SBC News

The 2024 Budget includes no tax hikes for UK gambling, as recommendations from think tanks were disregarded by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The Budget document reveals that “The Gross Gaming Yield bandings for gaming duty will be frozen from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026.” https://lnkd.in/dws6qSCm

The launch of Italy’s new tender for online gambling concessions will remain in a ‘standstill period’ until 18 November. This extension was decided by the European Commission, following a detailed opinion from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) regarding duplicate technical requirements and compliance controls applied to B2C businesses. Italy will respond to Malta’s concerns, reaffirming the legal requirements for online gambling licences. Malta’s intervention ensures that Italy’s new licensing regime will be launched from November onwards. Credit AGIPRO and Nicola Tani https://lnkd.in/dUMuvre3

SBC announce two new hires to bolster its Brazilian editorial coverage on SBC Notícias Brasil 🌎 Ricardo Wuilleumier Alves de Assis joins as the site's first Editor, while Ana Maria Mendes joins as a Business Journalist. Elisa Marcante will continue in the role 📝 The full team will be in attendance at SBC Summit Latinoamérica ✈️ Check out the full release ⬇️

In igaming, where businesses constantly compete for market share, the challenge lies in establishing genuine, long-term partnerships that go beyond short-term gains. GR8 Tech’s CBDO, Yevhen Krazhan, offers a fresh perspective on how to address the issue through thoughtful, client-focused collaboration 🧠 🤝 Key quotes 🔑 🗣️ What drives my work in the igaming sector is treating clients like friends rather than mere revenue sources 🗣️ Sincerity is crucial in this process. Honesty about successes and challenges fosters a stronger bond. When clients see you as open and trustworthy, collaboration flourishes, further enhancing the relationship. 🗣️ I believe in completing meaningful work without burning bridges; satisfaction comes not only from delivering results but from the entire process 🗣️ Market saturation is a major challenge for igaming operators, as intense competition leads to diminishing returns 🗣️ the biggest competition we face isn’t other companies but inertia – the passive state where clients feel like their world won’t change with or without us 🗣️ My goal isn’t to push or dictate how things should be done but to give my team the autonomy to perform 🗣️ To build a thriving work culture, leaders should balance autonomy with support. Begin by defining roles, setting clear expectations, and establishing achievable goals Full write-up by Craig Davies 🖋️

Giovanni Bertoli, Co-Founder & CEO of Wall Street Football speaks to Chris Murphy for SBC News about the rise of the company to becoming one of the betting market’s leading brands and how a ‘startup mentality’ has been instrumental in helping it be more creative, responsive and innovative ✨ Key quotes 🔑 🗣️ In Wall Street Football we understood that to fully get a leadership position in the betting market, great technology was not enough, we needed to combine that with a more in-depth expertise of the dynamics of the betting industry 🗣️ We make it possible to bet on every stat of the game, pre-match and live. Users can enjoy betting on many performance indicators such as number of shots, number of passes, offsides and many other stats both at a single-player level and at a team and match level 🗣️ We have a startup mentality and this makes us more reactive to clients needs, faster in the design and development of innovative products, and more dedicated to great customer support. Delighting clients is our first priority Check out the full interview 🎤

Scalability is the focus of OddsMatrix following a year of growth beyond its “wildest expectations” 📈 James Ross spoke to Tor Skeie, CEO of OddsMatrix at SBC Summit in #Lisbon, where Skeie detailed the need for OddsMatrix’s sportsbook solution to “handle scale” 🗣️ "We are very focused on being able to scale properly. Africa is a huge market with tons of potential players coming our way, but it puts a strain on your systems in terms of bet settlement and these types of things." Part of EveryMatrix’s growth strategy for OddsMatrix is the integration of FSB Technology’s sportsbook features into its offering, following the acquisition of FSB by EveryMatrix in an all-cash deal in July. 🗣️ Skeie said: “The acquisition of FSB has opened up a lot of markets we weren’t that prevalent in. The UK, some other parts of Western Europe and specifically also Africa." Check out the full interview 👇 And the write-up by Christian Lee for SBC News ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eWwQFY2F

The Gambling Regulation Bill of Ireland must be settled and approved into law before the Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin can call for a General Election. The GRB is viewed as ‘binding legislation’ of the tenure of the Tri-coalition government formed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party. https://lnkd.in/dwACUFXA

FDJ - La Française des Jeux has completed its transformational acquisition of the Kindred Group plc Group. However, Jake Pollard notes that recent developments across Western European markets have altered the 'mood music' of the M&A. The presence of the enlarged FDJ at the top of gambling PLCs depends on FDJ revitalising Kindred’s brand prospects in key Western markets and making significant regulatory adjustments... https://lnkd.in/d6rjc5yF

Deputy CEO of iGP Jovana Popovic Canaki spoke to our very own James Ross at the SBC Leaders Summit at SBC Summit in #Lisbon to discuss #expansion and #scalability 📈 🗣️ “The ambitions of iGP are very high. Our product pipeline is extremely big, from crypto solutions to the iGaming Deck gamification layer, the modernised front end and new markets. 🗣️ “[However], the most important part is scalability, we want to find a way to increase that. Today we are probably in the hundreds for sites and brands and we want to be in the thousands.” Check out the full interview below, and the write-up here 📝 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/et4db-zk

Sportsbet.io, a sportsbook by Yolo Group, aimed to be a “fun, fast, and fair” platform in the competitive market in its launch eight years ago. The brand has since quickly formed sports partnerships and embraced digital currencies to attract a new generation of players, continually seeking innovation. At SBC Summit in Lisbon, SBC News spoke with Alex Haig, Director of Sportsbet.io, about the brand's strategic journey and its plans to maintain a competitive edge. https://lnkd.in/e2RKgtxV