Category Archives: Betting

Opinion: Community Minister disregards vital community pillar

SBC News’ Senior Journalist, Viktor Kayed, takes a look at the seemingly never-ending discussion around betting shops on the British high-street – and what is being said not being said. On-the–loose politicians are again raising their heads to bark at British betting, three months after Chancellor Rachel Reeves made it clear where she stands. Speaking […]

Community Minister disregards vital community pillar

SBC News’ Senior Journalist, Viktor Kayed, takes a look at the seemingly never-ending discussion around betting shops on the British high-street – and what is being said not being said. On-the–loose politicians are again raising their heads to bark at British betting, three months after Chancellor Rachel Reeves made it clear where she stands. Speaking […]

Betano, Flashscore and Dream11 lead the way in 2025 sports app downloads

Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2026 report showed that sports apps saw record downloads in 2025, with sportsbook and casino platforms at the centre of the growth.  Global downloads for sportsbook and casino apps saw year-on-year growth of 34%, despite a decline of 6% in the US.  Adoption in new markets including Brazil drove the […]

Colombia operators hold breath as GGR-based VAT put on ice

In a historic first for Colombia, the Constitutional Court has vetoed an emergency economic decree, affecting gambling tax as well. In September, President Gustavo Petro and his cabinet tabled a proposal aiming to raise around COP 26trn ($6.5bn) extra to patch up deficits in the 2026 budget. Criticised for being overtly revenue-oriented and unjust given […]

Betfred brothers stand out for UK taxes – but will this repeat in 2027?

Fred and Paul Done, founders of UK betting giant Betfred, have topped The Sunday Times tax list for 2025 for the first time, alongside another familiar name. The brothers paid £400m in tax last year, nearly £70m more than the second highest taxpayer, Moscow-born trader and founder of XTX Markets, Alex Gerko. As well as […]

Provisions tabled to fast-track self-exclusion amendments in Romania

Romania’s regulator, ONJN, has asked the Ministry of Finance to take emergency measures and revamp the country’s self-exclusion framework. ONJN’s President, Vlad-Cristian Soare, announced that they’ve put forward a proposal for an emergency ordinance (OUG) to iron all current existing gaps in Romania’s gambling legislature regarding player safety. An OUG is usually reserved for extraordinary […]

Meridianbet acquires Fairbet to become Malta’s leading sportsbook

Meridianbet has acquired “100% control” of Fairbet Ltd to become Malta’s biggest sportsbook operator. The deal was announced at the close of Friday 30 January by Golden Matrix Group Inc., the Nasdaq-listed parent firm of Meridianbet. Fairbet has agreed to sell its nine Malta-and-Gozo retail betting points to Meridianbet, expanding the group’s Maltese sportsbook network […]

1xBet: Reasons for gambling key to African player protection strategies

Localisation is one of iGaming’s biggest buzzwords and has been throughout this decade as the industry has become more regulated, more online and more global. Bonuses, customer support, payment methods all have to be tailored for the local audience.  But what about player protection?  There are plenty of safer gambling strategies and tools that operators […]

Gamstop data suggests youth more conscious about gambling

A 40% year-over-year uptick in young people self-excluding from online gambling has been recorded by Gamstop. The increase relates to individuals aged 16-24 and covers the six-month period ending 31 December 2025. This age group, according to the self-exclusion scheme, represents 29% of all total new registrations. More details revealed that 38% of under-25s prefer […]

Kambi steps in to replace FDJ as Ontario lottery partner

FDJ United has officially bid au revoir to the Ontario lottery market, with Kambi taking point as a replacement. The French gambling giant is faced with significant tax hikes back home, especially around online gambling, in a market that has become notorious for some of the highest tax rates across European member states. As part […]