Keep Em Cool

What is Keep Em Cool?

Ahead of the government’s Autumn Budget in October, Entain CEO Stella David cautioned that doubling the current MGD rate to 40% could result in widespread closures of betting shops and significant job losses, while potentially reducing tax revenues for the government.

A potential MGD rise was first reported in the The Financial Times, as Chancellor John Healey is allegedly looking to raise the tax, on the recommendation of the Social Market Foundation, which proposed the increase in a recent report.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham had already announced the government’s intention to scrap “aim to permit” for betting shops as well as insisting that AGCs will now need planning permission to function.

What is Keep Em Cool?

The CGMC reviewed a draft of the new evaluation framework during a meeting chaired by Secretary General Yeth Vinel on 4 September. 

The proposed “integrity and quality” framework aims to establish minimum conditions that operators must meet to maintain or obtain a licence, signalling a strengthening of oversight in the sector. The details of the scoring criteria and an official implementation date remain unpublished.

The timing of regulatory tightening coincides with a vigorous government campaign against scams and illicit financial activities linked to casinos. 

About Keep Em Cool

For Splash Tech founder Adam Wilson, RubyPlay’s acquisition of his company is not simply the coming together of two complementary suppliers. It is an early indication of where the wider supplier market may be heading.

The deal adds Splash Tech’s free-to-play games and supplier-agnostic jackpot engine to RubyPlay’s existing portfolio of free spins, rewards, missions and tournaments. In doing so, it strengthens RubyPlay’s evolution from a content-led provider into a broader content and engagement tools company, giving operators a way to add engagement mechanics across existing and third-party portfolios without building those capabilities from scratch.

Wilson expects others to follow.