Sports Information Services (SIS) recently found itself in a scandal involving an alleged agreement with Santeda, a gambling operator registered in Curaçao, according to information released from Casino Secrets.
According to The Guardian, evidence from the Casino Secrets leak alleges that SIS entered into a contract in 2022 with Santeda that would provide the operator’s websites with a stream of income based on their gambling losses. The agreement reportedly had a two-year duration and was subject to automatic renewal unless canceled by either party.
SIS was previously accused of preying on at-risk gamblers in the UK and was fined by the Spanish authorities for gambling without a license.
Entain, which owns Ladbrokes, has a 23% interest in SIS. Reportedly, William Hill has less than a 20% stake in the operations, and Betfred founder Fred Done has an 8% stake and is a member of the board of SIS.
The three companies claim to be unaware of SIS’s agreement with Santeda. According to news clips, SIS paid its shareholders £30 million in dividend remuneration in 2023.
The arrangement has drawn the ire of campaigners because all three of the operators have called for greater enforcement against unregulated gambling activities while raising concerns about higher gambling taxes could contribute to the growth of the black market.
Stella David, chief executive of Entain, commented:
Not a party to the commercial or customer arrangements SIS decides to strike. Now that this relationship has come to light, we take it very seriously and have raised our concerns to SIS.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, co-founder and Director of External Affairs at Gamban, said:
While the UK’s biggest gambling firms have been warning about the risks of growing the illicit market if the government increases tax and regulation, the very same firms are profiting from it. If the gambling industry is concerned about the black market, it needs to get its own house in order by cutting all ties with it.
SIS said its customers are required to offer its products only where legally permitted and where they hold the necessary licences.
The company added:
Customers commit that they will comply with all such laws and licences at all times. Where SIS becomes aware that these terms are not being adhered to it takes corrective action to enforce the position, up to and including suspension or termination of contracts.
