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WELCOME igamingbusiness.com If a week is a long time in politics, six months is a lifetime in gaming. That’s how long I’ve been back in the gaming fold, after leaving in 2021 in what I thought was the final goodbye. It’s been a whirlwind. In 2021, gaming’s topic du jour was the continued expansion of betting in North America and the emergence of new and well-known European stalwarts in the market. The proliferation of illegal gambling was barely discussed, and Brazil’s betting market was as grey as the London skyline. But today, we’ve accepted the US is now a shrinking market after an exodus this year from lesser performing players. Meanwhile, it is a real challenge to read about igaming today without coming across some commentary on the black market’s worrying growth. That’s why our cover feature has sought to provide some answers to the lingering questions on enforcement against illegal market providers (p29). This issue also looks at where the industry stands in terms of innovation, both across retail betting (p24) and online casino (p14). Turning to Peru, we ask local stakeholders about the damage the incoming consumption tax could do to the local sector (p106). Finally, no ICE issue would be complete without our favourite perennials, iGB’s Most Influential Women (p37) and the iGB-Pentasia Salary Survey (p93). I look forward to whatever the next six months bring us! Nicole Macedo Managing editor, EMEA Printed in the UK by Micropress Ltd. Published by iGaming Business Ltd, 3rd Floor, Bedford House, Fulham Green, 69-79 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3JW, UK. www.igamingbusiness.com iGaming Business is published biannually © iGaming Business Ltd 2024. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission, except for permitted fair dealing under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. Application for permission for use of copyright material including permission to reproduce extracts in other published works shall be made to the publishers. Full acknowledgement of author, publisher and source must be given. The paper used within this publication has been sourced from a Chain-of-Custody certified manufacturer, operating within international environmental standards such as ISO14001 and EMAS. This is to ensure sustainable sourcing of the raw materials, sustainable production and to minimise our carbon footprint. ISSN 1756-3437. Global content director, B2B Robin Harrison robin.harrison-millan@ clariongaming.com Managing editor, EMEA Nicole Macedo nicole.macedo@ clariongaming.com Managing editor, NA Jil Dorson Production editor Guy Parsons Creative direction Digitalstudioworldwide.com Reporter Kyle Goldsmith Data analysis Tansu Yilmaz Global head of commercial content Katrina Holmes Managing director Alex Pratt Global portfolio director Richard Linn richard.linn@clariongaming.com Non-executive chairman Michael Caselli michaelc@clariongaming.com Sales director Ian Larcombe ian.larcombe@clariongaming.com Account managers Kane Dalton, Laurie Pilate, Sam Richardson, Jack Rogers, Josh Wright first name.last name@ clariongaming.com EDITOR'S LETTER SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS igamingbusiness. com/newsletter 37 51 Our annual roundup of the industry’s foremost female movers and shakers. Who has made this year’s top 10? Industry stalwart Nigel Eccles is cooking up a fun-filled crypto storm with his new venture BetHog. ICE 2025 • ISSUE 137 • 05Europe’s black market is alive and thriving. But how big is the problem and are enforcement measures stemming the illegal tide? BETTING ON BLACK WHAT’S INSIDE • ICE 2025 Nigel Eccles is aiming high with his sizzling new venture BetHog, home to a crackling combo of gambling, crypto and pigs. STY AND MIGHTY Tech giants have made more than a token effort with social gaming, which can work as an easy channel through which to engage customers. FREE THINKING 63 29 ICE 2025 • ISSUE 137 • 07 51 CONTENTS igamingbusiness.comLET’S GET SOCIAL REGULARS 05 Editor’s letter 10 News TECH & INNOVATION 14 Has the industry lost its taste for cutting-edge technologies? CASINO & GAMES 21 Behind the reels with eGaming Monitor SPORTS BETTING 24 What will it take to return UK retail betting to growth? FEATURES 29 Europe’s illegal market: What’s the solution 37 iGB Most Influential Women 2024 51 Bet Hog: Bringing home the bacon MARKETING & AFFILIATES 57 A seat at the table SOCIAL GAMING 63 Social casinos make real money SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 69 Fintel Sustain rankings 2024 FINANCE 89 What effect will the US macroeconomy have on igaming in 2025? PEOPLE 93 iGB-Pentasia Salary Survey 2024 REGULATION 106 Consumption tax weighs on Peru’s betting ambitions 110 Wiggin European regulatory roundup DATA 116 H2 igaming dashboard 118 H2 mobile dashboard 120 Top 50 gaming sites MARKETPLACE 122 Advertiser index READ YOUR DIGITAL VERSION AT IGAMING BUSINESS.COM LET’S GET DIGITAL X @IGAMINGBUSINESS FACEBOOK @IGAMINGBUSINESSMAGAZINE LINKEDIN @IGAMING BUSINESS INSTAGRAM @IGAMINGBUSINESS 08 • ISSUE 137 • ICE 2025 CONTENTS igamingbusiness.com 51Next >