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Betting Shops in England Eligible for Grants of up to £6000 a Site in £5B Recovery Plan

The UK Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) has welcomed the announcement ahead of Wednesday’s Budget that non-essential retail businesses such as betting shops will be eligible for direct cash grants of up to £6000 per site, although the bookmaker trade body has reiterated its call for an extension of business rates relief for a further year.
Details of the grant scheme came as part of a series of announcements ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s annual budget speech, in which he is set to reveal a new grant scheme totalling £5 billion to aid the recovery of high-street businesses in England.
Nearly 700,000 shops, restaurants, hotels, hair salons, gyms and other businesses in England will be eligible for “restart grants,” to be distributed directly to firms by local authorities from April. It will replace the current monthly grant system.
Under the budget plans, non-essential retail will be eligible for direct cash grants of up to £6000 to help them start trading again when allowed to do so, while hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England – which will remain closed for longer under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown – will be able to apply for grants of £18,000 per site.
“The BGC would warmly welcome any additional support for betting shops, be that business rates or grants, particularly giving the pressure independent betting shops are under,” a spokesman for the BGC said.
Racecourses and bookmakers in England were given a clear set of dates to work towards for reopening last week when prime minister Boris Johnson gave the first details of a timetable for leaving lockdown.
Non-essential retail, which has for most of the pandemic included betting shops, will form part of phase two of the plan, with April 12 the provisional date for reopening if vaccination rates rise and hospitalisations drop sufficiently.
BGC chief executive Michael Dugher has written to Sunak ahead of the budget setting out a five-point plan for more business support to “unlock the power of the high street and drive economic growth.”
Dugher said in his letter: “With premises shut for much of the past year, this would help protect jobs and remove a major financial pressure on businesses that have suffered a significant loss of income during the pandemic.”
Dugher pointed to the fact that licensed betting offices had been severely impacted by the various regional and national lockdowns over the past ten months, with revenues for this sector falling by 45% in 2020.
The letter also seeks assurance that funding for devolved administrations is made available to all business sectors in need. While businesses in England and Northern Ireland have benefited from business rates relief since last April, the Scottish and Welsh governments took the decision not to provide support for gambling companies.
“The UK Government’s backing for business stands in stark contrast to the refusal of the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland to offer business rates relief to our members,” states the letter.
“This has sadly had a disproportionate impact on our smaller independent businesses, many of them family run, which have faced making staff redundant and an uncertain future.”
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Rivalry Provides Update on Management Cease Trade Order

Rivalry Corp. (the “Company” or “Rivalry”) (TSXV: RVLY) (OTCQX: RVLCF) (FSE: 9VK), is providing this bi-weekly update on the status of a management cease trade order granted on May 1, 2025 (the “MCTO”) by its principal regulator, the Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”), under National Policy 12-203 – Management Cease Trade Orders (“NP 12-203”). On May 2, 2025, the Company announced that there would be a delay in the filing of its annual financial statements, management’s discussion and analysis and related CEO and CFO certificates for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (collectively, the “Annual Filings”), as required under applicable Canadian securities laws (the “Default Announcement”). As stated in the Default Announcement, the Company expects to complete the Annual Filings by June 30, 2025.
The Company advises that: (i) there have been no material changes to the information contained in the Default Announcement; (ii) it intends to continue to comply with the alternative information guidelines of NP 12-203; and (iii) except as previously disclosed, there are no subsequent specified defaults (actual or anticipated) within the meaning of NP 12-203.
The MCTO will remain in effect until the Company is no longer in default with respect to its filing requirements and the OSC lifts the cease trade order.
The post Rivalry Provides Update on Management Cease Trade Order appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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ELA Games Continues Its Expansion With of Peter Vonarshenko, Senior Business Development Manager

The appointment marks a crucial milestone in the studio’s growth
ELA Games, an innovative game development studio, announces the appointment of Peter Vonarshenko as Senior Business Development Manager.
Peter has garnered vast experience as a business development manager in the industry and has been a key growth factor in previous roles. His communication and sales skills, which have helped him develop relationships and negotiate deals with key industry players, will be a crucial asset for ELA Games going forward.
Together, ELA Games and Peter will work to solidify the studio’s position as a leading game development company and continue its growth. As Senior Business Development Manager, he will help with creating new, fruitful partnerships.
Peter Vonarshenko commented on the appointment, “It’s a pleasure to work with ELA Games after hearing about the company for a while. The studio’s vision and innovative content resonates with me, and I look forward to helping ELA Games grow into an online gaming powerhouse.”
ELA Games’ appointment of Peter highlights the studio’s proactive approach to its growth ambitions. This key leadership recruitment will drive our strategic growth and industry positioning.
The post ELA Games Continues Its Expansion With of Peter Vonarshenko, Senior Business Development Manager appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Kaizen Gaming Displays the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League Trophies in Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania

Trophy exhibitions in Romania, Portugal, and Bulgaria give fans unforgettable moments. Legendary goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, joins the celebrations in Sofia.
Kaizen Gaming, one of the world’s biggest GameTech companies and owner of the Betano online sports betting and gaming brand, has joined forces with UEFA to bring the UEFA Europa League and Conference League trophies closer to European fans. Namely, the trophies were displayed in Romania, Portugal and for the first time in Bulgaria. The events are part of Betano’s 3-year global sponsorship of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League from the 2024/25 to the 2026/27 season.
The exclusive presentation of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League trophies took place at the Sofia Event Center in the Paradise Center mall on April 29th, with special guest UEFA Ambassador and legendary Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon. Recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in football history, Buffon attracted intense media interest and was surrounded by fans during the event.
“I am truly honored to join the Betano Trophy Event as a UEFA Ambassador,” said Gianluigi Buffon. “It is a great opportunity to visit Sofia for the first time and engage with such a passionate football community. I’m excited to share this experience with Bulgarian fans and celebrate the spirit of the game together.”
Also in attendance at the event were Bulgarian football legend Krasimir Balakov and one of the favourite names of Bulgarian pop-folk – Galena.
Ιn January, the trophies were displayed to football fans in Romania in an unforgettable event at Park Lake Shopping Center, in Bucharest. The event drew big crowds of enthusiastic football fans who got to see the trophies in person while also enjoying a meet and greet with players from Fotbal Club FCSB, Romania’s current league champions, sponsored by Betano.
The trophies were also displayed in Porto, Portugal, where over 1,700 fans got up close with them. In addition to seeing the trophies in person, fans were also welcomed by former FC Porto captain and 2011 UEFA Europa League winner, Helton. During the event, the renowned goalkeeper reminisced about the all-Portuguese Europa League final in Dublin in 2011 and the fantastic moment of lifting the trophy in front of FC Porto’s fans.
Betano will look to host further UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League events in new locations during the next season.
The post Kaizen Gaming Displays the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League Trophies in Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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