BoyleSports will replace the current betting sponsor, Betway, who has been on the front of the Hammers’ shirts since 2015. 

The Daily Mail first broke the story, noting that the Premier League side is continuing to feature a betting company on their shirts despite player Lucas Paqueta’s ongoing legal case over allegations that he deliberately influenced betting markets. 

Paqueta Faces Judgment Imminently

Paqueta was found guilty of deliberately picking up yellow cards in four matches between November 2022 and August 2023. 

Betway raised the alarm about suspicious betting activity on the markets back in Paqueta’s native Brazil. Family members are accused of benefiting from insider information, placing bets ranging from $10 to $500.

The FA charged the Brazilian international in May 2024, but he is still awaiting punishment. A three-week hearing concluded last week, and the results are expected to be released within the next few weeks. The FA is seeking the maximum sentence of a lifetime ban. 

West Ham told the Daily Mail that the end of Betway’s sponsorship is not related to Paqueta’s case. 

The sports betting and casino operator initially paid the club £20 million for a three-and-a-half-year deal in February 2015. The partnership was renewed for a further six years in 2019 for a reported fee of £10 million ($13.5 million) per season. 

Betway maintains partnerships with four other Premier League clubs: Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion. 

Final Season for Premier League Sports Betting Sponsorship

Premier League clubs voted in favor of implementing a ban on betting sponsors on the front of shirts from the start of the 2026-27 season. As such, West Ham’s BoyleSports deal will be for one campaign only. 

Currently, 11 of the 20 clubs in the Premier League have betting companies as their front-of-shirt sponsor. The deals are worth approximately $135 million. 

TGP Europe brands currently sponsor six clubs, but the clubs have faced scrutiny after the company was fined by the UK Gambling Commission and ordered to exit the UK gambling market. 

Clubs could face legal consequences after it emerged some of the companies continue to accept UK customers despite now being unlicensed. 

Dundalk-based betting company BoyleSports is licensed in the UK and has featured on Championship clubs Birmingham City and Coventry City’s shirts in the past. 

The appearance on West Ham’s strip marks the first time it will feature on the front of a Premier League side’s shirt. The company has previously had deals with Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. 

The company has also been involved in controversy in Ireland, after providing corporate tickets to the GAA’s All Ireland Finals to bettors significantly in the red. This is despite the GAA’s anti-gambling stance and ban on betting advertisements. 

Other Countries Consider a Ban on Betting Companies

A similar proposal to ban shirt sponsors from the front of Brazilian soccer clubs has been suggested by lawmakers, but clubs oppose the ban, citing the loss of essential income. 

Italy and Spain implemented bans on front-of-shirt betting sponsors in 2018 and 2021, respectively; however, the Brazilian clubs noted that this led to financial struggles for many teams. 

Belgium and the Netherlands are also introducing stricter rules around soccer teams advertising betting companies from the coming season. 

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The Irish News reports that the Dundalk-based online betting company, has rewarded gamblers deep in the red with tickets to the sporting spectacle, despite the GAA’s strong anti-gambling stance. 

The GAA has implemented a ban on betting advertisements, yet BoyleSports still holds a corporate box at Croke Park. The Irish News said it reviewed documents that showed many of the tickets it had issued went to bettors who had lost hundreds of thousands of euros with the bookmaker.

BoyleSports and Advertising With the GAA

This is not the first time that BoyleSports’ promotional practices have drawn controversy. Last year, the Irish News reported that BoyleSports retained an advertising hoarding on the Hogan Stand of GAA headquarters, and that it was visible during the All-Ireland Finals and other significant events, including concerts.

At the time, a spokesperson for GAA told the Irish News that box holders at Croke Park were free to use the front of their boxes for promotional activity within ASA guidelines.

A spokesperson for BoyleSports commented: “As a suite holder at Croke Park, along with every other suite holder, BoyleSports is permitted to use the front fascia of its suite for branding purposes.”

The Irish News cited a source who said that BoyleSports’ box, for which prices start at €50,000 per year, is used as “an incentive for people to gamble more.”

Gambling Issues in GAA Well-Documented  

The GAA has made concerted efforts to address gambling problems amongst its players. This includes awareness campaigns where players, supporters, and their families can learn about the effects of gambling issues.

Tyrone star Conn Kilpatrick has been open about his struggles. The All-Ireland winner said his gambling addiction started when he was 15 or 16, and by 2018, at the age of 21, he had racked up £15,000-£20,000 of debt.

“I was just thinking everyone is going to see my mum and dad and think, ‘Their son is the gambling addict,’ which hurt as it was nothing to do with them, they didn’t lead me down that path,” Kilpatrick said on the GAA Social podcast: “I brought shame onto the family and that was the thing that I was most wary of.”

It wasn’t until Armagh legend Oisin McConville, who had overcome gambling issues of his own, convinced him to attend Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meetings that Kilpatrick got the help he needed.

A 2023 University of Limerick study found that gambling was “pervasive” among elite intercounty GAA players. Of the 608 players who responded to an anonymous survey, 79% admitted to being current gamblers. One contributor called gambling the “biggest problem in the GAA.”

Bank of Ireland Takes Stand Against Illegal Gambling 

Concerns about problem gambling are severe enough that the Bank of Ireland recently introduced voluntary card-blocking tools restricting access to online casinos, slot machines, and lottery websites. It also prohibits payments to gambling operators.

This comes as data provided by the Bank of Ireland shows a significant rise in local gambling expenditures, especially among young males. For customers between the ages of 18 and 25, spending rose 19% between January and March despite a 2% drop in total card spending. Males accounted for 71% of the wagers.

As the industry continues to evolve, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), a new entity responsible for licensing and regulating gambling services, said it expects other banks to introduce similar card-blocking features soon.  

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Through the deal, the Gibraltar-licensed operator’s customers in the UK and Peru will gain access to the supplier’s games including 3 Pots Riches Extra: Hold and Win, Сoin Strike: Hold and Win and Diamonds Power: Hold and Win.

Playson’s partnership with BoyleSports is also its first agreement since the supplier was granted a B2B licence by the Gibraltar Licensing Authority.

“We are thrilled to have signed up with BoyleSports as our first Gibraltar-based operator partner,” commented Paul McInnes, Sales Manager at Playson.

“I have known the team at BoyleSports for a long time and am confident they are the best choice for mutual commitment and marked growth as they have performed consistently in these key areas for many years.”

While BoyleSports is well known in the UK, the operator has been present in Peru since acquiring Timberazo.com in 2023, which Playson will also provide content for.

Steve Payne, Gaming Director of BoyleSports, added: “Playson’s variety of engaging slots will undoubtedly resonate across all our markets, and we look forward to a strong relationship moving forward.

“Their revered reputation precedes them as a provider of high-quality games, and I am sure our players in the UK, Ireland, and Peru will immerse themselves in Playson’s offering.”

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Through the deal, BoyleSports customers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland will now be able to play igaming titles from the Finnish software development company.

“Air Dice has proven themselves to be a business that consistently puts player-centric user game experience at the heart of all the player touch points within the gaming ecosystem,” commented Steve Payne, Gaming Director of BoyleSports.

“In today’s marketplace, players always look for engaging and different experiences, and we anticipate positive feedback from our players who will exclusively get to experience Air Dice content during the launch period in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.”

Air Dice was founded in 2002 and specialises in slots and strategy-influenced money games. The company’s customer list includes Ladbrokes, Unibet and Napoleon Games.

Meanwhile, BoyleSports has over 375 locations across the UK and Ireland alongside its online operations on BoyleSports.com.

Victor Borg Barthet, CEO of Air Dice MT, added: “We are delighted to provide and work with one of Ireland’s and the United Kingdom’s leading gaming brands in BoyleSports. We have long admired their brand values and focus on player-centricity to deliver the best experience possible.

“Our games portfolio includes games with exciting new mechanics including Neon Shifter, Fruit Shifter and Chest Hunter, and many more shall be available to BoyleSports players. We are sure they will discover and enjoy our game suite.”

Earlier this month, Air Dice was granted a B2B licence by Spelinspektionen to supply gaming content to operators in Sweden.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Yggdrasil will bring titles from its slots portfolio to BoyleSports customers across the UK and Ireland.

Games included in the deal are the Vikings series and Valley of the Gods, as well as games featuring Yggdrasil’s array of game engagement mechanics such as Raptor DoubleMax and Dragon Blox GigaBlox.

“We’re thrilled to partner with BoyleSports, an incredibly well-known brand across the UK and other regulated markets,” commented Andrew Pegler, Chief Commercial Operations Officer at Yggdrasil.

“We want to join forces with established, forward-looking brands and BoyleSports is another strong collaboration for us.”

With multiple retail and online offerings, BoyleSports has been an established operator in the UK and Ireland for more than 40 years.

Meanwhile, Yggdrasil is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023 and it has plans to boost its portfolio and geographical reach as part of its growth strategy.

Steve Payne, Gaming Director at BoyleSports, added: “Yggdrasil has a proud history of creating cutting-edge, fan-favourite slots and we’re delighted to take its leading content live. 

“We know our customers will enjoy this fantastic portfolio, and look forward to working with Yggdrasil for the foreseeable future.”

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Under the terms of the deal, proprietary content from Pariplay’s Wizard Games portfolio, as well as its Fusion platform, will go live on the operators platform in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. 

Andrew Maclean, VP of Sales at Pariplay, said: “We’re delighted to partner with BoyleSports, a supremely well-known brand across the UK and Ireland.

“Taking both proprietary content and third-party games live across multiple jurisdictions highlights the agility and scalability of our Fusion platform, and we are confident it will be a game changer for the BoyleSports casino offering.”

The agreement will further scale to include more titles from Pariplay’s aggregation platform that includes 14,000 games, as well as more territories

Steve Payne, Gaming Director at BoyleSports, added: “Pariplay’s offering consists of some of the premier titles from across the industry, fitting a huge variety of player preferences. We’re very happy to see key games go live in the UK and Ireland, as we look to further grow our footprint in our core markets and beyond.

“This is an important deal for us as we look to bring great content to diverse audiences, and we’re confident it will be a success for all parties involved.”

This latest partnership continues a strong beginning of the year for Pariplay that has witnessed the firm ink deals with Caesars, Resorts Digital Gaming, Skillzzgaming, Kiron, Mancala Gaming and Jelly Entertainment, since the turn of 2023.

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Scheduled to begin his position ‘early next year’, Kaltenieks replaces Mark Kemp, who vacated his leadership role at Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker in February and would later become CEO of DAZN Bet.

Although much of BoyleSports’ focus is on retail and web sports betting, the firm also operates an online casino, poker, slots, bingo and lottery, whilst also maintaining FOBT terminals in its shops.

Confirming his appointment on Linkedin, Kaltenieks said: “I am deeply honoured to be asked to lead BoyleSports early next year. Over the years the company has grown into a successful business, with its own technology and experienced team, and I am very optimistic for our next chapter.”

He joins BoyleSports as the firm continues to expand its retail operations, and also as rumours circulate regarding a potential takeover of the company, first circulated by the Irish Independent in October.

The incoming CEO also shared an RTE article on his appointment, in which BoyleSports Founder John Boyle was quoted as praising Kaltenieks’ experience of leadership roles in competitive gaming environments.

“Vlad will bring to bear exceptional expertise in using digital technologies to drive innovation and in the use of focussed marketing to deliver growth,” Boyle remarked.

“Having worked almost exclusively in highly-regulated environments he also brings with him particular experience in adapting to regulatory changes.”

Over the past 12 months BoyleSports, has moved to strengthen its igaming offering, partnering with Aspire Global to power its entry in the Netherlands, as well as Design Work Gaming for the UK and Leap Gaming for the UK and Ireland.

Additionally, the firm has continued pursuing its own strategy of retail expansion in the UK and Ireland over the past two years, opening a number of venues at regional locations in Great Britain.

Eight new BoyleSports shops have been opened in the UK since April, bringing its total retail holding in the country to 29, with an additional two in the Isle of Man.

Meanwhile, it remains the largest independent bookmaker in its founding market of Ireland, where it operates 350 shops and employs 2,500 people. 

Speaking to SBC News after the opening of a venue in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire the company’s Director of Property and Retail, Lee Otter, explained the BoyleSports’ strategy for choosing new locations. 

“We select locations following extensive assessment of the location, the wider area and the current offering in terms of retail betting shops,” he said.

“Where we identify a gap in the market for a good quality independent bookmaker and there is a healthy betting market, we look to secure the right unit in the right pitch to cater for that demand.”

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The link-up between the two will see BoyleSports, who own over 350 retails branches throughout the two regions, distribute Leap’s casino portfolio for online and mobile across the former’s platforms. 

“We have found in Leap the perfect partner who will support us with a variety of high-end casino and table games,” noted Steve Payne, Commercial Director for BoyleSports. “The casino games use the most state-of-the-art technologies available today, combined with excellent 3D graphics and a smart and easy UI for our players’ maximum engagement and enjoyment.”

Furthermore, Leap’s catalogue will become accessible to players in Gibraltar due to the operator being licensed and regulated in the British overseas territory. 

Isabella Avidar, Commercial Director for Leap, added: “BoyleSports provides a betting platform that’s full of betting opportunities in UK and Ireland. Customers especially enjoy betting on casino and table games that are accessible from anywhere and at any time from any computer or mobile device. 

“Therefore, Leap’s innovative 3D games such as Feast O’Fruit or Secrets of the Nile are right up their alley, and are sure to prove popular with the UK market.”

Leap’s UK and Ireland strengthening follows on from the company’s recent licence approval from the Romanian National Gambling Office, which allowed the launch of its products to B2C operators in Romania. 

Moreover, BoyleSports’ collaboration also comes after the firm confirmed its partnership with Design Works Gaming earlier this year, powered by Relax Gaming, and saw the integration of 20 DWG titles. 

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Real Luck Group

Real Luck Group, the managing company of esports wagering platform Luckbox, has confirmed the appointment of Bo Wänghammar as a Non-Executive Director of its board.

Wänghammar joins the company having worked for several global igaming operators in leadership roles. He was previously the Director of International Projects and Managing Director of Casino at PokerStars, and the CEO and Business Development Director at Mr Green.

Thomas Rosander, Real Luck Group CEO, said: “I am thrilled a seasoned operator such as Bo will be joining our board. This is an exciting stage for the company as we look to scale our user acquisition efforts and revenues and I believe his experience and guidance will be invaluable to Real Luck’s growth strategy.

“His track record speaks for itself, as during his time as Director of Casino at PokerStars, he oversaw the doubling of revenues to more than $500m, growing the casino vertical to outperform the core poker offering.

“During Mr Wänghammar’s time at Mr Green the business grew quickly and achieved strong profitability and we believe he was instrumental in refactoring the technical infrastructure to launch a portfolio of award-winning products.”

Pretty Technical 

Pretty Technical has appointed Emma Blaylock as Chief Executive Officer, in a bid to ‘accelerate’ the firm’s products and services.

Blaylock joins the company from within the Rokker Network, with her most recent role on the Senior Consulting Team as Head of Rokker Advisory. 

Andre Marenke, Pretty Technical’s Founder, noted: “Emma’s appointment is a clear message that we are committed to further developing the business in line with our strategic plan and to build on the success of our first 2 years as a fully remote technology provider in the gambling industry. 

“Emma’s experience in strategic growth, financial development and leadership of technology businesses will have an immediate positive impact on Pretty Technical’s future. Personally, I am delighted to be able to support her vision as part of the technical leadership going forward.” 

Boylesports 

BoyleSports confirmed to media that Mark Kemp has chosen to step down as Chief Executive of the Irish bookmaker.

Kemp is understood to be leaving the Dundalk business, to take an executive position within the new sportsbook division of DAZN – the multi-billion-pound financed streaming platform backed by Sir Leonard Blavatnik’s Access Industries fund.

The decision sees Kemp leave BoyleSports less than a year into his leadership tenure. The former Managing Director of the UK Tote Group, he had joined BoyleSports last summer to replace Conor Grey as CEO.

The Racing Post reported that company founder John Boyle will “return to an executive role within the business,” supported by predecessor Conor Grey who took charge of BoyleSports ongoing international expansion plans last year.

British Horseracing Authority

British Horseracing Authority Chair Annamarie Phelps is due to step down from her role at the sporting body at the close of her term in May.

The former Olympic rower will be replaced by Independent Non-Executive Director Joe Saumarez Smith, who will hold the responsibility until the end of his term on the BHA board in September 2023. 

Smith currently serves as Chair of the Gambling Strategy Group, Chief Executive of online gaming management consultancy Sports Gaming, Chair of sports betting, casino, lottery and bingo platform Bede Gaming and part-time Shareholder Director of slots company Eyas Gaming.

“On behalf of the BHA Board, I would like to express my thanks to Annamarie, who has brought a broad perspective from other sports to the BHA Board table,” Saumarez Smith remarked.

“During her time as Chair, she has laid the groundwork for significant change across the industry in a number of areas, and helped us navigate a series of challenging issues, not least the coronavirus pandemic and the BHA’s own governance. 

“The agreement of a number of core governance principles is potentially a defining moment for the industry. I look forward to continuing to work with Annamarie until the conclusion of her term.”

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Via the integration, powered by Relax Gaming, the operator’s players will receive access to 20 DWG titles, such as Double Fancy 7’s, Panda Queen and Diamonds, Sapphires & Rubies. 

“We’ve been fans of DWG for some time now, so it’s a real thrill to be able to launch a range of their titles at BoyleSports Games,” stated Steve Payne, commercial director at BoyleSports.

“The games really capture that magic of Vegas that we – and our customers – love. And knowing their values align with our commitment to safer gambling is just another reason we’re excited to work with them.

“DWG’s games are backed by innovative gameplay features and a truly authentic feel. We’ve been impressed by their team, which has helped us quickly and seamlessly integrate, and we now have a solid foundation in place for a long-lasting relationship based on world-class content.”

DWG’s partnership with BoyleSports is its latest in the UK, following on from the company’s agreement last month with online casino operator BetVictor, a move which it praised was “yet another top tier content partnership”.

Troy Zurawski, Design Works Gaming’s CEO, commented on the supplier’s latest partnership: “We are very excited to go live with BoyleSports, and reach a very unique customer base that I know we will resonate with.

“DWG offers products that no other developer does, and that will be a huge advantage for them. It’s going to be a thrill to watch this relationship continue to grow.”

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