Happy Scratch

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Australian wagering operator Dabble Sports has been hit with penalties totalling AU$1,069,200 (US$760,265) following repeated failures to comply with BetStop, the nation’s self-exclusion register. 

On Wednesday, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that Dabble Sports had failed to close 157 accounts belonging to customers who had enrolled in the self-exclusion programme. 

Furthermore, the company sent 839 electronic messages to 165 individuals who had self-excluded, along with a further 2,000 push notifications to 45 customers without including the mandatory BetStop information.

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Mircheva’s resignation will be effective from Friday, although she will remain with the company until the end of September to “ensure a seamless leadership transition”, with the search for her replacement already under way.

George Papanier has taken on Mircheva’s role as CFO on an interim basis. Papanier will continue in his current roles as Bally’s president and a member of its board of directors.

Papanier has over 40 years of experience in the gaming industry, previously serving as CEO between February 2011 and October 2021 having first joined the company as COO in 2004.

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Prediction market operators are on legal losing streaks, confirming that Beynon is onto something when he says the regulatory environment is the biggest risk facing the industry.

“We continue to view regulation as the largest risk to prediction markets,” says the analyst. “While industry growth remains robust, adverse legal outcomes could materially impact sports contract availability and long-term adoption.”

Amid a string of losses in federal appellate courts, it appears increasingly prediction markets are angling to take their cases to the U.S. Supreme Court, banking that the high court will allow them to continue offering sports event contracts free of state gambling regulations.