Author: Tenstar Team

OpenBet has appointed Nikos Konstakis as its next chief executive officer, with incumbent boss Jordan Levin stepping into the chairman role. The betting and gaming technology supplier confirmed the handover will take effect at the end of 2026, closing out a period that has already included a management buyout and a pending lottery acquisition.

What happened

OpenBet announced on 22 September that
Konstakis, the company’s president, would be appointed chief executive officer, with current CEO Jordan Levin to step into the role of chairman
. The transition is staged rather than immediate:
Levin will immediately assume his role as chairman, while Konstakis will officially take on the CEO position at the end of the year
.

Konstakis is a long-serving internal candidate.
He will replace Jordan Levin, who will transition to the role of chairman after over five years as CEO, taking on the role having served as the company’s president for the past nine months
.
Since joining OpenBet in September 2021, he has held various other leadership roles, including chief operating officer and group chief product officer.
His background extends further back into the industry:
he also had an earlier spell with OpenBet, working as vice president trading between November 2017 and March 2018, then spent three-and-a-half years at SG Digital before rejoining OpenBet, and earlier in his career spent more than eight years working for Intralot
.

As CEO, his remit will be broad.
Konstakis will lead OpenBet’s strategy and day-to-day business, with a focus on growth, product and technology priorities, according to the company
. Levin, for his part, is not stepping away entirely:
Levin will transition to the role of chairman and “continue to play an active role in shaping OpenBet’s long-term strategy.”

Both executives issued statements on the change. Levin said Konstakis
“has already been instrumental in driving the evolution of OpenBet and I have tremendous confidence in his leadership as CEO”
, while Konstakis said it was
“a privilege to take on this role and lead the business at such an exciting time”
.

Why it matters

The leadership change lands at a period of heavy corporate activity for OpenBet.
The company said the leadership change follows a period of activity that includes its planned acquisition of OmniLogic, aimed at strengthening its lottery market position and relationships with World Lottery Association operators
. That deal signals an ambition to diversify beyond core sportsbook technology into lottery, a segment with its own distribution and compliance requirements across national operators.

OpenBet’s recent operational scale also underlines why continuity in leadership matters to its operator customers.
OpenBet also said it processed more than 175 million bets and $3 billion wagered during the World Cup, and noted that it completed a management buyout backed by Ariel Emanuel in 2025, with participation from Ope
[n Bet’s management team]. For sportsbook operators relying on OpenBet’s trading and platform infrastructure, a smooth internal succession reduces the risk of disruption to product roadmaps and support commitments during a period of continued M&A.

For affiliates and marketing partners, supplier-side leadership stability tends to matter less directly than operator-facing changes, but it is still relevant where OpenBet’s white-label and platform clients depend on consistent delivery timelines for new markets or product features that affect player-facing experience and, in turn, conversion rates.

The bigger picture

Konstakis takes over a business still absorbing the effects of its 2025 separation from Endeavor.
Jordan Levin led the company through its management buyout of Endeavor last year and has led the business since 2021
. Since then, OpenBet has continued to pursue growth through acquisition rather than organic expansion alone, with the OmniLogic deal representing its latest push into adjacent verticals.

The appointment is one of several recent leadership reshuffles across major gambling technology and media suppliers, following on from moves such as DAZN’s recent C-suite overhaul. Such changes reflect a broader pattern of supplier businesses tightening executive teams as they navigate tax pressure in mature markets like the UK and pursue growth through consolidation and new verticals such as lottery and prediction markets.

For more on how supplier and operator corporate moves are reshaping the industry, visit our industry news section.

Sources

• Gambling News – OpenBet Names Konstakis CEO as Levin Becomes Chair
• SBC News – OpenBet ready for Nikos Konstakis to take over leadership
• iGB – OpenBet names Nikos Konstakis as CEO, as Jordan Levin becomes chairman
• Next.io – OpenBet appoints Nikos Konstakis as new CEO
• Gaming.net – OpenBet Names Nikos Konstakis CEO in Leadership Transition

An Instagram ad using AI-generated footage of Alphonso Davies’ father falsely being arrested has directed Alberta consumers to an unlicensed offshore casino, reigniting regulatory concern over deepfake gambling ads in Canada’s newest regulated market. The advert, posted by an account called Prime Spin Zone, funnelled viewers to Comoros-based Oxibet, an operator with no authorisation from Alberta, Ontario or any other Canadian provincial regulator.

The incident lands at a sensitive moment for Alberta, which opened its regulated online gambling market on 13 July and is trying to persuade bettors to move away from offshore sites.

What happened

The Instagram advert, posted last week,
purported to show the father of the Bayern Munich star being arrested by Edmonton police
. The clip then
suggests that police officers discovered a vault filled with cash, but claims the arrest was a misunderstanding because the money came from legal gambling winnings, before an AI-generated version of Davies’ father encourages viewers to play at the same online casino
. A deepfake of Canadian rapper Drake was also used to lend the campaign credibility, according to multiple reports.

Clicking through the advert directed users to Oxibet,
a Comoros-based gambling site that lacks authorization from Alberta, Ontario, or any other provincial regulator
. Davies’ agent, Nedal Huoseh,
rejected the claims in the advertisement, saying the Davies family has nothing to do with gambling, and said he plans to pursue those who created the material
. It is not the first time Davies’ image has been misused this way: an earlier 2023 promotion used only a photograph of the player without his consent, before this latest campaign escalated to a full AI-generated likeness of his father.

Alberta’s gaming regulator confirmed it is tracking the problem.
“AGLC is aware of the risks posed by fraudulent online gambling advertising, including scams that use misleading or manipulated content to direct Albertans to offshore or unregistered gambling sites,” said a spokesperson for Alberta’s gaming regulator.
A separate statement from the Alberta iGaming Corporation stressed the importance of consumers being able to identify a properly registered site.

Why it matters

Deepfake gambling ads are no longer a fringe nuisance; they represent a direct commercial threat to licensed operators competing for the same players. Alberta now has
31 registered iGaming operators
paying levies and complying with advertising rules designed to protect consumers, yet a single convincing fake advert can redirect traffic and deposits straight to an unregulated competitor that carries none of those costs or obligations.

For affiliates and performance marketers, the episode is a reminder that trust signals now matter as much as reach. Platforms hosting these ads, and the affiliate ecosystems that sit around legitimate operators, face growing pressure to demonstrate that traffic sources and creative content can be verified. Search and social channels that fail to filter AI-manipulated gambling ads risk regulatory scrutiny spilling over onto the wider advertising supply chain, including paid social partners that legitimate operators rely on for acquisition.

The case also shows why regulators increasingly expect licensed brands to make their authorisation status unmistakable.
Registered operators in Alberta must display the Alberta iGaming Corporation logo in advertising, and their marketing must also reference responsible gambling and support services, including 211 Alberta.
Compliance markers like these become a competitive differentiator when fraudulent operators are actively mimicking celebrity endorsements to look credible.

The bigger picture

This is not an isolated case.
Canadian regulators and gambling organizations have reported similar fake advertising involving the Canadian Gaming Association, AGLC, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, with fraudsters often using the names, images, or likenesses of licensed operators and public figures to create an appearance of legitimacy.
A 2025 advert used altered footage of a former television journalist to promote an unlicensed betting site tied to a real Alberta casino brand, showing the tactic has been escalating for years.

What has changed is the sophistication of the fakes.
Old scams usually used stolen photos or logos, but deepfake technology has now advanced to the point where it is possible to produce believable video and audio that makes a person appear to endorse a service they never have.
That shift raises the stakes for platforms such as Meta, which have previously faced pressure from Canadian regulators over fraudulent gambling ads circulating on Instagram and Facebook.

As more provinces open regulated iGaming markets and compete for the same bettor pool currently split between licensed and offshore sites, expect enforcement bodies to push harder on advertising verification, and expect legitimate operators and their affiliate partners to lean more heavily on visible compliance branding to distinguish themselves from convincing fakes. Readers looking at how regulatory shifts reshape acquisition strategy more broadly can see our related analysis in Affiliate SEO Under Regulation: Who Wins Each Wave.

Sources

• GamblingNews – AI-Generated Ad Featuring Alphonso Davies Promotes Unlicensed Alberta Casino
• Canadian Gaming Business – Alphonso Davies’ Family Targeted in Fake Offshore Sportsbook
• iGaming Express – Deepfake Ads Target Canadian Bettors
• Casino.org – Fake Alphonso Davies Gambling Ad Puts Spotlight on Alberta’s Illegal iGaming Fight
• Yahoo News Canada – Offshore casino targets Alphonso Davies’s family with deepfake ad

Bally’s Intralot shareholders have voted through the company’s £243.1m acquisition of evoke, the London-listed parent of William Hill and 888, removing the last major ownership hurdle before the deal reaches regulators. The vote mirrors an equally decisive approval from evoke’s own shareholders a month earlier, leaving the transaction on track to close by the end of this year or in early 2027.

What happened

Bally’s Intralot held its annual general meeting on 17 September, where the proposed purchase of evoke was the central item of business.
The Athens-listed company held its annual general meeting on 17 September, where the plan to purchase evoke for 52p per share, valuing the William Hill owner at £243.1m, was a key topic.

A grand total of 99.585% of Bally’s Intralot shareholders approved the takeover, with just 0.415% voting against.

The result closely tracks the outcome on evoke’s side.
This broadly corresponds with the results of evoke’s own AGM, published 17 August, with 99.63% voting in favour.
With both boards’ shareholder bases now formally on record,
approval by the shareholders of both firms means that the takeover now just needs to clear a few more regulatory approvals before it can go ahead.

The deal itself was struck in June, with evoke shareholders entitled to 0.537 new Bally’s Intralot shares for each share held, or a capped cash alternative.
The all-share agreement, first struck in June, values Evoke at 52 pence per share, a 77% premium to the company’s three-month volume-weighted average share price before takeover talks became public.
Once completed, the combined business will bring together Bally’s Intralot’s lottery and gaming technology operations with evoke’s consumer-facing brands.
Once completed, the merger will fold Bally’s Intralot’s lottery and gaming technology operations together with evoke’s consumer-facing brands, William Hill, 888, and Mr Green, creating a combined group with a footprint across six core markets, including the United States.

Why it matters

The transaction would materially reshape competitive positioning in UK betting and gaming. Earlier disclosures around the deal indicated the enlarged group would rank as the second-largest player in UK iGaming and fourth in online sports betting, giving Bally’s Intralot immediate scale in a market it has previously accessed only indirectly. For operators and affiliates, a change of ownership at William Hill and 888 raises questions about future brand strategy, marketing spend and affiliate programme terms, particularly given evoke’s own financial pressures.

Those pressures were the trigger for the sale process in the first place.
The company told investors that it had begun searching for a buyer in December 2025, when it initiated a strategic review of its business after the UK government announced increases in online gambling taxes. The first tax increase, a rise in Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40%, came into effect on 1 April this year.
That squeeze has already reshaped evoke’s retail footprint, with the operator
accelerating the closure of William Hill retail outlets this year with the confirmation that 200 more shops would shut their doors back in March.
The same tax environment has driven cost-cutting elsewhere in the sector, as covered in Tenstar Media’s report on Entain’s job cuts amid mounting UK tax pressure.

The bigger picture

The vote is not the final step. A court sanction hearing and outstanding competition clearances still stand between Bally’s Intralot and full ownership, with a review already opened by Jersey’s competition authority alongside other jurisdictional checks. Bally’s own financial position adds a layer of uncertainty, as its parent company has faced separate scrutiny over balance-sheet strength and financing capacity while the acquisition proceeds.

evoke, formed when 888 Holdings absorbed William Hill’s non-US assets, has carried heavy debt since that combination and flagged its own funding constraints in recent filings. A change of control under a US-headquartered gaming group would mark a further consolidation of UK high-street and online betting brands under fewer, larger owners, a trend that continues to influence how operators structure affiliate partnerships and where marketing budgets are allocated across the sector.

Sources

• SBC News – Bally’s Intralot shareholders overwhelmingly back evoke acquisition
• Gambling Insider – Evoke Shareholders Approve Bally’s Intralot Deal Amid Liquidity Concerns
• Northeast Times – Bally’s Intralot Shareholders Back £243M Purchase Of William Hill Owner Evoke
• iGB – Bally’s Intralot strikes £243 million deal for Evoke takeover

Entain job cuts of up to 400 customer care roles were confirmed this week by the Ladbrokes and Coral owner. The FTSE 100 operator is consulting on the reductions, equal to a fifth of its 2,000-strong customer service team, while simultaneously lobbying the government against a further rise in gambling taxation. Chief executive Stella David has written directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that a proposed doubling of Machine Games Duty would hit betting shops and jobs across the country.

What happened

Entain is consulting on cutting around 400 customer-service positions worldwide, most of them in the UK.
Entain, the gambling company that owns Ladbrokes and Coral, is consulting on cutting around 400 customer-service roles, most of them in the UK, out of a total workforce of roughly 2,000 in that area.
The cuts affect operations across 11 countries, though the company has not said how many roles will go in each market.

This is not Entain’s first reduction this year.
The company had already reduced its workforce by 500 positions earlier this year before this latest round of proposed redundancies.
The latest round coincides with growing concern in Westminster over further tax rises on the sector, following an increase to Remote Gaming Duty that took effect in April.

David’s letter to Burnham invokes his own “Makerfield test”, a policy principle built around delivering for communities that have historically been overlooked by central government.
She warned that doubling the levy would add an additional 100 million pounds to Entain’s annual tax bill.
Citing modelling commissioned from EY,
David said a 40 percent machine games duty rate could lead to as many as 1,470 betting shop closures and 15,900 job losses across the sector, ultimately producing a net loss to the Exchequer of around 120 million pounds.
She also argued the impact would fall hardest on young people and part-time women workers.

Why the Entain job cuts matter

The dual announcement, cutting jobs while lobbying against future tax rises, is a deliberate signal to policymakers. Entain is showing the practical cost of tax decisions before they are made, rather than reacting afterwards. For an industry that has already absorbed a Remote Gaming Duty increase, the prospect of a second major tax hike within a year has pushed operators into a defensive posture on costs.

The government side of the equation looks unmoved so far.
Burnham and John Healey, his Chancellor, are understood to believe that slot machine venues operating around the clock are damaging lives and high streets.
That framing, focused on harm rather than economic contribution, suggests operators face an uphill lobbying battle before the Autumn Budget lands on 28 October.

For suppliers and affiliate partners tied to Entain’s retail estate, sustained cost-cutting in customer service has knock-on implications. Fewer support staff typically means operators lean harder on digital self-service tools and automated retention flows, shifting resource away from human touchpoints and toward acquisition channels that can demonstrate direct returns.

The bigger picture

Entain is not alone in trimming costs against a tougher UK tax backdrop.
Flutter plans to close up to 100 Paddy Power shops, Evoke up to 200 William Hill outlets, Betfred 132 shops, and Bet365 has announced 340 job cuts.
The pattern points to an industry-wide response to rising duty rates rather than a company-specific issue.

Entain’s own guidance from late last year showed the scale of the pressure. The operator previously estimated that changes to Remote Gaming Duty and a new general betting duty would add roughly £200 million to annual costs, with about a quarter of that impact offset through reduced marketing spend. A further doubling of Machine Games Duty would compound that burden considerably.

Whether Burnham’s government adjusts course before the Autumn Budget will shape not just Entain’s retail footprint but the wider calculus for land-based operators across Britain. For now, the job cuts stand as a concrete marker of how tax policy is already reshaping headcount and investment decisions well before any final decision is announced.

For more coverage of regulatory shifts affecting operator strategy, visit our industry news section.

Sources

• SBC News – Entain set to cut up to 400 jobs as CEO appeals to PM
• Focus Gaming News – Ladbrokes-owner Entain confirms 400 layoffs with warning over proposed Machine Game Duty hike
• IndexBox – Entain Plans 400 Job Cuts Amid Burnham Slot Machine Tax Threat
• Business Matters – Ladbrokes owner Entain to cut 400 jobs as it warns over gambling tax

DAZN has named Alex Gersh, a betting-industry finance veteran, as its new chief financial officer, part of a broader executive reshuffle at the global sports streaming group. The changes place former Foxtel chief Patrick Delany in a newly created chief operating officer role and shift outgoing CFO Darren Waterman into a chief business officer position overseeing partnerships and corporate transactions.

The moves matter to the gambling sector because Gersh arrives with a background steeped in sports betting technology, and because the reshuffle raises fresh questions about the direction of DAZN’s own sportsbook, DAZN Bet.

What happened

DAZN announced three appointments to further strengthen its executive leadership team and drive the group’s next phase of profitable growth.

Gersh will replace Darren Waterman as the company’s CFO, while Waterman has been named chief business officer.

Former Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany has accepted the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Gersh brings more than 25 years of international financial leadership across sectors including sports, betting, technology and telecoms at both private and publicly listed companies.

At Sportradar, as CFO, he led the company through its successful NASDAQ listing, and prior to that he was CFO of Betfair and subsequently Paddy Power Betfair following their merger.

Waterman is appointed to the new role of Chief Business Officer, spearheading strategic commercial, partnership and transformational opportunities for the group.

Delany will hold end-to-end responsibility for DAZN’s daily operations, with a central focus on accelerating subscriber and revenue growth, and his remit will encompass operational businesses, pricing and packaging, sports rights renewals and relationships with rights holders.

All three leaders report to Shay Segev, Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

The restructuring also touches DAZN’s regional leadership.
DAZN has confirmed that Alice Mascia has decided to leave the company at the end of the year after four years as CEO in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).

Why it matters

Gersh’s appointment brings a finance leader with direct betting-sector credentials into a company that operates its own sportsbook alongside its streaming business.
Gersh is already very familiar with the sports sector, having previously worked for the likes of Sportradar and Betfair, with a track record that includes the Nasdaq listing of Sportradar.
For suppliers and operators watching DAZN’s trajectory, that background signals continuity of expertise between the streaming and wagering worlds, even as the group’s structure evolves.

The reshuffle also puts a spotlight on DAZN Bet’s uncertain path.
The executive restructuring will raise questions concerning the future direction of the group’s betting subsidiary, which began 2026 outlining an aggressive expansion strategy active across the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany, with Ontario identified as its first regulated market entry outside Europe.

However, beyond its Canadian expansion, the market has witnessed few developments concerning the brand’s performance, leadership or further integration within DAZN’s wider sports-media platform.
That lack of visible momentum makes the appointment of a betting-literate CFO notable, as it could either accelerate DAZNBet’s integration or precede a strategic review of the unit’s role in the wider group.

The bigger picture

The leadership changes follow a marked financial turnaround for DAZN.
Waterman’s tenure as finance chief included DAZN reaching profitability for the first time in 2025, as well as a period of significant M&A activity.

The company completed its acquisition of Australian pay-TV business Foxtel Group last year and has continued to expand through deals for streaming technology company ViewLift and sports distribution platform EverPass.

Delany’s move to COO follows directly from that dealmaking.
The appointment is deemed critical as Delany will spearhead a new operating strategy for an enlarged DAZN following its acquisition of Australian broadcaster Foxtel in 2025.
DAZN’s ownership structure adds context to the ambition behind the reshuffle:
the business is majority-owned by Access Industries, the investment firm of Sir Len Blavatnik, and has undertaken several strategic changes this decade.

The overhaul places DAZN alongside a growing list of sports-media and betting-adjacent groups recruiting finance and commercial executives with cross-sector experience, reflecting how streaming, data and wagering businesses increasingly draw from the same talent pool. For operators and suppliers tracking where DAZN Bet fits within that portfolio, the coming months of integration under the new leadership team will be worth watching, particularly given the group’s stated ambitions in prediction markets through its existing partnership with Polymarket.

For more on how iGaming groups approach international growth, see our practical expansion playbook.

Sources

• Gambling News – DAZN Names Betting Industry Veteran Alex Gersh CFO Amid Leadership Shifts
• SBC News – DAZN hires big three execs to drive commercial change
• Gaming Intelligence – DAZN unveils new leadership team and appoints Alex Gersh as CFO
• Broadband TV News – DAZN reshuffles leadership team as it targets next phase of growth
• Insider Sport – DAZN names new COO and CFO in leadership shake-up

BetMGM has signed a multi-year agreement to become the official sports betting and online casino partner of the Minnesota Vikings in Canada. The BetMGM Vikings partnership gives the operator rights to use the NFL franchise’s branding across its Canadian betting, casino and marketing activity, timed to land just ahead of the team’s opening game of the new season.

What happened

The deal was announced on 10 September from Toronto, with BetMGM named the Official Sports Betting Partner and Online Casino Partner of the Minnesota Vikings in Canada.
The agreement gives BetMGM rights to use Vikings marks across approved sports betting, online casino and marketing activities in Canada.

As part of the arrangement, BetMGM has launched an exclusive branded casino title.
The agreement includes the launch of an exclusive Vikings-themed online casino game, Vikings Big Kick LuckyTap, developed by Design Works Gaming and available now exclusively at BetMGM Casino in Alberta and Ontario.
Those two provinces are currently the only Canadian jurisdictions with regulated iGaming markets.

BetMGM’s own footprint in Canada has grown steadily.
BetMGM Sportsbook and Casino has operated in Ontario’s regulated iGaming market since 2022 and in Alberta’s since the market launch date of July 13, 2026.
Notably, the Vikings themselves cannot offer an equivalent partnership at home.
Neither online sports betting nor online casino is legal in Minnesota, despite repeated efforts to change that, with the most recent legislation attempting to authorize online sports wagering stalling less than three weeks after it was introduced in March 2026.

BetMGM chief revenue officer Matt Prevost framed the deal as part of a wider strategy combining sports fandom with casino content, saying the operator is
“uniquely positioned to combine sports fandom with iGaming”
. Vikings chief marketing officer Martin Nance said the club is looking to deepen ties with its Canadian fanbase through the tie-up.

Why it matters

The BetMGM Vikings partnership illustrates how NFL franchises are increasingly monetising fan bases outside jurisdictions where they cannot strike domestic betting deals. With Minnesota’s own market closed to regulated online wagering, Canada offers the Vikings a route to commercial gambling sponsorship that would otherwise be unavailable at home.

For BetMGM, the arrangement reinforces its positioning in Alberta at an early stage of that market’s development. Branded content, such as the Vikings Big Kick LuckyTap game, gives the operator a differentiated product to drive engagement beyond standard casino slots, which can support retention and cross-sell between sportsbook and casino verticals.

For affiliates operating in Ontario and Alberta, team-branded partnerships of this kind tend to generate short-term spikes in branded search interest around fixtures and season openers. Affiliates that can produce timely, well-optimised content tied to a partner operator’s sponsorship activity are better placed to capture that traffic than those relying on generic seasonal content.

The bigger picture

The deal lands as Alberta’s regulated iGaming market matures following its July 2026 launch, with operators racing to establish local sponsorship footholds early.
BetMGM launched in Alberta on July 13, 2026, marking the company’s first international expansion since entering Ontario in 2022.
Securing an NFL franchise partnership so soon after entry suggests BetMGM is prioritising brand recognition in the province ahead of rivals.

The arrangement also fits a broader pattern of North American sports franchises pursuing cross-border betting sponsorships where domestic law prevents direct deals, a trend likely to continue as more Canadian provinces consider opening regulated online gambling markets. Operators weighing similar market entries can find a broader framework for such moves in Tenstar Media’s iGaming Markets: A Practical Expansion Playbook.

Sources

• Gambling News – BetMGM Becomes Official Minnesota Vikings Partner in Canada
• Gaming Intelligence – BetMGM becomes official partner of NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in Canada
• Canadian Gaming Business – BetMGM Named Canadian Betting Partner of Minnesota Vikings
• GlobeNewswire – BetMGM Named Official Sports Betting and Online Casino Partner of the Minnesota Vikings in Canada
• Sports Betting Dime – BetMGM Announces Minnesota Vikings Partnership in Canada

Pragmatic Play has signed actor and comedian Kevin Hart to host a series of live casino sessions on 6 and 7 November, its first celebrity hosting deal since the supplier exited the sportsbook and bingo markets earlier this year. The move signals a deliberate bet on star power to differentiate live dealer content in an increasingly crowded segment.

What happened

Kevin Hart will host some of Pragmatic Play’s live casino titles on 6 and 7 November under a new partnership.

The award-winning actor and stand-up comedian will be part of Pragmatic Play’s live casino studio floor across four exclusive sessions in early November.

Hart will host some of the supplier’s most popular live casino games for players, with the exact tables he’ll be hosting to be revealed on each day of the collaboration.

Pragmatic Play has announced a live casino collaboration with Kevin Hart, bringing the actor and comedian into its studio for a special event, with Hart hosting selected live casino titles during four separate sessions.

Pragmatic Play describes the event as a “landmark live casino event” and says it will reveal which games Hart will host through its social media channels in the days leading up to the broadcasts.

Pragmatic Play’s chief operating officer, Irina Cornides, said the business is “absolutely thrilled” to welcome Hart into its studio to offer the unique experience to players.

Cornides added that the company cannot wait “to deliver an unforgettable experience for our operator partners and their players.”

In the lead-up to the broadcasts, Pragmatic Play will unveil a series of major promotions giving players the chance to win Free Chips in live casino games, including those hosted by Hart.

The supplier will also drop random cash prizes throughout the event.

Why it matters

The tie-up is a marketing decision rather than a product launch, and that distinction matters for how operators should read it.
The partnership with Hart represents the latest step in Pragmatic Play’s strategy of exploring whether a high-profile entertainment figure can help broaden the reach of its live casino offering among operator audiences.
For distribution partners, celebrity-hosted broadcasts create a ready-made content hook that can be layered into promotional calendars, social pushes and cross-sell campaigns around the two broadcast dates.

The specific games Kevin Hart will host have yet to be announced, with those details to be shared with viewers on each day of the broadcasts.
That staggered reveal is itself a marketing mechanic, designed to sustain attention across the two-day window rather than front-loading it into a single announcement.
For the provider, it is a high-profile marketing move, bringing in a global star of Hart’s calibre to elevate the usual live casino format into a full-blown media event.

For operators running Pragmatic Play’s live casino feed, the sessions offer a low-cost way to generate short-term engagement spikes without committing their own marketing budget to a celebrity deal. Affiliates covering live casino verticals have an obvious content opportunity in previewing and recapping the sessions, particularly if search interest around Hart’s name spills over into casino-related queries in the days surrounding 6-7 November.

The bigger picture

The announcement follows Pragmatic Play’s decision in June 2026 to exit the sportsbook and bingo markets and redirect investment towards slots and live casino.

The Gibraltar-based B2B content supplier is aiming to use Hart’s star power to expand its live casino offerings following that strategic pivot away from sportsbook and bingo.
Framed against that backdrop, the Hart deal looks less like an isolated publicity stunt and more like a signal of where the supplier intends to concentrate its growth efforts.

The move also speaks to a broader trend in the gambling industry, where operators are actively seeking to differentiate their offerings through unique entertainment value.

The live dealer space remains competitive, with heavyweights such as Evolution Gaming dominating the scene,
which raises the stakes for rivals looking to carve out attention through recognisable talent rather than incremental product features alone.
While branded online slots featuring celebrity likenesses are standard practice, directly placing a Hollywood A-lister at a live gaming table to interact with players in real time marks a significant push toward mainstream, interactive entertainment in live dealer gaming.

Whether the format proves repeatable will depend on measurable engagement during the two broadcast days, and on whether operators see a tangible lift in live casino traffic that justifies further celebrity tie-ins across the supplier landscape. For more on how affiliate content strategies are adapting to shifts like this, see our industry news section.

Sources

• Next.io – Kevin Hart to host Pragmatic Play live casino games in new partnership
• PokerNews – Kevin Hart Joins Pragmatic Play for Landmark €1.25M Live Casino Event
• GamblingNews – Actor Kevin Hart to Host Pragmatic Play Games in November
• Casino.org – Pragmatic Play Brings Kevin Hart to Live Casino in New Operator Engagement Push
• BestInSlot – Actor Kevin Hart to Host Pragmatic Play’s Live Casino Games This November
• CasinoReports – Kevin Hart Hosts Pragmatic Play Live Casino Broadcasts

Playtech has reported a return to bottom-line profitability for the first half of 2026, with group revenue up 10% to €425.1m and adjusted EBITDA climbing 77% to €162.5m, as the London-listed supplier confirmed it is targeting a Brazil launch around the start of 2027.

The results mark a significant turnaround for the gambling technology group, which has leaned heavily on its US and Latin American commercial partnerships to drive growth. Group pre-tax profit from continuing operations reached €113m, compared with a €58.8m loss in the same period last year.

What happened

Corporate accounts for H1 2026 saw Playtech achieve growth across all core metrics as group revenues stood at €425m, up 10% on 2025 comparatives of €387m.

Commercial activities across North and Latin America were identified as Playtech’s principal growth drivers, with revenue from the US and Canada rising by 161% to €57m, while Latin American revenue increased by 14% to €100m
, equivalent to roughly 29% growth on an underlying basis.

Group adjusted EBITDA increased by 77% to €162m, in comparison with €91m in H1 2025.

Net profit was also up, to €98.1m, in line with an earlier trading update published in July.

Management confirmed the U.S. business achieved profitability during the first half, ahead of the company’s original timeline.

Playtech underscored its roster of exclusive iGaming partnerships, further supported by Caliente Interactive in Mexico, which generated €36m in net cash contribution during the period.

In the U.S. and Canada specifically, revenue increased 161%, with Playtech citing its relationship with Hard Rock Bet and launches in additional states, as the company expanded its regulated U.S. iGaming operations to six states during the period.

On Brazil, chief executive Mor Weizer told analysts the group had been progressing a long-awaited deal but had been asked to wait until after the country’s election period before moving ahead.
Brazil remains a key strategic market for the group, which has already established a presence in the country through the launch of a live casino studio in São Paulo.

Playtech has invested heavily in a partnership with state-owned bank Caixa Economica Federal, which plans to launch its own betting brand, with Weizer previously predicting the tie-up could be one of the most significant opportunities for Playtech in the coming years.

Caixa had anticipated launching in November last year, but after political pressure its go-live date has now been pushed back to 2027 at the earliest.

Why it matters

The results confirm that Playtech’s pivot toward regulated Americas markets is paying off financially, at a time when several UK-facing suppliers and operators are absorbing higher domestic taxes.
Playtech also expects to absorb the full impact of the near-doubling of Remote Gaming Duty in the UK from 1 April 2026, further weighing on adjusted EBITDA for the rest of the year.
That the group still raised guidance despite this headwind signals that its US and Latin American partnerships are now large enough to offset UK regulatory drag.

For suppliers and platform providers watching market entry timing, the Brazil delay is instructive. Political sensitivity around gambling ahead of national elections can push back commercial launches by a year or more, even for well-capitalised players with local infrastructure already in place. Playtech’s decision to keep investing through the delay, rather than pull back, suggests confidence that Brazil’s regulatory environment will stabilise once the election cycle concludes.

The performance also carries implications for affiliate and marketing partners tied to Playtech-powered brands. Growth concentrated in the Americas points to where operator marketing budgets and player-acquisition activity are likely to expand next, particularly in Mexico and Colombia, both of which benefited from World Cup-driven customer acquisition during the period.

The bigger picture

Colombia revenue increased over 100% year-on-year in H1, supported by the continued evolution of the regulatory environment, after the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended a 19% VAT on player deposits in January and the government introduced a National Consumption Tax of 16% on operators’ gross gaming revenue in March.
That regulatory shift, taxing operator revenue rather than player deposits, illustrates how quickly Latin American frameworks are moving toward structures more familiar to European operators, and how suppliers positioned early in these markets can benefit disproportionately.

Playtech said it remains on track to deliver 2026 adjusted EBITDA of more than €270 million, within the medium-term target range of €250 million to €300 million set in early 2025.

Chief financial officer Chris McGinnis told investors there is no immediate plan for M&A, though the company will remain open to selective investments that strengthen its core B2B technology operations.
That stance suggests Playtech intends to consolidate its current Americas momentum organically before pursuing further acquisitions, a contrast to the more acquisitive strategies pursued by some rival suppliers.

The results follow a period of broader consolidation and partnership activity across the supplier segment, including Tenstar Media’s recent look at how operators approach new-market entry, a theme Playtech’s Brazil timeline reinforces directly.

Sources

• SBC News – Playtech nets €113m profits on exceptional Americas trading
• Gambling News – Playtech Posts H1 2026 Results, Teases Brazil Launch in 2027
• NEXT.io – Playtech H1: Americas growth drives revenue up 10% as profit holds firm
• iGaming Expert – Playtech ‘well-positioned to invest’ but there’s a catch
• NEXT.io – Playtech targets early 2027 for Brazil launch

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has appointed Ruth Evans as its permanent Chair. The appointment ends a leadership vacancy of almost two years. The move fills one of three top posts left vacant at the regulator. It comes as the government prepares potentially significant reforms to the licensing regime.

For operators and suppliers, the appointment signals that DCMS is finally moving to stabilise the regulator’s leadership. Policy on advertising, affordability checks and licensing conditions, meanwhile, remains in flux.

What happened

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced on 7 September that Lisa Nandy has made a key appointment in the UK gambling sector. Ruth Evans takes the role of Chair of the Gambling Commission and becomes the Commission’s first permanent Chair in nearly two years. She will formally take up the post on 30 September. Over 18 months after the previous chair’s departure, the regulator finally has a replacement. She will join on 30 September for a five-year term
.

Evans succeeds Charles Counsell, who had been running the regulator on an interim basis.
Charles Counsell had been serving in the role of Chair on an interim basis. Marcus Boyle had departed back in January 2025
. Nandy publicly thanked her outgoing interim chair for his work steering the Commission through the gap.

Evans arrives with a background rooted in consumer protection and fraud prevention rather than gambling specifically.
Evans chairs Stop Scams UK, an initiative she founded in 2019. It unites banks, technology companies and telecom providers to combat payment fraud
. Her CV also includes stints chairing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the Bar Standards Board. She has also sat as a non-executive director for the Serious Fraud Office, according to the official government announcement.

The appointment addresses only part of a wider staffing gap at the regulator.
It ticks off one of the three key appointments needed at the regulator. Before this appointment, it had no permanent Chair, Chief Executive Officer or Executive Director
. The Commission is still without a permanent chief executive following Andrew Rhodes’ departure earlier this year. It also lacks an executive director after Tim Miller’s exit.

Why it matters

A regulator without settled leadership is harder for the industry to engage with on policy detail, particularly when major reforms are under discussion. Evans takes charge at a moment when the framework underpinning licensing itself is under review.
In light of the announced policy to revoke the ‘aim to permit’ principle, there are question marks over whether this reform would require the creation of an entirely new gambling act
. Such questions will likely dominate much of her early agenda.

Her appointment also brings a different professional lens to the role than gambling-sector veterans might expect. Evans has framed her priorities around collaboration between regulators, industry and technology firms rather than confrontation. Operators will watch that language closely as the Commission finalises stances on affordability checks, advertising restrictions and the statutory levy funding harm research.

Suppliers and affiliates with UK exposure should take note. The Commission’s remit now sits with someone whose career has centred on financial crime and fraud reimbursement schemes for banking customers. That background could shape how the regulator approaches anti-money-laundering enforcement and payment-related compliance, areas already under scrutiny across licensed operators.

The bigger picture

The appointment lands against a backdrop of sustained turnover at DCMS-linked gambling oversight. Since Marcus Boyle’s exit in January 2025, the Commission has cycled through an interim chair while simultaneously losing its chief executive and executive director. That left strategic decisions without a fully resourced leadership team for an extended period.

That instability has coincided with mounting pressure on the UK market from multiple directions, including the Chancellor’s reported consideration of raising Machine Games Duty ahead of the Autumn Budget and ongoing debate over gambling advertising restrictions elsewhere in Europe. Readers can find more on the fiscal pressures facing UK operators in our industry news section.

With Evans now confirmed and a five-year term ahead of her, the Commission has at least one settled figure at the top table as it approaches decisions on licensing reform, the gambling levy and enforcement priorities that will shape commercial conditions for operators, suppliers and affiliates through the rest of the decade.

Sources

• SBC News – Gambling Commission’s 20 month wait for a permanent Chair ends as it hires Ruth Evans
• NEXT.io – Gambling Commission appoints Ruth Evans as Chair
• iGaming Business – Gambling Commission names fraud specialist as new full-time chair
• Focus Gaming News – Ruth Evans named British Gambling Commission chair
• GOV.UK – Ruth Evans appointed as Chair of the Gambling Commission