Flutter and Scientific Games CEOs out, Kalshi faces trouble in Utah and New York

Flutter Entertainment has announced several major developments this week, confirming that its long-standing Chief Executive Officer, Peter Jackson, is finally handing over the reins to a new incumbent.

While Flutter Entertainment’s net debt remains large, the company is in a good overall position. Therefore, Jackson’s exit is most likely part of a planned transfer of leadership, with the onus now falling onto Dan Taylor, a Flutter Entertainment insider.

Taylor is hailed as a trusted insider with an outstanding track record of delivering results, who will focus on building high-performing teams and executing complex international business strategies, as attested by Flutter Chair John Bryant. Jackson is stepping down on September 30, 2026.

Business and finance

Wynn Resorts has updated its outlook for the Wynn Al Marjan Island project, the Middle East’s first casino project.

The company said that the project has experienced "slight delays" and has incurred additional costs tied to the regional geopolitical conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel.

The budget of the project has swollen by $600m, with at least $300m of this associated with expenses caused by the conflict, and the other half from customary business developments.

Betsson Group has reentered the regulated iGaming market in Canada as the company completed the acquisition ofRhino Entertainment for $74.3m, with the gambling behemoth gaining access to the Casino Days brand, as well as Big Boost and Lucky Spins in both Alberta and Ontario.

Betsson Group paused the operations of Betsafe, its iGaming brand in Ontario, earlier this year, and has now returned through Rhino Entertainment’s own portfolio of websites.

Flutter Entertainment also confirmed this week that it has finalized delisting from the London Stock Exchange, with the company now primarily listed on the NYSE instead. The move was announced several years back and this year, it caps a shift towards the United States that began in 2024.

Betfred has confirmed it is closing over 100 shops in a statement released to the media outlet Sky News. The news comes amid a general trend of scaling down physical operations among Britain’s main gambling companies, citing a tougher regulatory climate as a primary reason.

The shuttering of 132 physical shops, or about 10% of the company’s retail network in the United Kingdom, will have an immediate impact on the company’s headcount, with as many as 600 jobs potentially set to go as Betfred delivers on its plans.

Premier League soccer club Manchester United has signed a new multi-year partnership with Betway, a prominent sports betting company with a strong local and global footprint.

The partnership specifically targets the team’s training kit, with Super Group, the betting firm’s parent company, paying £20m per season, as per reports. Betway and Manchester United have not officially disclosed any details of the deal, and they are unlikely to.

The leading global company offering retail and digital games, technology and analytics, powering lotteries and betting operators across the globe, Scientific Games, is seeking a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Earlier this week, the company confirmed that after 20 years at its helm, CEO Pat McHugh will retire early in September.

Gambling laws and regulation

New York’s Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul have filed a lawsuit against Kalshi, seeking as much as $36bn back from the company, payable to customers as restitution as well as forfeiture of illicit proceeds, the lawsuit claims.

This is the latest high-profile action to target the CFTC-regulated prediction market, which has argued that it is operating lawfully in the Empire State, offering a product that is overseen by federal authorities and not subject to local gaming laws.

The AG and Governor’s office, however, disagree with this framing and are pressing forward. In the meantime, a new lawsuit calls sports betting in Wisconsin unconstitutional.

Representing The Brown County Taxpayers Association and Citizens Defending Liberty, two Wisconsin taxpayer organizations, the lawsuit seeks to declare the sports betting law unconstitutional.

In its lawsuit, WILL compared the law to a "sports gambling monopoly," claiming that it violates the Wisconsin Constitution.

In 1993, voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution that effectively prohibited the authorization of gambling across Wisconsin.

Kalshi is also facing trouble elsewhere, after a federal judge in Utah said that the company can still be subjected to local gaming laws, a major win for the anti-prediction market lobby in the state.

Utah has taken a dim view of gambling in general, and the state seems determined to treat this vertical as yet another form of gambling.

Responsible gambling

Australian betting firms Tabcorp and Sportsbet have flatly denied accusations by former NRL athlete Luke Bateman that they had offered drugs and alcohol to entice VIP gamblers, the ex-player as well.

Company spokespersons said that should there be any information about such practices, the evidence should be brought forward for internal review.

The voice of the industry

In this week’s coverage of the industry and interviews with leading insiders, Casino Guru News has caught up with NeverEnding CEO Ihor Zarechnyi, who discussed how the studio uses continuous, data-driven testing, from lobby placement to tournament and promo rotations, to figure out what actually converts for each operator. You can read the full interview here.

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