Compliance Updates

Social gaming disruptor PickGuru is granted a UK Gambling Commission licence and announces TikTok executive to lead the business

Published

4 years ago

December 8, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

PickGuru, a brand new social gaming platform, announced that it has secured a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence. They also confirm the appointment of TikTok executive Olly Roland-Jones as chief executive officer (CEO).

The platform allows friends and fans to challenge and compete with each other in a wide range of live and engaging sports prediction games. The acquisition of the UKGC licence is an important milestone in the company’s journey towards revolutionising the interaction between real-money wagering and live sport.

Backed by the most successful sports entrepreneurs in the UK, PickGuru will offer users a unique peer-to-peer experience and the opportunity to test their sporting knowledge to win cash prizes.

Powered by seamless real-time data feeds, PickGuru leaderboards will update dynamically as live events progress and provide sports gurus with an edge-of-the-seat experience.

Paul Watkins, chief operating officer and co-founder of PickGuru, said: “Securing a UKGC licence marks a significant step in the company’s history. We’re excited to bring our platform to market in early 2022.”

Paul Cobley, chief technical officer and co-founder, said: “Our platform incorporates a number of elements around gaming, social interaction and betting.

“We really try to emphasise the skill aspect of our games whilst keeping a firm eye on responsibility. We’re really excited to welcome users onboard and we’re confident they will love the experience.”

Roland-Jones joins the business before launch as the group’s first ever CEO. He makes the move from social media giant TikTok and has previously held management roles at sports content providers onSport and cleverGames.

Oliver Slipper, chairman and co-founder of PickGuru, said: “We can move to the next phase on our journey after securing our UKGC licence and closing our £2.6m seed round last month. I’m delighted to welcome Olly Roland-Jones to lead the business as our CEO. Olly brings a wealth of experience in both fantasy games and social media, which we feel will be vital to the success of this business”.

Roland-Jones added: “When Oliver Slipper first approached me about the concept of PickGuru I was instantly drawn to the unique opportunity. It will be a game changer and I’m excited to work with the team to bring the idea to life and lead the business into 2022 and beyond.”

Australia

Regulating the Game Global Awards: First-Ever Winners Announced

Published

44 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

regulating-the-game-global-awards:-first-ever-winners-announced

Regulating the Game has declared the winners of the first RTG Global Awards, honoring exceptional leadership, stewardship, and excellence in gambling policy and regulation, safer gambling practices, compliance, technology, and community results.

The Awards were created to recognize the people, groups, and innovations that significantly contribute to integrity, public trust, and sustainable progress in the sector. After substantial worldwide involvement in the first year, victors have now been chosen in all six categories by an impartial judging panel made up of senior leaders with knowledge across industry, law, integrity, governance, and safer gambling.

The 2026 RTG Global Award winners are:

• Leadership Voice — Danny Munk, Wests Illawarra
• Safer Gambling Champion — Gamble Alert
• Compliance Excellence — Dominic Monti, Wests Illawarra
• RegTech Solution of the Year — Cherry Hub
• Community Impact Initiative — Nathan Reeves, Unibet
• Emerging Leader — Michael Simone, Bankstown Sports

The award winners showcase the diversity of leadership throughout the sector, from individuals steering the industry with vision and intent to those promoting excellence in compliance, innovation, responsible gambling, and community engagement.

RTG Founder and Principal at Vanguard Overwatch, Paul Newson, said the inaugural winners had set a strong benchmark for future years: “The inaugural RTG Global Awards were established to recognise substance, integrity and measurable contribution across the sector. This year’s winners represent the calibre of leadership, innovation and commitment required to strengthen regulatory practice, improve industry capability and deliver better outcomes for communities.”

“What distinguishes these recipients is not simply professional achievement, but their contribution to lifting standards, advancing safer gambling, strengthening compliance and demonstrating leadership in areas that matter to public confidence and sector credibility.”

The quality of this year’s nominations resulted in a very competitive field, with finalists chosen from an exceptional group of candidates in every category. Being shortlisted was already a noteworthy accomplishment, showcasing the quality of work, leadership, and contributions made by the finalists, while the eventual winners came from an incredibly competitive group.

The winners were selected following an independent assessment process led by a judging panel comprising:
• Don Hammond, Chief Executive Officer, Leagues Clubs Australia
• Jamie Nettleton, Former President, International Masters of Gaming Law and Partner, Addisons
• Khalid Ali, Chief Executive Officer, International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)
• Tracy Parker, Senior Vice-President – Accreditation, Advisory and Insights, Responsible Gambling Council (Canada)

The RTG Global Awards form part of the broader Regulating the Game program, which brings together regulators, industry leaders, compliance professionals and innovators to examine critical issues, advance policy dialogue and strengthen sector capability.

The post Regulating the Game Global Awards: First-Ever Winners Announced appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Smarkets Files for CFTC License to Enter U.S. Prediction Markets

Published

44 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

smarkets-files-for-cftc-license-to-enter-us.-prediction-markets

Smarkets, one of the UK’s leading prediction markets, has filed for a license with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), marking its formal entry into the U.S. prediction markets space. Built on nearly two decades of technology development and approximately $50 billion in lifetime trading volume, the company is bringing a genuinely different model to America – one where prices are set by participants, not the house.

The filing opens two parallel regulatory tracks: a federal route through the CFTC for its core exchange platform, and state-by-state sportsbook licensing for its SBK product.

Founded in 2008 and now the number two prediction market in the UK, Smarkets owns its full technology stack end-to-end, including its matching engine, market-making capability, payments and data settlement systems. The company processes approximately $3 billion in annual traded volume and is profitable. Unlike traditional sportsbooks, which build margins of around 10+ percent into every price, Smarkets operates as a financial exchange with prices being determined in an open marketplace.

“The U.S. market is currently in a race against time to figure out how to regulate the predictions market. For the last nearly two decades, we’ve built Smarkets slow and steady, ensuring we built an exchange platform that did not cut corners and operated with transparency, putting the power into the hands of traders rather than the house. We believe now is the time to enter the U.S. market and bring the learnings that have made us successful in the UK, working with regulators, not around them,” said Jason Trost, founder and CEO.

Smarkets is backed by Susquehanna, one of the world’s largest quantitative trading firms, which led a $30M Series B. Previous investors include Passion Capital and DTCP.

The post Smarkets Files for CFTC License to Enter U.S. Prediction Markets appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Compliance Updates

REEVO Secures Greek Licence for Games and Aggregation Platform

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Wladimir P.

reevo-secures-greek-licence-for-games-and-aggregation-platform

REEVO has announced that it has officially secured regulatory approval in Greece, marking a major milestone in the company’s continued expansion across Europe’s regulated iGaming markets.

The licence, issued by the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP), grants REEVO a Manufacturer Suitability Licence (Category A1), enabling the company to supply its REEVO in-house games and aggregation platform to licensed operators within the Greek market.

The approval also includes the company’s registration in the EEEP Registry of Manufacturers, reinforcing REEVO’s position as a trusted and compliant technology provider within one of Europe’s most established regulated jurisdictions.f

“This licence represents an important step forward for REEVO. Greece is a key regulated market in Europe, and being approved for both our proprietary games and aggregation platform allows us to deliver the complete REEVO experience to operators and players across the country,” said Karl Grech, Head of Business Development at REEVO.

The Greek licence further strengthens REEVO’s growing footprint across regulated jurisdictions, as the company continues to deliver premium gaming content, advanced aggregation technology and fully compliant solutions to operators worldwide.

The post REEVO Secures Greek Licence for Games and Aggregation Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.