JUL AUG 2025
Editor's Letter
Over the course of 15 years, Gambling Insider has become an institution.
What started out as a publication designed to provide top-level insight to executives has become a leading source of news, interviews, analysis, discussion and a genuine vehicle for both thought and change.
But I say this not with arrogance. I say this looking at the wider industry media. Across the global media landscape, what industries have as buzzing and thriving B2B specialist coverage as gambling? Honestly, I can't think of many. There has always been an appetite and desire for journalism within gambling – and that has evolved into a whole sector in itself today.
Something I think about often is the idea of specialised media: a world where readers only visit specific websites for a single industry, without any generalist coverage. It may be unrealistic or impractical, but the quality of information on show would be far superior in that hypothetical world.
Just look at gambling. Journalists at national publications are not industry experts; they come with an agenda. Any stats, facts or trends discussed on the pages of those websites or newspapers are often lazily researched, politically motivated or just plain wrong.
At Gambling Insider, by contrast, we might not be able to tell you the latest technology updates in European aviation, or the latest in farming equipment across the US. But we do know gambling like the back of our hand. And our dedication to breaking news and featuring only the best analysis has resulted in the magazine (and digital equivalents) you see before you today.
We're not interested in selling people awards, we're not interested in senseless self-promotion. We comment on the real trends and the real developments.
As for my role in all this? I'm proud to have followed the established editorial traditions set before me, having spent just short of seven years here and worked with some of the finest journalists one could ever hope to meet.
Naturally, I've put my own spin on things and, as you'll see from our cover feature – where we celebrate 15 years with 15 different reflective pieces – I've come to know some of the industry's biggest players and Gambling Insider's most knowledgeable contributors quite well.
Elsewhere in this magazine, we still have our staple features to bring you. The Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific took place on 4 June in Manila – and we bring you all the winners in a dedicated section this issue. We also look into gamification in our Roundtable feature, bring you our trademark Insiders section and review some of the latest products on the market. Everything you'd expect from a Gambling Insider magazine!
Allowing my mind to wander back, however, my very first experience in the industry came working for Ladbrokes when it merged with Coral. Little did I know as an initial outsider just how historic that merger would become, and how many ex-Ladbrokes executives I would later meet and interview as Gambling Insider Editor... even in our prestigious CEO Specials!
I remember my first ICE week, reviewing it for this very magazine and being blown away by the experience. Six years later, ICE has moved from London to Barcelona, fuelled by the never-ending need for greater space within this relentlessly growing sector.
Another personal parallel for me is that Sara Slane was one of the first people I interviewed. She was an American Gaming Association (AGA) executive at the time, championing the benefits of legalised US sports betting – back then in its infancy. I recently spoke to her on the Huddle as a representative of Kalshi, a prediction market operator opposed by the AGA. How things change!
From DraftKings' SPAC-driven acquisition of SBTech to Eldorado Resorts' $17.3bn reverse merger with Caesars, I've seen so much change already. And, after 15 years of Gambling Insider, we remain as determined as ever to cover any further change to the absolute highest editorial standards. Objectively reporting news, holding wrongdoing to account and providing thought-provoking comment, opinion and analysis. It's what we do.
TP, Editor
Facing Facts: The corner of quarterly contemplation
With Q1 reports out across the industry, Gambling Insider compiles the data to assess the latest market trends...
Taking Stock: A guide to key stock prices across the industry
Gambling Insider tracks prices from some of the industry’s most prominent operators, suppliers and affiliates over the past 15 years. Stock prices are taken across a six-month period (January 2025 to June 2025) – and from the close of the first available date in the month.
15 years of Gambling Insider: From the Founders
Over the last 15 years, Gambling Insider magazine has interviewed the most influential executives in gaming, covered the biggest deals in gaming history and seen the most prestigious Awards in the industry go from strength to strength. As the Founders, we are proud to look back and excited to look ahead to what the future holds. On these pages we include just a few of our favourite memories across the last decade and a half. What a journey it’s been but it’s far from over yet - Gary Roudette and Julian Perry.
15 years of Gambling Insider: The Awards over time
Global Gaming Awards Event Manager Mariya Savova gives us her personal take on how Gambling Insider created the Awards and how they evolved.
15 years of Gambling Insider: Looking back, looking forwards
One of our most thorough contributors across both Gambling Insider and Gaming America, Denstone Group CEO Oliver Lovat reflects on 15 years of changing Las Vegas trends – and some of his most memorable columns.
15 years of Gambling Insider: Life will find a way
Paul Sculpher, land-based casino and recruitment expert, is one of Gambling Insider’s most frequent and knowledgeable contributors. Below, he reflects on 15 years of UK casinos...
15 years of Gambling Insider: "Everybody bets"
Industry veteran and Gambling Insider regular Alex Czajkowski discusses why everybody bets – or at least would like to try…
15 years of Gambling Insider: From modems to metaverses
Moshe Adir, Founder of Vegas Kings, discusses his 30-year joyride in iGaming!
15 years of Gambling Insider: Germany, an era of development
Joerg Hofmann, Senior Partner at Melchers Law, looks into how Germany’s gambling regulation has developed over the past 15 years, via a chronology in selected key points 15 years is a small era.
15 years of Gambling Insider: An antifragile trajectory
Ranjana Adhikari, Shashi Shekhar Misra & Dhruv Jadhav, gaming regulation experts and regular Gambling Insider contributors, reflect on 15 years of the Indian gaming industry
15 years of Gambling Insider: An age of polarisation
Duncan Garvie, Founder of BetBlocker and a dependable contributor to Gambling Insider in recent years, looks back at how responsible gambling has changed over time 15 years.
15 years of Gambling Insider: The next 15...
Gustaf Hoffstedt, BOS Secretary General and loyal contributor to Gambling Insider, discusses the fall of monopolies and what the next 15 years hold for European gambling.
15 years of Gambling Insider: Going Dutch
Regular Gambling Insider contributor Willem van Oort, who is the Founder of Gaming in Holland & Gaming in Europe, looks back on 15 years of gambling regulation in licensed markets.
15 years of Gambling Insider: A matured industry
Industry veteran Becky Liggero Fontana reflects on the last 15 years of gaming, the maturing of the sector and its events, and bumping into Gambling Insider along the way...
15 years of Gambling Insider: The Brazil view
Brazilian Gaming Law specialist Neil Montgomery reflects on 15+ years of working within the now-booming Brazilian market, as well as reflecting on changes within the wider gambling landscape.
Protecting ahead: Regulating in a tight space
What is being done to prevent underage gambling – and ensure teenagers are educated to gamble responsibly when they are of age? Gambling Insider’s Megan Elswyth speaks with Spillemyndigheden and Ygam to find out more.
Maltese licensure: Costly, complex... yet relevant
Keith Seisun, former Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) systems auditor and current Head of Licensing at IGA Group Malta, offers a balanced perspective on the sustained value of a Maltese licence versus the alternatives.
Adjusting for inflation by raising the stakes?
Gambling Insider contributor Jon Bryan asks: why aren’t limits on betting adjusted due to inflation?
Riding the growing wave of LatAm engagement
Data.Bet’s Head of Product, Rostyslav Likhtin, speaks to Gambling Insider about the proliferation of esports in LatAm and how operators can catch the crest of the wave amid favourable conditions.
Affordability: Same industry, new rules
LexisNexis Risk Solutions Director of New Propositions Rich Evans talks affordability...
Roundtable: Gamifying player experiences in the modern landscape
Industry experts provide Gambling Insider with their insights into gamification, including Soft2Bet, Gamanza, EveryMatrix and Optimove.
Agility is key: Engagement through adaptation
Gambling Insider speaks to Digitain CSO Ani Mkrtchyan about the importance of localisation, global compliance and plans for the future.
No stone unturned: Ticking boxes in new markets
Gambling Insider speaks to Habanero’s Head of Corporate Communications Toni Karapetrov about market entry, balancing innovation with compliance and future plans for the supplier.
Gambling Commission: KYC is the key to effective oversight
Gambling Insider sits down with Sarah Gardner, Deputy CEO of the Gambling Commission in the UK, to discuss player anonymity, affordability checks, user experience and more...
AI: Essential within the changing game
Gambling Insider speaks with Gerasim Khachatryan, Head of Live Gaming and Virtual Sports at SportGenerate, about the role of esports within the changing face of the modern betting landscape.
Final word: Down the road of inspired innovation
Gambling Insider speaks to Imagine Live Group CEO Martin Martirosyan about key lessons from 2024, future plans, staying agile amid industry shifts and more…
