This Week's Sports Betting Update

Hi there, we’ve taken a look at what’s news, trending and being talked about in the sports betting world this week. Grab a coffee, take five minutes and we’ll fill you in on everything you need to know.

One big story?

Gamstop celebrates biggest registration figures since inception

Gamstop, the UK’s self-exclusion scheme for licensed online gambling sites, has posted record registration figures at the start of 2025.

The Gamstop Group saw the highest daily figures since its inception in 2018, with 415 users joining on New Year’s Day, 413 sign-ups on 2nd January and 396 on 6th January. All three figures are the strongest daily registration figures since May 2023.

Gamstop has sought to improve its support options for its most vulnerable users who want to limit their access to iGaming platforms. The implementation of a new five-year self-exclusion option, which automatically renews, has been met with approval from many users.

The five-year plan now stands alongside Gamstop’s existing five-year exclusion plan, along with its six and 12-month options.

Click here to hear from Gamstop Group CEO Fiona Palmer on the scheme’s latest updates.

What you need to know

Commercial

• Flutter Entertainment has posted a profit warning for its US sportsbook FanDuel following a string of very unfavourable sports results through November and December. In its latest trading update, Flutter anticipates FanDuel falling ￡297m short of its revenue expectations, due largely to the new 24/25 NFL season featuring the highest rate of winning favourites in almost 20 seasons. More
• UK-based bet365 returned to profit in its 2023/24 trading year, posting operating profits of ￡396m. The Stoke-on-Trent-based bookmaker reversed its disappointing 2022/23 trading year, which generated losses worth ￡25m. bet365’s corporate revenues were up 9% year-on-year, standing at ￡3.72bn. More
• Paddy Power pledged to donate ￡1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every 180 scored at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship. With 907 180s achieved, Paddy Power has donated ￡907,000. It also pledged to donate ￡60,000 for every nine-dart finish, of which two were achieved during the championship. This takes their total donations to ￡1.027m. More
• DraftKings has launched a new subscription-based service, dubbed DraftKings Sportsbook+. The service has been trialled with a select group of New York-based bettors. It’s the first of its kind, giving users odds boosts on parlays up to $25. The move is an apparent attempt to mitigate its tax burden in New York state. More

Regulation

Brazil’s head of the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) is confident about tackling the scourge of its gambling black market. Regis Dudena believes its IP and Pix blocking proposals will make the environment unsustainable. Brazil’s legalised online gambling market launched on 1st January, with SPA overseeing the enforcement of the sector. More

Technology

Abios has penned a deal with Bingoal to provide its all-in-one Esoccer odds solution, spanning its match odds, live streams and betting widgets. The Kambi Group-owned firm currently provides 12,600+ Esoccer games to partnered sportsbooks every month, delivering around-the-clock Esoccer content. More

People news

Joakim Andersson named Evolution’s new CFO

Evolution has confirmed the appointment of Joakim Andersson as its new chief financial officer. The move comes after the resignation of long-serving CFO, Jacob Kaplan.

Kaplan, who held the post since 2016, will retain an advisory role for the firm in the interim period.

Evolution CEO Martin Carlesund believes Andersson will strengthen the team and better position the company in its next development steps. Andersson previously spent time as CFO of Swedish software firm Cint Group, as well as Swedish investment firm Kinnevik.

Click here to learn more about Andersson’s role, as well as the uncertainty surrounding Evolution’s UK operating licence after the UK Gambling Commission launched a review into its UK-based services.

This week's talking point

Has the US sports betting market learnt from the UK to shape its regulatory framework?

Racing Post’s industry editor Bill Barber touched base with a recent hearing by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the legalisation of sports betting statewide.

The committee’s chair senator Dick Durbin described the repeal of PASPA in 2018 as an opening of the floodgates. Durbin also acknowledged that it had become practically impossible not to view ads encouraging bets in-play. Durbin insisted that Congress should take time to decide a regulatory framework for the industry going forward.

Barber also pointed to a post-Christmas headline from the Washington Post, which described the legalisation as a terrible bet for the nation.

However, the impending election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term appears to have allayed fears of federal interventions, since Trump has long been a proponent of gambling and legal sports betting.

Barber believes US gambling operators need to take a close look at what’s happening across the Atlantic in the UK market to try to find a way forward for safer gaming.

Click here to learn more about the recent Safe Bet Act and Grit Act which sought to limit gambling advertising during live sports events and generate funds to support gambling addiction treatments.

This week's insight

Why a targeted, localised approach is the route to success in the LatAm iGaming market

A plethora of opportunities lie in store for iGaming brands across Latin America. That’s the view of Quixant’s vice-president of business development for Spain and Latin America, Patricia Sout Rial.

However, success in the LatAm market isn’t without its challenges either. Sout Rial points to the fragmented legal landscape, which is a sizeable hurdle to overcome. However, Sout Rial also noted the latest projections from H2 Gambling, which estimate total gross gaming revenues of ￡7.15bn for the LatAm market by 2028. All of which makes it an opportunity that cannot be ignored by brands.

Sout Rial believes the key to success in individual LatAm markets is investing the time and energy in understanding the unique demands of consumers in every nation. This includes forging partnerships to leverage local skills, operational infrastructure and first-class customer support.

The jewel in the crown of the LatAm market? Sout Rial believes this will be Brazil, thanks to its 210 million population and its now-established legal framework.

Click here to understand more about Sout Rial’s five pillars to success in the LatAm iGaming industry from 2025 and beyond.

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