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Most controversial VAR decisions revealed ahead of Premier League
- Kurt Zouma’s cancelled strike against Manchester United was named the most controversial VAR incident.
- 30.92% of all English Premier League matches have seen a VAR intervention.
- The data also shows a 23.96% year-on-year decrease in average VAR controversy.
- The Premier League appears to be tracking UEFA’s roll out, with changes made just 0.62% more frequently in the English top flight.
- PGMOL has announced a string of new rule changes.
The Premier League is hoping a string of new rule changes can inject new life into VAR technology when the 30th Premier League season gets underway on 13th August.
From thicker offside lines to new handball rules, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has set out its stall for the 2021-2022 domestic campaign which is almost upon us.
Accidental handballs in the build-up to goals will no longer be deemed an offence, while thicker offside lines will be used in order to eliminate situations where a goal is ruled out due to a toenail being offside.
And following a string of ‘armpit offsides’ last season, FIFA has also clarified that the bottom of a players’ armpit is to be classed as part of a players’ body.
While the technology’s use in the English top-flight has courted more than its fair share of detractors, Credible or VAR-cical by William Hill, can reveal a good level of progress has already been made with average controversy dropping by 29.36% last season.
The controversy rating of an incident, of which there has been 235 in total over the last two seasons, now sits at 5.14 having been 6.76 during its turbulent debut season. That equates to a change made by VAR every 3.23 matches.
Across the 504 matches under UEFA’s jurisdiction, from February 2019 through to the 2021 Champions League Final, there were 157 changes made, or a change every 3.21 matches.
Kurt Zouma’s cancelled strike against Manchester United in February 2020, ruled out by VAR official Chris Kavanagh, is considered the most controversial VAR call in Premier League history, with a controversy score of 10.7.
William Hill’s Credible or VAR-cical analysis has been tracking Premier League VAR incidents ever since Gabriel Jesus was ruled offside by David Coote on August 10, 2019 (the first ever VAR review in EPL history – rated at 7.92).
The data shows that in total, there have been a total of 235 incidents, or interventions, logged, with reactionary metrics such as Tweet volume, sentiment, articles generated and associated levels of engagement, culminating in a bespoke controversy rating being assigned to each.
Across the last two domestic campaigns, Wolverhampton (6.91) are the club which has been embroiled in the most controversial VAR incidents. Chelsea (6.5), Liverpool (6.34), Everton (6.25), Manchester United (6.19) make up the top five.
Brentford-based official Chris Kavanagh, who was promoted to the Select Group of referees in 2017, lands himself the unenviable title of ‘most controversial video assistant referee’, averaging 6.8.
David Coote (6.67), Kevin Friend (6.59), Lee Mason (6.51) and Andre Marriner (6.35) make up the rest of the top 5.
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Award-winning sportsbook provider strengthens LATAM presence by integrating with leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2, June 2026: Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider, has partnered with Atlaslive to integrate its fully managed sportsbook into the company’s iGaming platform ecosystem, expanding access to its award-winning sports betting technology for operators across Latin America.
Through the integration, Atlaslive-powered operators will gain access to Altenar’s complete sportsbook solution alongside the platform’s existing infrastructure, enabling operators to choose the sportsbook configuration that best aligns with their market strategy, regulatory requirements, and player acquisition goals.
The partnership further strengthens Altenar’s presence across LATAM and supports its strategy of making flexible, high-performance sportsbook technology available through leading platform providers. By combining Altenar’s sportsbook capabilities with Atlaslive’s scalable platform environment, operators benefit from greater deployment flexibility without compromising on performance, trading depth, or operational efficiency.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.
Altenar currently operates across more than 50 regulated jurisdictions and holds licences from major regulatory authorities including the UKGC, MGA and AGCO. Most recently, the company was recognised as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024.
Frederico Caputi, Senior Sales Manager at Altenar, said:
“We are pleased to partner with Atlaslive and bring our sportsbook technology to their growing operator network. This integration expands the reach of our fully managed sportsbook solution while giving operators more flexibility in how they build and scale their sports betting offering.
“Through this collaboration, operators gain access to a proven sportsbook product that combines live betting capabilities, advanced risk management, and extensive sports content with the speed and scalability required to succeed in competitive markets.”
Volodymyr Taftai, Country Director for Brazil at Atlaslive, added:
“Giving operators real choice in how they build their sportsbook is a competitive advantage – for them and for us. Altenar’s track record across regulated markets and their depth in risk management and trading make them the right partner to start with. We’re expanding our platform into a multi-sportsbook ecosystem because that’s what operators in today’s market need: flexibility without compromise on quality.”
The agreement reinforces Altenar’s commitment to building an open and adaptable sportsbook ecosystem that enables operators and platform providers to deliver differentiated sports betting experiences across regulated markets worldwide.
The post Altenar partners with Atlaslive to expand sportsbook offering across LATAM appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Award cites engagement features in EGT Digital’s Sportsbook, including Jackpot Sport and an Early Payout Suite.
EGT Digital has won the Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation award at the SiGMA Asia Awards 2026, the company said.
According to EGT Digital, the award recognises engagement features built into its Sportsbook product, aimed at combining live betting, gamification and real-time rewards in a single user experience.
The company highlighted Jackpot Sport, which it describes as a progressive jackpot integrated into live betting. EGT Digital said qualifying in-play bets also act as entries into a jackpot pool.
EGT Digital also pointed to its Early Payout Suite, which it said enables selected bets to settle before full time in specific match scenarios. The company said these features sit alongside its integration models, personalisation tools and promotional mechanics.
The post EGT Digital wins Sportsbook Player Experience Innovation at SiGMA Asia Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Award-winning sportsbook provider strengthens LATAM presence by integrating with leading iGaming platform ecosystem ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
2, June 2026: Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider, has partnered with Atlaslive to integrate its fully managed sportsbook into the company’s iGaming platform ecosystem, expanding access to its award-winning sports betting technology for operators across Latin America.
Through the integration, Atlaslive-powered operators will gain access to Altenar’s complete sportsbook solution alongside the platform’s existing infrastructure, enabling operators to choose the sportsbook configuration that best aligns with their market strategy, regulatory requirements, and player acquisition goals.
The partnership further strengthens Altenar’s presence across LATAM and supports its strategy of making flexible, high-performance sportsbook technology available through leading platform providers. By combining Altenar’s sportsbook capabilities with Atlaslive’s scalable platform environment, operators benefit from greater deployment flexibility without compromising on performance, trading depth, or operational efficiency.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, demand for scalable and reliable sportsbook technology is expected to increase significantly. The integration positions operators to capitalise on one of the highest-volume periods in the sports betting calendar with reduced implementation timelines and a proven sportsbook solution designed to perform under peak demand.
Altenar currently operates across more than 50 regulated jurisdictions and holds licences from major regulatory authorities including the UKGC, MGA and AGCO. Most recently, the company was recognised as Best Online Sportsbook Provider at the SiGMA South America Awards 2026, following its Sportsbook Supplier of the Year win at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2024.
Frederico Caputi, Senior Sales Manager at Altenar, said:
“We are pleased to partner with Atlaslive and bring our sportsbook technology to their growing operator network. This integration expands the reach of our fully managed sportsbook solution while giving operators more flexibility in how they build and scale their sports betting offering.
“Through this collaboration, operators gain access to a proven sportsbook product that combines live betting capabilities, advanced risk management, and extensive sports content with the speed and scalability required to succeed in competitive markets.”
Volodymyr Taftai, Country Director for Brazil at Atlaslive, added:
“Giving operators real choice in how they build their sportsbook is a competitive advantage – for them and for us. Altenar’s track record across regulated markets and their depth in risk management and trading make them the right partner to start with. We’re expanding our platform into a multi-sportsbook ecosystem because that’s what operators in today’s market need: flexibility without compromise on quality.”
The agreement reinforces Altenar’s commitment to building an open and adaptable sportsbook ecosystem that enables operators and platform providers to deliver differentiated sports betting experiences across regulated markets worldwide.
The post Altenar partners with Atlaslive to expand sportsbook offering across LATAM appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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