Sports Betting News: BGC Chair Highlights Statutory Levy Disparity

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) Chair Brigid Simmons has raised concerns over whether new statutory levy consultations for betting operators are fair.

The consultations being held by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) relate to proposed funding changes for research, education and treatment (RET) for gambling harm.

Read on as we look at the latest developments with the levy consultations, before assessing some of the other major stories from the sports betting industry.

Simmonds’ primary concern surround the levy proposal centres around what she describes as ‘disproportionately higher costs’ for some BGC members.

Betting shops, bingo halls, casinos and operators of UK betting sites would all contribute a greater percentage of their profits to RET for gambling harm than the National Lottery.

Simmonds has also queried why the NHS would receive the greater proportion of funds when charities such as GamCare do more to tackle problem gambling.

Betsmart has entered into partnership with Evolve Sports Integrity to offer sports betting operators a full-service solution for all of their compliance needs.

The two firms boast a wealth of experience in compliance and integrity issues, and will use their collective knowledge to help gambling operators tackle the challenges they face.
 
The link-up will be particularly beneficial to new betting sites, many of whom struggle to navigate the tricky waters of compliance and sports betting integrity.

An ambitious NFL punter has taken one of his favourite betting sites to the cleaners after landing a payout of more than £160,000 on a 10-leg accumulator.

After the first nine selections were successful, the bettor needed the Dallas Cowboys to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers by two or more points.

With the scores tied at 17-17 with just over two minutes to play, Brandon Aubrey’s 39-yard field goal secured a massive payday for the punter.