CASINO & GAMES
LICENSING
PAPARA FOUNDER ARRESTED IN $ 330M ILLEGAL GAMBLING SWOOP IN TURKEY
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IS THE IGAMING SECTOR GRAPPLING WITH A REDUNDANCY CRISIS?
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BLACK MARKET AND KYC KEY PAIN POINTS IN BRAZIL, SAYS BETANO REGULATORY CHIEF
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CASINO & GAMES
BETTING GIANT BET365 CONSIDERING SALE OPTIONS
IN THEIR OWN WORDS...
In May reports surfaced that Bet365 was considering various investment options, which could land the Coates family a £ 9 billion pay day. The Guardian first reported ongoing talks between Bet365 and Wall Street financiers, including the possibility of floating a US IPO or offloading part of the business onto private equity.
Bet365 has not confirmed the reports, but many in the sector have speculated why the iGaming behemoth could be considering both routes. A number of recent strategy changes within the business support these M & A rumours, including 365 exiting China, a hugely fruitful market for the business, and spinning out its ownership of Stoke City FC. Some stakeholders are sceptical of a potential IPO as it would require Bet365 to go through a very public disclosure process.
Ed Birkin, MD of H2 Gambling Capital, believes a private equity deal would make the most sense for the operator, as it could allow time for a change in management and to accelerate growth while remaining a private company.
One M & A adviser believes the £ 9 billion valuation may be on the low side compared to peers: DraftKings’ current market capitalisation is $ 16.64 billion.
ED BIRKIN“ If you view yourself as a high growth or tech company, the US market tends to value these a lot higher than the UK market” p34
LICENSING
GRAI MULLS NEW LICENSING FEE
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of process in establishing a regulatory Ireland( GRAI) will consider five-year and licensing framework. The survey gambling licences and a tiered licensing received 27 submissions from a range fee model, it has said in response to of stakeholders, the“ vast majority” of an industry consultation which raised which came from industry operators. concerns over the cost and time period Key concerns raised were the cost covered by gambling licences. of the application fee and what the fee
GRAI was established under the calculation system would look like. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 to industry said the current system could manage the creation of Ireland’ s create a“ disconnect between fees and gambling regulatory framework. It actual operator revenue” and that may is also tasked with the awarding of harm those with specialised betting licences for all Irish gambling activities, offerings in the market. except for the national lottery.
In its observations, GRAI said it would Submissions to a recent public consider a tiered licensing fee model consultation conducted over four weeks that would be based on gross gambling in April and May, have been reviewed yield( GGY) or a hybrid of turnover and will influence the regulator’ s( gross profit in this instance) and GGY.
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JENNIFER INNES“ iGaming hubs like Malta and Gibraltar are always going to be important to the sector, but their importance recently has been somewhat diluted” p72
WES HIMES“ The gambling space, despite being just a sliver of the overall UK economy, seems to command a disproportionate amount of attention” p76
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iGB L! VE 2025 • ISSUE 138 • 11