This Week's Breaking News

Here is a round-up of this week's top headlines and breaking news from the betting industry.

1) Podium , through its parent, PA Media Group,?announces?the acquisition of leading horse racing data company, iRace Media Pte Ltd . iRace Media works with B2B customers, including the The Hong Kong Jockey Club , Singapore Pools , 4Racing and Tabcorp , promoting their racing coverage across the Asian market via a range of data and content services. These include form guides and interactive tipping content, built on the region's most comprehensive racing database, with content localised and translated for each customer’s target markets. It also produces the iRace publication, the most extensive racing guide for Asian market consumers.?

iRace Media will continue to operate as a standalone business under CEO & founder, Steve Levar, who says: “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with PA Betting Services." He adds: “Through this acquisition, both companies will benefit from shared resources, expanded R&D capabilities, and a broader talent pool, enabling the development of racing solutions which will transform the racing landscape and create new growth opportunities.” PA Media Group CEO Clive Marshall says: “PA has delivered content and data with unrivalled accuracy and integrity to our customers in the racing world for over 60 years. The acquisition of iRace Media allows us to expand our reach and services to rightsholders, bookmakers, affiliates and media partners in ever more relevant and creative ways, utilising the power of our global racing database and distribution.”

2) Entain announces completion of its previously-agreed acquisition of next generation sports modelling, forecasting and data analytics platform Angstrom Sports. Operator reports as per announcement in July, it has paid an initial consideration of ￡81m with additional contingent payments totalling a maximum of ￡122m, payable over three years. It says Angstrom's proprietary offering "secures Entain as the only global operator with highly sophisticated in-house forecasting, analytics, risk and pricing capabilities for US sports betting markets".

3) Content from ESA Gaming goes live with MaxBet in Serbia - a partnership which marks the provider's first foray into a country that head of marketing Thomas Smallwood says offers "great potential for further growth". He adds: "We’ve gained great momentum this year, significantly extending the reach of our content and adding numerous new markets to our?repertoire."

4) RubyPlay announces entry to US market via a content distribution deal with social gaming operator Yellow Social Interactive , which it says will feature more than half of its gaming portfolio across numerous states. CPO Dr Eyal Loz says: "We are absolutely thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with Yellow Social Interactive. We want to provide an exceptional social casino experience that resonates with a broad audience, which is why we’ve worked hard to adapt our offering accordingly."

5) White Hat Gaming announces entry into New Zealand market via a partnership with Christchurch Casino Ltd. new online offering. Operator says deal involves its full-service platform, player account management, CRM marketing support, proprietary cashier, extensive payment options, 24/7 customer support and a comprehensive range of player protection tools. White Hat CEO Phillip Gelvan adds: "Our team’s efforts are focused on providing a fun and trustworthy user experience for Christchurch Casino online players."

6) Slot developer Wazdan boosts presence in Belgium via a deal with PepperMill Casino which is taking nine of its games live. CCO Andrzej Hyla says: "Our cutting-edge games and commitment to innovation align perfectly with PepperMill's values and aspirations. We look forward to providing their players with thrilling experiences and engaging content."

7) West Brom are best-priced 9/5 favourites with BetMGM and BetUK to beat Birmingham City in tonight's Championship match. Sky Bet, Paddy Power and William Hill all go 9/5 on a home victory, with the draw at 11/5 with bet365 , BetVictor and StarSports.

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