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 announces five-year partnership extension with Racecourse Media Group that will see its extensive range of betting products and data services delivered to RMG's broad portfolio of partners. As part of the deal, PABS will collect and distribute race day data for more than 750 fixtures every year - including flagship events such as the Cheltenham Festival, Randox Grand National and the Betfred Derby - and power the Racing TV website, app and TV channel with content. It will also distribute RMG’s 'in-running' service to bookmakers from RMG racecourses, further enhancing the racing experience for customers.

Racecourse Media Group director of racing Ed Gretton says renewed agreement with PA Betting Services is "a testament to the strong partnership we have built together". PABS director Eugene Delaney adds: "We truly value our long-standing relationship with RMG, with PABS now delivering RMG content to over 120 customers. We are committed to providing the best service to RMG and our bookmaker partners, and we are committed to continuing to drive innovation and customer satisfaction in the future."

2) 888holdings announces it is to sell its Latvian business Paf - Games Sport Casino in a deal that could total as much as ￡24.6m. Operator says business generated net revenue of ￡9.1m and Ebitda of ￡2.5m in 2022 and currently operates with a local licence, using its William Hill and Mr Green brands. It will provide Paf with a licence to continue the usage of brands for a limited period. Group says deal will allow it to "increase focus on core and growth markets", with executive chair Lord Mendelsohn adding: "We continually review our asset base to ensure that we are only holding assets that both contribute to our long-term strategy and will maximise value for our shareholders. As a business, our relatively limited exposure in the Baltic region means that the region is not one of our core or growth markets where we prioritise our investments."

Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt says of group's acquisition of 888's Latvian business: "We are thrilled to get the opportunity to continue to build on a great Latvian success story. With a long-term perspective, we are convinced that the Latvian market is moving in the direction of increased player protection and thereby a great strategic fit for Paf."

3) Entain reports that its strategic partnership with TAB to take over the running of the betting agency has been approved by the New Zealand minister for racing. It says 25-year deal is expected to commence on June 1, and involves a total consideration payable by Ladbrokes Coral parent and an ongoing gross profit share arrangement. Dean Shannon, Entain Australia & New Zealand CEO, says: "We believe this 25-year strategic partnering arrangement will be a game-changer for sports betting in New Zealand and we are pleased that it will help provide significant financial benefits to the three New Zealand racing codes and the vast array of national sporting organisations. Entain is a business built on innovation and being customer focused and we look forward to connecting further with the great team at TAB NZ to introduce a range of new world class products, services and player safety tools to the loyal TAB NZ customer base."

New Zealand racing minister Kieran McAnulty describes Entain's takeover of TAB NZ running operations as "one of the most significant days in New Zealand racing history", adding: "This deal will reverse falling revenues for racing and provides certainty over the coming years. Our racing industry is worth NZ$1.6 billion to the economy and directly employs 14,000 New Zealanders. It’s reliant on TAB NZ distributions, and if they were allowed to fall that would hit the industry hard and jobs and revenue lost."

4) Gambling technology provider Playtech issues trading update covering January 1-April 30. Group says it "continued to make good progress against its strategic objectives" across both its B2B and B2C divisions during the period, driven by "continued strong growth" at its Snaitech and Caliente Interactive brands in Italy and Mexico. It adds: "Although current growth rates are expected to moderate somewhat later in the year as a result of certain tailwinds in Q1, the board now expects 2023 adjusted Ebitda to be slightly ahead of current consensus expectations."??

Playtech CEO Mor Weizer says: "I am delighted to report that our strong start to the year has continued, with growth across both the B2B and B2C divisions. Our strategy of focusing on regulated or soon-to-be regulated markets, combined with Snaitech's impressive performance in Italy, means we remain well-positioned to make further progress and capitalise on the significant growth opportunities ahead."

5) Guild Gaming announces launch of 'No Room for Abuse' awareness campaign with partner Sky which it says will "champion inclusive gaming environments by raising awareness of the gender-based verbal harassment facing women gamers playing online". Campaign follows research involving more than 4,000 gamers, which found 49% of female players have experienced some level of abuse or harassment when playing or streaming online, a figure which rose to 75% for those aged 18-24. Guild CEO Jasmine Skee says: "We hope that by raising awareness of the abuse affecting female gamers through our #NoRoomForAbuse campaign, alongside a collective effort of support and education, we can make real progress in creating a better gaming experience for all."

6) Speaking ahead of online marketing and gaming operator's AGM this morning, XLMedia Plc chief executive?David King reports group enjoyed a "strong start" to Q1 trading, although says H1 revenues "are inevitably going to be below the prior comparator period of H1 2022, which benefited from the much-anticipated launch of online sports betting in New York". He adds: "We also note that the level of acquisition spend by operators in H1 2023 is not comparable to 2022, with less generous promotions available to attract new customers. This reflects our previous acknowledgement that growth in the US market will not be linear, with significant spikes generated by periodic state launches, however we continue to expect to be in line with our expectations for the full year."

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