As 2024 draws to a close, NEXT.io has compiled some of its most popular headlines from the past 12 months.
From regulatory developments to market exits, M&A to legal battles, below are our top 10 most-read news stories of the year.
10. Curaçao regulator intends to revoke licence of Leicester City shirt sponsor BC.Game
Starting out with a NEXT.io exclusive, our 10th most-read story of the year broke just a few weeks ago in November and concerned Curaçao-licensed operator BC.Game.
This piece exclusively revealed that The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) had set out its intention to revoke the Leicester City sponsor’s licence.
According to a document seen by NEXT.io, the GCB said it would withdraw the licence of Small House BV, trading as BC.Game, due to questions about its finances and compliance with regulation.
That story followed on from a Curaçao court declaring Small House bankrupt earlier in the month, amid failures to repay players and an evolving controversy about the company’s ownership.
BC.Game eventually opted to voluntarily relinquish its Curaçao licence around two weeks later.
9. Flutter eyes acquisition of Brazilian brand Betnacional
Another NEXT.io exclusive comes in at number nine, as one of our most-read stories this year revealed that Flutter Entertainment was considering the acquisition of Brazil-facing betting brand Betnacional to expand its reach in the country.
Industry sources told NEXT.io in August that the Paddy Power and FanDuel owner had made a formal offer to acquire the brand, which at the time was owned by UK-based NSX Group.
Exactly a month after NEXT.io broke the story, on 13 September Flutter confirmed its acquisition of a 56% stake in the business for an estimated $350m in cash.
8. ComplianceOne Group enters insolvency proceedings
Yet another NEXT.io exclusive takes eighth place, as we revealed in July that compliance provider ComplianceOne Group was entering insolvency proceedings, while former employees highlighted a string of irregularities with their pay.
ComplianceOne CEO Antonio Zanghi told NEXT.io that the company had entered insolvency as of 10 July, saying “we have realised we will not be able to meet our financial obligations due to substantial cash flow issues” after failing to secure enough contracts.
Former employees, speaking to NEXT.io on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the group had been under scrutiny in several jurisdictions due to pay irregularities dating back months, and in some cases, years.
Ex-staff reported delayed salary payments on multiple occasions. More alarmingly, they discovered that pension and social security contributions, although deducted from their payslips, had not been remitted.
7. Evolution Georgia axes 1,000 jobs as strike causes “permanent damage”
Coming in at seventh place was a major development for Evolution, as it revealed in August it was cutting 1,000 jobs in Georgia in response to an ongoing strike, which it said had significantly impacted its operations in the country and eroded customer confidence.
The layoffs came after four weeks of industrial action initiated by a local union, which Evolution claimed had severely hampered its ability to operate and meet customer needs.
NEXT.io has followed this developing story closely throughout 2024. To see all news articles related to the strike at Evolution in Georgia, click here.
6. Italian police seize €400m from mafia-linked Malta iGaming firm
Our sixth most-read story of the year broke in February, when it was revealed the Italian police had confiscated €400m in assets from a criminal figure involved in an unnamed mafia-linked Maltese iGaming company.
The enforcement efforts, a joint operation involving multiple Italian police departments, were part of the ongoing “Operation Galaxy”, which was charged with combating the ‘Ndrangheta mafia’s infiltration of the betting and gaming sector.
By untangling an international web of shell companies, the police said they uncovered the identity of the central criminal figure involved in the scheme.
5. Brazil: 113 companies apply for online gambling licences
Story number five concerned one of the most exciting emerging jurisdictions in the online gambling sector today, Brazil.
In August, it was revealed that A total of 113 companies had officially applied for federal licences to operate online gaming and betting in the country, with over 50 applications submitted on 20 August, the final day for submission.
The last-minute surge in applications was widely expected, as many operators had been holding off until the final set of regulations were released earlier in the month.
Brazil’s licensed gambling market is set to launch on 1 January 2025.
4. Evolution accuser could be unmasked in major US court case
Evolution makes the top 10 again in fourth place, as in March it was revealed that the unknown entities behind an attempted takedown of the company could potentially be exposed as a multi-billion dollar lawsuit approached a critical juncture.
The case referred to an anonymous report commissioned in November 2021, which accused Evolution of being active in prohibited jurisdictions, an allegation which the company strongly denied.
The live dealer giant claimed the report was commissioned to sabotage its business, and therefore requested a court order to reveal the identity of the entity that commissioned it.
3. Dragon Train designer leaves Light & Wonder amid legal challenge
At number three, Light & Wonder makes it into our top 10 headlines after it was revealed in October that the designer of its Dragon Train game was no longer with the business.
The Dragon Train lead developer Emma Charles had been accused by her previous employer Aristocrat of using the underlying math model behind its own Dragon Link offering to create Dragon Train.
The news followed Aristocrat successfully getting the Nevada District Court to impose an injunction on Light & Wonder from profiting from Dragon Train.
2. Betsson becomes first operator officially blacklisted in Finland
At number two, Betsson hit the headlines in February as it was revealed it had become the first MGA-licensed online gambling operator to be blacklisted by Finland’s National Police Board (NPB).
This was confirmed when Betsson parent company BML Group became the first gaming business to appear on the NPB’s publicly available blacklist.
The operator’s presence on the list meant that all banks, payment service providers and crypto currency businesses were required to block payments from Finland to the company.
The news followed Betsson reportedly losing a case in Finnish court on 19 February against the NPB.
1. DraftKings staff accused of leaking customer info in alleged assault and extortion plot
At number one, by far our most-read story of the year revealed in June that DraftKings employees had been accused of leaking personal information to a prominent sports bettor as part of an extortion plot, according to a complaint filed in New York.
The complaint, filed in Supreme Court, Queens County, detailed a physical altercation involving a masked man and the anonymous plaintiff, named as “John Doe”, on 30 March 2023 in Long Island City, New York City.
The altercation allegedly saw the man grab, violently spin around, and threaten to kill the plaintiff unless he paid $500,000 to Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos, a prominent sports betting influencer.
The filing alleged that unidentified staff in the “upper echelons” of DraftKings knowingly provided the plaintiff’s address, sensitive personal information, financial history, and betting history to Spanky.
DraftKings criticised the complaint in a statement provided to NEXT.io, saying: “The complaint filed against DraftKings in March 2024 by an unnamed plaintiff is full of inaccuracies and baseless allegations.”
It was later revealed in July that the lawyer in the case, Steven Jacobs, was also the anonymous plaintiff in question.
From all of us at NEXT.io, we would like to wish our readers a very Happy New Year. See you in 2025!