Genius Sports seals $1.2bn deal, sports corruption on the rise, gaming companies in fine fettle

Genius Sports has grabbed headlines this week with its major acquisition of one of the world’s leading gaming media networks, while commercial momentum continues sector-wide.

Genius Sports has announced a surprise move to acquire Legend, a digital sports and gaming media network, in a deal valued at $1.2bn.

The transaction marks one of the largest acquisitions in Genius Sports’ history and signals a major strategic push into media and audience monetization.

Commenting on the deal, Legend Founder Nick Kisberg highlighted the strategic potential of the partnership:

"Joining forces with Genius Sports brings together two world-class teams, unlocks unparalleled growth opportunities for our partners and products, and gives us an even stronger platform to scale."

Genius Sports and Legend entered into a definitive agreement on Thursday, although the transaction has not yet closed and remains subject to customary regulatory and closing conditions.

Business and finance

Genius Sports may have begun the year with a major deal, but other gambling companies have also been enjoying commercial momentum. BetMGM posted a strong Q4 and FY2025, with the company seeing growth across the board.

BetMGM's FY 2025 total net revenue hit $2.8bn. This figure points to a solid increase of 33% year-over-year when compared to the $2.1bn result from the corresponding period in 2024.

Greentube, a prominent supplier, and NOVOMATIC’s Digital Gaming Entertainment division have launched with a new operator in New Jersey, with the company further expanding its footprint in the United States.

The partnership with PlayStar is the latest instance of Greentube making its games readily available to online casino audiences, with such blockbusters as Wand of Riches 2, Starlight Jackpots: Odds of the Gods, and Firecracker Frenzy: Empress Wealth, among others.

Laws and regulations

As Super Bowl weekend looms, New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, has warned residents not to engage with prediction market platforms, as they pose consumer protection dangers, and called the companies unregulated.

"New Yorkers need to know the significant risks of unregulated prediction markets. It’s crystal clear: so-called prediction markets do not have the same consumer protections as regulated platforms. I urge all New Yorkers to be cautious of these platforms to protect their money," James said in a statement.

A lawsuit in Washington State by Attorney General Nick Brown is going after social casino apps that the state’s top prosecutors argue are violating local consumer protection and gambling laws.

According to Brown, these apps have been operating without a license and have been able to generate $225m from residents.

Alexander Hernandez, one of the fighters who was recently featured in a UFC fight that had to be pulled due to match-fixing suspicions, broke the silence and vehemently denied that he had committed anything wrong.

Hernandez argued that he would never "dishonor" himself by breaking the promotion’s integrity.

Responsible gambling

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has published a new survey in which it noted that the number of legal gambling ads in the United Kingdom has been on a steady decline.

This, the BGC argues, could indicate that the black market is going to fill the vacuum. A silver lining here is that the percentage of legal ads that now promote safer gambling messages has increased steadily.

In a separate survey, the International Betting and Gaming Association has concluded that 2025 saw an increase in sports corruption, with Europe and soccer leading the way.

IBIA has noted that despite the better overall monitoring capabilities of its members, there have been more instances of foul play, mostly match-fixing.

The voice of the industry

In this week’s edition of The Voice of the Industry, Casino Guru News has caught up with a number of prominent speakers and industry insiders. One such was Jo Abergel, Co-Founder of the Ethical Gambling Forum & Count Me In.

Abergel addressed one of the most pressing and difficult topics to broach and discuss openly in the industry - that of suicide driven by gambling-related harm. Specifically, Abergel discussed suicide prevention and how gambling operators can contribute to a future where this is no longer an issue.

In other news, Ihor Zarechnyi, CEO at NeverEnding, spoke about the role that distribution plays in determining the success of a slot studio. Zarechnyi’s company has embarked on creating a no-bureaucracy studio that creates and integrates content while eliminating friction for partner operators.

Casino Guru News had the opportunity to catch up with Zarechnyi and pick his mind on distribution, game development, and more at the recently concluded ICE Barcelona 2026. You may watch the full interview with the iGaming visionary here.

In a similar vein, Casino Guru news published an in-depth contribution by SOFTSWISS Head of Account Management Ekaterina Semashko, who spoke about game aggregators and direct integrations, and how the two apply to business strategies.

"But in reality, content strategy rarely stays static. Operators want to grow, enter new markets, add new studios, react to player demand, and so on. That’s where the complexity starts to show. The question isn’t really about how to launch, but about how to operate and scale over time," Semashko shared in her interview with the media.

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