Australia
Live horse racing data giants agree landmark merger
Total Performance Data and tripleSdata have come together to create the world’s largest automated distributor of live horse racing performance data to racecourses, stakeholders, bookmakers, media and racing fans.
Under the terms of the deal, TPD and tSd will become a merged entity. The merger will result in the combined company supplying live and post-race performance data from over 100 racetracks in 11 different countries, 365 days a year. Amongst the 5000+ race days tracked will be many of racing’s most valuable and notable races including the $150 million of prize money at The Breeders’ Cup, The Saudi Cup, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Melbourne Cup, Royal Ascot, The Pegasus, St Leger, The US Triple Crown and much more.
Racing fans will be able to access the live and post-race tracking data to contextualise the performances of the world’s leading thoroughbreds. Additionally, TPD’s unique automated in-play odds can be made available for all racecourses across the world providing fans the ability to bet on these prestigious events after the off.
Crucial to TPD’s success has been the long-term vision to create new revenue streams for racecourses. With over £50 million now bet on their in-play odds, this is now a reality. Entain, Sky Bet, William Hill, Bet Victor and Boylesports all leverage the fully automated and neural network inspired live odds.
tSd’s founders Carlos Santo and Sebastian Scholz will join TPD’s Board and assist with day-to-day management of a team of over 40 people globally. With offices in London and Sydney, Brad Higgins will drive APAC sales, while John McBroom will lead the global sales effort. More talent is set to be added to existing teams of engineers, data scientists, machine learning and AI experts and a new sensor fusion division specialising in computer vision to further enhance the next generation of racing insights.
Will Duff Gordon, CEO of TPD, commented: “We are extremely pleased to welcome the passionate and determined tripleSdata team to create a global champion of racehorse tracking and revenue generation. We are aware that today’s consolidated bookmakers seek the maximum amount of product from each partner, and we’re pleased to add three more countries of top class racing to the existing eight.
“The scale of the combined company unlocks the level of investment and expertise that racing needs to tell its story through advanced data. The effort to bring live racing from 12 time zones across 11 countries on five continents for 24/7 live action is testament to the partnerships built by TPD and tSd with the likes of Arena Racing Company, Equibase, Sky Sports Racing, At The Races, Emirates Racing Authority, Ascot, Australian Turf Club, Racing New South Wales, Racing Queensland, Racing Victoria, Racing South Australia, Singapore and Auckland Thoroughbred Racing.
“As with all industries and sports, the sport of horse racing is having to compete hard for attention. TPD and its racecourse partners share a vision that the tracking content can make the sport more appealing, and in the process make betting more fun. With multiple updates per second on speed, position and stride the goal remains to lift the lid on how horses run in order to engage a new generation of data hungry sports fans. We are confident this deal goes a long way to achieving that goal.”
Carlos Santo, CEO of tSd commented: “This merger brings together two visionary companies dedicated to pushing the boundaries of possibilities through technology and poised to unlock new opportunities and expand our product offerings.
“This marks the beginning of an exciting journey. Together, we will continue to innovate, adapt, and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape, delivering unmatched data solutions and experiences to our customers and stakeholders in the racing and wagering industries.”
Sebastian Scholz, CTO of tSd commented: “We are thrilled about this landmark merger and eagerly anticipate the incorporation of the two development teams from Total Performance Data and tripleSdata.
“This merger is not just a joining of forces; it’s a catalyst for ground-breaking product development. We are poised for significant growth, aiming to expand our teams in the realms of artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud-based applications, equine welfare, sensor fusion, computer vision, in-play betting, and graphics applications.”
TPD Chairman, Eamonn Wilmott, commented: “In over 40 years of doing M&A deals, I have to say this was one of the most obvious fits I’ve ever seen.
“Carlos and Sebastian have built an amazing company, and we are delighted to join forces together. They care passionately about the future of racing, and we will all work together to help drive maximum revenues back into the sport. From the very first conversations through negotiations and due diligence they have been an absolute pleasure to work with and we are all extremely excited about the future we can now build together.”
Victorian venues are putting young people at risk when they turn a blind eye to, or otherwise fail to prevent, minors entering poker machine areas, according to Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) CEO Suzy Neilan.
Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) was fined $38,000 without conviction in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for offences involving 3 minors at 3 venues on 4 dates in 2024.
ALH pleaded guilty to 6 charges, having self-reported the breaches to the VGCCC, which Ms Neilan said was important to recognise as a positive step towards improving industry practices.
“Being accountable for wrongdoing demonstrates integrity, which has been a focus of the VGCCC’s ongoing work with gambling operators,” she said.
“But it’s not enough to own up after the fact. Venues must be proactive about ensuring that minors do not access poker machine areas by ensuring they have in place appropriate systems, processes and staff.
“Operators should undertake a risk assessment and put in place controls to prevent minors from entering gambling areas. Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is for adults only and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age.”
Ms Neilan said it was not acceptable that any Victorian clubs and hotels – in this case, the Cramers and Excelsior hotels – were repeat offenders.
A 17-year-old was able to enter the poker machine area of Cramers Hotel in Preston multiple times without having to show ID, despite several interactions with staff and visits to the poker machine area on 24 January 2024. Staff intervened on 25 January 2024 only after the underage teen placed his belongings next to a poker machine.
Separately, a child in the company of 2 adults entered the poker machine area of the Excelsior Hotel in Thomastown on 24 April 2024. The child, who was seated with one of the adults, pressed buttons on the poker machine before they were both escorted from the area.
And on 27 September 2024, a 14-year-old boy entered the poker machine room of the Mountain View Hotel in Glen Waverley and gambled on a poker machine before staff intervened.
Ms Neilan said the VGCCC would continue to be vigilant about prosecuting venues for allowing minors to access the gambling areas of their premises, but that “prevention is better than cure”.
“I encourage all hotels and clubs to review their operations, including staff training, and consider making any adjustments required to ensure compliance with the law.”
In addition to the fine, the Magistrate ordered ALH to pay VGCCC’s legal costs of $40,000. The Magistrate also noted that but for the guilty plea, he would have fined ALH $90,000 and recorded a criminal conviction.
Summary of charges:
Incident 1 – Cramers Hotel:
Charge 1: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area
Charge 2: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble
Incident 2 – Excelsior Hotel:
Charge 3: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area
Charge 4: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble
Incident 3 – Mountain View Hotel:
Charge 5: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area
Charge 6: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble.
The post VGCCC: Minors Exposed to Gambling at ALH Venues appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has requested the Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to block more illegal online gambling sites, after investigations found these services to be operating in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The latest sites blocked include Casiny, CoinPoker, Crown Play, Fafabet9, SlotFred, Smart 93 and Vigor Spin.
Website blocking is one of a range of enforcement options to protect Australians against illegal online gambling. Since the ACMA made its first blocking request in November 2019, 1251 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked. Around 220 illegal services have also pulled out of the Australian market since the ACMA started enforcing new illegal online gambling rules in 2017.
The post ACMA Blocks More llegal Online Gambling Websites appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Tabcorp Holdings Limited (TAB) has been penalised $4,003,270 for sending more than 5700 marketing messages to customers of its VIP Programme that broke Australia’s spam laws.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found that TAB sent 2598 SMS and WhatsApp messages to VIP customers between 1 February and 1 May 2024 without providing an option to unsubscribe from the messages.
The ACMA also found that 3148 SMS and WhatsApp messages did not contain adequate sender information across the same period, and 11 SMS messages were sent without consent between 15 February and 29 April 2024.
Authority Member Samantha Yorke said the breaches were deeply concerning as they involved non-compliance by a large and established gambling provider that targeted VIP Programme customers.
“This is the first time the ACMA has investigated and found spam breaches in a gambling VIP program. These programs often involve personalised messages offering incentives such as bonus bets, deposit matching, rebates and offers of tickets to sporting and other events.
“The gambling industry needs to understand that spam laws apply to all direct marketing—whether it’s generic campaigns or personalised messages,” Ms Yorke said.
“VIPs should not be confused with gambling ‘high-rollers’. These types of gambling VIP programs can involve customers who are not well off and are experiencing significant losses,” Ms Yorke said.
“It is utterly unacceptable that TAB did not have adequate spam compliance systems in place.”
Under the Spam Act 2003, businesses must have consent before sending marketing messages. Messages sent with consent must also contain a working unsubscribe option and information about the sender.
“When people make choices to unsubscribe from a service they must be able to do so easily and their decisions must be respected by companies,” Ms Yorke said.
TAB has also entered into a 3-year court-enforceable undertaking. This includes an independent review of its direct marketing systems, making improvements, running quarterly audits of its VIP direct marketing, training staff and reporting to the ACMA regularly.
“The ACMA will be watching closely to ensure TAB meets its commitments and complies with the spam laws in future,” Ms Yorke said.
Cracking down on gambling safeguards and spam rules are current compliance priorities for the ACMA. Over the last 18 months businesses have been penalised over $16.9 million for spam breaches.
The post ACMA: TAB Penalised $4 Million for Spamming VIP Customers appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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