EUROPE IN FOCUS
Entain AUSTRAC Mediation Discussions Ongoing
Entain CEO Stella David this week said its discussions with Australian transactions regulator AUSTRAC over compliance issues remain ongoing, though she denied provisioning $67.6 million for potential fines.
Proceedings were initiated by AUSTRAC in December over “serious and systematic” non-compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.
David described the balance-sheet provision as an accounting measure rather than a specific provision allocated to a potential penalty. Mediation between the two parties commenced in July and is still in motion, David noted.
“There will be no update on the proceedings until discussions have concluded,” she added.
Entain achieved a 7 percent year-on-year increase in H1 group net gaming revenue, reaching $4.2 billion, including its BetMGM assets.
DoT data: Older Players Are More Loyal To Gambling Brands
In Q4 2024, Department of Trust sampled 53,963 U.K. gamblers about their transaction habits to analyze how different age groups behaved while gambling. The groups were split into those over the age of 50 and those under the age of 50.
The transaction data highlighted a number of valuable trends, including that older players are more loyal and on average play with 1.25 operators, versus under-50s with 1.32.
It shows that over-50s typically spend slightly less than the younger generations, with an average monthly net spend per user of $7, versus $9.
During the period, under-50s deposited a gross amount of £$.4 million accounting for 91.1 percent of all deposits. The older demographic deposited a total of $424,793, which was 8.9 percent of total deposits.
Rank Faces $5.4 million Annual Regulatory Impact in U.K.
Within its full-year 2025 earnings call this week, Rank Group lamented the impact of changing regulation in the U.K. on its online business, reflecting on the statutory levy maximum staking limit for online slots play, both introduced in April.
“The impact on digital profitability in the final quarter of the year (April to June 2025) has been around $1.4 million,” Rank said. “We therefore expect the annualized impact to be in the region of $5.4 million going forwards.”
Meanwhile, changes to land-based reforms are expected to boost revenue in coming years, as casino operators can increase their gaming machine count and introduce retail sports betting shortly.
“The Grosvenor business will benefit from the higher gaming machine allocations and the introduction of sports betting, which will better meet existing customer needs and increase the attractiveness of casinos to a broader base of consumers. Our bingo businesses continue to strengthen as we invest in the quality and value of the customer offering,” Rank Group CEO John O’Reilly told analysts.
