This Week’s Top News Stories…
- Independent bookmaker #Corbett has been fined ï¿¡686,070 by The Gambling Commission for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures. The regulator's director of enforcement John Pierce said: "This operator has failed to adhere to vital regulations designed to make gambling safer and free from criminal activity. As a result, it will not only pay a significant fine but also undergo a rigorous audit to ensure full compliance with anti-money laundering and safer gambling measures."?
- DraftKings Inc. could enter the growing prediction market arena, a filing with the National Futures Association for a business called #DraftKingsPredict has indicated. Paperwork shows a DraftKings address and phone number, while co-founder and CEO Jason Robins' name is mentioned. Co-founder Paul Liberman will reportedly be the new company's CEO.?
- FDJ UNITED CEO Stephane Pallez has spoken of her "immense pride" at the group's rebrand from Fran?aise des Jeux. She said: "The privatisation of the group in 2019 was a major step in our evolution, along with the acquisition of the Irish lottery operator #PLI in 2023, and then Kindred Group plc in 2024. These events placed us as one of Europe’s top three gaming operators, reinforcing our solid foundation and diversifying our capabilities.â€
- bet365 has launched a 'non-runner no bet' offer for this year's #GrandNational at #Aintree. The offer allows punters to place bets with the pledge of a refund if their selection does not run. The operator's racing expert Pat Cooney said: "Friday’s #Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning Inothewayurthinkin is clearly the best handicapped horse in the Aintree Grand National but connections will be in no hurry to confirm his participation in the big race next month. Saturday’s Midland Grand National saw an emphatic win by Mr Vango, who made virtually all the running to defy top weight of 12 stone. He’s one to consider at our 25/1 with the NRNB angle, as he is very much soft ground-dependent and will only run if ground conditions suit."
- Big names and competitive races helped the Cheltenham Festival betting turnover buck the recent trend, according to bookmakers. Simon Clare, PR director for Entain's UK brands, said: "While the Mares' Hurdle performed reasonably well in terms of betting this year, the value of big-name horses running against each other in feature races can clearly be seen in this year's chart versus last year so, if there are to be further changes, anything that ensures the best mares run in the Champion Hurdle or Stayers' Hurdle rather than the Mares' Hurdle would seem a positive move." Sky Betting & Gaming head of sports PR Michael Shinners said: "In general, turnover held up well over the festival, particularly as results were not punter-friendly in the main. The tweaking of the racing programme, taking out the old Turners Novices' Chase and replacing it with a competitive handicap, probably helped."
- #Cheltenham boss Guy Lavender said the issue of value is "critical" to boosting crowds at the Festival. Some 218,839 attended across the four days last week, down from last year's figure of just under 230,000. Wednesday's Champion Chase figure of 41,949 was a low mark in recent years. Speaking as tickets go on sale for 2026, with prices left the same, Lavender said: "There has been a big debate around price and value at the Festival, which I have recognised, but we have had no increase for this year from last and we won’t have an increase for 2026 either. In fact, there will be a small element of increased value for those that buy in the early bird window. We are very mindful of price – tickets are only one component and I think there are other things we need to look at. The value proposition is, for me, critical. We have got to get this bit right to drive the numbers and enthusiasm for the Festival, but again there’s an optimum (attendance) number, not a maximum number, which I think we should focus on and then you can deliver the level of customer experience people expect."