Category Archives: Betting

ONJN President pledges return to accountability for Romania gambling in 2026

Vlad Soare has issued a programme of objectives for the ONJN and its governance of Romanian gambling, as the Office remains under extreme scrutiny and awaiting political judgements in 2026.   ONJN, Romania’s National Office for Gambling, has set out its programme for 2026 aimed at strengthening compliance enforcement and restoring regulatory standards across the …

Meta acquires AI start-up Manus

Meta has acquired a Chinese-founded artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, Manus, to boost its products for businesses including its advertising arm. The deal is said to be valued between $2-3bn, according to sources with direct knowledge of the transaction. Manus has built a general purpose AI agent that can independently execute complex tasks such as market …

Meridianbet extends title sponsorship Crvena Zvezda basketball to 2030

Meridianbet has extended its title sponsorship of Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) through to 2030, continuing one of European basketball’s most prominent and enduring commercial partnerships. The deal sees the club maintain its official name of “Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet” across all competitions, including the EuroLeague, ABA League, and the Serbian domestic league, with the operator’s …

The costs and control of being a sharp bookmaker

For the latest edition of the SBC Leaders magazine, Ted Menmuir, SBC’s Editor-at-Large, talked all things trading with two prominent executives, examining the discipline as AI ushers in changes and new pressures. At the mid-point of a transformative decade for all gambling disciplines, it is wise for audiences to review the evolution of values and …

Trade show travels: looking back on Rio, Amsterdam, Lisbon and more

Industry conferences are one of the best ways to keep an ear to the ground regarding the biggest developments affecting your industry – coming a close second to media coverage, of course… This year the SBC News team was fortunate enough to attend some of betting and gaming’s biggest conferences and events, hearing insights straight …

Italy gambling surge prompts warning from Vatican

The Pope has publicly criticised the gambling sector in his address to the National Association of Italian Local Authorities. Mayors from all across Italy headed to the Vatican for their traditional meeting with Pope Leo XIV, where he held an audience to talk about what he believes is negatively impacting Italian society, including gambling. “Unfortunately, …

Charities, horses and greyhounds: leadership and lobbying in 2025

Some of our more keen readers tuning in during the festive period will have seen our breakdown of the biggest leadership appointments at the industry’s operators and suppliers this year, and we thank you for taking a break from the festivities to read. It’s important to remember though that operators and suppliers are far from …

STATSCORE ScoutsFeed: Why operators choose speed, accuracy, and control over data risk

The sports betting industry is constantly facing new challenges, so STATSCORE takes a deep dive into one of the most persistent yet underestimated ones that modern sportsbooks and sports media platforms face: latency, data accuracy, and the operational risk they create during live events. Drawing on industry dispute data, real-world trading pressures, and STATSCORE’s hands-on …

SBC on the Airwaves 2: What should you keep an eye out for in 2026?

Part two of our iGaming Daily podcast breakdown highlights some of the biggest news stories covered by SBC from around the world that will most definitely continue well into 2026. UKGC revamps problem gambling research The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) released its second Gambling Survey of Great Britain earlier this year. However, this time around …

Bulgarian regulator detects casino visits from hospitalised patients

Bulgaria’s gambling regulator has demonstrated commendable due diligence, the result of a newly-revised gambling framework. A total of 3,890 people were said to have been detected in land-based casinos in the first half of 2025, at a time when they were supposed to be hospitalised. Total visits amounted to 22,000, as revealed by the gambling …