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BGC Members Make Record Horserace Betting Levy Contribution
Betting and Gaming Council members are expected to contribute a record £105m in levy payments to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for last year, new figures reveal.
The figure, provided by the independent Horserace Betting Levy Board, is an increase of £5m on the previous year.
As a result of this record additional funding from bookmakers, the HBLB announced an increase of £3.2m in its prize money contribution for 2024 versus 2023, from £67.3m to £70.5m.
It is the third year in a row that Levy contributions have increased, from £97m in 2021/22, to £100m in 2022/2023 and now £105m in 2023/2024.
According to the Horserace Betting Levy Board, the £105m total is derived from the receipt of provisional end of year submissions from most Levy-paying bookmakers.
Michael Dugher, Betting and Gaming Council CEO and Acting Chair, said: “This record contribution to the Levy is extremely welcome news and demonstrates once again the enduring, mission critical support regulated betting provides British horseracing.
“Despite a double digit decline in horserace betting turnover over the past five years – and a double digit decline in racecourse attendances – this shows that levy contributions and prize money are both up, and it once again provides a timely reminder that racing could not survive without the record financial support that is flowing from betting.
“Our members remain committed to the long-term success of horseracing, and the huge economic contribution it makes across the country, especially in rural communities.
“Attention must now turn to how we challenge vested interests, introduce real change and reform the sport, ensuring we reverse the current decline and provide racing with a genuinely long term sustainable future.”
Horseracing is the second biggest spectator sport in the UK, second only to football, with around five million people attending approximately 1400 fixtures annually across 59 racecourses.
However, the sport has been in decline in recent years. In 2007, 17% of the population enjoyed horserace betting the previous year, but that fell to 10% in 2018, while racecourse attendances have dropped by 14% since 2019.
Meanwhile, horserace betting turnover for April to December 2023 is down 17% vs the average for the same period across the last five years.
The BGC has made significant efforts to lessen the impacts on racing as a result of the Government’s White Paper on gambling reforms, particularly on the issue of affordability.
Earlier this month the BGC announced a new voluntary industry Code on Customer Checks which raises standards, while reducing the need for requests for private financial documents.
Developed jointly with the Gambling Commission and backed by Government, this Code will operate as a voluntary interim scheme – bringing consistency across the regulated sector for operators who adopt it – until the frictionless financial risk assessments set out in the Government’s White Paper can be developed, tested and implemented.
While this Code delivers progress on resolving the issue of intrusive document checks, it does not offer a complete solution. So, the BGC and GC are now actively working on a new Code on Anti-Money Laundering checks, which also trigger requests for documents.
The BGC is currently working with the British Horseracing Authority and government to resolve a settlement on a new voluntary Levy to support horseracing.
It is estimated BGC members contribute around £350m a year to British horseracing in Levy, media rights and sponsorship deals.
Meanwhile the wider regulated betting and gaming sector supports 110,000 jobs, generates £4.2bn in tax and contributes £7.1bn to the economy.
Each month around 22.5m adults in Britain enjoy a bet, whether it’s buying a lottery ticket, having a game of bingo, visiting a casino, playing online or having a wager on football, horseracing and other sports.
The most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that 0.4% of the adult population are problem gamblers.
The post BGC Members Make Record Horserace Betting Levy Contribution appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Operator publishes World Cup outright odds as of June 11 and promotes fast markets and bet builder products around the tournament.
GG.BET has launched its “Big Game Summer” campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, positioning the promotion around tournament betting and a “special tournament prize pool,” according to the company.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs across the USA, Canada and Mexico and expands to 48 teams, 104 matches and a 39-day schedule. Under the new format, the field is split into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group plus eight best third-placed teams moving into a newly added Round of 32.
GG.BET said its World Cup offering includes “Fast Markets” for selected matches and a Bet Builder product for custom combinations, alongside “exclusive tournament bonuses” and “fast payouts.” The company did not disclose the campaign’s prize pool size or any eligibility terms in the release.
The operator also published outright odds taken from gg.bet “as of 12:00 CET on June 11, 2026,” noting they are subject to change. GG.BET listed Portugal at 5.17, followed by Spain (5.77), Germany (5.87), England (7.2), Colombia (8.62), Argentina (9.88), France (9.89) and Brazil (10.38).
In the release, GG.BET pointed to the tournament opener on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa at Azteca Stadium, describing it as “the first stadium in history to host a men’s FIFA World Cup for the third time.”
The post GG.BET rolls out Big Game Summer campaign tied to FIFA World Cup 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Team Vitality is launching an official fan zone, V.Hub, to coincide with the 2026 IEM Cologne Major. The venue will run June 18-21 at KWB im Stadtpalais, a short walk from the LANXESS Arena.
Access to V.Hub will be free for fans who sign up, with limited availability. Team Vitality said the space is intended to bring together its community, partners and Counter-Strike fans attending the event.
The fan zone will include dedicated areas hosted by Team Vitality and partners Skin.Club, ASUS ROG, EVNIA and Blacklyte. The club said activations will include hands-on experiences and opportunities to play bespoke Counter-Strike maps.
Team Vitality also plans match watch parties, a pop-up shop for official merchandise and giveaways, including an ASUS ROG x Team Vitality co-branded mousepad. During the playoff stage, the club said V.Hub will be set up for trophy photo opportunities with its Major trophies.
Food and drink will be available on site throughout the event, including vegetarian options.
The post Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Sportradar’s iGaming brand leads with bracket-style World Football x2026, plus updates to Virtual Football and Lucky 6.
Playradar, Sportradar’s iGaming brand, has released four football-themed titles ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11. The drop includes two original games and two updated versions of existing products.
The releases are World Football x2026, Virtual Football World Championship 2026, Football Plinko Pro, and Lucky 6: Football edition. Playradar said the games are designed to target different player segments and to connect sports bettors and casino players through content that links both verticals.
The headline launch, World Football x2026, is a bracket-based game using Mines-style mechanics. Players pick outcomes from the Round of 16 and progress through each round to the final; one incorrect prediction ends the game, while a cash-out option is available.
The other launches include Football Plinko Pro, which adapts the plinko format to a football theme; Virtual Football World Championship 2026, which Playradar said runs a 32-team, 64-match World Cup structure with pre-match and in-play markets such as over/under goals and goalscorer; and Lucky 6: Football Edition, a bingo-style title using balls with flags from participating nations.
Edo Haitin, EVP of iGaming said: “The scale of the 2026 World Cup is unprecedented, with the sheer volume of fans entering markets worldwide creating huge demand for football-themed content, and the operators best placed to succeed are those with games that meet every need. These four titles have each been designed with that in mind. The World Cup attracts a huge spectrum of customers, and when taken together, this product stack provides operators with the tools needed to keep them engaged throughout the tournament.”
The post Playradar ships four football-themed casino games ahead of 2026 World Cup appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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