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Australia

Live horse racing data giants agree landmark merger

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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“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.”

Australia

AUSTRAC Takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ Operator – Entain – to Federal Court Over Serious Non-compliance with Australia’s Money Laundering Laws

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AUSTRAC commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against Entain Group Pty Ltd (Entain), which operates online betting sites including Ladbrokes, Neds and other online betting brands. The proceedings allege serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws.

AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said the agency considers there were systemic failures in Entain’s approach to its AML/CTF obligations.

“AUSTRAC’s proceedings allege that Entain did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced. We are alleging this left the company at serious risk of criminal exploitation.

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“Money laundering is often a symptom of serious criminal activity, including fraud, scams and corruption, all of which have equally serious effects on our communities,” he said.

AUSTRAC’s allegations include that:

• Entain’s board and senior management did not have appropriate oversight of its AML/CTF program, which limited its ability to identify the ML/TF risks it faced and its vulnerability to criminal exploitation.

• Entain operated a 24/7 business through its website and app, which created risks that persons unknown to Entain could access and use Entain’s betting platform including through third party providers.

• Third parties, including businesses and individuals, accepted cash and other deposits on behalf of Entain to be credited into betting accounts in ways that could obscure the proceeds of crime. Cash is less transparent than other forms of money and is at higher risk of being the proceeds of crime.

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• Entain did not have appropriate controls to confirm the identity of customers making these deposits and the source of this money.

• Entain did not conduct appropriate checks on 17 higher risk customers, including examples where Entain did not appropriately deal with the risk that its online betting sites were being exploited by criminals to spend the proceeds of serious crime. This includes allegations that Entain deliberately obscured the identity of some high risk customers, on its own systems, through the use of pseudonyms to “protect their privacy”.

“This is the first time AUSTRAC has brought civil penalty proceedings against businesses operating in the online betting sector, and the Australian arm of Entain is part of one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups,” Mr Thomas said.

“The online betting sector, and all other businesses regulated by AUSTRAC, must take their AML/CTF obligations seriously. This includes ensuring they have appropriate procedures to know who their customer is, even when they rely on third parties to process transactions.”

The action taken is part of AUSTRAC’s ongoing work focussed on gambling businesses in Australia to fight money laundering opportunities in the gambling industry. Following the Federal Court ordering Crown pay $450million in penalties over 2 years in 2023, this year AUSTRAC has seen the Federal Court order SkyCity to pay $63M penalty for breaches to the AML/CTF Act, accept an enforceable undertaking from Sportsbet, continue the Federal Court case against Star and are continuing the regulatory focus on a number of other gambling entities across Australia.

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Additionally, the launch of the money laundering National Risk Assessment this year highlighted the highly exposed nature and vulnerability to money laundering online betting agencies face. This valuable resource has been developed support business better understand and develop appropriate measures to mitigate their risks.

It is now a matter for the Federal Court of Australia to determine whether Entain contravened the Act and, if so, what orders to make. AUSTRAC will not provide further comment on this enforcement action while the matter is before the Court.

Non-confidential Court documents related to the Entain matter will be available on the enforcement actions taken page in due course.

“AUSTRAC continues to actively driving out money laundering opportunities in Australia’s gambling industry and we’ll be tireless in our efforts to remove the ability for criminal to use our financial system to their own gain,” Mr Thomas said.

The post AUSTRAC Takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ Operator – Entain – to Federal Court Over Serious Non-compliance with Australia’s Money Laundering Laws appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Australia

Christine Howlett Appointed as New Commissioner of NSW Independent Casino Commission

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The NSW Government has appointed experienced public administrator Christine Howlett as a new Commissioner of the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) for a four-year term following a competitive recruitment process.

Ms Howlett fills the vacancy created by the departure of Craig Sahlin who served as a NICC Commissioner since 2022 and was a Board Member of the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) between 2016 and 2022.

The NICC is the independent statutory regulator of NSW’s two casinos, set up in 2022 to provide increased regulatory oversight of casino operations.

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Ms Howlett joins the NICC with substantial executive leadership experience in public administration, corporate governance, regulation and stakeholder engagement.

From 2021 she served as Deputy Special Manager, independently overseeing Crown Melbourne’s remediation program following the findings of the Finkelstein Royal Commission, including reforms to prevent gambling harm and money laundering.

Ms Howlett has also held senior roles with Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission, the NSW Department of Family and Community Services, Victoria’s Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants and the National Crime Authority.

Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said: “An exhaustive selection process was undertaken to fill the NICC Commissioner role in accordance with legislative requirements, including the establishment of a selection panel and engagement of an independent probity adviser.

“Christine Howlett brings a wide range of skills and expertise to the NICC, with highly relevant experience in independently overseeing Crown Melbourne’s remediation program.

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“She joins the NICC at a critical time with the regulator currently monitoring The Star casino’s ongoing remediation work following the Bell Two Inquiry.

“I would like to thank Craig Sahlin for his outstanding contribution to both the NICC and ILGA over the past eight years.

“His demonstrated expertise has significantly contributed to strengthening the government’s regulatory framework and public confidence and trust in the work of both the NICC and ILGA.”

NICC Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said: “The NICC is pleased to welcome Christine Howlett to the role and is looking forward to utilising her experience to advance the NICC’s strategic priorities.

“Christine’s skills will be valuable to help the NICC expand its surveillance and data collection abilities to better monitor financial crime risks and compliance.

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“Christine’s expertise in building internal capacity will assist the NICC to maintain effective regulatory supervision past the remediation and suitability phases, and into longer-term sustainability.

“We thank Craig Sahlin for his exceptional work with the NICC and ILGA over the past eight years. His dedication was instrumental in advancing the NICC’s mission and his efforts have contributed to the achievement of significant milestones.”

The post Christine Howlett Appointed as New Commissioner of NSW Independent Casino Commission appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Australia

Regulating the Game 2025 adds masterclass on safer gambling training and customer care

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Gambling law and regulation conference Regulating the Game announced the latest addition to its 2025 Masterclass Series in Sydney: “Beyond Compliance – Safer Gambling Training and Building a Culture of Customer Care,” presented by Jay Robinson, Chief Stakeholder Relations Officer at Focal Research Consultants.

With over 20 years of global experience in developing and delivering training programs across jurisdictions—from pubs and clubs to casinos and online operators—Robinson is a leading voice in creating safer gambling environments.

Robinson’s approach focuses on building a culture of customer care that prioritizes player protection and staff well-being while enhancing the overall gambling experience,” a press release says.

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This masterclass will delve into:

  • How industry leaders, regulators, and frontline staff can embed a culture of safer gambling.

  • The critical role leadership plays in sustaining training initiatives.

  • Strategies to extend the reach and effectiveness of safer gambling programs, improve customer experiences, reduce staff burnout, and drive long-term benefits for operators and stakeholders alike.

“Effective gambling staff training must meet the real needs of both staff and customers, ensuring that safer gambling practices become second nature. This masterclass is about empowering organizations to go beyond compliance, fostering a culture of care and leadership that makes a lasting impact,” said Jay Robinson.

According to the announcement, this masterclass is “essential for operational leaders, C-suite executives, regulators, and anyone committed to advancing safer gambling initiatives.” Participants will leave with actionable insights and tools to lead cultural change, elevate training outcomes, and strengthen their organization’s reputation.

The Regulating the Game conference seeks to bridge the gap between regulators, industry professionals, and stakeholders. Now entering its fifth year, the conference continues to attract world-class speakers and attendees, driving discussions on policy, regulation, and sector challenges.

The post Regulating the Game 2025 adds masterclass on safer gambling training and customer care appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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