Entain, the global sports betting and gaming group, has successfully and fully deployed its proprietary Group BetStation (GBS) platform across all Ladbrokes and Coral shops in the UK and Ireland.

This marks a major milestone in Entain’s digital retail transformation concluding a journey that began with the launch of the first GBS terminal in Feltham in November 2020 and culminated with the final installation in Swansea. In total, over 2400 shops were upgraded across the UK and Ireland.

GBS by numbers:

• Over 2400 shops upgraded across the UK and Ireland

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• 12000 betting terminals converted

• Strong growth in “Other sports” betting

• Grand National bets placed via GBS up by more than half year-on-year

• Football bet builder activity has doubled in the last six months.

GBS is a fully in-house developed, self-service betting solution that delivers a market-leading digital type experience to retail customers. Built entirely from the ground up, the project has converted 12,000 terminals and is now the primary sports betting channel across Entain’s retail estate. The deployment is the result of thousands of hours of development and testing, reflecting significant investment in technology and innovation.

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Fiona Wallace, Head of Self-Service Betting Terminals at Entain, said: “Five years ago, Entain set out to deliver a best-in-class betting experience for our UK and Ireland retail customers, through our BetStation terminals. Our software, which tech teams have worked tirelessly on over that period, is market leading, offering customers far more than we did in the past.

“This hard work has meant that all BetStation terminals across our retail estate have now been converted to Group BetStation, this is a transformational achievement. It has redefined the in-shop experience, driven engagement, and accelerated our journey toward retail digitalisation.”

Key to the platform’s success has been extensive collaboration across Entain’s Retail, Product & Technology, Commercial and Operational teams globally — including colleagues from the UK, Austria, Gibraltar, India and beyond. Feedback from over 14,000 UK retail employees has shaped product refinement, ensuring GBS delivers intuitive, responsive and feature-rich functionality.

GBS is reshaping customer behaviour in retail, enabling a shift towards more complex and personalised bets, including accumulators and bet builders. As a result, GBS has become the home for innovative betting formats and is central to Entain’s broader multi-channel growth strategy.

An online gambling business has been fined £170,000 by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for regulatory failures including the use of unfair terms and conditions.

Taichi Tech Limited – trading as Fafabet – will also have to undergo a third-party audit to ensure it is effectively implementing its anti-money laundering and safer gambling policies, procedures and controls.

A Commission investigation revealed Taichi Tech Limited had stated that: “Fafabet have the right at their own discretion to close accounts or forfeit winnings” within their bonus terms for new casino promotions.

The Gambling Commission’s investigation concluded that Taichi Tech Limited breached the fair and open licensing condition by including a discretionary term allowing the operator to close customer accounts or forfeit winnings without clear justification. Such terms lack transparency and may lead to unfair outcomes for consumers.

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The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) is the general consumer protection legislation, and it is explicitly referenced within the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) that gambling companies must follow. The LCCP requires licensees to ensure that their terms and practices are fair, clear, and do not breach consumer protection law. Operators must therefore have regard to the CRA as part of their overall compliance obligations under the LCCP.

The investigation also found failures relating to anti-money laundering and social responsibility breaches.

Examples included:

• some customers were able to gamble large sums within a short period of time, despite the operator holding limited customer information

• in certain cases, individuals exhibiting potential markers of harm — such as high-velocity spending over short periods — received insufficient customer interaction from the operator

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• where safer gambling emails were sent but not acknowledged by the customer and concerning behaviour continued, there was no further follow-up or intervention by the operator.

John Pierce, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence at the Gambling Commission, said: “We expect all operators — regardless of their size or customer base — to comply with consumer protection legislation and ensure their terms and conditions meet regulatory standards.

“Licensed operators must ensure their terms are clear, fair, and transparent, so customers fully understand what to expect.”

He added that the Commission’s assessment identified deficiencies in the operator’s social responsibility and anti-money laundering controls, including failures to effectively manage risk and implement adequate consumer protection measures.

The operator has acknowledged that it previously fell short of the standards expected by the Commission and has since taken steps to address these shortcomings. As part of the regulatory outcome, the operator is required to commission an independent third-party audit to provide assurance of ongoing compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements.

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Following an in-depth review by all relevant licensing and regulatory bodies, the Austrian gaming technology group NOVOMATIC has successfully completed its acquisition of the French Vikings Casinos group. This move will strengthen the company’s presence in one of Europe’s most important gaming markets and underscores its long-term focus on sustainable growth and international diversification.

Established in Falaise in 1998, the Vikings Casinos group is one of the leading casino operators in France and has over 300 employees. The company currently operates around 1,000 gaming terminals in more than 10 live casinos across the country, including prime locations along the Côte d’Azur. The acquisition will enable NOVOMATIC to substantially enlarge its portfolio of services in one of Europe’s largest gaming regions and forge ahead with its international growth strategy.

“The acquisition of Vikings Casinos is a key part of our efforts to build up NOVOMATIC’s presence on international markets in a targeted manner. France is one of the most dynamic and most challenging gaming markets in Europe. By making this investment, we are not only reinforcing our leading position in Europe but also demonstrating our clear commitment to our long-term global expansion strategy,” says Stefan Krenn, Executive Board Member of the NOVOMATIC AG.

The fact that French regulatory approval has been obtained is not only a testament to the confidence in the expertise and reliability of NOVOMATIC, but also opens the door to plans for further developing the French casino business under the umbrella of a leading global gaming technology group.

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