78.5% share …

Dr. Matthias Kirschenhofer: any restriction on legal betting ads should be rejected on principle

Sports, betting and media have an intricate relationship spanning back decades, with each dependent on the other as a revenue stream in some way or another. In many markets – particularly Western European ones like the UK, Spain, Netherlands and Italy – this relationship is coming under increasing pressure amid public and political concerns about …

Evoke reviews UK betting shop status ahead of Autumn’s budget outcome

Evoke Plc is considering whether to close “one in 10 betting shops”, depending on the outcome of the Autumn Statement and the Treasury’s new tax plan on UK gambling. The extreme solution is being examined by Evoke’s new leadership team, according to The Sunday Times, which reported that the FTSE250 gambling group could close up …

Oddin.gg: How to grow your playerbase with esports

Rather than relying on your current playerbase to generate more revenue and secure the future of your business, which is not easy to do, what if you could attract a whole demographic of players to grow your business? That’s exactly why a growing number of sportsbooks are turning to a new type of sport: esports. …

Poland: More for the Taxman, less for the Players

Warsaw’s latest idea for taming the gambling industry is to tax it harder, as Parliament plans to increase tax on customer winnings to 15%, a move which Dr Justyna Grusza-Głębicka observes will undermine efforts to draw gamblers away from the black market. The Ministry of Finance of Poland will once more return to an easy …